A Perfect Mate (Vince Urbank/Iridel)

[Iridel]

Melanie Winters hadn't really wanted to go camping. She'd always been more of an indoors kind of girl. But her friends and boyfriend had all convinced her a couple of nights in the woods could be fun. Especially without parents to get in the way.

So now the 17 year old was sitting in a camp chair wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt, her phone held high over her head as she hoped to find just a little bit of a signal. Her boyfriend, a young man the same age, was putting their tent up while the other young couple did the same with theirs.

"Come on Mel, it won't be any fun if you just sit on your phone."

Sighing she shut it off and slipped the device in her pocket.

"And setting up tents is fun?"

Her boyfriend shrugged.

"Could be."

Melanie relented and went to help. It did make the time pass some, and there were a few good laughs as they screwed up once or twice. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. It got even better as they made plans for a fire and roasting hot dogs. At least it did untik they realized they forgot something to light a fire with. Not only that but the sun was just beginning to set and the chill of night was creeping into the air.

Being teenagers they began trying to place the blame on each other. This led to bickering, which led to shouting and eventually passive aggressive remarks and quiet sulking as none of them wished to admit they shared any blame. The silver lining was that Melanie was reminded just how sweet her boyfriend was as he stepped up to apologize first and tried to figure out how to use a couple sticks to start a spark.

He'd seen it done on some nature show once and it didn't look too hard.

Despite his best efforts though nothing ever happened. Cold and hunger were beginning to sour their mood and Melanie was beginning to wonder if perhaps this had been a mistake. Maybe it was time to just head back home.

 

[Vince Urbank]

It was going to be a full moon tonight, and Vince was feeling the effects. He was used to living with his..."curse" and even full moons didn't usually make him go into a frenzy unless he was stirred, but it was feeling harder the past few years.

He was 36, and with no children or woman in his life. He had purposefully chosen a life of romantic solitude to prevent passing his condition on. The beast's desire to breed though, came on stronger and stronger, so he isolated himself in the woods whenever the urges got bad enough. These days he was spending weeks here, sticking to his RV and helping out with the local campers when he was in better control.

Sensitive ears picked out the sounds of young adults shouting. It was mostly fun and games, but Vince didn't see a light in their direction and it was already quite dark. The urges were actually quite manageable for the moment, it should be safe, and fire was important for a night in these woods.

Luckily the bright moonlight meant visibility was quite good after the sun completely set.

"You need any help?" The man entered the camp, standing taller than anyone there, and broad. He wondered if it was part of the curse; he was a naturally large and brawny man, and even without strenuous exercised he maintained a kind of peak physicaly body type. Not that much could be seen through the jacket, except that he was...big.

 

[Iridel]

They were all startled by the man's sudden appearance, though the two young men did their best to try and hide it. More than that they seemed to try and stand a little taller, though they compare to the absolute size of the stranger.

"Yeah, we forgot stuff to light a fire and we have no idea what we're doing."

It was the other girl who spoke. Melanie had been momentarily tongue tied, and at the sound of her friend's voice found her own again.

"That's right. We could really use some help getting one started."

It was strange. She'd never met this man before tonight, and yet she felt a sort of pull towards him. Like there was something absolutely appealing about him she couldn't quite place her finger on. Looking away so she didn't end up just gawking she took a deep breath and told herself she was being silly. Even by the moonlight she could tell he was old enough to be her dad. Not only was that too old for her, but it was unlikely he'd think of her as anything more than just a kid.

Not that she cared what he would think.

The two young men tried to show off by explaining the things they'd done, not wanting this absolute beast of a man to seem more like a man than they thought they were. Of course it was easy to see right through, but rather than find it funny like the other girl, Melanie felt disappointed in her boyfriend.

Brushing it aside she forced a grin and gave the other girl a roll of her eyes to hide the confusion she felt. The feelings would pass after all. At least she couldn't see why they wouldn't.