I took a deep breath as I let the crisp autumn air fill my lungs, it was beautiful today. The amber, crimson, and mahogany leaves fluttered from the trees and danced around me. I allowed my body to fall back into the grass as I enjoyed the sight of nature around me. Beautiful perennials were blooming and graceful animals ran around the small field in front of me. I had always loved nature, ever since I was a little girl. No matter the season, I've always found beauty in each of them. Although I do think autumn is my favorite.
Suddenly I was pulled away from my thoughts as I saw a young man stumble in front of me. His hazel eyes held fear while his chestnut brown hair was disheveled and tangled. His bare chest was glistening with sweat as it heaved up and down jaggedly. I noticed a bite on his side.
"What's wrong?" I asked him gently.
"I was just going on my morning jog down my normal path, and a huge black wolf jumped out in front of me and attacked me. Luckily I was able to get away with just a bite." He panted as he held his hand against his wound.
"What color were its eyes?" I began to get worried.
"I don't know... uh... I think they were yellow, almost like they were glowing." He replied. I could smell the fear radiating from him.
"Listen, you don't know me, but you need my help." My voice was serious as it dropped.
"What are you talking about? I need to get to a hospital!" He raised his voice at me.
"I can patch you up just as well as any of those doctors." I replied as I grabbed his hand and began leading him through the trees. Before long, we reached my parents' cabin. Turning around to face him, I noticed the confusion in his eyes. "My med kit is inside. Do you want to come in or do you want to wait out here?"
"Um... I'll come inside." His voice sounded uncertain.
"It's okay. You can trust me. I'm just here to help." I tried to reassure him. He just nodded in response as he followed me to the kitchen. I offered him a seat and a glass of water before heading to the bathroom. I came back with my med kit in hand and a warm smile across my lips. "Now, let's get you patched up." I sat in front of him as he stretched back, showing me his entire side where the bite was. Grabbing the alcohol, I poured it over his wound. His body tensed and a hiss escaped his lips as the liquid dripped down his skin. "I know it burns, I'm sorry. But it's cleaning the bite as we speak." I said gently as I dabbed it with a hand towel. After the skin was mostly dry and the alcohol had finished its job, I placed a bandage on his side and pulled back with a proud smile.
"There, all better."
"Thank you. I mean it. I'm a stranger and yet you're being so kind to me."
"We have more in common than you think." I sighed as I thought about the bite. My father walked in and I looked at him with hopeful eyes. "I found him in the woods, he was bitten."
"Bitten?" He asked, clarifying what I was conveying to him.
"Yes, sir. I brought him hear to clean and wrap it. And so we could tell him..." I trailed off, my tone becoming sad.
"What? Tell me what?" Fear laced his voice yet again. I sighed as I sat back in front of him.
"The wolf that bit you... it was not a normal wolf."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means... your body will begin changing, in ways you didn't think was possible. You'll become stronger, faster, your senses will be heightened, everything will be one hundred times more intense. You're... you're going to become a wolf."
"I- what?" He laughed nervously.
"I know it sounds insane, but it's true, son. You're going to need our help, especially with tonight being a full moon. That's when the change begins." My father chipped in as he walked over and placed his hand on the young man's back.
"Full moon? What are you saying, that I'm a werewolf?" He laughed again in disbelief.
"I guess you could say that, but we don't really like that term." I said with a smile. I wanted to help him calm down, but before I could get another word out, he jumped up, aggressively shaking his head left and right.
"No, you're both crazy! There's no such thing as werewolves! They're a fairy tale!"
"I have no reason to lie to you." I said softly.
"Fine, prove it! If you're a werewolf like you say, show me!"
"If you say so." I sighed as I rolled my neck and prepared myself. My bones began cracking and twisting as pain rushed through my body. It continued to twist and contort, before I ended up on all fours, fully transformed. I looked up and saw that he was mortified.
"What the fuck?" He sounded exasperated.
"We're telling you the truth. Like Lila said, we have no reason to lie to you." My father told him. I slowly moved towards the shaking man. As I reached him, I sniffed him before laying my head at his feet, trying to show that we had no ill intentions. My father didn't like that, as laying at someone's feet can mean submission and admiration, so he sternly told me to go to my room, change back, and get dressed. I grumbled as I turned away and complied with his order.
After I finished getting dressed, I walked back into the kitchen to see my dad talking to the man and the man listening intently. I cleared my throat to announce my presence, making both men turn their heads towards me.
"So... what's your name?" I asked him.
"Lucian Fellwood." He replied quietly.
"Well, Lucian, I'm Lila Grey. Could I get you to follow me please?" He nodded and followed closely behind as we returned to the spot we had met at. "This is my little safe place. I come out here to let out my anger, sadness, anxiety. Sometimes I bring my sketchpad and draw a bit. This place is so calming. If you'd like, it could be your safe place as well." I offered.
"Uh... sure, I guess." He slowly sat down and leaned against one of the large oak trees that surrounded us. He leaned his head back against it and sighed. I could tell he was still in distress. But maybe I could help ease his mind.
"Hey," I paused as I gently grabbed his hand, "I know things are confusing and scary, but you have nothing to worry about. My family and I are going to help you through this."
"Why?"
"Because, my mother helped my father through his first transition. It's scary, and painful, and just overall not a pleasant experience. But after all the pain and agony of the transition, it'll be complete and you'll feel the freest you've ever felt, that you could ever feel in a normal lifetime. You become so in tune with nature, all the worries in your mind go out the window. It is genuinely the best experience I've ever had."
"Well, I guess that doesn't sound too bad. How did you react to being bitten?" He asked curiously.
"I wasn't bitten, neither was my mother. We were born this way. My father was bitten though."
"So wolves can procreate?" The question made me blush.
"Of course, why wouldn't we be able to? We're still human, we just have different DNA from normal humans."
"I don't know, um, never mind." He trailed off. Now he was the one blushing.
"Do you mind if I ask what you're thinking about all of this?"
"I don't know what I'm thinking. I have too many thoughts in my head right now to just pick out one. But I feel scared, anxious, and like I don't know what to do. I didn't even know any of this was possible up until a few moments ago. All I wanted was to go on my jog and go back home. Now I don't know what do with myself." He sounded defeated. Without thinking, I threw my arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug.
"I can't imagine what you must be dealing with right now. I was lucky enough to be born into this life. Just try to look at the bright side. Now you're new and improved." I giggled.
"How bad is it going to hurt tonight?" He looked up at me and his eyes looked so sad. I sighed.
"It's going to be pretty bad... every bone in your body breaks and changes into new ones. But it gets less painful overtime. Luckily, you can shift whenever you want, after a little bit of teaching, and you only have to change on the full moon. So if you really decide you don't like this new life, you never have to do it aside from the full moon." I said as I gave him a reassuring smile. "Although I have a feeling you're going to love it."
"Don't be so sure." He scoffed.
---
It was sundown, and Lucian was getting more and more nervous. I slowly rubbed his back as we watched the open field in front of us.
"I'm here for you Lucian. I'll help you every step of the way." His head slowly turned towards me, and I could see the tears prickling his eyes. All I could do was hug him. We pulled away and my eyes met his. They were full with uncertainty and fear. My eyes flickered down to his lips then back up to his eyes again. Closing my eyes, I slowly began moving my face closer to his. But before our lips could meet, I heard his first bone cracking. He let out a loud, agonizing scream. "Hey! Hey it's okay! Look at my eyes, look at my eyes! I'm right here. You're going to get through this." I encouraged as I grabbed his face and made him look at me.
"Oh my god Lila it hurts!" He sobbed. I grabbed his head and pressed it against my chest.
"It's okay," I paused as I began stroking his hair, "I'm right here, I'm going let go and I'm going to change with you, okay Lucian?" I said as I stared into his tear-filled eyes.
"No! No don't leave me please! Please... It hurts, make it stop!" His screams continued to get louder and louder.
"It's okay, I'm not leaving you, okay? I'm going to sit right beside you, I'm going shift with you, and then I'm going to show you how the pain is worth it." I replied soothingly as I let go of him, took a deep breath, and allowed my body to begin shifting. We both suffered through the pain before we were both finished. His eye were glowing yellow, and his fur was brown like his hair with black on his paws and snout. He stood tall, and he looked strong. Walking over to him, I nuzzled my face against his, playfully snipped at him, and turned to run, signaling for him to chase me.
I looked back at him to see him quickly following behind me. He eventually caught up and lightly bit my back leg causing me to stumble as he placed himself above me. I looked into his glowing eyes and saw pure joy. Without thinking, I leaned up and licked the side of his face. He stared back at me, as if he was unsure what to do. Before long, he got off of me and laid down beside me. I nuzzled myself against him, enjoying the warmth radiating from him. With a sigh of relief, I allowed my eyes to flutter shut and my mind to slowly drift away.