Joseph was young then. He was just ten and his other mates were shape shifting even though you had to be fifteen to do that . But he wanted to . His other friends had, they would run round the woods cgading each other in that fox form. And he would sit at a corner watching them. It was more heart breaking because his father was the head of their clan as at then.
How could the next leader of the clan not shape shift at a tender age and some random children were already doing it. One day, at dusk, the children were playing round the fire and decided to play the three little pigs and the fox and of course he was the pig. He got annoyed and walked away.
"Stupid friends", he muttered and left.
Joseph had refused to eat and insisted he stayed home till he saw his fox. One night, it was cold and a strange darkness hung in the sky. Joseph felt uneasy. He felt like screaming and devouring anything near him . His father tried to calm him down but he kept screaming and that was when his bone started breaking.
This was why seeing your fox at fifteen was better than ten, because by fifteen, you'd be a little stronger unlike ten where you had no strength to endure the pain.
He had the agility of a wolf and was huger, unlike a fox. Anyone who saw him would think he was a wolf in fox skin.
What kind of monster am I ?
His father had stared in shock, but the look he gave meant he knew why he was like this . "Father, explain", he had said when he had turned back human.
"You're just a normal fox"
"Normal? Then you mean that every other fox out there are abnormal", he said visibly angry. "Try to calm..."
"Calm down? I have this inner voice speaking to me. It happens to only wolves and not foxes. I'm huge and my senses are sharper than the fox!"
Before he could allow his father to explain, he figured it out. "My mother is a wolf. My gods forsaken father slept with a wolf not to talk about him being the head of the clan!", he had a sharp mouth for a ten year old.
That was ten years ago. He had found out that he had a mother, but each time he tried to get close to her, she shuned him away. But suddenly appeared from nowhere and started acting all nice. And for eight years he endured. He couldn't endure it any longer.
Joseph sat in the woods and brought out a cigarette. He lit the cigar and put it in his mouth.
"I bet my girlfriend doesn't like guys that smoke", someone said making him throw the cigar and step on it .
"Fuck! Iris", he said cursing her. "And what businesse do I have with your girlfriend?", he asked raising his brow.
"You'd know after I break you in half", she said standing calmly looking at the dried trees. Joseph rolled his eyes, "Did I hurt any of your clan? Oh sorry, you don't have a clan", he said and stood to leave, she dragged him back hitting his stomach. He fell to the floor holding his stomach.
"You bastard!" He lunged at her but she held him on his shirt and threw him to a tree . Before he could hit her again, she had kicked him in the face leaving bruises on his fine face. It healed.
"What a fine face you have there", she said her eyes changing to a thick black.
"What did I do to you? Your mother practiced sorcery and yet we still call you family. You ungrateful..." Iris rushed at him and pinned him to a tree digging her claws into his skin. He winced until he couldn't take it any longer. He fought effortlessly but this five hundred years old woman was stronger. He was going to die for sure.
"I should pardon you at least, wolf", she said releasing her tight grip and letting him go.
"The wound would take a while to heal" , she said straightening her dress.
"I'm not a wolf!" He said quite angry not bothered about his injury. "If you aren't a wolf, what are you Joseph? A fox? Your mother seemed to have a dominant gene unlike your father, so you took most of her looks", she said wearing no emotions.
"And what about you? A fox who practices sorcery. Just figured out we're alike just that yours is a lot worse", he said grinning.
"I could tear you apart now, but my slave seems to have taken a liken to you", she said walking away.
"Who's your slave?"
"That's non of your business ", she said and when he wanted to object, he didn't see her again.
That petty fox witch.
***
Why does Cordelia keep chasing Jacob? That foolish woman with the sister's wimple.
Iris sighed. She hadn't spoken to Lucy since today and didn't know why she was worried.
She decided to go for a drink or two . Iris put on her coat and left the house with her bag.
The weather was warm today and the sky was clear. She was going to enjoy this evening. Suddenly someone ran and snatched her bag. "Hey, you pickpocket!" She shouted chasing after him. She didn't want to use her fox speed because as she said, she wanted to enjoy the night.
She was almost close to him until she realized where she had walked into .
A slaughter house.
The smell was driving her crazy, making her hungry. She wanted to devour everything around her... Every living thing.
"Ouch!" Someone screamed. He had injured himself and the blood... Human blood ignited the curse.
That curse that made her destroy everything living. The curse that made her so popular in the movies and books about a beast that devoured humans ... So many versions.
She screamed trying to control herself. She was out of her mind and the curse was winning over.
"Excuse me ma'am you shouldn't be here", someone said to her. She looked up, her eyes the purest gold ever seen and dangerous. Her skin was white and hairy and her hair as dark as a Merlin.
The man screamed trying to run but she had devoured him. People started running but she devoured them. The curse had won probably because she had been suppressing it for too long. The effect was long lasting and so every single being in and within the abbatoir had been devoured.
She sat on the floor her body bloody. She had regained consciousness and looked around the place seeing the mess she had done. She was naked. She stood up feeling overwhelmed with grief and hatred for herself.
She had the police siren in a distance. "They're coming", she muttered. "I must run". She put aside grief and hatred and ran for her life into the clear and warm night.
***
Connor came into the scene and stared at the body . He had seen this exact thing ten years ago at Nestle lake. The body ... The blood. But this was much worst. "Jesus Christ!"
"Did you take the footage?" He asked someone. "Sir"
"What?"
"There's no footage here. Everything is blank ", he said and Connor turned to him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean sir that there's no footage ", he said and Connor shook his head.
Why did it return after ten years? Why ?