by Hawke, Jessa
He had joined the Run ever since he began to change. That was when he was about four years old. And he has never missed it since.
Back in the old days, they would have run through the densest darkest forests as they howled in worship of the moon. But that time has passed; they were now in New York and forests here are scarce. The advent of urbanization has forced the wolves to adapt and make compromise with their traditions and the changing landscape.
They still ran at the dead of the night when the fogs descended upon the lands just like in the old days, but the difference now is that they would not be ploughing through a thicket of overgrowth in some cursed black forest, but through a whole new kind of jungle - the urban one.
Being seen had never been an issue, their speed coupled by their ability to manipulate the fog as they sped through made it possible for them to go unnoticed, not even by the most advance cameras. Every now and then, a pup would slow down and get photographed by some traffic camera, but they’ve always shrugged them off as some stray dog.
They assembled in the basement parking lot of their skyscraper and one by one they had removed all their clothing. Werewolves were naturally fit and muscular. Even the older ones had solid bodies with taut muscles in the right places.
They all started shifting. Every wolf was black or at least had some black fur. This was their pack’s feature. They were the Los Lobos Negro – the Black Wolves. They began to howl; low and almost inaudible at first, but as each wolf had taken form, the howl has become louder – fiercer.
Anton was last to transform. And after he did, he let out his howl that echoed through the lot. The other wolves quieted down as Anton circled them. He beckoned for a black wolf with white paws to come forward.
“Uncle.” Anton said telepathically. “Let us run.” He continued. With that, Castor let out a howl to which every wolf responded in unison. Anton followed every wolf in their instinctual howls and then began to make his way out the parking lot and into the city streets, slowly gaining momentum as they passed block by block deeper into the city.
The energy of the pack was intense. It inebriated every single wolf with a sort of vigour. They were not moving as separate pawns but as one whole creature of the night cutting through the very much alive yet curiously dreary New York.
As they rushed through the streets, a fog seemed to materialize at their very path. Yes, Anton thought, indeed the moon was pleased with their run for it had sent its protection upon them.
It all went surprisingly well, no casualties so far, no strays, no detours, all was according to the will of the moon and it felt so good. The blessing of the Harvest Moon electrified every muscle in Anton’s body. But then as they made a turn, he smelled something.
It was a distinct smell. It smelled of death and misery gushing out from a fountain. He looked to his uncle, but it seemed that he was the only one who could actually sense it. He fought every instinct to go to the source, but he did not prevail. As if he was possessed by some other worldly being, he was compelled by his instincts to stop. Wolves were not supposed to stop during runs. Especially not when the runs were in a city where they could be seen when they slowed down a bit.
“Nephew! What in the world are you doing?” Castor telepathically screamed into Anton’s mind.
He said nothing. He just inched away from the pack as he entered a narrow alley. What he saw was frightening. A young woman laid there dying. He shifted to his human form releasing a bright light engulfing him as he became his six foot tall self. He scooped up the lifeless woman as his family stared at him bewildered, angry, and most of all confused. This was not how his first run was supposed to unfold.
*****
She re-awakened to the sound of machines beeping and water dripping. She was all too familiar with this scene, but never did she imagine that she would be the one in the bed.
Mount Sinai Hospital, she thought. She had worked here for a few weeks. She had to relieve one of the nurses there, who was on maternity leave. She looked around trying to remember what happened, how she got there.
She strained to get up, but to her surprise, there wasn’t any pain at all. She tried for her side only to find a neatly bandaged wound the size of a credit card. This couldn’t be happening. She was dying, she knew that. She shouldn’t be okay right now.
As confusion started to boil over, a familiar figure stepped into the room; his dark blue eyes showing a sincere expression of concern.
“Hailey?” You’re awake, thank God!” He rushed to her side clearly relieved that the woman who had laid there lifeless in the hospital bed for two days had finally woken up.
“Caleb?” She asked.
“The people here didn’t know who to call, they said you didn’t have any information or identification on you.” He said as he propped himself on the chair beside her.
“Thank God for Nurse Elisa. You remember Elisa right – short girl, Filipina? The one from Paediatrics?” He said.
“Yeah, she was the only friend I made since I’ve worked here.” Hailey replied.
“Well, she was the one who ID’d you. She knew you didn’t have any emergency contacts, so she called us over at Roosevelt.” He explained.
“How did I get here Caleb?”
“Well, I was about to ask you that same question. According to the doctors, you were found at the doorstep of the ER with very minor injuries. They said it was so peculiar because you had suffered from severe shock, your body responded like it was in critical condition, but honestly, you weren’t. All the doctor’s found were bite marks.”
Hailey tensed as she heard the word, bite.
“So, do you own a dog or something?”
“No, I don’t have a dog,” She replied. The grunt? It couldn’t have been an animal bite. She would know if it were. It was something far more scary, far more insidious.
She didn’t want to talk about what had happened anymore. All she wanted was to go home and tuck herself in her bed. She didn’t want to think of muggings, bites, or that she almost mysteriously died from nothing, a mere flesh wound
“Alright. I figured you’d still be in shock. So I won’t ask any more questions.” Caleb promised her.
Hailey stared into those deep blue eyes and saw a man with fear – she knew it was fear. But she shrugged it off. “Caleb, I need to get the hell out of this place.”
“I know. The doctor already signed your release. You’re basically as healthy as you have always been, minus that bite mark.” Caleb explained, to which Hailey sent him a warning look.
“Right. No more talk about what happened.” He retorted. “I’ll just bring the car upfront so we can go.”
As Caleb drove Hailey home, he knew that the girl who he felt he was in love with was not there anymore. Something had happened to her, he knew for sure. If it wasn’t an animal bite, then it could have been something else. Something, he too, didn’t want to talk about.
“There, you’re all set,” Caleb said as he propped Hailey’s medication on the kitchen counter.
He felt the thick tension as he approached the Hailey who had not answered him. She was on the verge of tears right then and there. It was heart breaking. He knew how she felt, somewhat. He knew the feeling of being all alone while you slowly die. He knew all too well the feeling of loneliness and death in a potent cocktail of misery.
He reached his arm over her shoulder as he sat beside her at the edge of her bed. She leaned closer into his warm embrace and laid her head against Caleb’s muscular chest. As his smell – that unholy musk – invaded her nose, all her senses went into a flurry of sensations.
She briefly detached herself to look up at the man who had stayed beside her as she had laid there in the hospital bed vulnerable and weak. She was looking at a god who for some reason had given her the time of day.
He stroked her red hair, caressing her cheeks that flooded with red. Her pale skin had betrayed her. He smiled as he stared into Hailey’s eyes hazel eyes. She could feel his hear
t throbbing eagerly as she took his hand and guided it down the curve of her neck. She lifted herself closer to Caleb’s face. Caleb responded by tilting his head down to the waiting Hailey and took her lips into his. His mouth was hot with anticipation as he probed her with his tongue. Hailey stood up without breaking the kiss and threw herself over him, saddling him, her legs squared over his pulsating groin. His hand traced her back as he lifted her shirt over her head. She did the same and slid off his shirt revealing rock hard muscles that where in all the right places. He fiddled with her bra strap which snapped instantly to reveal her ample breasts and erect nipples.
He raised her as she wrapped herself around him and laid her down on the bed. He nibbled on her ear making her squirm in ecstasy while his one hand massaged her left breast and his thumb circled her now engorged nipple. His other hand descended lower and explored her body, and slid smoothly into her panties. His fingers slid between her slick folds and made circles over her clit. Hailey moaned with pleasure, as she reached out to stroke Caleb’s bulging hard-on that was aching to burst free from his pants. He lowered his head and licked her neck, slowly moving down her chest. He continued to rub her pussy with his hand, eliciting flowing juices as his mouth took hold of her right nipple. With every gentle bite and lick on this rock-hard pink nipple, Hailey let out a yearning moan. He slowly slipped one finger into her slit and plunged deep inside, making sure to graze the pleasure spot within her as he pulled his finger out of her now flooded pussy. He then repeated the motion, now with two fingers, causing Hailey to writhe with pleasure.
“Yes.” She whimpered as Caleb had slowly stripped off every single piece of clothing on Hailey’s body. Hailey reached forward and hastily pulled Caleb’s shirt over his head, leaving his hair tousled. He laid Hailey back down and took a moment to gaze and the beautiful sight in front of him. Hailey reached down and rubbed her drenched clit, her sex throbbing with intense desire for Caleb’s manhood. Caleb followed her lead and lowered his head between her legs, lightly brushing her inner thighs with playful kisses and licks. He then used his tongue to part her pussy lips and made circles around her engorged clit. He planted his lips firmly on her pussy, gently nibbling and sucking her clit, driving Hailey wild with wanting. She had her left hand on his head, applying gentle pressure to make sure he stayed where he was while her other hand kneaded her right tit and tweaked her pebbled nipple.
“Oh my god, Caleb, I’m going to come,” Hailey moaned as Caleb continued to lap eagerly at her pussy. He reached his hand up to her left breast and circled his thumb over her nipple in the same motion that his tongue circled her pulsing clit. Hailey’s breath heaved with pleasure as she gyrated her hips, pressing her pussy against Caleb’s face as his tongue reached deep into her pussy and explored her inner walls. With one hand still groping her breast, the other hand found her clit and he flicked it as he continued to drive his tongue in and out of her, taking in all of her sweet flowing juices. Hailey let out breathy moans, and as she reached her climax she felt like a thousand bursts of electric energy danced from every pore on her body.
She then took Caleb by surprise by turning him over and pressing her naked body on top of his. She could feel the stiffness of his throbbing penis under his pants against her soaking wet pussy. She lowered her mouth as she took Caleb’s nipples, circling each meticulously with her tongue. She combed his trail with her tongue slowly as Caleb closed his eyes and enjoyed Hailey.
She unbuttoned his pants revealing an aching penis that pulsed with his every heartbeat. She began sliding her tongue along his shaft as it grew larger and larger with her every touch. He flinched as she let the tip of her tongue linger over the very crevice of his manhood while she slowly sucked on it, smelling the salty musk of his precum. He squirmed with delight as Hailey lowered her head to engulf the fully tumescent penis, only taking in as much as half of the rock hard nine-inch cock. With every bob of her head Caleb whimpered and gasped.
He couldn’t take any more of it without exploding in ecstasy, so Caleb slowly lifted her head and propped her under him. He was kind and sweet. He didn’t shove his penis inside her directly. He grabbed his member and brushed it against her damp, slippery folds making her gasp in delight. He let his head break through her wet pussy as he slowly pressed it deeper and deeper. Hailey grabbed Caleb, almost clawing him from the pressure of his huge member stabbing her loins, stretching her to her limits. She screamed in a mix of agony and pleasure as he pulled out and began shoving it right back in – again and again and again. Each time he re-entered her Hailey’s pleasure intensified.
“Together?” Caleb whispered into her ear in a deep masculine voice that sent shivers down her spine.
“Together.” She replied.
As Caleb bit her lower lip he exploded inside her making her squeal in sheer pleasure. They panted and heaved as Caleb rolled over revealing his now spent cock as his semen dripped between Hailey’s legs.
What have I done? Hailey asked herself.
It was magical. Feelings she thought she would never feel ever again, materialized as she and Caleb became one. Hailey kind of felt like it was a mistake – he was a guy she barely knew. But then again, she was ready to make more mistakes. What had happened, though was still very muddled in terms of the details, but it reminded her how short life was. She wasn’t sure about Caleb, about what happened, but she was sure as hell that she never wanted to experience life flashing before her eyes and seeing nothing.
She rolled over to see the man that had awakened her from a slumber induced by a dark past. But she saw no one. She was alone in her bed. Caleb had gone away. She heard a muffled noise from outside her room. Hailey stood, wrapping her sheets around her naked body.
Through the crack of the door, she saw a naked Caleb standing before an opened window speaking to no one. Fear slowly built up in the pit of her stomach. She tried to listen more to the one-sided conversation, but she wasn’t even sure they were talking. All she could hear was Caleb in an angry tone and some grunting sound.
The grunt.
Panic had suddenly taken hold of Hailey as she retreated hastily to her bed knocking over her lamp. The loud crack and thud alerted her guests to her conscious presence. As she tried to rush back to the door to lock it, Caleb burst into the room with a face painted with worry - beside him stood a wolf.
She screamed. Caleb then realized why. Right to his side was an enormous wolf that stood up to his neck. It was a black wolf with fierce green eyes and a streak of silver across it.
“Hailey, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for you to find out this way.” Caleb pleaded to the hysterical woman who was throwing every item within reach toward his direction.
“Let me handle this.” The wolf spoke.
“Who said that?” Hailey was now crying.
“I did.” The wolf had suddenly burst into a bright light and as the luminescence faded, there stood in front of her was a tall man with dark hair and green eyes.
“Hello. Pleased to meet you. I am Anton.”
Hailey promptly fainted, collapsing onto her bed.
*****
She was floating through the clouds. She didn’t have wings, she wasn’t on anything magical, she was just levitating, her weight blissfully resistant to gravity’s pull. Then again, it was just a dream. Reality had slowly set in as she came to.
The man with the dark hair and green eyes – he was something. She didn’t want to even entertain the thought, even though she knew well enough what the guy was. She’d read enough paranormal books when growing up to know that that man wasn’t like her. He wasn’t human.
As she awoke from her sleep she saw the most beautiful man she has ever met, with golden blond hair staring at her with that tranquil face disturbed only by sincere worry. Then it hit her. Caleb, was talking to that thing – that thing which made that noise she heard back when she was attacked.
“Who are you?” She said, almost inaudibly while she strained to get up.
Caleb shot
up and tried to beckon her to lie back down. “Hailey, we don’t need to talk about that right now. You need to rest.”
“No.” She said, now sounding more intense. This scared Caleb. Hailey had always been the soft spoken shy girl. This was a whole side of her that he had never seen.
“Okay.” Caleb lowered his head and tried to avoid Hailey’s stare.
“Answer me Caleb. Who are you?”
He hesitated for a moment.
“Answer me!” She shouted.
Caleb stepped away from the bed and slowly stripped down. Hailey stared at his naked body not knowing what to anticipate.
Caleb turned away and slumped down on the floor as if in sheer agonizing pain. Hailey looked distressed but she knew better than to go to him while he was in this condition.
His skin started to tense as his hair thickened. He was looking away, but Hailey could still see his eyes glowing and teeth elongating into fangs. Hailey’s heart raced. She wanted to run away. But Caleb, or whatever it was, was right by the door. She clasped her arms around herself as she retreated to the furthest corner of the room.
As the creature before her slumped even further to the floor, Hailey turned around and started sobbing. She was scared, she knew that, but something in her told her not to be, that everything was actually okay. Was it because this was Caleb? The one guy who cared for her? But then again, if he really did care, why did he lie? Why did he make Hailey believe he was normal?
Silence fell.
Hailey slowly looked to where Caleb had stood. He, or ‘it’ was shaking – a huge wolf, with fur as white as snow, and eyes that looked familiar. Of course, she thought. They were Caleb’s dark blue eyes.
She screamed as fear finally took hold of her. Hailey was too overwhelmed by the sight of her lover transformed into a fierce beast, no matter how beautiful the beast was. She bolted from the bed and ran off, out of her apartment, out of her building into the cold of the night.
She ran and ran without noticing that she had stumbled upon a familiar place. The fog that had settled there reminded her of that moment. She stopped as she saw the alley, the white washed wall, and across the street, the lot.
