The urban ambiance surrounding Catty’s place was far more disturbing than his home back in the quiet suburbs. It made an already tense night even more worrisome and unfamiliar. Luckily, being hacked with a sword and kicked off a cliff did wonders for exhausting you to the point of a practical coma. Though his triangular ears perked at the sound of the music stirring his new roommate from her slumber, it did not interrupt his own. It wasn’t until Catriona appeared with coffee in hand and announced her surprise that his bleary eyes finally cracked open. He drank in the bubbly woman in her faux silk gown like he was dreaming. After a huge yawn with jaws wide enough to fit your head in, clarity came back to his foggy mind. Unfortunately, so did the pain.
He winced and shuffled deeper beneath the comforters, trying to stretch out as much as he could without testing his injuries. So much for bailing before dawn; now he’d be stuck going to the vet and being poked and prodded like an animal… all irony aside. Air nosily escaped his nostrils as she stroked his head. At least he didn’t have to worry about anyone in the pack finding out about this. They’d never let him live it down… But at least she wasn’t overbearing. His head remained still while his eyes shifted to watch her plop into the chair. As she pulled out her phone he painfully realized that he’d lost his in the hunter attack; one more complication to deal with.
Aeric continued to doze off and on while Catty got ready for work. He was still more worn out than he cared to admit, even with his recovery quickly apace. As soon as she was gone however, his head popped up to watch the door. Ears perked for her retreating footsteps, it wasn’t until he was sure she was off that he finally tried to shift again. His body groaned in protest, tingling with the familiar sensations of a skin change that would not actually come. He was getting closer but it would still take time. Grumbling, he shuffled back into the blankets and drifted off for a couple more hours. Nothing changed when he woke up, and now he was becoming impatient. Hopping from the couch he ate the food she left, then wandered Catty’s apartment out of boredom. Not that there was much to explore in her tiny living space… if he wasn’t able to shift soon he’d go crazy.
Fearing his sanity he hopped back up on the couch with TV remote caught between his teeth. He set it down on the cushion and used his massive paws and nose as best he could to hit the buttons. It was a surprisingly difficult effort; giving him five minutes or run around fucking with the outputs before he even managed to tune into anything. Changing the channels wasn’t much better… it was over an hour before he gave up on trying to get something he actually wanted to watch and just left it where it fell. He spent the entire day there, sprawled out over the couch caught between his thoughts and people buying homes he could never afford on HGTV; not that he was paying much attention but it made good background news and something to look at.
It helped the day pass by a little quicker, leaving Catty to find him in his stretched out pose with his eyes glued to the screen of the television that was very clearly turned off before she left for work. He shot up to growl when the door first began to unlock, but his keen nose quickly alerted him to the presence behind the door, allowing him to relax. He barely paid attention to her as she came home with the groceries; feeling lethargic and worthless after such a pitiful day of nursing his wounds. His eyes did however, fall upon the clock to make careful note of the time she got home. He scoped the amount of groceries she bought, calculating the time it took while he made a quick estimate of her schedule. With her gym and work routine her days seemed busy and long; that would work to his favor if his stay here was extended for any reason.
The smell of sizzling steak distracted him from his meticulous thought process. Even as a man such delicacy was hard to deny. What luck to land himself with an apparent vet who believed in an all-natural dog food diet! Maybe dogs really did have it better… if he couldn’t get out of this soon he might just risk being spoiled in her efforts to wait on him hand and foot. He ate the hearty meal with gusto after it was provided; trying to let her skill with cooking overcome the fact she was contemplating names for him now. Yeah, don’t get too attached darling, he thought, chomping down, As soon as I’m on two legs again they’re walking right out that door. Though, currently he was feeling perfectly content to spend just one more night.
I am, aren’t I? Aeric mused over her praise while she saw to his recovery. May as well have fun with it, it wasn’t often a woman wanted to dote over him quite this much. Little did she know the secret to his success was in truth the enhanced healing of his species. It wasn’t blatantly obvious to the naked eye just yet, but his cuts and sprains were healing much faster than was typical. Her being in the medical field it might become blindingly apparent if there was an increase in the rate. Hopefully he’d be gone before then; he was already exhibiting less than normal dog behaviors. The last thing he needed was to get busted by his savior. A thought for tomorrow perhaps, as he settled in with her to watch a movie. You could always do worse than Disney. Her ironic choice however, struck a deeper chord with him than he would have thought from an animated film.
By the time the movie reached its climax in the swell of the Mob Song, Aeric’s eyes were narrowed angrily at the screen. The way the humans rushed for the beast was painfully real after the ones who tried to kill him last night. Especially when his ears focused on the lyrics…
Sally forth! Tally ho!
Grab your sword, grab your bow
Praise the Lord and here we go!
…We’ll kill the beast!
Though it was not Gaston leading the charge… Aeric was hardly even aware of the movie at this point. All he could think of was the hunter who led the charge, sword and bow in hand, to slay his alpha; his father. And who could say what happened to the rest of his family? Were they gone from this world, or shivering alone, locked in cages by inhumane creatures that refused to understand them? It all made him far more emotional than any fucking Disney movie should have and needless to say he was in a foul mood again by the end of it. His dreams were every bit as haunting as the night before; filled with painful howls of Fenrir struggling against the weight of massive chains. Once more the wolf god submitted; only this time he changed, relinquishing his power to become a mortal man: Aeric. The alpha’s son looked up at his executioner, sickened by the wild grin on his scarred face as he brought the blade down once again.
The next day saw him in his worst mood since he arrived. He was even cold towards Catty, little rumbles of annoyance issuing every time she patted him on the head like a good little boy. The good little boy was getting good and pissed off. Three days in and he still couldn’t shift, though he could feel his body practically on the urge. It made him antsy as fuck, filling his mind with the idea that perhaps whatever was inscribed on that blade was meant to lock him in this state permanently. Even as his wounds began to close and his energy return, his body would not relent. He even managed a growl as Catty provided him with his new blankets that night. Oh, not handsome enough for the good stuff anymore am I? he grumbled to himself. Truthfully he didn’t notice that much of a difference when it came to sleeping but it let it bother him anyway. He was getting serious cabin fever now; the prospect of remaining her house pet growing louder and louder as she came home with new bowls and other amenities.
But everything changed on Thursday. After Catty left Aeric found himself pacing around the apartment in frustration. His massive paws padded back and forth across the hardwood, deep rumbling growls coming from the furious wolf. God damn it, why won’t this work!? He demanded of himself, trying to shift over and over again. It was like orgasm denial at this point; getting right there and then nope! And it was pissing him off all the more. He refused to give up though. If he had to stay like this he would literally go crazy. Now that a collar and leash were on the table he had to get the hell out of this body. With a deep breath, he focused his mind and gave it one last effort.
“Fucking…. SHIFT!” He shouted, surprised to actually hear the words and nearly stumbling as, miraculously, the universe heeded his command and plopped him back into a biped. Aeric gasped as he flailed to catch his balance, the entire world suddenly feeling very, very off. But as soon as he caught himself on wobbly legs, his eyes went wide as joy washed across his human face. “YES!” he announced, triumphantly. His hands patted down his muscular chest and toned stomach, as if scarcely to believe it was real. “Ugh, fuck yes! Finally!” He relished in the sound of his own voice as he suddenly fell backwards into the couch, completely in the buff.
“God yes…” he continued to drone as he rolled around in cushions and blankets so very much like the wolf he’d been for so long. “No more fur…” he moaned. “Ugh no more tail and constant itching…” Everything felt amazing on his smooth skin. It must have been a good ten minutes before he finally caught himself and what he was doing. It was always a rough transition; that moment caught between man and beast. But he was soon brought back to Earth by a painful throb in his side. Groaning, he pulled up to a sitting position and appraised his abdomen. His transformation accelerated things. His stitches having dissolved in the change, the wound was fully closed now; looking very fresh and red. It still hurt like a son of a bitch though, and the effort of shifting suddenly left him very tired and hungry.
He ignored both wants, steadily rising back to feet he’d nearly forgotten how to walk on as he stumbled his way into the bathroom. He wasted no time getting into a steaming hot shower, taking all the time he could to run up her water bill a bit. “Ohhh… Fuck yeah” he breathed out, relishing in the warm water. Her products would leave him smelling like a woman but he didn’t care. He would finally be clean and fresh and human and everything would be right as rain again in time. With the tension steadily flowing out of his body, things were finally on the upswing. There was still the tragedy of his family to deal with; answers to be sought and vengeance taken. But he took all the joy in this moment that he could, uncertain if it was the shower that wet his cheeks or tears of happiness.
He used one of her towels to dry off while contemplating his next move. First things first he had to find out what happened to the rest of the pack; but where to start? Perhaps home… he thought. If by some chance one of his brothers or sisters escaped, that would likely be the first place they went. After filching a piece of Catty’s fruit he went straight for the door, only to stop as he reached for the handle. He’d only just realized he was completely in the nude; the perfect path to becoming a registered sex offender. Likewise, running around as a wolf was all good and fine but he lived on the other side of town and he couldn’t cross the whole city like that. What was he gonna do now?
Groaning, he strode into Catty’s room and looked through her drawers. He couldn’t believe where his mind was going as he looked for anything that would keep him covered just long enough to make it home. His best option appeared to be one of her favored workout shorts and tank top combos. They weren’t exactly a comfortable fit on his bulky body, and looked fucking ridiculous, but they covered everything albeit it with a bit of sculpting around his goods. As Aeric overlooked himself in the mirror he wished he just had a gun to end it all. They were definitely girly, but at least they were color neutral. Still, it looked like he was on his way to a precarious bachelorette party… Suddenly, being treated as a dog dropped several notches on his list of embarrassing moments.
Fortunately, none of her neighbors were around to witness the show as a strange man dressed in her clothes snuck out of her apartment. He tried ignoring any eyes that may fall on him as he hit the street and hailed down a cab though. He hopped into the back as soon as a driver stopped, eager to be out of the eye of the public. But that couldn’t hide him from the eye of his driver, who’s face was twisted with confused wonderment as he looked at his passenger in the rearview mirror. “Um…” he started to say.
“Just drive please…” Aeric woefully told him, followed by an address. It was the most silent, uncomfortable cab ride of his life. It didn’t help that he had to keep shifting on the leather seats, adjusting his junk in Catty’s tight little shorts. He’d take the hunter and his silver sword over this shit any day. And a new enemy would be made once they arrived at his home and he revealed he didn’t have the money to pay for this long carbide. Upon arrival he simply threw open the door and bolted. The cabby was slow to notice, though leap out of his car shouting. He reared in surprise as he saw no sign of his customer, only a big shaggy dog sprinting down the sidewalk with a pair of discarded shorts and a tiny tank top lying on the street near his car.
Aeric moved quickly to his large, three story family home a couple blocks down in the suburbs. He crept quietly along the hedges, keeping careful watch for people as the wolf trekked through a known path that snuck into his backyard; designed for anytime he family needed to be on the move in their bestial forms. Getting through the wrought iron fence, there was tons of privacy in his yard. The trees and shrubbery were grown to see to that. He was able to take his human form as he came upon the locked back door. With his knock unanswered and his keys being lost with his pants, wallet and phone, he was left little choice but to punch through a small window to reach inside and unlock it.
The scent of strangers filled his nostrils as soon as he was inside; they were here not very long ago in fact. As if that wasn’t enough, the entire place had been trashed. Drawers were empty, utensils thrown askew, furniture flipped, pictures smashed. Clearly the hunters knew more than just where the wolves gathered for their rituals. This ran deeper than he could ever have imagined… Now his home wasn’t even safe. He could tell by the air they were no longer here, but who knew if they had eyes on it? They could be waiting to lure any stragglers into a trap. Aeric decided to take a chance and work quickly to scope the place out. He went first to his bedroom; as ransacked as the rest of the house. His clothes were all intact if thrown askew. So far it didn’t seem like anything was stolen.
If he was gonna make this work he needed a simple outfit, easily disposable or concealable for anytime he needed to shift. The drawback to becoming a beast is your clothes weren’t inclined to hang around waiting for you to come back. He settled on a fine-fitting black t-shirt and faded denim jeans. A pair of dark grey sneakers and a single pair of socks would have to do. Everything else, he left behind as he moved on to the master bedroom. Diligent as the hunters were, they didn’t know every trick the wolves had up their sleeves. His father prepared his brood for this sort of event; showing him where to find a hidden stash if they needed it. A quick stomp to the right spot on one of the floor-boards flipped it open to reveal a bulky safety deposit box and a .45 pistol with one spare magazine of ammunition.
Aeric retrieved it all, tucking away the gun and pocketing the extra clip before counting out the cash; around $45,000.00 in total. Regretfully he didn’t have the means to carry that much money on him, and he certainly couldn’t go around lugging a deposit box. He didn’t exactly want to leave it all either, but considering the hunters hadn’t found it perhaps it would remain hidden. He took five grand for now, stuffing half in each pocket before replacing the rest to its proper resting place. He carefully situated the floor board and left the house before he pressed his luck any further.
Hailing another cab, he went to the base of the cliffs where he’d left his car the night this all started. He was able to pay for the fare this time, and enticing the driver with a $100 bill and the promise of another on his return, had him wait while Aeric scoped out the area. The cars of he and all his kin were gone; vanished is though they were never there in the first place. Winding off the road, he walked the trail back up to the summit. Everything looked different in the morning light; quiet and with absolutely no evidence that anything had gone wrong here. Aeric walked the area anyway, hopelessly searching for some sense in all of this. He approached the spot where his father fell, knelt there and ran his hand across the dirt. There wasn’t a single drop of blood to be found; not even so much as a footprint. Their sacred spot for singing to the moon was left desolate and hollow; an unmarked graveyard to times now gone.
“I’m sorry…” he said mournfully to the open air. His apologies were for the entire pack; for his failure to do anything to change this. But the world as his witness, he would hunt the ones responsible.
Heading back to his driver he pondered over his next destination. With his home no longer an option he needed somewhere else to sleep. He could easily afford a hotel but that would burn through the cash he’d taken rather quick. He wanted to avoid going back for more for as long as possible. So he gave the man the address for Catty’s place. He still had time to make it back before she was home for work. It wasn’t ideal, but he also had to admit that having her company made this all a little more tolerable. He paid him once they arrived, and rushed up to her apartment, once more lucky enough not to be spotted. He walked right through the unlocked door, luckily the place having been spared any burglaries other than his borrowed outfit. In a hurry, he ran to her bedroom and tore off his clothes. He did thigs very carefully, stuffing the extra clip of ammo into the bundle of his socks before stuffing that into one of his shoes and the actual gun into the other. Then he held his shoes together tight and wrapped them up in his shift, followed by his jeans, careful to keep any bills from spilling out of the pockets.
He realized he might just be making Catriona a felon if anyone searched her apartment, but he tried not to worry about that as he stuffed the concealable wad under her bed as far back as you could see. It looked like a dark mass to a cursory glance, but nothing that should draw her attention unless she had cause to go looking. He’d only just finished when he heard the front door open. He realized he’d forgot to relock it in his wake, but hopefully she wouldn’t think much of it. His naked human body dropped into the form of a shaggy wolf just before she came into view, and the great big beast lumbered out of her bedroom to come and greet her for a change, tail wagging to distract her from any other suspicions.
Everything seemed normal that night, though his head popped up when she argued with her recent ex. Aeric cocked his head, trying to listen to the voice on the other end with his enhanced hearing. It didn’t sound like anyone he specifically had to worry about, though if some asshole was going to come banging around that could fuck up this delicate thing he had going. Luckily Catty told him to go fuck himself, something her ‘dog’ gruffly agreed with in a annoyed huff. He used the opportunity to earn some extra points for himself, approaching her and laying his large head in her lap for scritches and attention. Women were easy when you didn’t have to talk to them, he’d never been quite so good at the consoling in his human form.
In the time they’d spent together he was growing fonder of Catty as he came to know her. Even with their one sided relationship she was fun to be around, and she was a pretty damn good cook. He almost felt a little guilty getting to know her so well while she was under a grand illusion about her newfound companion. He tried to keep a little modesty at least, what with the way she was so willing to change and be herself around him. He’d earned a few peeks here and there, it was impossible not to in their tiny place, but as their rapport grew it was becoming harder not to look at her in that way. Still, he had to remember this was on the short term. His plans for the next day were already formulating, conceiving how he would begin the hunt for his crafty prey. Of course none of that happened as Catty decided to make good on her plans from earlier in the week.
He sat patiently in the living room, tail wagging while he excitedly waited for her to leave so he could shift into a human and leave the house again. Instead he was collared and leashed and brought to the damn animal hospital. Knowing the gravity of the situation what with an impending DNA test, Aeric was 100% obedient though grumpy as fuck. He always walked within pace to keep from tugging the leash and reacted to every requested word without hesitation. The obvious training would at least help impact the idea he was not some wild animal; even if the tests did come back as wolf. What scared him most however, was what the blood test would show exactly. Weres typically avoided human hospitals; their secrets were too precious to risk.
Yet everything seemed alright for now as he was poked and prodded and practically experimented on. He let out a little woof for her at the prospect of coming back home with her, hoping he wasn’t playing things on as a little too smart. The doctor’s suspicions were a little worrisome, but the man seemed to brush them off easy enough. The prospect of a great big meal tonight almost made it worth all the trouble, but he still regretted losing a chance to gain some ground on his enemies. The longer he waited the less likely he was to pick up some sort of trail on the men who assaulted him. If the girl had weekends off, that could mean he was stuck like this until Monday. His prospect of freedom would be dashed before he even had a chance to do anything with it…
At least there was T-Bone, which he hungrily devoured. He had to admit, he approved of her godly suggestions of his names. If he had to go by some title it was better he had a badass one at least; rather than ending up with some girly girl who called him Princess or some shit. He found it fitting and amusing besides, as he thought back to stories of his childhood about his great ancestors of Norse legend. But those thoughts were torn away as she received another phone call. He knew exactly what was going on when he heard the girl on the other end, his ears turning towards the voices. He simply stared ruefully at Catty when she addressed him afterwards. Well this was unexpected; what was he supposed to do now? Lame as their evening were at least it was something to do. He couldn’t well go sneaking off in the night without an idea of when she would be back; not if he wanted to maintain his presence here.
He grumbled some as she got ready for her night out; missing his own life and his own friends. Of all the ways he pictured his life going, playing her house dog certainly wasn’t one of them. Being cooped up was just becoming too much. He whined a little at her, just to make her feel bad about it when she finally wished him good bye; looking very tantalizing in her outfit for the evening. Hopefully she wouldn’t bring some guy back with her… that sort of affair was the last thing he wanted to listen to tonight. After she left he shifted to human form and stretched his legs, happy to at least have some time back in his natural body. He plopped down on the couch and channel surfed for a bit, but nothing drew his attention. Somehow, he found his mind drawn to Catty and how she was out having a good time with her friends. His mind began running and finally he said fuck it.
Turning off the TV he hopped up from the couch and dashed to the bedroom. In a hurry he retrieved his hidden wad of money, clothes and guns, and dressed himself. He took a couple hundred dollars and left the rest along with the weapon behind, thinking better of going into a club with such things. Once it was hidden he left her apartment and strolled out into the cool night air. He’d given her enough of a head start that she was well ahead by now, probably already in the establishment. He didn’t see her anywhere when he arrived, nor as he made his way through the crowd and to the bar. After a couple shots of crown he leaned back and scanned the mob of bodies dancing on the floor. The lights and the music were especially intense with the lycan’s keen sense. It was like he was conscious of an enhanced flow all around him, especially as the warmth of the alcohol lit a fire in his belly.
After a time, his eyes landed on Catty moving on the floor. She was easily spotted by her bright red hair, and as Aeric saw him he bore a wolfish sort of grin, throwing back another shot before he came up with a devious plan to introduce himself to her somehow. With careful planning, he left the bar and threaded himself into the crowd. He made his way forward on a few simple dance movements, remaining inconspicuous as he got closer and closer. When he made it across the throng and was right behind her, he expertly maneuvered himself in her way, leaving her helpless but to bump into him and nearly knock the two of them over.
Aeric reached out, catching her body the shoulder to steady both of them before either of them fell over. “Oh!” he exclaimed, feigning surprise, “Oh man, I’m sorry! You okay?” He looked into her soft blue eyes, his bright green emerald ones somewhat familiar along with his shade of ebony hair if she cared to look that closely. Somehow he found himself feeling a sort of nervous tension as he looked at her. He thought knowing her so well would make this easier, but somehow his tongue felt thick and he wasn’t sure how to strike next. But with a little smile, he decided to just throw it out there. “Maybe you should just dance with me instead of bumping into me.”
Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)
