After Dark, What Next?

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As dusk falls, the atmosphere is damp and humid. A lazy breeze blows, barely upsetting even the leaves. I can hear the sounds of nocturnal life as they get ready to begin the night.

It's going to be a full moon tonight. And because of that, I have to leave home. At the door, I turn to see my parents watching me with sadness in their eyes.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning." I promise them.

They nod.

"We know." My mother tells me, "we'll be waiting for you. As usual."

This is not the first time I'm going on this trip. Actually this is the sixth time. But still, I'm yet to get used to the goodbyes.

So without another look at them, I walk out of the house, my satchel tight in my fist.

I let the sound of the night traffic wash over and through me as I trek. I'm not in much hurry, I only need to get to my destination before the moon gets to it's highest point in the sky.

After an hour of serious walking, night has fully set in and the world is blanketed in darkness, broken only by the momentary headlamps from passing vehicles. I slip off the road, taking a familiar path through the woods.

The smell of green life and dead leaves cling to my nose, I can hear that hooting of an owl. I'm not with a flashlight, I don't need one. The full moon is sufficient for me. It always is.

At last, I get to my spot. A small clearing between two trees. I look up to the sky and study the moon.

"Almost there." I mutter.

I set to work.

Opening my satchel, I pull out a wire gauze folded neatly. I unfold it, opening it up gently. Then I go to the four pegs I had dug into the ground six months earlier and I clip the edges of the gauze to it. The top of the gauze is held up securely by the two trees.

This construction makes it look like a metal tent. But it's not.

It's a cage. For me.

I slide it open and crouch inside. Then tying the ends of the gauze into a complex knot, I lock myself in. I would only be able to untie it in the morning.

I look up to the sky again and see the full moon is finally at it's highest in the dark sky.

Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain across my spine. I scream out, I can never get used to this.

My vision dims, going opaque as I feel my shoulders snap out of place. My knees fold of their own accord, almost bringing me down to them.

Even above my screams of pain, I can hear the sickening sound of my bones shifting and adjusting themselves. Unable to stand upright, I fall to my folded knees just as my wrists snap upward and my elbows fold outward.

Now on all fours, hair is rapidly growing out of my skin, I feel my canines getting longer. And slowly, my screaming turns into growls. My vision returns and it's perfect. My sense of smell is heightened. I can smell blood. I can smell fear. I can smell life.

Transformation complete, I howl to the full moon. Not because I'm expecting a reply because I'm not. I do it because it's what my kind does.

That's what werewolves do. And I am one of them.

I prance about in my makeshift cage, my animal instinct kicking in as I try to get out. But I had built it to prevent just that. My sharp teeth can't break through the gauze or untie the knot, my paws are of no use either. Keeping the city safe from me.

That's why I'm in the forest for the transformation. Not just to protect my family and friends, but also to mask my screams. I could scream as loud as I wanted and no one would hear.

I've been at this for over six months now, ever since I got turned. I know that eventually I'm going to have to come up with a new plan. Because people would soon start asking questions.

But meanwhile, I would keep searching and searching, finding a pack I would belong to, an Alpha that would show me the way of my people.

A new family to call my own.

The End



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A great story; well crafted; powerful descriptions. Change/transformation is a complex issue; one we wish never happened, and yet it does in so many ways.

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Thank you very much for reading'
@hlezama.
In all aspects of life, change is something we deal with and we need to get used to.
I used this story to portray only one type of change.
I'm glad you read my story.

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