- In Sheep's Clothing - A werewolf story -

“Run.” Connor whispered again, slightly louder in case Lucinda hadn’t heard him. She had but was frozen in place, staring at the shape of the shadow.

“Oh my God…” she murmured, taking in the shape of the silhouetted werewolf. It really was like in films, and was absolutely terrifying. “Oh my God oh my God oh my…”

“Lucinda!” Connor snapped, grabbing hold of her shoulders and shaking her. “Snap out of it and RUN!”

Gasping, her eyes wide, Lucinda turned to flee but stopped.

“What about you?” she asked just as the werewolf rounded the corner and stopped at the end of the street, his growl turning to almost a laugh.

Hello again, my dear, the now familiar wolf’s voice chuckled in her mind. How lovely to see you again, so soon…

“I’ll be fine, now run!” Connor shouted at the same time, the last word elongating into a growl as his body began to change. Lucinda fled, but froze when she rounded the next corner and looked back. Connor’s body seemed to be being torn apart from the inside, his body changing with several cracks from bones moving and clashing together. Every time a bone cracked, he let out a small whimper of pain that had attracted her attention before the transformation continued.

The other werewolf was laughing again, loping effortlessly past Connor after her, but the silver half-wolf that Connor was now struck out with one massive front paw and sent the unprepared werewolf sprawling.

Don’t you want to join the hunt tonight, pup? The darker wolf asked, getting to his feet. Lucinda noticed that he was transformed further into a wolf than Connor, and wondered whether he was making the transformation permanent. Still busy playing with your food?

Leave her alone, Connor snarled, straight to the point. He had moved so that he stood between the darker wolf and Lucinda now and seemed to know she as still there.

We’ve had this argument before, pup, long ago. You have to give up trying to befriend humans, the dark wolf growled. It can only end in misery.

The darker wolf had circled Connor now, but the wolf wasn’t interested in him. The moment he was on the other side, he turned and bounded towards Lucinda, who gasped and was about to run when Connor leapt at the black and grey wolf with a vicious snarl.

The dark wolf was ready for him and turned to face the blow head on, claws raking at Connor’s underbelly as he only just caught on to him. Within moments the wolves were locked together in battle, their movements faster than Lucinda could follow, and straight away blood was pouring from both wolves.

Connor was the first to pull back, panting heavily, while the dark wolf looked only a little worse for wear. However, Connor launched onto the offensive again despite the blood pouring from a deep bite in his side and the scratches all over him. The black wolf received a bite to one paw, giving him a limp which he easily got over by standing up on his hind legs to fight.

He had the height advantage. Connor couldn’t reach his throat with his teeth while stood on his hind legs, while the dark wolf could easily tear out Connor’s throat. However, it seemed the darker wolf wasn’t interested in killing Connor. Instead he threw him against the wall with a sickening crack as several of Connor’s ribs broke.

Submit, pup, the werewolf growled, pack nature coming to a head as the demanded dominance. I made you strong, but not strong enough. You’re still only a baby of a wolf. You had better learn fast how to judge your strength, or you’ll end up dead before it has chance to develop.

The wolf didn’t wait for an answer from Conner. He turned away from the crumpled wolf that was rapidly changing back to human and loped towards Lucinda, ignorant of his injuries.

Lucinda ran. Behind her, the wolf picked up pace, eating up the ground as easily as he would eat her up. Growling, he pounced effortlessly, knocking her heavily to the floor. His fangs bared, he lowered his bloodied jaw towards her as she closed her eyes and flinched back in terror.

* * * * *

Connor dragged himself onto his hands and knees with a groan. His broken ribs were already beginning to heal but that didn’t make them any less painful. As the last traces of his wolfish senses left him, so did the sounds of Lucinda’s fleeing footsteps and the other wolf’s growls.

He couldn’t let her be killed. The werewolf had already ruined his chances of a happy life more than once. He would not do it again.

Every time Connor found a friend, an ally, a relative, the werewolf had been there to destroy them. Having lived in misery all his own life since he became a werewolf, the dark one would not allow another to do what he never could and live amongst mortals, especially not Connor, who he had created. Befriending Lucinda had put her in danger; now Connor had to save her.

Forcing himself to focus, Connor’s shape began to shift again.

* * * * *

Lucinda scowled from behind closed eyelids as she felt a small nip on her arm. Opening her eyes, she saw the wolf back away and stand watching her.

“That’s it?” she asked, staring at the little mark on her arm that could have been done by an overeager puppy. “You’re not going to kill me?”

Let me tell you this, young one, the dark wolf chuckled, I have looked after your friend Connor since he became a werewolf and never has he questioned me. Never has he refused me, even when I have killed those around him he always stood by me, not always happily but never riotously.

And then he met you. If I kill you, I will quite probably kill that side of him, and in doing so all my chances of leaving this life for the next shall be shattered. I cannot care for puppies any more. You will have to care for each other.

“You’ve made me a werewolf,” Lucinda gasped, studying the bite and wondering if it was enough.

Yes. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the wolf moved off just as a silver blur landed where he had been stood seconds before, covered in blood and looking furious.

Are you alright? Connor asked Lucinda as he warned the darker wolf off. The dark wolf loped away without so much as a snarl.

“He bit me…” Lucinda whispered, her mouth dry. “I’m a werewolf…”