A forest in Arizona, 12 Years Ago:
“Dad’s going to make some s’mores and then we’ll set up the
telescope. You can see the stars so much clearer here than in the city. Plus,
there’s a full moon tonight.”
A shiver shot down Cody’s spine. He glanced at the darkening
sky. “It can’t be. Not tonight. How could I forget?”
Chuck pointed upward. “Look, even though it’s only twilight,
you can make out the moon rising on the horizon.”
“I’ve got to go,” Cody said.
“Don’t be foolish,” Evan said. “I’m not letting a boy wander
off in the woods at night. Do you think the bears and snakes would make better
company than Chuck and me?”
“Besides, you haven’t had the s’mores yet,” Chuck said.
Cody felt a twinge of pain, signaling the start of his
transformation. “Look, today’s been great, but I must — Arrgh!” Cody buckled in
pain.
“What’s wrong, boy?” Evan asked.
Cody felt his bones stretching and fangs pushing through his
gums. His skin bristled as his languinous body hair turned into a furry pelt.
His vision blurred and he felt his mind dimming, as the incipient
transformation neared its completion. “Run!” he cried. “Get away! Get as far
away as you can!”
Evan stepped toward the crouching boy, whose body jerked in
frenetic spasms. “Son, let me help you…”
Cody turned his head toward Evan, revealing a drooling snout
lined with sharp teeth. The teenaged werewolf growled, not recognizing the
human.
Evan backed away. “Chuck, bring me my rifle from the tent.”
The startled boy raced to the tent.
The werewolf snarled. Evan turned to run toward the tent. He
never made it. The werewolf pounced on him, shredding his flesh with its
trenchant claws.
Chuck emerged from the tent holding his father’s hunting
rifle. “Dad!” He was terrified by the sight of the belluine werewolf
disemboweling his father, yet he lifted the rifle and aimed it at the beast. He
fired into the wreckful creature, several times, but the bullets merely stung
the werewolf. Chuck turned the rifle around and struck the werewolf repeatedly
with its butt.
A sleek brown wolf leapt from the bushes, knocking Chuck off
his feet. The wolf morphed into a Gypsy girl. The werewolf ignored her,
advancing on the fallen boy. Lupe snuck up behind the werewolf and placed an
amulet around its neck. The creature howled before dropping to its knees in
pain. It convulsed, as the lycanthrope’s elongated jaw receded and its fangs
sunk into its gums, replaced by human incisors. Lupine fur faded, revealing
soft flesh, and the savage beast changed into a teenaged boy.
“I’ve been tracking you all day,” Lupe said. “I lost the scent,
but when I heard the gunshots, I thought it might be you.”
The Vampires & Werewolves You Only Think You Know!
Fangs & Fur, Book One: Flashbacks
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