Pain was the first thing I felt as I regained consciousness. A sharp, burning pain that seemed to emanate from my shoulder to every corner of my body. I opened my eyes slowly, blinking in the dim light of an oil lamp.
"Finally awake, kid," said a deep, familiar voice.
I sat up with difficulty, noticing I was lying on a worn-out sofa. The room was small and cozy, with shelves full of old books and strange artifacts. The old man who had found me in the forest was sitting across from me, his piercing eyes studying me intently.
"Where am I? What happened?" I asked, my voice hoarse and weak.
"You're in my cabin," the old man replied. "I brought you here after the attack. My name is Gideon, by the way."
The memories of the previous night hit me like a freight train. The howl, the race through the forest, those golden eyes... and the teeth. Instinctively, I brought my hand to my shoulder, feeling a bandage under my torn shirt.
"It wasn't a dream, was it?" I muttered, more to myself than to Gideon.
"I'm afraid not, Alex," said Gideon, surprising me by using my name. "What attacked you last night was a werewolf, and now... well, now you are one too."
I wanted to laugh, to tell him he was crazy, that werewolves didn't exist. But the pain in my shoulder and the image of that huge beast were too real to deny.
"This can't be happening," I said, feeling panic starting to take over. "I am... was a nurse. I have a job, a life. I can't be a... a monster."
Gideon stood up and approached me, putting a comforting hand on my uninjured shoulder. "You're not a monster, Alex. You're a man who has been thrown into a world he didn't know existed. And I'm here to help you navigate it."
We spent the next few hours talking. Gideon explained that he was a hunter of supernatural creatures, but also a protector of those who, like me, had become victims of this hidden world. He told me about the full moon, about transformations, about the increased strength and senses I now possessed.
"But how am I going to live like this?" I asked, feeling overwhelmed. "I can't just go back to my normal life knowing that at any moment I could... change."
"It won't be easy," Gideon admitted. "But with time and training, you'll learn to control your wolfish nature. Many before you have managed it."
As we talked, I began to notice subtle changes in my body. The sounds of the forest outside the cabin became sharper, I could smell the aroma of the tea Gideon had prepared from the other room. It was terrifying and fascinating at the same time.
Suddenly, a thought hit me. "My job! I was supposed to be at the hospital last night. They must be worried."
Gideon nodded understandingly. "I called the hospital pretending to be your uncle. I told them you had an accident and would be out for a while. I bought you some time, but eventually you'll have to decide how to handle your life from now on."
The reality of my situation began to sink in. How was I going to maintain my job, my relationships, my life, being what I was now? Fear and uncertainty threatened to overwhelm me.
"What if I can't control it?" I asked, my voice shaking. "What if I hurt someone?"
Gideon looked at me with a mixture of compassion and determination. "That's why I'm here, Alex. To make sure that doesn't happen. But I need you to trust me and be willing to work hard. The path ahead of you won't be easy."
I looked at my hands, noticing for the first time how sharp my nails had become. This was my new self, my new reality. I could fight against it and probably lose, or I could accept it and learn to live with it.
"Okay," I finally said, looking up at Gideon. "Teach me. Teach me how to control this."
Gideon smiled, a smile that mixed relief and pride. "Good boy. We'll start right away. The first thing you need to learn is to control your emotions. They're the most common trigger for an unwanted transformation."
As Gideon began to explain breathing and meditation techniques to me, I couldn't help but think about how surreal this whole situation was. Just a day ago, my biggest worry was being late for work. Now, I was learning to control the wolf that lived inside me.
Night fell again over the forest, and with it, I felt a tug inside me, as if something wild and primitive wanted to come out. Gideon noticed my discomfort.
"It's normal," he assured me. "Your wolf is restless, especially near nightfall. In time, you'll learn to calm it."
As I looked out the cabin window into the dark forest, I wondered what the future held for me. One thing was certain: my life would never be the same again.
"Rest, Alex," said Gideon, heading to his room. "Tomorrow your real training begins."
I lay back on the sofa, listening to the sounds of the forest with my newly sharpened senses. The distant howl of a wolf - or was it a werewolf? - made me shudder. This was my world now, a world of shadows and secrets, of moon and claws.
I closed my eyes, hoping sleep would come. Tomorrow would be the first day of the rest of my new life.