The Rising Azimuth

by D D Mathews

  “I’ll try,” Nuri said and took a step back from the onlookers. Not wanting to disappoint her aunt, she looked down at her hands, imagining the paws from weeks ago. She hadn’t tried to change since it was forced on her because she was afraid she would hurt someone. She was still afraid surrounded by werewolves. She took another step back away from the group of Amazons while nothing happened. She closed her eyes and saw the Were she was inside on her outside. With a third step backward she stepped out of her skin and clothes like a giant backing through a door. She grew into the massive werewolf she was inside. The transformation was painless and over in a heartbeat. She felt like she was growing out of the girl she was into something new. Her Were was hunched over at first, she stretched to her full height, making the group gasp. One of the young wolves in the back disintegrated out of her human form simply from fear.

  Seeing the reactions of these women, especially the young woman who was frightened out of her skin gave Nuri pride she hadn’t felt before. Usually, life came at her and she dealt with it, but now as a wolf, she affected others. She felt powerful. She held her long hairy, wolf arms up in a wide vee increasing the size effect.

  Her aunt spoke calmly, like talking to a dangerous animal. “Nuri, imagine the opposite now. See your inside human self on the outside. Visualize your human hands, the delicate fingers, the short nails.”

  Nuri didn’t want to lose this feeling of power. She shook her head no, paused, took two deep breaths, and followed her aunt’s instructions. She imagined her human self and looked down at her furry claw and visualized her normal hand. Once her mind accepted the picture she created, she reverted. Her werewolf hairs dried out and fell away like before, turning to dust before reaching the ground. Unashamed, she stood naked in front of her sisters. Tamara collected her clothes and handed them to her, “You did great. You’re amazing but I need to use this moment to teach you something more important than changing and protocols. What did you feel in your werewolf form?“

  “I felt strong, powerful.“

  “Good. Anything else?” Tamara asked.

  “I didn’t want to change back,” Nuri confessed.

  “I’m glad you said that the spirit of the wolf inside pulls at us all. I believe everyone can fight it. But the second you start to believe the wolf is your normal self, you are lost to everyone. To yourself, your sisters, your clan, all werewolf kind. It’s a form of suicide in my mind. Don’t let it happen to you. You are going to do great things for our clan. I know it. I love you so much, my niece.” Tamara was beaming with pride, “Now get dressed, you naked beastie.”

  ***

  The bus had stopped at a mega-sized truck stop and gas station, a mile from Shelbyville, Indiana. Joseph stepped off the bus blocking the sun with his hand as he searched for the mysterious blond woman. He walked across the parking lot to a park. There sat the woman on a concrete table, with her feet on the bench. She waited patiently. Joseph had questions and hoped she might have answers. Joseph knew he shouldn’t trust her. He simply had no other options. He stopped a few paces away and the table. Off to his left was a family eating at another table.

  “Hey big boy,” she said with a strange accent Joseph didn’t recognize.

  “Who are you?” he asked.

  “I’m Veronika,” she answered and waited for his next question.

  “Why did you lick my face?“

  “Which time?”

  Joseph wasn’t surprised much by this answer, “Are you a wolf too?“

  “Maybe you should come closer and not yell about wolves across a park in the middle of the day,” she cautioned. She had a way of not answering questions but still imparting the information he desired. He walked the last few steps and sat down on the bench. She stayed perched above him.

  “How did you find me?” Joseph asked.

  “I used my nose.“

  “What does that mean?”

  “I smelled you, tracked you down by scent,” she replied.

  “Can any wolf track?”

  “Most, didn’t your clan teach you all this?” she asked surprised.

  “What’s a clan?“

  “Fucking A, you don’t know anything, kid.” She hopped off the table and headed back to the bus.

  “Help me,” blurted out Joseph before she got too far.

  She turned back to him, cocked her head and looked at him. Weighing her options, she said, “You may not like what I teach you.“

  “I don’t care; I need you,” Joseph begged.

  “Fine, but only dweebs ride the bus, let’s find some new wheels. Follow me.“

  This woman, Veronika, was exotic and confident. Joseph didn’t know where she might take him. Within minutes of this woman coming into Joseph’s life, he was following her around like a lost puppy. She walked through the mega truck stop and spotted a navy sedan, “Look out for the owner, I’ve got this.”

  She tried the driver’s door, it was locked. She checked the back driver’s side and it wasn’t. The foolish owner had left the back doors unlocked. The back seat was full of clothes, books, and a microwave. Joseph saw a university t-shirt and guessed the owner was a college student moving home for summer. Meanwhile, Veronika slid into the car and was now balanced half in the front seat and half in the cluttered backseat. Her head wasn’t visible from the outside of the car. All Joseph could see were her legs, angled upwards, toward the back windshield. She was stealing a car. He looked around the parking lot. Off in the distance, he saw a couple of truckers walking back to their rigs. He looked the other way and saw the bus was loading. He heard the car come to life behind him. It was decision time. He looked back to see her sitting in the driver seat. She gave him the come here gesture with her finger. He raced around to the passenger seat and hopped in. His heart didn’t stop racing for miles. He had stolen a car.

  ***

  Nuri stood with Nox, Fatima, Simone, and another Amazon named Claire. Simone was telling a story about her trip to the Russian wilderness. While Simone explained how to hunt wild bears, Claire, the pink haired German whispered “truth” or “lie.” Something about her made Nuri uneasy. She wasn’t unpleasant, just weird. Justine interrupted before Simone finished her story, pulling Nuri away. Nuri noticed three kegs had appeared in the center of the abandoned field right where Tamara had greeted their sisters.

  Justine escorted her to an older wolf and introduced her, “This is our sister Albína Suchý from Prague. She wanted to speak to you.“

  “Good show my sister, I wanted to congratulate you on joining our clan, you are an impressive young wolf,” Albina complimented.

  “Thank you, my sister. You are very kind.” Nuri started thinking this passage rite was a smoke screen for Tamara to show her off. After a short interaction with Albina, Nuri noticed a DJ was setting up a sound system on one side of the field. Three heavy men unloaded and set up the floor speakers. Nuri escaped from being shown off like a prized poodle and walked over to watch the pale blond DJ. He had dreadlocks and reeked of smoke. He moved with unfocused energy as he connected wires to the equipment.

  She turned her attention back to her Amazon sisters. Some were quiet like Nuri; others were loud like Tamara. Nuri thought she noticed some hierarchy for the travelers. She knew the four pillars were important, but she wasn’t sure who the overall leader was. She spoke to two Weres close to her age. They bragged about the few rituals they had witnessed and told her how great Poznan was. Nuri listened politely while watching her aunt, Simone, and Fatima speak away from the rest of the Amazons. Nuri guessed they were old friends.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by Gretchen, who introduced her to another German. This woman was the complete opposite of Gretchen appearance wise. It was difficult to judge her age. Her cheek was scared and her hair was thin, almost bald in places. She was what Nuri imagined the witch from Hansel and Gretel might look like. However, this woman wore a stylish floral gown. She flaunted her cleavage by standing with her shoulders back, chest out. Her eyes were ful
l of arrogance. She was ugly and proud. Fearless was what came to Nuri’s mind.

  Gretchen spoke stiffly, “Mother, this is my new roommate. I’m sorry, my new wolf sister, Nuri Marszalek. Nuri this is my mother, Heidi Zimmermann, Duchess of Dresden.” Gretchen bowed her head and took a step back formally.

  Heidi Zimmermann spoke with a very strong German accent, “My liebe Tochter says you are a special girl. She usually has a good eye for this.“

  Unsure if Heidi was insulting her or Gretchen or didn’t mean anything by it, Nuri kept quiet.

  “Gretchen likes you much and I hope you treat with her good.”

  Nuri was a little confused by the bad grammar but wanted Gretchen’s mother to like her, so she said, “Your daughter is kind, beautiful, and very smart.“

  “I know this already girl I want to talk about you. Where are you parents? Your siblings?“

  Nuri hesitated because of the directness and rude manner, “Um…My parents died and I have no brothers, but now my sisters take care of me.” Nuri’s tone was harsh and direct. She didn’t like this woman. Heidi was a bitch and expected others to serve her. Nuri wasn’t sure who was in the right, but she wasn’t going to kowtow to this woman.

  Heidi was unfazed by Nuri’s spine, “That must make you sad, having no family.”

  Everything this woman said caused Nuri to bristle. “My aunt was always there and now I have many awesome sisters, like Nox and Justine, and especially Gretchen.“

  Heidi switched topics, “You know what your aunt is doing?” Nuri let her inside wolf control her reaction. Heidi was a sister and Gretchen’s mother, but she was not a friend. Nuri grew fierce and bold, “What do you mean, Duchess?” Nuri spat out the word duchess like she was saying bitch instead.

  Heidi shrugged, “She seemed to be campaigning for something. I thought you might be privy, it matters no.” She spun around and headed toward Justine, Albina, and Claire. Gretchen followed like a ladies maid from a Shakespearean play. Nuri gave a long mean stare at Heidi Zimmermann’s back, glad she was gone.

  After the unpleasant introduction to Gretchen’s mother, Nuri jumped into the party which had sprung up around the Amazons. The music started when a dozen cars, full of humans, showed up. It started loud and fast to get people dancing. The DJ was skilled and energetic as he spun. Soon after another two dozen cars arrived with more people. Nuri was amazed how all the pieces came together perfectly. Tamara was a genius organizer. Nuri didn’t understand how Tamara had pulled this off. A beer truck arrived right as the beer kegs had been drained. The party grew from thirteen wolves to more than seventy people in under an hour. The music started affecting her, she wanted to lose herself again like at the clubs the first night. Meeting Heidi set off something inside her. She felt a slow burning fuse inside her and dancing stopped it from exploding. Nuri danced with a random guy. He had a scruffy face and dark eyeshadow. He wore all black and a dog collar with the word FIDO on it. She thought it must be a joke although she didn’t really care. He was a little handsy for her liking but lost in the hypnotic beats she rubbed up against him and let him grab her hips and ass. He came in for a kiss after the second song started. She let him take the kiss and then she became the aggressor. The next song was a bit slower. Soon the dancing became dry humping which became making out. He moved to grab her breasts. She didn’t want her breasts fondled so she grabbed his wrists and easily forced his hands away from her chest, back to her butt. She opened her eyes during the unwanted advance and saw his surprise, eyes wide. He understood out of the two of them, he was the weaker. They kissed and swayed through another song. Afterward, she broke off the kissing and slapped his face hard, “Thanks Fido.” She moved past him to allow him to watch her walk away, she never looked back.

  She was thirsty so she went to the beer truck. A fat guy wearing a ripped up jean jacket stood next to a couple coolers handing out bottles of beer. Nuri took one and chugged it down, dropping the empty on the ground. She took a second and killed it in one long gulp. The “beer” guy admired the display, but was shocked when she took the empty bottle and threw it hard up and over the party. It sailed into the darkness, swallowed by the night. Nuri wanted to be swallowed by the night. She took another beer from the guy and headed back into the mass of dancing people. The crowd had grown to over two hundred. Inside the mob Nuri let her stress, fear, and guilt go. She drank a lot, danced with everyone she could, and made out with half a dozen guys plus two girls. She wanted to obliterate her old self; she wanted to burn the image of Gretchen bowing to her bitch of a mother out of her eyes. The night devoured the old Nuri. The orphan, the university student, the never risk anything; always calm, always boring, doormat Nuri was gone. And out of the darkness, on the edge of Krakow, Nuri, the powerful werewolf, was born. She would be a force to be reckoned with and if anyone made her feel small and unimportant, she would rip their head clean off.

  ***

  The first night Joseph spent with Veronika was in a dirty motel in a nothing city between Cincinnati and Columbus. The oily, overweight motel owner assumed they were a couple giving them a slimy grin when he handed Veronika the key. She dropped some wadded up bills on the counter and they headed down to room 14.

  Inside the carpet was a dull brown with a couple of places worn down to bare cement. There was one funky smelling lumpy bed with an equally smelly blanket. The television was broken. The bathroom was surprisingly clean, comparatively. Joseph felt like this was one of those rent by the hour places he heard about from television. His third night away from the reservation was looking grim.

  Veronika was unfazed by the room. She looked over the accommodations, shrugged, and escaped. “Stay here, I’m going to get us some food,” she announced. Joseph watched her walk away through the open door. She walked by the stolen vehicle, down the sloped drive, and off the motel property. The days of questions, running, and not sleeping affected his brain. He was slow to decide what to do. He was alone again and felt the urge to flee.

  Instead, he changed his clothes. He dug out clean clothes from the back seat of the car. He found some tee shirts and a pair of jeans, along with a dark grey hoodie. Before he could change into clean clothes, he needed to clean himself. Every decision he made was to fix some immediate concern. He didn’t look further than his own nose. He reeked so he took a shower. He was naked and cold, so he put on the jeans and a tee shirt with the word Butler across the front. He threw away the XXL clothes from the hospital.

  He was starving because he hadn’t eaten in a day and a half, so when Veronika returned he devoured the three fast food burgers. Veronika didn’t say anything while he ate. She calmly ate her burger and drank her soda. She seemed to be studying him. He finished the last bite and wiped his face off with his sleeve. He chugged most of the cold soda.

  She said suddenly, “You look better with a full belly, fresh shower, and better clothes.“

  “Thank you for the food, but I don’t have any money,” Joseph said shamefully.

  Veronika laughed, “I don’t want your money, you silly wolf.“

  “What do you want from me?“

  She drew her eyebrows down and chewed the inside of her cheek for a second smiling mischievously, “I’m not sure yet.”

  She pounced, pushing him up against the wooden panel wall. She kissed him on the lips strong, pulling at his clothes. Joseph didn’t know what was happening or why or if he should stop it. Instead, he kissed back and allowed her to pull off his shirt. He wasn’t even sure if he could stop her. She put her hand down to the jeans waist and undid his pants. He had never been with a girl, much less a woman like this. Unsure what to do, he simply kissed her like she kissed him. Her kisses were hard and passionate, without shame so he tried to match her enthusiasm. Right when he felt his kissing matched her passion, she broke it off and yanked his pants down. She pulled him by the ear away from the wall and pushed him onto the bed. He lay there watching her. He was confused, but he savored the moment.

  She dropped he
r leather jacket on top of his jeans creating a pile of clothes. Then she kicked out her foot and placed her boot in between his legs. She slowly unzipped the calf high black boot and pulled her foot out. She repeated the same thing with the other boot tossing it onto the pile with the other. She caressed her hips, sides, and breasts while swaying in front of Joseph. The effect on him was clearly evident. She smiled unbuckling her pants, turned, and excruciatingly slowly slid down her pants. Bending over, her black thong panties emerged ever so slightly along with her beautiful toned ass. After the long tease, she stood back up and out of her rumpled pants. Veronika turned to face him. Her eyes never blinked like a lioness watching her prey. She grabbed her shirt and pulled it over her head. Veronika wore no bra and Joseph stared like the teenage boy he was. She dropped on to the bed and crawled up to him and started kissing him again. This was the best moment of Joseph’s life.

  Everything over the past few days almost made him lose his mind, but this woman was soothing him. He felt like she was the solution to all his woes. She showed him love when he thought no one could. The emotional release was far stronger than the excitement of having sex for the first time. Joseph was now bonded to Veronika.

  Chapter 10

  The five fighters standing around Mr. Daly were ready for the instigator boxing to begin. Each had changed into shorts and loose shirts. Mandy looked even more petite because her shirt was an extra-large. Ryan was wearing a wife-beater undershirt, showing off his arms. He was amped up and ready to fight. Colleen wore her fighting garb comfortably, she didn’t seem worried. Seth’s eyes were sharp inside his chubby face. He wore a matching set of blue. Killian explained, “Inside the sack are two 1’s and two 2’s plus one 3. Whoever picks the ones fight each other. Whoever picks the twos fight against each other. The winners of each fight will pick again to see who fights the odd man out. Got it?” Everyone nodded.