I think I'm just going to post one story a month. Depending on the length of the story, I'll probably post two chapters a week (one on monday and one on like...thursday?) that way i have one story per archive month to ease some confusion and mix up.
I'm currently working on a story called Panthera Pardus, about a were-panther and a veterinarian~
See you in April!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
12. Epilogue
Three years later
The mixed serum turned out to be just what the world needed. It was developed at the CDC’s main testing facility and mass produced there as well. It killed off the disease almost as effectively as Caleb’s blood- the malaria in the serum gave the injected person a fever just hot enough to burn out the disease while not risking their life at the same time.
The government was still getting their feet back under them. They were having a hard time since most of the elected officials had been killed during the outbreak, but it also made them look at their policies differently. Things were much easier, and most of the survivors were granted free housing for three years so they could build their life back up.
Caleb and I had a nice river front property just outside of Pagosa Springs. It was in a heavily wooded area so Caleb could run freely and without consequence. It was a decent sized place, a three bedroom house with a loft. It was a log cabin, to be technical. It had a wrap-around porch that opened up to a nice view of the mountains of Wolf Creek Pass.
I sat lazily in a big comfy chair that was on our wrap-around porch and watched Caleb saw menacingly at a large tree that had fallen close by just a few days previous. When he was able to take a large chunk of it off and chop it into smaller pieces for our fireplace, I grabbed a glass of lemonade and brought it to him. I hobbled across the yard, hand resting on my distended stomach. We were married, he asked me a year after the outbreak ended and I gladly accepted. I couldn’t imagine life without him, but sometimes I still worried if I was tying him down too much. He assured me time and time again that he’d rather be here with me than still searching. And now, after a year and a half of trying, we were finally going to have a kid, a son that would be named Marcus. He would be a wolf too, but I was actually okay with that.
He accepted the drink I proffered him and chugged it down, setting the empty glass aside. He nuzzled my hair and kissed me gently, then bent to kiss the child still residing in my belly.
“Any day now,” Caleb murmured. He smiled up at me tenderly, and I knew then that I was probably the happiest woman alive.
note: and there you have it, that's the end folks, hope you enjoyed this one. I'll be back with another one shortly!
The mixed serum turned out to be just what the world needed. It was developed at the CDC’s main testing facility and mass produced there as well. It killed off the disease almost as effectively as Caleb’s blood- the malaria in the serum gave the injected person a fever just hot enough to burn out the disease while not risking their life at the same time.
The government was still getting their feet back under them. They were having a hard time since most of the elected officials had been killed during the outbreak, but it also made them look at their policies differently. Things were much easier, and most of the survivors were granted free housing for three years so they could build their life back up.
Caleb and I had a nice river front property just outside of Pagosa Springs. It was in a heavily wooded area so Caleb could run freely and without consequence. It was a decent sized place, a three bedroom house with a loft. It was a log cabin, to be technical. It had a wrap-around porch that opened up to a nice view of the mountains of Wolf Creek Pass.
I sat lazily in a big comfy chair that was on our wrap-around porch and watched Caleb saw menacingly at a large tree that had fallen close by just a few days previous. When he was able to take a large chunk of it off and chop it into smaller pieces for our fireplace, I grabbed a glass of lemonade and brought it to him. I hobbled across the yard, hand resting on my distended stomach. We were married, he asked me a year after the outbreak ended and I gladly accepted. I couldn’t imagine life without him, but sometimes I still worried if I was tying him down too much. He assured me time and time again that he’d rather be here with me than still searching. And now, after a year and a half of trying, we were finally going to have a kid, a son that would be named Marcus. He would be a wolf too, but I was actually okay with that.
He accepted the drink I proffered him and chugged it down, setting the empty glass aside. He nuzzled my hair and kissed me gently, then bent to kiss the child still residing in my belly.
“Any day now,” Caleb murmured. He smiled up at me tenderly, and I knew then that I was probably the happiest woman alive.
note: and there you have it, that's the end folks, hope you enjoyed this one. I'll be back with another one shortly!
11. Safe
Time was meaningless when you were all but dead. Days, weeks, months could go by and one would never even realize it because you were swimming around in nothing but constant darkness.
That’s why when I woke up, my memory was the last to return. I didn’t recognize anything around me, and sheer panic gripped me. I heard shouts alerting others to my consciousness, and I looked around me. Pieces began to fall back together, and when his face came into view, everything was suddenly clear. I reached towards him, and he embraced me.
“Oh thank God it worked,” he said, his voice drenched in emotion. He was trembling as he held me, and I clung to him as if my life depended on it.
“Why does everything ache?” I squeaked out, my voice hoarse and my throat dry. Caleb brought a canteen full of cool water to my lips, and I drank greedily, protesting when he pulled it away.
“More harm than good, love, when you drink like a horse,” he said. I nodded and sat up slowly, mostly with the help of Caleb. Even though my body was sore, I felt really good, stronger even.
“How long was I out?” I asked.
“Four or so hours. We grew really worried when you stopped breathing,” Caleb said, helping me to stand. I stretched my hands over my head, reaching for the sky, to get the kinks out of my back. I took in a deep breath and felt a dull ache deep in my chest. Caleb reached for me again and pulled me to him and kissed me gently.
“I thought I lost you,” he whispered when he broke the kiss.
“It’ll take a lot more than zombie slobber to kill, me, apparently,” I commented. He smiled, but it was strained.
“Lily! Caleb!” The shout was close and we jumped apart, startled. Willa was running towards us, windmilling her arms furiously in the air. It was an amusing sight, and both me and Caleb laughed. She stopped in front of us and looked at us like we were idiots.
“Me and Chris were on the ridge and we saw a helicopter! I think they’re doing rescue missions! Help me burn shit so they can see us!” Her excitement was infectious, and in no time, we were gathering things to burn and we had the biggest bonfire lit. Before long, large pillars of smoke were billowing into the sky and we could hear the blades of a chopper in the distance. After a few minutes, the noise got closer, and then we saw the big black bird over the tree line. We all waved our hands in the air, but the helicopter continued on its way, not even pausing to take a look at us. Defeated, we flopped onto the ground.
“Well, hell, what now?” I asked.
“We wait and keep the fire burning,” Caleb said, shoving more things into the blaze. Other surviving members of the camp gathered around and they all eyeballed me as if I were going to go zombie at any minutes.
“Why was there such a big group?” I asked to nobody in particular.
“I’m not sure. I was tracking their movements when the outbreak first started and they seemed to have a herding instinct, but I’d never seen anything to this extent,” Caleb replied, reclining to look at the sky. I lounged beside him and he took his hand in mine, his warmth seeping into my aching bones and relieving some of the pressure.
“What are you guys going to do with life once we get the hell out of here,” Willa called from the other side of the fire.
“I don’t really know,” I replied. Caleb nuzzled into me, and for the first time in my twenty-six years, I wondered if I had a chance at a family with someone. And I wondered if that someone was going to be Caleb. Now that he was in my life, it was terrifying to think that he could leave any second. I heard his breathing deepen, and upon inspection, I could see he had fallen asleep curled at my side. I gently stroked his hair and noticed that he looked thoroughly exhausted.
We laid there for hours, waiting and listening for any signs that the helicopter would return. The fire was dwindling, and we were throwing random things in now in hopes to at least keep the smoke up. Soon the sun was beginning to fall in the sky, and our outlook on a rescue was beginning to be very bleak. I closed my eyes as well and was beginning to drift off when I heard it.
The chopper was finally returning!
I sat up quickly and looked to the sky. Caleb sat up with me, fully alert even though seconds ago he had been in a deep sleep. The trees began to sway and the bird emerged overhead, circling once before coming in for a landing. When I studied it, I realized it was a military helicopter, a Blackhawk. It touched down, engines still whirring, and we all rushed towards it. Army men jumped from it, aiming their rifles at all of us and we stopped short, raising our hands.
“Are any of you infected?” I heard one shout. Our group looked at each other, and I could see several glance at me as if they contemplated telling them I had been bitten. But one look from Caleb made them change their minds, and we all collectively shook our heads. The men lowered their weapons and motioned for us to board the heli. Our group was slimmed down so much that we all easily fit inside with room for more. Caleb sat to my left while Willa and Chris sat to my right. We all clutched at each other’s hands as we took off through the sky.
Within minutes we were at what looked like a small gated community, with houses and other buildings all protected by a large fence.
“What’s happening out in the world?” I shouted to one man.
“The Doctor will explain everything,” he replied. I fell silent then and when we landed, I sprung from the ‘copter. We were escorted to the infirmary and were welcomed with open arms by who I assumed was the doctor.
“Hello! Welcome! My name is Doctor Hughes! So good to see more survivors!” He shook each of our hands furiously and sat us down on our own beds.
“‘Scuse me doc, but what’s going on?” willa asked.
“Oh, nothing big. We’re just going to vaccinate you before we send you off into our community!” He seemed way too cheery, and it made me have a hard time trusting him.
“Vaccination?” Caleb asked.
“Yes, for the virus that turns one into an undead. They mixed the original virus with a form of malaria, and it seemed to instantly kill off the virus. We just need to inject you all to make sure we cleanse the virus completely from our new world.” He came at me with a needle, and even though I had a PhD, I still had a fear of needles. On reflex, I cringed, and I could hear Caleb growl quite audibly. Dr. Hughes paused before proceeding with sticking me with the needle. Before I could panic more, it was over and he had disposed of the needle properly and produced another for the next person. I could feel my mixed blood instantly kill off whatever it was he injected me with, and I looked at Caleb. We shared a knowing smile, and I watched as he had no reaction to being poked with a needle. Once he was done injecting everyone, we were lead to a large cafeteria, and I could feel my stomach growling over the white noise of the crowd. Caleb pulled me along beside him.
I was amazed to see a television sitting in the corner with a news broadcast. The anchor explained that they were getting the epidemic under control and that the cleanup was going to take millions of dollars and probably several years. The housing market was on its all-time low with real estate agents trying to figure out which homes belonged to the deceased and which ones were not able to be occupied because of the disease. We listened with intent, and soon, I felt full and content for the first time in a while. We were then escorted to a fourplex unit that had two bedrooms, and we agreed to share it with Willa and Chris.
We explored our new home and immediately me and Willa took over the two bathrooms for showers. We squealed in delight when we emerged clean for the first time in too many years. But then we realized we had no clothes, so we were stuck in robes until someone came to give us some. Caleb and Chris took their turns in the showers and they complained when the water went cold on them. By the time they got out, a woman had come around proffering clothes for us from a large stockpile she had brought in a cart.
Cleaned, dressed, and full, life seemed to finally be returning to normal. Except, what was normal about having a lycan as a lover and a boyfriend?
note: this is in no way written professionally
That’s why when I woke up, my memory was the last to return. I didn’t recognize anything around me, and sheer panic gripped me. I heard shouts alerting others to my consciousness, and I looked around me. Pieces began to fall back together, and when his face came into view, everything was suddenly clear. I reached towards him, and he embraced me.
“Oh thank God it worked,” he said, his voice drenched in emotion. He was trembling as he held me, and I clung to him as if my life depended on it.
“Why does everything ache?” I squeaked out, my voice hoarse and my throat dry. Caleb brought a canteen full of cool water to my lips, and I drank greedily, protesting when he pulled it away.
“More harm than good, love, when you drink like a horse,” he said. I nodded and sat up slowly, mostly with the help of Caleb. Even though my body was sore, I felt really good, stronger even.
“How long was I out?” I asked.
“Four or so hours. We grew really worried when you stopped breathing,” Caleb said, helping me to stand. I stretched my hands over my head, reaching for the sky, to get the kinks out of my back. I took in a deep breath and felt a dull ache deep in my chest. Caleb reached for me again and pulled me to him and kissed me gently.
“I thought I lost you,” he whispered when he broke the kiss.
“It’ll take a lot more than zombie slobber to kill, me, apparently,” I commented. He smiled, but it was strained.
“Lily! Caleb!” The shout was close and we jumped apart, startled. Willa was running towards us, windmilling her arms furiously in the air. It was an amusing sight, and both me and Caleb laughed. She stopped in front of us and looked at us like we were idiots.
“Me and Chris were on the ridge and we saw a helicopter! I think they’re doing rescue missions! Help me burn shit so they can see us!” Her excitement was infectious, and in no time, we were gathering things to burn and we had the biggest bonfire lit. Before long, large pillars of smoke were billowing into the sky and we could hear the blades of a chopper in the distance. After a few minutes, the noise got closer, and then we saw the big black bird over the tree line. We all waved our hands in the air, but the helicopter continued on its way, not even pausing to take a look at us. Defeated, we flopped onto the ground.
“Well, hell, what now?” I asked.
“We wait and keep the fire burning,” Caleb said, shoving more things into the blaze. Other surviving members of the camp gathered around and they all eyeballed me as if I were going to go zombie at any minutes.
“Why was there such a big group?” I asked to nobody in particular.
“I’m not sure. I was tracking their movements when the outbreak first started and they seemed to have a herding instinct, but I’d never seen anything to this extent,” Caleb replied, reclining to look at the sky. I lounged beside him and he took his hand in mine, his warmth seeping into my aching bones and relieving some of the pressure.
“What are you guys going to do with life once we get the hell out of here,” Willa called from the other side of the fire.
“I don’t really know,” I replied. Caleb nuzzled into me, and for the first time in my twenty-six years, I wondered if I had a chance at a family with someone. And I wondered if that someone was going to be Caleb. Now that he was in my life, it was terrifying to think that he could leave any second. I heard his breathing deepen, and upon inspection, I could see he had fallen asleep curled at my side. I gently stroked his hair and noticed that he looked thoroughly exhausted.
We laid there for hours, waiting and listening for any signs that the helicopter would return. The fire was dwindling, and we were throwing random things in now in hopes to at least keep the smoke up. Soon the sun was beginning to fall in the sky, and our outlook on a rescue was beginning to be very bleak. I closed my eyes as well and was beginning to drift off when I heard it.
The chopper was finally returning!
I sat up quickly and looked to the sky. Caleb sat up with me, fully alert even though seconds ago he had been in a deep sleep. The trees began to sway and the bird emerged overhead, circling once before coming in for a landing. When I studied it, I realized it was a military helicopter, a Blackhawk. It touched down, engines still whirring, and we all rushed towards it. Army men jumped from it, aiming their rifles at all of us and we stopped short, raising our hands.
“Are any of you infected?” I heard one shout. Our group looked at each other, and I could see several glance at me as if they contemplated telling them I had been bitten. But one look from Caleb made them change their minds, and we all collectively shook our heads. The men lowered their weapons and motioned for us to board the heli. Our group was slimmed down so much that we all easily fit inside with room for more. Caleb sat to my left while Willa and Chris sat to my right. We all clutched at each other’s hands as we took off through the sky.
Within minutes we were at what looked like a small gated community, with houses and other buildings all protected by a large fence.
“What’s happening out in the world?” I shouted to one man.
“The Doctor will explain everything,” he replied. I fell silent then and when we landed, I sprung from the ‘copter. We were escorted to the infirmary and were welcomed with open arms by who I assumed was the doctor.
“Hello! Welcome! My name is Doctor Hughes! So good to see more survivors!” He shook each of our hands furiously and sat us down on our own beds.
“‘Scuse me doc, but what’s going on?” willa asked.
“Oh, nothing big. We’re just going to vaccinate you before we send you off into our community!” He seemed way too cheery, and it made me have a hard time trusting him.
“Vaccination?” Caleb asked.
“Yes, for the virus that turns one into an undead. They mixed the original virus with a form of malaria, and it seemed to instantly kill off the virus. We just need to inject you all to make sure we cleanse the virus completely from our new world.” He came at me with a needle, and even though I had a PhD, I still had a fear of needles. On reflex, I cringed, and I could hear Caleb growl quite audibly. Dr. Hughes paused before proceeding with sticking me with the needle. Before I could panic more, it was over and he had disposed of the needle properly and produced another for the next person. I could feel my mixed blood instantly kill off whatever it was he injected me with, and I looked at Caleb. We shared a knowing smile, and I watched as he had no reaction to being poked with a needle. Once he was done injecting everyone, we were lead to a large cafeteria, and I could feel my stomach growling over the white noise of the crowd. Caleb pulled me along beside him.
I was amazed to see a television sitting in the corner with a news broadcast. The anchor explained that they were getting the epidemic under control and that the cleanup was going to take millions of dollars and probably several years. The housing market was on its all-time low with real estate agents trying to figure out which homes belonged to the deceased and which ones were not able to be occupied because of the disease. We listened with intent, and soon, I felt full and content for the first time in a while. We were then escorted to a fourplex unit that had two bedrooms, and we agreed to share it with Willa and Chris.
We explored our new home and immediately me and Willa took over the two bathrooms for showers. We squealed in delight when we emerged clean for the first time in too many years. But then we realized we had no clothes, so we were stuck in robes until someone came to give us some. Caleb and Chris took their turns in the showers and they complained when the water went cold on them. By the time they got out, a woman had come around proffering clothes for us from a large stockpile she had brought in a cart.
Cleaned, dressed, and full, life seemed to finally be returning to normal. Except, what was normal about having a lycan as a lover and a boyfriend?
note: this is in no way written professionally
10. Once Bitten, Twice Shy
The next few days passed by in a haze. We were all at peace and relatively bored, so we would all try to figure out things to do. We mostly went hunting, and we had enough meat and wild herbs stockpiled that eventually we stopped for fear our stuff would rot before it could be used.
The stench of death grew worse every day, and we began to fear that a large horde of zombies was getting closer, but when Caleb went out every night, he didn’t find anything within a hundred mile radius.
Caleb and I were near inseparable. We shared stories of our life before the undead, and to listen to all the places he’s been to was amazing. He listened with intent on my life stories, and it made me feel good to get a lot of it off my chest.
We also spent a lot of time curled together, exploring and talking with our actions rather than words. Intimacy was something that I used to fear, but with him, it seemed so natural that I didn’t even give it a second thought. The feel of him was something I was growing to love, just as much as him.
“You know, even though we are a lot different than our feral cousins, my kind still has something in common with the wolves,” Caleb said to me one night after a passionate bout of lovemaking. He had his arms curled around me and I was tucked against his body. We fit together almost perfectly.
“And what would that be?” I asked him, nuzzling him and inhaling his musky scent.
“We mate for life,” he murmured, kissing me softly.
“Hmm, is that your way of proposing to me?” I ask, half heartedly.
“Maybe in the future, but not here, not now. When I propose, it will be completely unexpected,” he said, stroking my hair. A shiver went up my spine at thinking of future prospects. Where would we be in a year? In two years? Would the world that we used to know cease to exist? Would we die before we get the chance to live our life fully? He seemed to sense the direction my thoughts were taking, and kissed me on the crown of my head, pulling me close. We could hear someone approaching our tent, and Caleb pulled the thick blanket around us.
“Hey you two, we’re going to send out a hunting party. Some of our guys are getting antsy and they need to shoot something,” I heard Willa say.
“Do you need us to come?” I asked.
“You can if you want, but it would be for the best if Caleb stayed. Old Thomas is coming along, and we all know his views on wolfman,” she replied. Old Thomas had been the one to shoot Caleb when he was first introduced to the group. We had never known his name before, and it was suspicious, but lately he’d been pretty okay.
“Alright,” Caleb said. “I’ll make sure to hunt in the opposite direction.” Both me and Willa laughed, and she left. I stretched and Caleb nuzzled my bare chest.
“Have I told you that you’re a beautiful woman?”
“Only all the time,” I mumbled, rolling on top of him. I could see a mischievous glint in his eye, and he moved me so I was straddling him. It was unusual for us, since his wolf nature lead him to be more dominant, but the rakish grin on his face told me he didn’t mind this either. I moved against him teasingly and felt him trembled.
“Mmm, I think I could get used to being submissive every once in a blue moon,” he said, grinding against me in reply.
A scream echoed across the meadow, followed closely by two shots, and we both froze. More shots had us scrambling to dress ourselves, and I was sure I ended up wearing his shirt while he went bare chested. I grabbed my crossbow and a handful of bolts and raced from the tent. Caleb went wolf as soon as his feet touched the ground and we were racing off through the trees where the sounds of fighting came from. I loaded bolts into the chambers on my gatling bow, and took aim, hesitating when I saw a massive horde of the undead. Hardening my resolve, I fired several rounds, ducking behind a tree when I needed to reload. I could hear Caleb tearing through them all, but they just kept coming.
Eventually I ran out of bolts and I was forced to move into battle, pulling my combat knife from my shoe and nearly dropping it when a zombie lumbered towards me at unnatural speeds. I struck and my knife went cleanly into its skull, blood spattering all over me. I pulled my knife out and continued into the fray, picking up my arrows and loading them when I got the chance to. It seemed like there were hundred of them, and there probably was, but still we fought on. Chris and Willa were back to back, fighting off a small group, while Alan was overrun. He fell and was lost to them. Once they were done with him, they turned their attention to me, and I shot several of them in the face.
Then my crossbow jammed and my knife was ripped from me as I stabbed at one, who managed to dodge and I hit it in the chest instead.
Caleb came tearing through them at the last minute, and I grabbed my knife and quickly raised to my feet. I didn’t stop to think that, although they were in pieces, they were still very much operational. I stepped back to dodge a flailing arm and felt teeth sink into my leg. I didn’t cry out, but immediately swung my knife down and slashed it across its dumb face. I checked the wound, and saw that it managed to break the skin, and my heart sank. I felt that everything was completely unfair, and anger swept through me.
Blinded by rage, I turned into a killing monster, and once every single one was finished off, I paused to look at the carnage around us. Half of our camp had died and a few of them were starting to get back up as undead. Willa loosed arrows into their heads before they could get far, and I looked at my leg again. I could feel the virus burning slowly through my blood, and I turned and ran. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I soon found myself a long way down the creek. I had no idea where I was, but I splashed into the running water anyway. I took my knife and dug it into the bite, hoping the water would be able to flush it out. The hope was feeble, since I could still feel it making its way up my leg. After a few minutes, I gave up and just laid in the water, staring up at the sky.
Through the gurgling, I could hear several voices shout my name. Caleb’s was among those and my heart felt heavy. I closed my eyes and tried my hardest to not feel. It was actually easy, since the water was freaking freezing, and soon half of my body was slow and sluggish with numbing coldness. A twig snapped near by and Caleb came bursting through the trees.
“I found her!” He shouted. I hear more people coming as he sloshed into the water. He picked me up and brought me to the bank. He started to remove my sopping wet clothes and tried warming me up, while I strained weakly against him.
“No!” I told him over and over again.
“Why? Why won’t you let me help you?” He asked finally. I looked him in the eye and struggled to hold back tears.
“I’ve been bitten. I’ll probably change any minute now. You need to kill me. Kill me now before it happens!” Willa and Chris came through the trees as I shouted at Caleb, and I could see everyone slump at my revelation.
“No...I can’t lose you. I’ve only just found you,” Caleb said softly, voice full of emotion.
“Only just found me? Were you looking for me?” I asked.
“It was why I was traveling so much. Most never find their soul mates, but I made it a personal quest. I mean, if I can’t have the leadership, why can’t I be happy?”
“But you traveled the world!” I protested.
“I traveled the world over the course of a hundred years or so looking for you, and each time I was close to finding you, your soul essence would disappear and reappear somewhere else. I can’t explain it now, we’re losing time. There is one thing I can do for you, but only because we are mates.”
“Can you save her?” Willa asked, clinging to Chris and sobbing. I groaned and drooped more in Caleb’s arms. I could feel it starting to attack my heart, and man did it hurt. It felt like I had thousands of needles stinging me.
“There’s no time, I have to do this now,” Caleb said, bringing his hand to his mouth and using his teeth to rip a hole in his palm. Immediately blood poured out, and he put his hand to my leg. I flinched at the sting, and felt a new heat spreading into my system. It was uncomfortable, but I was in too much pain to feel anything.
“Are you like, changing her into one of your kind?” Willa asked, hopeful.
“No, she will never be able to become a wolf. But by giving her my blood, I can kill off the virus and make her pretty much invulnerable to any disease out there. She will also share my lifespan,” he murmured. We were all silent then, and the pain in my chest eased as his blood worked its magic. Every part of me ached, but it made sense because I had started the process of dying, and suddenly everything was being forced back to life.
“Is it working?” Chris asked.
“I think so. I’m surprised she hasn’t passed out by now though, lycan blood is a really big shock to the system.”
“Close to it,” I mumbled, my words slurring as blackness began to creep around the edges of my vision.
“I think she’s about to pass out actually,” Willa said as the darkness finally closed in completely, and I was out cold.
note: this is in no way written professionally
The stench of death grew worse every day, and we began to fear that a large horde of zombies was getting closer, but when Caleb went out every night, he didn’t find anything within a hundred mile radius.
Caleb and I were near inseparable. We shared stories of our life before the undead, and to listen to all the places he’s been to was amazing. He listened with intent on my life stories, and it made me feel good to get a lot of it off my chest.
We also spent a lot of time curled together, exploring and talking with our actions rather than words. Intimacy was something that I used to fear, but with him, it seemed so natural that I didn’t even give it a second thought. The feel of him was something I was growing to love, just as much as him.
“You know, even though we are a lot different than our feral cousins, my kind still has something in common with the wolves,” Caleb said to me one night after a passionate bout of lovemaking. He had his arms curled around me and I was tucked against his body. We fit together almost perfectly.
“And what would that be?” I asked him, nuzzling him and inhaling his musky scent.
“We mate for life,” he murmured, kissing me softly.
“Hmm, is that your way of proposing to me?” I ask, half heartedly.
“Maybe in the future, but not here, not now. When I propose, it will be completely unexpected,” he said, stroking my hair. A shiver went up my spine at thinking of future prospects. Where would we be in a year? In two years? Would the world that we used to know cease to exist? Would we die before we get the chance to live our life fully? He seemed to sense the direction my thoughts were taking, and kissed me on the crown of my head, pulling me close. We could hear someone approaching our tent, and Caleb pulled the thick blanket around us.
“Hey you two, we’re going to send out a hunting party. Some of our guys are getting antsy and they need to shoot something,” I heard Willa say.
“Do you need us to come?” I asked.
“You can if you want, but it would be for the best if Caleb stayed. Old Thomas is coming along, and we all know his views on wolfman,” she replied. Old Thomas had been the one to shoot Caleb when he was first introduced to the group. We had never known his name before, and it was suspicious, but lately he’d been pretty okay.
“Alright,” Caleb said. “I’ll make sure to hunt in the opposite direction.” Both me and Willa laughed, and she left. I stretched and Caleb nuzzled my bare chest.
“Have I told you that you’re a beautiful woman?”
“Only all the time,” I mumbled, rolling on top of him. I could see a mischievous glint in his eye, and he moved me so I was straddling him. It was unusual for us, since his wolf nature lead him to be more dominant, but the rakish grin on his face told me he didn’t mind this either. I moved against him teasingly and felt him trembled.
“Mmm, I think I could get used to being submissive every once in a blue moon,” he said, grinding against me in reply.
A scream echoed across the meadow, followed closely by two shots, and we both froze. More shots had us scrambling to dress ourselves, and I was sure I ended up wearing his shirt while he went bare chested. I grabbed my crossbow and a handful of bolts and raced from the tent. Caleb went wolf as soon as his feet touched the ground and we were racing off through the trees where the sounds of fighting came from. I loaded bolts into the chambers on my gatling bow, and took aim, hesitating when I saw a massive horde of the undead. Hardening my resolve, I fired several rounds, ducking behind a tree when I needed to reload. I could hear Caleb tearing through them all, but they just kept coming.
Eventually I ran out of bolts and I was forced to move into battle, pulling my combat knife from my shoe and nearly dropping it when a zombie lumbered towards me at unnatural speeds. I struck and my knife went cleanly into its skull, blood spattering all over me. I pulled my knife out and continued into the fray, picking up my arrows and loading them when I got the chance to. It seemed like there were hundred of them, and there probably was, but still we fought on. Chris and Willa were back to back, fighting off a small group, while Alan was overrun. He fell and was lost to them. Once they were done with him, they turned their attention to me, and I shot several of them in the face.
Then my crossbow jammed and my knife was ripped from me as I stabbed at one, who managed to dodge and I hit it in the chest instead.
Caleb came tearing through them at the last minute, and I grabbed my knife and quickly raised to my feet. I didn’t stop to think that, although they were in pieces, they were still very much operational. I stepped back to dodge a flailing arm and felt teeth sink into my leg. I didn’t cry out, but immediately swung my knife down and slashed it across its dumb face. I checked the wound, and saw that it managed to break the skin, and my heart sank. I felt that everything was completely unfair, and anger swept through me.
Blinded by rage, I turned into a killing monster, and once every single one was finished off, I paused to look at the carnage around us. Half of our camp had died and a few of them were starting to get back up as undead. Willa loosed arrows into their heads before they could get far, and I looked at my leg again. I could feel the virus burning slowly through my blood, and I turned and ran. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I soon found myself a long way down the creek. I had no idea where I was, but I splashed into the running water anyway. I took my knife and dug it into the bite, hoping the water would be able to flush it out. The hope was feeble, since I could still feel it making its way up my leg. After a few minutes, I gave up and just laid in the water, staring up at the sky.
Through the gurgling, I could hear several voices shout my name. Caleb’s was among those and my heart felt heavy. I closed my eyes and tried my hardest to not feel. It was actually easy, since the water was freaking freezing, and soon half of my body was slow and sluggish with numbing coldness. A twig snapped near by and Caleb came bursting through the trees.
“I found her!” He shouted. I hear more people coming as he sloshed into the water. He picked me up and brought me to the bank. He started to remove my sopping wet clothes and tried warming me up, while I strained weakly against him.
“No!” I told him over and over again.
“Why? Why won’t you let me help you?” He asked finally. I looked him in the eye and struggled to hold back tears.
“I’ve been bitten. I’ll probably change any minute now. You need to kill me. Kill me now before it happens!” Willa and Chris came through the trees as I shouted at Caleb, and I could see everyone slump at my revelation.
“No...I can’t lose you. I’ve only just found you,” Caleb said softly, voice full of emotion.
“Only just found me? Were you looking for me?” I asked.
“It was why I was traveling so much. Most never find their soul mates, but I made it a personal quest. I mean, if I can’t have the leadership, why can’t I be happy?”
“But you traveled the world!” I protested.
“I traveled the world over the course of a hundred years or so looking for you, and each time I was close to finding you, your soul essence would disappear and reappear somewhere else. I can’t explain it now, we’re losing time. There is one thing I can do for you, but only because we are mates.”
“Can you save her?” Willa asked, clinging to Chris and sobbing. I groaned and drooped more in Caleb’s arms. I could feel it starting to attack my heart, and man did it hurt. It felt like I had thousands of needles stinging me.
“There’s no time, I have to do this now,” Caleb said, bringing his hand to his mouth and using his teeth to rip a hole in his palm. Immediately blood poured out, and he put his hand to my leg. I flinched at the sting, and felt a new heat spreading into my system. It was uncomfortable, but I was in too much pain to feel anything.
“Are you like, changing her into one of your kind?” Willa asked, hopeful.
“No, she will never be able to become a wolf. But by giving her my blood, I can kill off the virus and make her pretty much invulnerable to any disease out there. She will also share my lifespan,” he murmured. We were all silent then, and the pain in my chest eased as his blood worked its magic. Every part of me ached, but it made sense because I had started the process of dying, and suddenly everything was being forced back to life.
“Is it working?” Chris asked.
“I think so. I’m surprised she hasn’t passed out by now though, lycan blood is a really big shock to the system.”
“Close to it,” I mumbled, my words slurring as blackness began to creep around the edges of my vision.
“I think she’s about to pass out actually,” Willa said as the darkness finally closed in completely, and I was out cold.
note: this is in no way written professionally
9. When Beliefs Collide
It was honestly nice not having to worry much about the undead. It was getting colder, so I assumed that was keeping them at bay. Caleb told me that they were hanging around the cities, waiting to prey on unsuspecting victims. They didn’t have the brain capacity to go and find food, instead they waited for food to come to them. And that was their fatal mistake. After so long, they just died, and the days were filled with the stench of rotting flesh.
Every once in awhile, they would find their way into our camp, but Caleb disposed of them before most of the camp even knew about it. We were even training the two new girls how to fight them off, and before long, they were zombie killing machines like the rest of us.
Boe escaped.
We woke one morning to find Marco knocked out and Boe’s ropes cut. Nobody knew how he managed it, or where he went, we just assumed he got attacked by zombies when he left the safety of camp.
We couldn’t have been more wrong.
It was an unseasonably warm day, not a cloud in the sky- three days after Boe’s escape. The birds were chirping cheerily and I had even managed to catch some fish. It was nice to know that the creek was another food source, but then I had also noticed that it rose by a few feet, and it was even overflowing the dam. I guessed that it rained somewhere up stream, and we were receiving the bounty.
Caleb had gone for another run, trying to pick up on Boe’s scent, but the guy got smart and followed most of the river. I sat by the creek, cleaning my crossbow. It had been too long since I sat down and took the old thing apart to clean it. I struggled to get an important pin back into its place when I felt the muzzle of a gun shoved against my neck.
“Don’t scream and get up very slowly.” That accent was hard to mistake, and I turned slowly to see Boe’s face twisted with anger and hatred.
“Boe, you really don’t want to do this,” I said. I wasn’t begging, but actually warning him. He didn’t know what Caleb was, and in doing this, he was sure to find out soon enough.
“That man of yours took two important women from me, so I’m going to take his woman from him. Stand up, and don’t make a sound,” Boe said, dragging me to my feet rather roughly. I was sure his hard grip would bruise instantly. He tugged me behind him, taking me further away from the safety of camp. I wasn’t at first, but when he threw me into the mud and made his intentions clear, I had to bite back a scream. The steely glint of a knife was enough for me to hold my scream in.
“You’re making a very big mistake, he’ll kill you,” I said in a voice that was a lot less threatening than I wanted it to be.
“Your man ain’t anywhere in sight, he’ll find you long after I’m done with you,” Boe spat. He reached for me and I struggled against him, kicking and hitting any chance I got. He managed to get my arms up over my head, holding them there with more strength than I thought he had. He bent his head in to kiss my roughly, and I bit him. Hard. He yelped and pulled back, checking his lip with a hand while the other held my wrists with ease. His lip was bleeding now, and that only seemed to make him angrier. He struck me across my cheek, the force of which snapped my head to the side, stunning me for a second.
But that second was all I needed to see Caleb rushing from the trees in full wolf glory. In one great leap, he cleared the creek and landed beside us. He roared in Boe’s face and swiped a clawed hand at him. Boe screamed in terror and tried to run, but Caleb took him by the throat, lifting him from the ground and changing into a human. Boe’s eyes grew even wider as he realized the beast that had been there seconds ago was the man he was trying to spit.
“Strike three, you’re out,” Caleb said with a growl, throwing Boe down with enough force that Boe’s skull was crushed against the creek rocks. Blood immediately found its way to the brook and was washed away downstream of our camp. Caleb turned to me, all of his anger completely diminished and replaced by concern. He knelt beside me and gently pulled me into his arms. He was shaking, from fury or fear, I didn’t know.
“I was scared you wouldn’t make it,” I whispered to him, tears springing to my eyes as I threw my arms around him.
“I was too. I didn’t catch his scent until after it was mixed with yours, and then I just let the wolf take over from there,” he replied, rocking me gently back and forth.
“He said you took his women from him, so he was going to take yours from you. I do believe he meant to kill me when he was done with me,” I said.
“Yes. Abby told us he believed that women were sex slaves to men, and shouldn’t get any say in the way things are run. When you stood up to him yesterday, Abby told me she feared he would go after you. She was correct, I should never have left you alone. I was so focused on finding him before he could do something that I found him after he was trying to do it. God, I’m so sorry.” He pulled back to inspect my face, brushing the pad of his thumb gently across the new tender bruise. Guilt and regret filled his expression, and I pulled his hand away, leaning in to give him a reassuring kiss.
“All that matters now is that he’s no longer a threat,” I told him when I broke the kiss. He sighed a heavy kind of sigh and helped me to my feet. He picked me up and carried me back to camp, bridal style, and set me gently by the fire ring. Everyone was immediately curious as to what happened, since I had bruises and Caleb was covered in blood. We quickly explained that Boe was no longer a hazard to our community, and we could see the two new women visibly relax. Abby even smiled. Although death was no happy matter, getting rid of the scum of the world, especially when he had beaten and killed so many others...well, it was excusable.
When we finished our tale, Marco and Chris crept off to further dispose of the body. When Caleb rose to join them, Marco said to stay with me and to never leave my side again.
“If you do, I will glue you two together,” he threatened. Him and Caleb shared smiles, and I knew Marco was grateful that Caleb made it in time. Marco hugged me quickly and ran to catch up to Chris. Caleb pulled me close and nuzzled my hair and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Willa wink at me.
note: this is in no way written professionally
Every once in awhile, they would find their way into our camp, but Caleb disposed of them before most of the camp even knew about it. We were even training the two new girls how to fight them off, and before long, they were zombie killing machines like the rest of us.
Boe escaped.
We woke one morning to find Marco knocked out and Boe’s ropes cut. Nobody knew how he managed it, or where he went, we just assumed he got attacked by zombies when he left the safety of camp.
We couldn’t have been more wrong.
It was an unseasonably warm day, not a cloud in the sky- three days after Boe’s escape. The birds were chirping cheerily and I had even managed to catch some fish. It was nice to know that the creek was another food source, but then I had also noticed that it rose by a few feet, and it was even overflowing the dam. I guessed that it rained somewhere up stream, and we were receiving the bounty.
Caleb had gone for another run, trying to pick up on Boe’s scent, but the guy got smart and followed most of the river. I sat by the creek, cleaning my crossbow. It had been too long since I sat down and took the old thing apart to clean it. I struggled to get an important pin back into its place when I felt the muzzle of a gun shoved against my neck.
“Don’t scream and get up very slowly.” That accent was hard to mistake, and I turned slowly to see Boe’s face twisted with anger and hatred.
“Boe, you really don’t want to do this,” I said. I wasn’t begging, but actually warning him. He didn’t know what Caleb was, and in doing this, he was sure to find out soon enough.
“That man of yours took two important women from me, so I’m going to take his woman from him. Stand up, and don’t make a sound,” Boe said, dragging me to my feet rather roughly. I was sure his hard grip would bruise instantly. He tugged me behind him, taking me further away from the safety of camp. I wasn’t at first, but when he threw me into the mud and made his intentions clear, I had to bite back a scream. The steely glint of a knife was enough for me to hold my scream in.
“You’re making a very big mistake, he’ll kill you,” I said in a voice that was a lot less threatening than I wanted it to be.
“Your man ain’t anywhere in sight, he’ll find you long after I’m done with you,” Boe spat. He reached for me and I struggled against him, kicking and hitting any chance I got. He managed to get my arms up over my head, holding them there with more strength than I thought he had. He bent his head in to kiss my roughly, and I bit him. Hard. He yelped and pulled back, checking his lip with a hand while the other held my wrists with ease. His lip was bleeding now, and that only seemed to make him angrier. He struck me across my cheek, the force of which snapped my head to the side, stunning me for a second.
But that second was all I needed to see Caleb rushing from the trees in full wolf glory. In one great leap, he cleared the creek and landed beside us. He roared in Boe’s face and swiped a clawed hand at him. Boe screamed in terror and tried to run, but Caleb took him by the throat, lifting him from the ground and changing into a human. Boe’s eyes grew even wider as he realized the beast that had been there seconds ago was the man he was trying to spit.
“Strike three, you’re out,” Caleb said with a growl, throwing Boe down with enough force that Boe’s skull was crushed against the creek rocks. Blood immediately found its way to the brook and was washed away downstream of our camp. Caleb turned to me, all of his anger completely diminished and replaced by concern. He knelt beside me and gently pulled me into his arms. He was shaking, from fury or fear, I didn’t know.
“I was scared you wouldn’t make it,” I whispered to him, tears springing to my eyes as I threw my arms around him.
“I was too. I didn’t catch his scent until after it was mixed with yours, and then I just let the wolf take over from there,” he replied, rocking me gently back and forth.
“He said you took his women from him, so he was going to take yours from you. I do believe he meant to kill me when he was done with me,” I said.
“Yes. Abby told us he believed that women were sex slaves to men, and shouldn’t get any say in the way things are run. When you stood up to him yesterday, Abby told me she feared he would go after you. She was correct, I should never have left you alone. I was so focused on finding him before he could do something that I found him after he was trying to do it. God, I’m so sorry.” He pulled back to inspect my face, brushing the pad of his thumb gently across the new tender bruise. Guilt and regret filled his expression, and I pulled his hand away, leaning in to give him a reassuring kiss.
“All that matters now is that he’s no longer a threat,” I told him when I broke the kiss. He sighed a heavy kind of sigh and helped me to my feet. He picked me up and carried me back to camp, bridal style, and set me gently by the fire ring. Everyone was immediately curious as to what happened, since I had bruises and Caleb was covered in blood. We quickly explained that Boe was no longer a hazard to our community, and we could see the two new women visibly relax. Abby even smiled. Although death was no happy matter, getting rid of the scum of the world, especially when he had beaten and killed so many others...well, it was excusable.
When we finished our tale, Marco and Chris crept off to further dispose of the body. When Caleb rose to join them, Marco said to stay with me and to never leave my side again.
“If you do, I will glue you two together,” he threatened. Him and Caleb shared smiles, and I knew Marco was grateful that Caleb made it in time. Marco hugged me quickly and ran to catch up to Chris. Caleb pulled me close and nuzzled my hair and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Willa wink at me.
note: this is in no way written professionally
8. Strangers
It was early evening by the time we made our way back to camp. We’d spent longer than planned on top of the hill, but every moment was worth it. I had never allowed a man to get close, never allowed myself the intimacy that one could offer.
But Caleb was different. I don’t know how, but I felt safe when I was with him. I felt like nothing in the world would ever go wrong.
When we finally reached camp, Willa gave me a knowing look and I turned crimson. Caleb chuckled and pulled me close, nuzzling my very messy hair. I combed my fingers through my tangled waves, trying to tame them while picking out leaves and twigs. We meandered to the kitchen tent and deposited the few squirrels we managed to capture along the way, along with a nice sized pheasant that Caleb had pulled right from the air in its panicked flight.
I was used to his changing forms now. It was actually quite magical, to see his form grow and tighten. Of course, the view wasn’t too bad either since he’d taken to removing his clothes before changing to preserve them. As we exited the tent, I could see a group of our people gathering at the edge of camp, looking off towards the southern portion of the clearing. Curious, we made our way over. I shoved my way to the front of our ‘community’ and stopped short.
There were people coming towards us.
Live people, not undead people.
The chances of running into other survivors way out here was practically slim to none, and it was a near miracle that this group of three managed to find us. The only man of the group raised his hand in a friendly wave, but nobody waved back. Trust was hard to come by out here. We never knew if passing people meant harm or not. The group stopped several yards away, and I could see that there was a younger girl and a more heavy set woman with them. The man was tall and gangly, looking more like a grease-monkey in oil-stained coveralls than anything else.
“Hello,” he said. His accent was definitely southern, probably Mississippi or Louisiana. The way he was eyeballing me and some other women sent shivers down my spine, and I stepped back into Caleb’s embrace. The man blanched and quickly looked elsewhere. Something about this guy didn’t set right with me, especially since the women wouldn’t look at anyone.
“Hello,” Marco replied. “What do you want?” Short and to the point, that was Marco for you.
“We’re just looking for shelter and maybe a little food. My name’s Boe, and these lovely ladies are Tabby-” he gestured to the woman first and then to the teen, “-and Abby.”
“It would take too long to introduce everyone in our group, but my name is Marco,” Marco said with a hard voice. I could tell what he was thinking- something was wrong. Something was very very wrong.
“You are welcome to camp on the outskirts of our setup, but we don’t have any tents to spare, nor do we have enough food to feed three more,” I said, narrowing my eyes. Boe inclined his head and took the two women roughly by their arms, and as they passed, I could see several purpling bruises covering them. I looked at Marco, and he met my eyes. Yup, we were both on the same page. Marco followed the man, and I watched curiously, but Caleb pulled me away before I could go along.
“He can handle it, come, I want to let the wolf run more. It makes me antsy when I don’t shift for at least a few hours a day,” he said, taking me by the hand and leading me down to the creek. Willa came with us, dragging Chris along too.
When we were far enough away, Caleb shifted and bounded off into the woods as I fashioned crude fishing poles out of sticks and leftover fishing line that littered the place. I even found a hook dug into a tree. As I sat and dipped the hook into the water in what I thought would be a futile effort, Willa and Chris went exploring the creek. They waded into the cold water and eventually I heard Willa call out with excitement. I looked over to see her holding up two crayfish. I smiled and grabbed my fish bucket, bringing it over to her. She dropped them in the shallow water I had put into it and went hunting for more.
It seemed like hours passed before I saw Caleb. In fact, I’m pretty sure it was about three or four hours before he reappeared on the other side of the creek. I raised a brow at him, and he proffered a string of rabbits and other small mammals with an infectious grin on his face.
“Where’ve you been off to?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing, I just ran down to the New Mexico border real quick to check something out,” he said, as if it meant nothing.
“What?! That’s so far away, and you ran it?!” It was unbelievable, especially since he didn’t seem out of breath in the least.
“Well, to tell you the truth, I was following that man’s scent, and I wound up down there. You won’t like what I have to say,” he said, his demeanor suddenly taking on anger.
“What?” I asked cautiously.
“Women.”
“What?”
“I found women. Dead, all along the trail his scent was on. Beaten and raped.” Caleb was positively bristling now, and I could see him working to keep his anger in check.
“But then...” I stood up quickly, knocking my fishing pole into the creek. “We need to go get those two away from him!”
“What’s going on?” Chris asked as he and Willa returned with more crayfish in tow.
“We have to go back to camp, now. That new man is a murderer,” Caleb said, taking off through the trees. We all followed close behind, and when we got there, I could see signs of a scuffle. There was yelling and both of the new women were crying by some of our own women. My first instinct was to check for injury, and I went directly to Tabby and Abby.
“Is anything broken?” I ask. They shake their heads.
“Any open cuts?” Abby offers her hand, on which is a large gash slicing across her palm. I run to my tent and grab my med kit. Within minutes, I have her wound cleaned and bandaged and I whirl on Boe. Marco and Caleb tag teamed him and tied him to a tree, and he was now glaring daggers at his captors. I opened my mouth to rail at him, but Caleb stops me.
“The cut was an accident, but the fresh bruises were not. I startled them, and she fell against a rock,” he said. My anger ebbed but didn’t fully go away. Caleb took my hand and pulled me away, leaving Marco with Boe. I wanted to protest, but I knew I would make things worse if I stayed.
When we were secluded, Caleb spun around and planted a kiss on my lips. I was caught off guard and when he pulled away, I stared at him in confusion. A grinned wickedly and stole another kiss with a playful growl.
“The wolf side of me is highly attracted to you when you’re all flustered,” he mumbled.
“And the human side?” I asked, mildly curious.
“He’s attracted to everything,” he replied, going in for another kiss. This time, I placed my hands at the back of his head and pulled him to me, leaning as close as I could to his heat. He growled low in his chest as he wrapped his arms around my waist possessively. I let a hand flit over his chest, which I only just noticed was bare. I toyed with the waist of his jeans as he snuck his hands up my shirt and rubbed my back.
“I need you,” I said as I broke our heated kiss. He was happy to oblige, hauling me to my tent and gently depositing me inside of it. He crawled in after me and secured the flap, hovering over me. I let him love me until we were both spent. Until we both fell into companionable sleep, side-by-side in my tiny cramped tent.
note: this is in no way written professionally, it's literally 3 am brain ramblings
But Caleb was different. I don’t know how, but I felt safe when I was with him. I felt like nothing in the world would ever go wrong.
When we finally reached camp, Willa gave me a knowing look and I turned crimson. Caleb chuckled and pulled me close, nuzzling my very messy hair. I combed my fingers through my tangled waves, trying to tame them while picking out leaves and twigs. We meandered to the kitchen tent and deposited the few squirrels we managed to capture along the way, along with a nice sized pheasant that Caleb had pulled right from the air in its panicked flight.
I was used to his changing forms now. It was actually quite magical, to see his form grow and tighten. Of course, the view wasn’t too bad either since he’d taken to removing his clothes before changing to preserve them. As we exited the tent, I could see a group of our people gathering at the edge of camp, looking off towards the southern portion of the clearing. Curious, we made our way over. I shoved my way to the front of our ‘community’ and stopped short.
There were people coming towards us.
Live people, not undead people.
The chances of running into other survivors way out here was practically slim to none, and it was a near miracle that this group of three managed to find us. The only man of the group raised his hand in a friendly wave, but nobody waved back. Trust was hard to come by out here. We never knew if passing people meant harm or not. The group stopped several yards away, and I could see that there was a younger girl and a more heavy set woman with them. The man was tall and gangly, looking more like a grease-monkey in oil-stained coveralls than anything else.
“Hello,” he said. His accent was definitely southern, probably Mississippi or Louisiana. The way he was eyeballing me and some other women sent shivers down my spine, and I stepped back into Caleb’s embrace. The man blanched and quickly looked elsewhere. Something about this guy didn’t set right with me, especially since the women wouldn’t look at anyone.
“Hello,” Marco replied. “What do you want?” Short and to the point, that was Marco for you.
“We’re just looking for shelter and maybe a little food. My name’s Boe, and these lovely ladies are Tabby-” he gestured to the woman first and then to the teen, “-and Abby.”
“It would take too long to introduce everyone in our group, but my name is Marco,” Marco said with a hard voice. I could tell what he was thinking- something was wrong. Something was very very wrong.
“You are welcome to camp on the outskirts of our setup, but we don’t have any tents to spare, nor do we have enough food to feed three more,” I said, narrowing my eyes. Boe inclined his head and took the two women roughly by their arms, and as they passed, I could see several purpling bruises covering them. I looked at Marco, and he met my eyes. Yup, we were both on the same page. Marco followed the man, and I watched curiously, but Caleb pulled me away before I could go along.
“He can handle it, come, I want to let the wolf run more. It makes me antsy when I don’t shift for at least a few hours a day,” he said, taking me by the hand and leading me down to the creek. Willa came with us, dragging Chris along too.
When we were far enough away, Caleb shifted and bounded off into the woods as I fashioned crude fishing poles out of sticks and leftover fishing line that littered the place. I even found a hook dug into a tree. As I sat and dipped the hook into the water in what I thought would be a futile effort, Willa and Chris went exploring the creek. They waded into the cold water and eventually I heard Willa call out with excitement. I looked over to see her holding up two crayfish. I smiled and grabbed my fish bucket, bringing it over to her. She dropped them in the shallow water I had put into it and went hunting for more.
It seemed like hours passed before I saw Caleb. In fact, I’m pretty sure it was about three or four hours before he reappeared on the other side of the creek. I raised a brow at him, and he proffered a string of rabbits and other small mammals with an infectious grin on his face.
“Where’ve you been off to?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing, I just ran down to the New Mexico border real quick to check something out,” he said, as if it meant nothing.
“What?! That’s so far away, and you ran it?!” It was unbelievable, especially since he didn’t seem out of breath in the least.
“Well, to tell you the truth, I was following that man’s scent, and I wound up down there. You won’t like what I have to say,” he said, his demeanor suddenly taking on anger.
“What?” I asked cautiously.
“Women.”
“What?”
“I found women. Dead, all along the trail his scent was on. Beaten and raped.” Caleb was positively bristling now, and I could see him working to keep his anger in check.
“But then...” I stood up quickly, knocking my fishing pole into the creek. “We need to go get those two away from him!”
“What’s going on?” Chris asked as he and Willa returned with more crayfish in tow.
“We have to go back to camp, now. That new man is a murderer,” Caleb said, taking off through the trees. We all followed close behind, and when we got there, I could see signs of a scuffle. There was yelling and both of the new women were crying by some of our own women. My first instinct was to check for injury, and I went directly to Tabby and Abby.
“Is anything broken?” I ask. They shake their heads.
“Any open cuts?” Abby offers her hand, on which is a large gash slicing across her palm. I run to my tent and grab my med kit. Within minutes, I have her wound cleaned and bandaged and I whirl on Boe. Marco and Caleb tag teamed him and tied him to a tree, and he was now glaring daggers at his captors. I opened my mouth to rail at him, but Caleb stops me.
“The cut was an accident, but the fresh bruises were not. I startled them, and she fell against a rock,” he said. My anger ebbed but didn’t fully go away. Caleb took my hand and pulled me away, leaving Marco with Boe. I wanted to protest, but I knew I would make things worse if I stayed.
When we were secluded, Caleb spun around and planted a kiss on my lips. I was caught off guard and when he pulled away, I stared at him in confusion. A grinned wickedly and stole another kiss with a playful growl.
“The wolf side of me is highly attracted to you when you’re all flustered,” he mumbled.
“And the human side?” I asked, mildly curious.
“He’s attracted to everything,” he replied, going in for another kiss. This time, I placed my hands at the back of his head and pulled him to me, leaning as close as I could to his heat. He growled low in his chest as he wrapped his arms around my waist possessively. I let a hand flit over his chest, which I only just noticed was bare. I toyed with the waist of his jeans as he snuck his hands up my shirt and rubbed my back.
“I need you,” I said as I broke our heated kiss. He was happy to oblige, hauling me to my tent and gently depositing me inside of it. He crawled in after me and secured the flap, hovering over me. I let him love me until we were both spent. Until we both fell into companionable sleep, side-by-side in my tiny cramped tent.
note: this is in no way written professionally, it's literally 3 am brain ramblings
7. Fire
I don’t know why, but Caleb kept silent vigil outside my tent. I could see the shadow cast by his hulking wolf form, breathing deeply in sleep. His ears were twitching, so I knew he was still aware of his surroundings. I wished I was capable of sleep like that. I closed my eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time, but to no avail. My mind was still spinning from the hollow stares everyone had when I had finished sharing my tale. It was as if they couldn’t believe I had gone through what I did. It wasn’t like I carried emotional baggage over what happened. What happened turned me into the person I am today. I hated that the group looked at me like I was damaged, like I was something fragile that needed to be handled with care. Willa looked visibly upset and so did Caleb.
Recalling my story had brought back a lot of the memories I tried hard to suppress. No, I wasn’t upset that I was dealt the crappy hand in life. I was more upset at the fact that my story had such an impact. Even Caleb looked angered, and we’d only known each other for a day and a half. I ran my bristled brush through my hair in nervous habit and then took a sniff. Man, my laundry really needed some help. Needing a task to keep my mind busy, I gathered up my meager selection of clothes and shoved them in a bag. I grabbed the last of my biodegradable soap and slipped out of my tent as quietly as possible. Caleb remained asleep outside my tent, though I suspected he was faking it. I pressed on anyway, grabbing my bow from the mess hall’s table along the way. You could never be too careful. I went down to the creek, a little ways down from the part that had the artificial damn. I stumbled to the middle of the creek where a stack of rocks made a small eddie. Not caring who saw, I pulled my still damp shirt from my body and dipped it into the water. It was colder out than I expected, and goosebumps raised on my skin.
Once I was done with my task, I brought my sopping bundle of laundry to the trees and began draping them on the branches. I felt him before I could hear or see him. He radiated heat and his touch felt fiery when he wrapped his arms around me. A growl rumbled deep in his chest, and I leaned against him, absorbing his warmth.
“You’re a beautiful woman,” he mumbled into my ear.
“Not so bad lookin’ yourself, wolfboy,” I replied. I could feel him smile.
“You shouldn’t be out here in the cold, partially naked. You could get sick.” His tone was light, and I knew his chastisement was only half-hearted.
“Good thing I have a space heater then,” I said. He chuckled and wrapped a blanket around me, for which I was grateful.
“Come, you must be tired by now, and I hear zombies close by. They’re attracted to the blood on the other side of the creek, and I don’t want you to be around when they come. I will take care of them,” he said, leading me back to my tent.
“I can help you,” I say, clutching my bow.
“No. I can kill quickly and silently. Stay here, I shall return.” With that, he zipped me in my tent and I could do nothing more than sit and wait.
Time ticked by and eventually I fell asleep. I wasn’t sure when, but I woke up to my tent being zipped back open. I momentarily panicked, thinking it was zombies coming to get me, but then I remembered that they aren’t really smart enough to work a zipper that quickly.
“Lily, where’s Caleb?” Willa asked as she peeked through the open flap. It was early morning and the sun was beginning to rise over the mountains.
“I dunno, last he told me was he was going to go out killing zombies and stuff, then I fell asleep. Have you looked around camp?”
“No, I just remember seeing him outside your tent last night like a watch dog. Lucky girl, for him to have taken an interest in you,” Willa teased.
“Nah, I just saved his life and all, so he’s returning the favor.”
“That’s not what his face said when he was staring at you around the campfire last night. He looked like he was ready to jump your bones right then and there!” Willa laughed at the blush that spread across my face.
“Hey ladies, what’re you talking about?” Caleb approached my tent from the direction of the creek, shirtless and with the hem of his jeans fraying. His hair and upper chest was wet, so I assume he was cleaning himself off.
“Where have you been off to?” I asked, looking over him to make sure there weren’t any open wounds. There wasn’t a single mark on his bronzed skin save for scars here and there, one of them being pink and angry-looking from the silver.
“I couldn’t get the zombie taste out of my mouth, so I let the wolf have fun with some game,” he said as he plopped down outside my tent. He pointedly looked at my mostly bare chest.
“I also brought back your clothes, they are dried now. I can grab them for you now if you’d like.”
“Yes, please,” I said, not looking at Caleb’s hungry expression or Willa’s amused one. Instead, I focused on covering myself with my quilted blanket. Caleb left and seconds later he returned with my pile of clothes. I closed my tent door and quickly dressed myself, twisting my hair into a lazy top-knot. Caleb was waiting by my tent as I exited, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest. He really was a definite sight to look at, and I couldn’t help my raising attraction towards him. But at a time like this, it was very inconvenient to be such a girl over hot guys. I was twenty-six, damn it! I shouldn’t be swooning at my age! Caleb’s warm smile melted my heart and I knew that I was falling in love with the wolfman. He joined me and we walked side-by-side to the mess hall, where everyone was already chowing down on a big breakfast. Apparently Willa and Chris, her husband, has stumbled upon several nests and now we had eggs to go with the meat Caleb brought in last night. Everyone was in high spirits, and there was a lot of laughing and even some singing of old tavern songs. It all brought a smile to my face as I sat down to eat my steak and eggs.
“Want to go explore with me when we are through?” Caleb asked as he sat next to me.
“We probably shouldn’t go out there alone...” I began, wanting to be with him, but terrified to be with him at the same time.
“Lycan, remember?” Caleb said, with a smile. “You will be protected. We all need a day to relax, anyway, after the move.”
“Okay, okay. But only because I know you’ll never leave me alone until I agree,” I said, laughing.
“You bet I’d never leave it be,” he said, turning back to his food.
Once we finished, we packed up bags for the small trip- water mostly and some food for when we get to wherever Caleb is taking us. Once we were ready to set out, I sought the company of Willa.
“Hey girl, where you guys off to?” She asked.
“We’re just going to take a short hike, scout the land and figure out where major landmarks are for future reference. If we can get up high enough, we can probably see if there’s any trouble around our camp.”
“Uh-huh- sure, you just want some alone time with wolfman. Well, have fun!” She bustled off while I sputtered, trying to grasp the words that were raging through my head- we’re not...! I don’t...! Oh, whatever!
I went to find Caleb and shoved my bag onto my back, cinching the straps around my waist to make it as comfortable as possible. Once I was ready, Caleb joined me with his own bag that he borrowed from Chris and we began our hike.
The sun was near its apex when we finally stopped to rest. Caleb had the stamina of a thousand bulls, and I had a tough time keeping up. I dropped to the ground on a nice hill that overlooked the valley we were camped in. I couldn’t see anything through the dense trees except the area that marked the clearing. It was actually a lot bigger than I had originally thought it was. Caleb sat beside me and handed me a bottle of water, of which I drank from greedily.
“Slow, my love. You will do more harm than good drinking that fast,” he said. I nearly choked. My love? Where had that come from?
“Yeah, you’re right, I can feel it kicking back already,” I said, my stomach lurching from more than just the water. Caleb released the straps to his bag and stretched, then opening it and taking out the various food items he stashed. It wasn’t really much, since we couldn’t have perishable items for long. But he brought out dried strips of meat and more bottles of water, surprising me when he pulled trail mix pouches as well.
“Tell me more, of yourself,” he said softly as he handed me my portion. I took it and wondered where to start.
“When I was first born,” I began, pausing to take a bit of the perfectly salted jerky, “my parents weren’t actually all that bad. It got horrible when dad lost his job at the paper mill. Mom had a gambling problem, so we were put in debt pretty quickly. Dad was also a drunk, a violent drunk. He would..ah...beat mom quite a bit, mostly when she would come home from the casino smelling like other men.
“They got into drug dealing when dad figured out how to manufacture meth. Our house became the main hot spot for drug lord’s purchases, and I can remember being sick all the time. I didn’t know at the time, but it was because of all the fumes that I had inhaled. Then one day a drug lord tried to steal everything from him, and he shot the guy. I remember that the sound hurt my ears and I started crying because I was so scared. He didn’t kill him at first, but then he grab...he grabbed the meat cleaver from the kitchen table and cut the guy’s throat and turned on me.”
“Lily, you don’t have to keep going,” Caleb said. He reached over and ran a thumb on my cheek and I realised then that I was crying.
“No. Someone might as well know,” I said, wiping my face with my shirt.
“Okay,” he said, pulling me close and nuzzling my hair.
“Mom threw herself in front of dad when he tried to cut me. He cut her instead, but she still fought with him. Eventually he gave up and just left. That night, I could hear them fighting, and I can remember burying my head in blankets and pillows. When I heard the fighting stop, I brought my head up and suddenly there was smoke everywhere. I screamed for mom, but nobody came, and I knew I’d die if I didn’t get out. I climbed out my window and that’s the last thing I really remember besides the government taking me to the orphanage.
“I was a problem child with every single one of my foster families. Now that I look back on it, I really regret it. They were good people, and I was a brat. But my story ends, really, when I turned eighteen and got myself away from everyone. I was in government funded housing and given scholarships to the university. I was also studying the virus when the epidemic broke out, but I luckily wasn’t in the main lab.”
“Wow,” Caleb said. I was scared of what he thought of me then, but when I looked at him, I saw admiration in his gaze. “A horrible past for such a beautiful woman.”
“So what about you?” I felt the need to change the subject.
“You know my story. It’s a pretty simple one. I grew up in a big family, and had no hope of becoming the alpha. Usually, males that are not in line for the title just leave to start new lives elsewhere. I had always wanted to travel, so I did. At first, I stayed in Europe, but then I started going across the world. I can say I am the first of my Lycan clan to have traversed the world. It was while I was in China that my family was killed. A Hunter had found our home and slaughtered everyone. It is a past that is filled with much grief, but time marches on.” We sat in companionable silence and I leaned against him, enjoying his warmth.
“Lily...” Caleb muttered. I turned slightly so I was facing him and then his lips met my own. My heart jumped and I was frozen in shock for a second. In the next moment, I was moving against him, the hunger in both of us rising to a palatable level. A growl rumbled in his chest as he pushed me back against the forest floor. He laid his upper body on me and continued kissing me. I was completely under his spell, and without thinking, I bared my throat to him in a submissive gesture. He nipped and kissed a fiery trail from my jaw to my collar bone. He nuzzled me and I laced my fingers through his soft hair.
“Your scent intoxicates me. I cannot think clearly when I am around you, yet I want to always be around you,” he said, nipping my ear playfully. He laid beside me then, and held me close. “I believe I am falling for you, Lily.”
“‘Kay, because I’ve already fallen for you. Hard,” I said, kissing him again.
“Lily Michaels, are you saying you love me?” Caleb asked, feigning incredulousness.
“Mmm, maybe. Kiss me again to find your answer,” I said. He obeyed and I dragged him on top of me.
note: this is in no way written professionally
Recalling my story had brought back a lot of the memories I tried hard to suppress. No, I wasn’t upset that I was dealt the crappy hand in life. I was more upset at the fact that my story had such an impact. Even Caleb looked angered, and we’d only known each other for a day and a half. I ran my bristled brush through my hair in nervous habit and then took a sniff. Man, my laundry really needed some help. Needing a task to keep my mind busy, I gathered up my meager selection of clothes and shoved them in a bag. I grabbed the last of my biodegradable soap and slipped out of my tent as quietly as possible. Caleb remained asleep outside my tent, though I suspected he was faking it. I pressed on anyway, grabbing my bow from the mess hall’s table along the way. You could never be too careful. I went down to the creek, a little ways down from the part that had the artificial damn. I stumbled to the middle of the creek where a stack of rocks made a small eddie. Not caring who saw, I pulled my still damp shirt from my body and dipped it into the water. It was colder out than I expected, and goosebumps raised on my skin.
Once I was done with my task, I brought my sopping bundle of laundry to the trees and began draping them on the branches. I felt him before I could hear or see him. He radiated heat and his touch felt fiery when he wrapped his arms around me. A growl rumbled deep in his chest, and I leaned against him, absorbing his warmth.
“You’re a beautiful woman,” he mumbled into my ear.
“Not so bad lookin’ yourself, wolfboy,” I replied. I could feel him smile.
“You shouldn’t be out here in the cold, partially naked. You could get sick.” His tone was light, and I knew his chastisement was only half-hearted.
“Good thing I have a space heater then,” I said. He chuckled and wrapped a blanket around me, for which I was grateful.
“Come, you must be tired by now, and I hear zombies close by. They’re attracted to the blood on the other side of the creek, and I don’t want you to be around when they come. I will take care of them,” he said, leading me back to my tent.
“I can help you,” I say, clutching my bow.
“No. I can kill quickly and silently. Stay here, I shall return.” With that, he zipped me in my tent and I could do nothing more than sit and wait.
Time ticked by and eventually I fell asleep. I wasn’t sure when, but I woke up to my tent being zipped back open. I momentarily panicked, thinking it was zombies coming to get me, but then I remembered that they aren’t really smart enough to work a zipper that quickly.
“Lily, where’s Caleb?” Willa asked as she peeked through the open flap. It was early morning and the sun was beginning to rise over the mountains.
“I dunno, last he told me was he was going to go out killing zombies and stuff, then I fell asleep. Have you looked around camp?”
“No, I just remember seeing him outside your tent last night like a watch dog. Lucky girl, for him to have taken an interest in you,” Willa teased.
“Nah, I just saved his life and all, so he’s returning the favor.”
“That’s not what his face said when he was staring at you around the campfire last night. He looked like he was ready to jump your bones right then and there!” Willa laughed at the blush that spread across my face.
“Hey ladies, what’re you talking about?” Caleb approached my tent from the direction of the creek, shirtless and with the hem of his jeans fraying. His hair and upper chest was wet, so I assume he was cleaning himself off.
“Where have you been off to?” I asked, looking over him to make sure there weren’t any open wounds. There wasn’t a single mark on his bronzed skin save for scars here and there, one of them being pink and angry-looking from the silver.
“I couldn’t get the zombie taste out of my mouth, so I let the wolf have fun with some game,” he said as he plopped down outside my tent. He pointedly looked at my mostly bare chest.
“I also brought back your clothes, they are dried now. I can grab them for you now if you’d like.”
“Yes, please,” I said, not looking at Caleb’s hungry expression or Willa’s amused one. Instead, I focused on covering myself with my quilted blanket. Caleb left and seconds later he returned with my pile of clothes. I closed my tent door and quickly dressed myself, twisting my hair into a lazy top-knot. Caleb was waiting by my tent as I exited, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed over his chest. He really was a definite sight to look at, and I couldn’t help my raising attraction towards him. But at a time like this, it was very inconvenient to be such a girl over hot guys. I was twenty-six, damn it! I shouldn’t be swooning at my age! Caleb’s warm smile melted my heart and I knew that I was falling in love with the wolfman. He joined me and we walked side-by-side to the mess hall, where everyone was already chowing down on a big breakfast. Apparently Willa and Chris, her husband, has stumbled upon several nests and now we had eggs to go with the meat Caleb brought in last night. Everyone was in high spirits, and there was a lot of laughing and even some singing of old tavern songs. It all brought a smile to my face as I sat down to eat my steak and eggs.
“Want to go explore with me when we are through?” Caleb asked as he sat next to me.
“We probably shouldn’t go out there alone...” I began, wanting to be with him, but terrified to be with him at the same time.
“Lycan, remember?” Caleb said, with a smile. “You will be protected. We all need a day to relax, anyway, after the move.”
“Okay, okay. But only because I know you’ll never leave me alone until I agree,” I said, laughing.
“You bet I’d never leave it be,” he said, turning back to his food.
Once we finished, we packed up bags for the small trip- water mostly and some food for when we get to wherever Caleb is taking us. Once we were ready to set out, I sought the company of Willa.
“Hey girl, where you guys off to?” She asked.
“We’re just going to take a short hike, scout the land and figure out where major landmarks are for future reference. If we can get up high enough, we can probably see if there’s any trouble around our camp.”
“Uh-huh- sure, you just want some alone time with wolfman. Well, have fun!” She bustled off while I sputtered, trying to grasp the words that were raging through my head- we’re not...! I don’t...! Oh, whatever!
I went to find Caleb and shoved my bag onto my back, cinching the straps around my waist to make it as comfortable as possible. Once I was ready, Caleb joined me with his own bag that he borrowed from Chris and we began our hike.
The sun was near its apex when we finally stopped to rest. Caleb had the stamina of a thousand bulls, and I had a tough time keeping up. I dropped to the ground on a nice hill that overlooked the valley we were camped in. I couldn’t see anything through the dense trees except the area that marked the clearing. It was actually a lot bigger than I had originally thought it was. Caleb sat beside me and handed me a bottle of water, of which I drank from greedily.
“Slow, my love. You will do more harm than good drinking that fast,” he said. I nearly choked. My love? Where had that come from?
“Yeah, you’re right, I can feel it kicking back already,” I said, my stomach lurching from more than just the water. Caleb released the straps to his bag and stretched, then opening it and taking out the various food items he stashed. It wasn’t really much, since we couldn’t have perishable items for long. But he brought out dried strips of meat and more bottles of water, surprising me when he pulled trail mix pouches as well.
“Tell me more, of yourself,” he said softly as he handed me my portion. I took it and wondered where to start.
“When I was first born,” I began, pausing to take a bit of the perfectly salted jerky, “my parents weren’t actually all that bad. It got horrible when dad lost his job at the paper mill. Mom had a gambling problem, so we were put in debt pretty quickly. Dad was also a drunk, a violent drunk. He would..ah...beat mom quite a bit, mostly when she would come home from the casino smelling like other men.
“They got into drug dealing when dad figured out how to manufacture meth. Our house became the main hot spot for drug lord’s purchases, and I can remember being sick all the time. I didn’t know at the time, but it was because of all the fumes that I had inhaled. Then one day a drug lord tried to steal everything from him, and he shot the guy. I remember that the sound hurt my ears and I started crying because I was so scared. He didn’t kill him at first, but then he grab...he grabbed the meat cleaver from the kitchen table and cut the guy’s throat and turned on me.”
“Lily, you don’t have to keep going,” Caleb said. He reached over and ran a thumb on my cheek and I realised then that I was crying.
“No. Someone might as well know,” I said, wiping my face with my shirt.
“Okay,” he said, pulling me close and nuzzling my hair.
“Mom threw herself in front of dad when he tried to cut me. He cut her instead, but she still fought with him. Eventually he gave up and just left. That night, I could hear them fighting, and I can remember burying my head in blankets and pillows. When I heard the fighting stop, I brought my head up and suddenly there was smoke everywhere. I screamed for mom, but nobody came, and I knew I’d die if I didn’t get out. I climbed out my window and that’s the last thing I really remember besides the government taking me to the orphanage.
“I was a problem child with every single one of my foster families. Now that I look back on it, I really regret it. They were good people, and I was a brat. But my story ends, really, when I turned eighteen and got myself away from everyone. I was in government funded housing and given scholarships to the university. I was also studying the virus when the epidemic broke out, but I luckily wasn’t in the main lab.”
“Wow,” Caleb said. I was scared of what he thought of me then, but when I looked at him, I saw admiration in his gaze. “A horrible past for such a beautiful woman.”
“So what about you?” I felt the need to change the subject.
“You know my story. It’s a pretty simple one. I grew up in a big family, and had no hope of becoming the alpha. Usually, males that are not in line for the title just leave to start new lives elsewhere. I had always wanted to travel, so I did. At first, I stayed in Europe, but then I started going across the world. I can say I am the first of my Lycan clan to have traversed the world. It was while I was in China that my family was killed. A Hunter had found our home and slaughtered everyone. It is a past that is filled with much grief, but time marches on.” We sat in companionable silence and I leaned against him, enjoying his warmth.
“Lily...” Caleb muttered. I turned slightly so I was facing him and then his lips met my own. My heart jumped and I was frozen in shock for a second. In the next moment, I was moving against him, the hunger in both of us rising to a palatable level. A growl rumbled in his chest as he pushed me back against the forest floor. He laid his upper body on me and continued kissing me. I was completely under his spell, and without thinking, I bared my throat to him in a submissive gesture. He nipped and kissed a fiery trail from my jaw to my collar bone. He nuzzled me and I laced my fingers through his soft hair.
“Your scent intoxicates me. I cannot think clearly when I am around you, yet I want to always be around you,” he said, nipping my ear playfully. He laid beside me then, and held me close. “I believe I am falling for you, Lily.”
“‘Kay, because I’ve already fallen for you. Hard,” I said, kissing him again.
“Lily Michaels, are you saying you love me?” Caleb asked, feigning incredulousness.
“Mmm, maybe. Kiss me again to find your answer,” I said. He obeyed and I dragged him on top of me.
note: this is in no way written professionally
6. Down Time
I was being hunted. I could feel eyes on me, watching my every movement. Every so often, I would pause, and I could hear shuffling coming from the forest around me. Twigs cracked and branches snapped, I made my way down to the creek. I knelt to take a drink and was met with a furred mass driving into me from behind, pushing me into the water.
“Caleb! That’s cheating, we said that the creek was the safe zone!” I shrieked, laughing as I sat drenched in the very cold water. Caleb splashed in next to me, in human form again, laughing at me and making a snide remark at how I look like an indignant wet cat. I splashed him with water and called him a wet dog in reply. I struggled to my feet and sloshed out of the water, trying to get away from him. It honestly felt good to laugh. I hadn’t done it in so long, even before the epidemic hit. Life was just too serious for any actual fun. When I turned around to yell at him about getting my last set of clean clothes wet, but he was gone. My heart lurched momentarily and I looked around frantically for where he could have gone.
“Caleb?” I called out. There was no response except for the irritated chitter of the nearby songbirds. The bird’s song ended all too abruptly for my tastes and I pulled out the dagger I always kept hidden in my boot. The blade was barely six inches long, but it was wicked sharp and had a hand-carved bone handle. A twig snapped behind me and I whirled around, raising my arm so the blade in my hand pointed outward. More twigs, to my right, and then it sounded like something ripped a branch off a tree. I followed the noise while lowering my center of gravity, just in case whatever was lurking around was there to hunt me.
But when Caleb stepped through the thicket with a large deer- maybe an elk- draped over his shoulder, I was completely caught off guard. What was even more absurd is that he was in human form, one-arming the elk as if it weighed nothing. The entire front of his body, from his mouth down was covered in blood, and I guessed he had attacked the elk in wolf form and the blood remaining was from the animal’s torn throat. He dropped it beside the dammed creek and began washing the blood from himself.
“I’m sorry I didn’t give warning, I couldn’t pass up a kill like this. I’ll gut it on the other side of the creek and bring it back to camp. This will feed everyone for about a week if we preserve it enough.” I couldn’t help but get excited by the happy energy he was displaying.
“I’ll go tell camp to get fires started!” I said, bounding away. This was probably the best meal we were going to have, and I couldn’t wait to share the news. I approached camp and saw that a fire had already been started and everyone was in good spirits.
“Hey girl, where you and Caleb been off to?” Willa said, spotting me as I emerge from the trees.
“Caleb’s caught an elk. He’s cleaning it now and will bring it shortly,” I said and could see Willa gawk.
“By himself?”
“Yup, he went all wolf boy when I wasn’t looking. Scared me shitless in the process,” I said, laughing.
“Hang on a minute, why are you wet? You much be freezing, come on, come by the fire and warm up.” Willa took my hand and forcibly dragged me to the fire’s side. Everyone was sharing their life stories, which was surprising. Most everyone kept to themselves for the most part, but we’d been together so long, I was more surprised this hadn’t happened sooner.
“Hey guys, Caleb will be back soon with food, he’s downed an huge bull elk,” I said as we approached. Smiles broke out across numerous faces and I saw frowns on our more vegetarian comrades.
“Well, at least he has that use. Will he need help bringing it over here?”
“No, I’m fine, I’ve got it,” said a voice from the trees. Caleb strode easily from the trees, shouldering the cleaned carcass. Many of our group gaped at his immense strength, meanwhile I couldn’t help but admire his toned body. Willa had the same idea and I could see her mouth hanging open slightly. I laughed a little and reached over to close it.
“Don’t leave your mouth open, Darlin’, birds will nest in it,” I told her. She shoved my shoulder and blushed an incredibly deep shade of crimson. Most everyone laughed at our little tiff. Marco went to help Caleb put the elk down on the table. He turned and clapped Caleb on the back and smiled at him, actually smiled a broad smile that showed teeth. It was quite amazing, since Marco was a hard man that seemed to hold no emotion. Caleb took a seat next to me and I had to admit that his radiating heat felt good. I shivered and then he put his arm across my shoulder.
“I have to take the blame for Lily being wet, I pushed her into the creek by accident,” he said with a bright smile.
“Accident my ass, the creek was supposed to be the safe zone you cheater,” I muttered. He chuckled at my indignation.
“So, Caleb, Lily, your stories are the only ones that haven’t been told,” Willa said.
“Not much to tell of my past. I come from one of the ancient Lycan clans. We had a big family, and I am the last. It’s sad, really, but nothing to be done now. I was the youngest, so I had no chance in hell to become the alpha. I decided to travel the world, and my last destination would’ve been Carlsbad caverns in New Mexico, but my train wrecked when the epidemic was at its height. I survived, because next to nothing can kill me. I found myself wandering these woods and was surprised by the Hunter. The man that took glory in killing my kind, and it had taken him ages to track me down. He knew one shot would be enough, but he didn’t count on me being found by wonderful people. By people that accept my dual nature, even though I know it must be hard on you all,” Caleb said, his tone sombre. He looked at me. “I believe it’s your turn, my dear.”
“That it is,” Marco said, sitting next to Caleb. I hadn’t noticed, but he had been sectioning the meat from Caleb’s kill and was cleaning off his bowie knife now. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Where to begin. Lets see. I was born in Denver to drug dealer parents. When I was three, I watched my father murder someone, and when he realized I was there, he turned his knife on me. My mom managed to convince him that I wouldn’t remember, and for a while, I didn’t. A week later, the stranger’s death was avenged and our house was set on fire. My parents saved themselves and left me behind. Well, I managed to get out on my own, and then my parents were arrested, so I was custody of the state after that. I went through eight sets of foster parents before I turned twelve, and after that, my foster home gave up on me. I left when I was eighteen and reached for my medical degree. Eight years later, here I am with a PhD in medical science that’s pretty much useless.”
note: this is in no way written professionally
“Caleb! That’s cheating, we said that the creek was the safe zone!” I shrieked, laughing as I sat drenched in the very cold water. Caleb splashed in next to me, in human form again, laughing at me and making a snide remark at how I look like an indignant wet cat. I splashed him with water and called him a wet dog in reply. I struggled to my feet and sloshed out of the water, trying to get away from him. It honestly felt good to laugh. I hadn’t done it in so long, even before the epidemic hit. Life was just too serious for any actual fun. When I turned around to yell at him about getting my last set of clean clothes wet, but he was gone. My heart lurched momentarily and I looked around frantically for where he could have gone.
“Caleb?” I called out. There was no response except for the irritated chitter of the nearby songbirds. The bird’s song ended all too abruptly for my tastes and I pulled out the dagger I always kept hidden in my boot. The blade was barely six inches long, but it was wicked sharp and had a hand-carved bone handle. A twig snapped behind me and I whirled around, raising my arm so the blade in my hand pointed outward. More twigs, to my right, and then it sounded like something ripped a branch off a tree. I followed the noise while lowering my center of gravity, just in case whatever was lurking around was there to hunt me.
But when Caleb stepped through the thicket with a large deer- maybe an elk- draped over his shoulder, I was completely caught off guard. What was even more absurd is that he was in human form, one-arming the elk as if it weighed nothing. The entire front of his body, from his mouth down was covered in blood, and I guessed he had attacked the elk in wolf form and the blood remaining was from the animal’s torn throat. He dropped it beside the dammed creek and began washing the blood from himself.
“I’m sorry I didn’t give warning, I couldn’t pass up a kill like this. I’ll gut it on the other side of the creek and bring it back to camp. This will feed everyone for about a week if we preserve it enough.” I couldn’t help but get excited by the happy energy he was displaying.
“I’ll go tell camp to get fires started!” I said, bounding away. This was probably the best meal we were going to have, and I couldn’t wait to share the news. I approached camp and saw that a fire had already been started and everyone was in good spirits.
“Hey girl, where you and Caleb been off to?” Willa said, spotting me as I emerge from the trees.
“Caleb’s caught an elk. He’s cleaning it now and will bring it shortly,” I said and could see Willa gawk.
“By himself?”
“Yup, he went all wolf boy when I wasn’t looking. Scared me shitless in the process,” I said, laughing.
“Hang on a minute, why are you wet? You much be freezing, come on, come by the fire and warm up.” Willa took my hand and forcibly dragged me to the fire’s side. Everyone was sharing their life stories, which was surprising. Most everyone kept to themselves for the most part, but we’d been together so long, I was more surprised this hadn’t happened sooner.
“Hey guys, Caleb will be back soon with food, he’s downed an huge bull elk,” I said as we approached. Smiles broke out across numerous faces and I saw frowns on our more vegetarian comrades.
“Well, at least he has that use. Will he need help bringing it over here?”
“No, I’m fine, I’ve got it,” said a voice from the trees. Caleb strode easily from the trees, shouldering the cleaned carcass. Many of our group gaped at his immense strength, meanwhile I couldn’t help but admire his toned body. Willa had the same idea and I could see her mouth hanging open slightly. I laughed a little and reached over to close it.
“Don’t leave your mouth open, Darlin’, birds will nest in it,” I told her. She shoved my shoulder and blushed an incredibly deep shade of crimson. Most everyone laughed at our little tiff. Marco went to help Caleb put the elk down on the table. He turned and clapped Caleb on the back and smiled at him, actually smiled a broad smile that showed teeth. It was quite amazing, since Marco was a hard man that seemed to hold no emotion. Caleb took a seat next to me and I had to admit that his radiating heat felt good. I shivered and then he put his arm across my shoulder.
“I have to take the blame for Lily being wet, I pushed her into the creek by accident,” he said with a bright smile.
“Accident my ass, the creek was supposed to be the safe zone you cheater,” I muttered. He chuckled at my indignation.
“So, Caleb, Lily, your stories are the only ones that haven’t been told,” Willa said.
“Not much to tell of my past. I come from one of the ancient Lycan clans. We had a big family, and I am the last. It’s sad, really, but nothing to be done now. I was the youngest, so I had no chance in hell to become the alpha. I decided to travel the world, and my last destination would’ve been Carlsbad caverns in New Mexico, but my train wrecked when the epidemic was at its height. I survived, because next to nothing can kill me. I found myself wandering these woods and was surprised by the Hunter. The man that took glory in killing my kind, and it had taken him ages to track me down. He knew one shot would be enough, but he didn’t count on me being found by wonderful people. By people that accept my dual nature, even though I know it must be hard on you all,” Caleb said, his tone sombre. He looked at me. “I believe it’s your turn, my dear.”
“That it is,” Marco said, sitting next to Caleb. I hadn’t noticed, but he had been sectioning the meat from Caleb’s kill and was cleaning off his bowie knife now. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Where to begin. Lets see. I was born in Denver to drug dealer parents. When I was three, I watched my father murder someone, and when he realized I was there, he turned his knife on me. My mom managed to convince him that I wouldn’t remember, and for a while, I didn’t. A week later, the stranger’s death was avenged and our house was set on fire. My parents saved themselves and left me behind. Well, I managed to get out on my own, and then my parents were arrested, so I was custody of the state after that. I went through eight sets of foster parents before I turned twelve, and after that, my foster home gave up on me. I left when I was eighteen and reached for my medical degree. Eight years later, here I am with a PhD in medical science that’s pretty much useless.”
note: this is in no way written professionally
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