Werewolf Love Story

by H. T. Night

  “Look here,” I read out loud. “It says, ‘large cage—used to hold a gorilla—strong bars—nothing gets in or out.’ Damn! 2,500 dollars!”

  “Twenty five hundred dollars?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s way too much.”

  “It is,” I said. “But I'm looking at these other cages and I do not trust how small they are. The expensive cage is gigantic!”

  “Do you have 2,500 dollars?” she asked.

  “Don't worry about that,” I said. I knew she was a con artist. So she didn't have to know anything about my income. I just recently had $80,000 dollars given to me when my grandfather died and there was no way in hell she was going to know that information.

  I called the number and the guy said I could have it for two thousand if I picked it up in San Diego. How in the world am I going to get to San Diego and haul a two ton cage 100 miles before tonight? I had to do it I needed to go down there and rent a U-haul truck.

  “We’re taking a trip to San Diego, girly girl,” I announced.

  “Can we stop by the store?” Sasha asked. “I need some girl items.”

  I looked at her with zero expression and said, “Alright, I don't need to know anymore.”

  We stop in at Walgreens and then we headed down to San Diego and got ourselves a cage big enough to hold a mountain lion. I drove the U-haul back to the O.C. while Sasha drove my Mustang. I called ahead and got some movers to meet me at the apartment to get the thing inside my apartment.

  After the movers helped me get the gigantic cage into my living room they gave me a look like ‘why do you have a ten foot cage in your apartment?’ I told them Sasha was kinky and I tipped them well. I also told them to keep it on the down-low that I had a cage.

  So now it was just time to wait for the full moon to come out.

  I checked up on Patrick. He was still sleeping and looked awful. I asked Sasha to check him out. She actually didn't want to look at him because he was a vampire. I pointed out to her that she didn’t have a choice. She saw it my way.

  My bites from the night before were killing me. My shoulder ached. I was pretty jacked up. I was sitting in my living room staring at the cage wondering how strong Sasha was when she turned. Could she knock over that cage? I couldn't even believe I was having these kinds of thoughts. I kept reminding myself, ‘go with it, gain control of it, and then all of this might make sense.’

  Sasha came back out of the room after looking at Patrick. “He's pretty messed up.”

  “Did he wake up?” I asked.

  “Not really. He definitely didn’t know a werewolf was checking on him. He needs a doctor and if he is a vampire a lot of red flags will go off.”

  “Like what?”

  “There is a reason why the Triat has our bodies disappear when we die.”

  “The Triat?” I asked. “What the hell is a Triat?”

  “The Triat is everything.”

  “You mean God?”

  “No. More like the heart of God.”

  “Look, spare me this tale. If you truly turn into a werewolf you can give me all the paranormal history you want. But as of right now, let's take care of tonight. I'm thinking I also need to chain you in.”

  “Chain me?” Sasha did not like that.

  “Yeah, you might be really strong. Also, where will you go to the bathroom? I'm going to put some cardboard in there.”

  So we left again and went to Home Depot and I bought the strongest chains they had. When we got back I locked the chains from inside the cage, I had no idea what I was doing and the more I was taking this seriously, the more I was convinced I was in some alternate universe where truth and love have been replaced by werewolves and vampires.

  I stepped out of the cage and realized this damn thing took up my entire living room. It took almost the entire open floor that separated the TV from the couch.

  I looked outside and said to Sasha, “Well, how does it usually happen? The whole turning from human to werewolf thing.”

  “I really don’t know. I have almost no recollection when I become a werewolf.”

  “Of course you don't,” I said, sarcastically. “Seriously, that would be too easy. What I don't understand is, if there are werewolves running around, why aren't there more instances of attacks?”

  “There's a strict code the Carni live by. We drive off to remote areas that are far away from the Tandra.”

  “And Tandra is what you call humans?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why are you here and not in some remote area?”

  “I don’t really have anywhere to go. I’m pretty much an ostracized werewolf.”

  I looked at her and just thought, of course she is.

  “And what about my little vampire friend in the bedroom? He referred to himself as a Mani.”

  “Mani are vampires,” Sasha said plainly, as if she was saying something you hear every day.

  “Okay.” I shook my head trying to wrap my mind around all of this crazy information. “He didn't become a bat either,” I said. “He actually became a black bird.”

  “It's a raven.” Sasha corrected me. “Mani transition into black ravens and red hawks.

  “Red hawks?” I asked.

  “Yeah, men become black ravens and women become red hawks.”

  “What do Carni become?”

  She laughed. “We become werewolves.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot that part. But you can't control it, but vampires can?”

  “Yeah, it's not fair, but that's the hand we were dealt.”

  “How does someone become a werewolf?”

  “They get bitten by a Carni when it's a werewolf and survive the bite.”

  I thought about the other night. “Hey, those three guys I fought on the street. Were they Carni?”

  Sasha was quiet. “Um”

  “Were they?” I persisted.

  “Yes.”

  “Were you ever going to tell me that?”

  “How could I? You didn’t even know I was one till today.”

  “So the one that bit my shoulder was a full blown werewolf?” I asked.

  “He wasn’t when he bit you.”

  “So what happens when one of these freaks bite you and he or she isn’t a werewolf?”

  “I don’t really know. I never heard of that happening before, especially the kind of bite you got.”

  “Great, I’m a trailblazer,” I said, sarcastically. I sat down on my couch and had to put my feet up so they wouldn’t smack the cage. “Sasha, some weird crap has been happening to me the last couple of days.

  “Like what?”

  “Like at times, my hearing is off the charts.”

  “Really.”

  “Yeah. I could hear car alarms that are—”

  “—blocks away.” Sasha finished what I said.

  “Holy shit!” I continued. “I also had an extreme amount of facial hair last night and then it went away in the morning.”

  “What about your eyes? Did you notice they were yellow?”

  “I didn't even look at my eyes.” I sat there dumbfounded. “What do you make of it?”

  Sasha shook her head and said, “It's like you’re in some weird werewolf purgatory. It's like you're not fully a werewolf, but you have the makings of becoming one.”

  “You’re fucking kidding me. I don't want to be a freaking werewolf. How do you reverse it?”

  “You can't reverse it, Tommy.”

  “What does that mean?” I shouted.

  “It means you are becoming immortal and there is no secret antidote!”

  I began sweating. I could feel my heart rate go up. The room began spinning. Holy shit! I'm having a heart attack! My chest felt tight. I fell to the floor and blacked out.

  The next thing I remember was Sasha sitting me up on the couch and giving me some water.

  “Tommy? Tommy?” she asked. “You alright?”

  I put my hand on my chest. “I don't know. I think I had a heart at
tack.”

  “I doubt that. You wouldn't be able to breathe. You had a panic attack.”

  “A panic attack?” Who was I? Tony Soprano? I don't have panic attacks.

  “It's to be expected. I just told you that there's a good chance that you’re in some kind of werewolf limbo phase.”

  I looked at Sasha and just wanted to scream at her at the top of my lungs. Why did I go to Sliders bar that night? And why did I go outside to talk to her? This was crazy. Maybe she's crazy. Maybe none of this is true.

  I sighed and got up. “I better get you in the cage,” I said. “I'm not going to put chains on you, but if you get out of hand I might.”

  “You think you can put chains on me once I become a werewolf? Good Luck!”

  “What are you? A buck-ten?”

  “When I become a werewolf I'm bigger, my clothes become a part of me and I become heavier and larger.”

  “Oh, that makes sense.”

  “It might not make sense, but that’s what happens.”

  “Get in the cage.” I said, with as much authority I could muster up. This woman walked into my life and screwed it up in so many ways. Look at me. I am completely fucked up. I have insane bites all over my body. I got a vampire sleeping in my bedroom and now I’m entertaining the fact that the woman in front of me is moments away from becoming a werewolf. All I could was continue to play this out. “How you doing in there?” I asked.

  “I'm alright. You better lock the door.”

  “Oh yeah,” I got up and locked the door and I sat on the couch facing the cage. The sun was setting and I looked on, staring at Sasha. And even though I was pissed, she was damn sexy. She looked good in her little white shorts. It's been awhile since I fired one off, so to say I was horny was an understatement.

  Sasha caught me looking at her with my bad intentions.

  “What?” she said, in a sexy way only a woman as hot as her could pull off.

  “I'm hoping you don't turn! And you’re full of shit.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I'm going to go in there and rip your clothes off and make passionate, animal cage love to you.”

  Sasha stepped up to the cage bars. I stood up and reached in. I grabbed her from her waist and pressed her body up against mine with the cage bars separating us.

  We both tilted our heads just right and were able to kiss through the bars. Her breath smelt amazing. She was oozing with estrogen. I wanted her so bad I nearly came out of my clothes. I had no idea why I was turned on at this moment but I was.

  I kissed her passionately and cupped her buttocks with my left hand. I pressed her hard against me. I looked her in the eyes. “You know,” I said. “This whole thing is foolish. You and I both know there is no way you’re a —”

  Suddenly, Sasha’s blue eyes turned bright yellow. She looked like a damn demon. I jumped back onto the couch and let go of her. I hopped onto the floor and scurried away from the cage. There was at least ten feet separating me from the cage.

  Sasha dropped to the ground and began to roll. She looked like she was having a seizure. Hair began protruding out of her body everywhere. It was like watching a motion film where you watch a flower grow in real time at an ultra speed. But this was actually happening. Within seconds, she had enlarged a foot in height, had black hair, and her head went from a gorgeous brunette to a sleek wolf.

  She stared at the window where she could see the full moon and howled.

  “Shhh,” I yelled. I couldn't believe what I was doing. I was shushing a damn wolf.

  She must not have known I was in the room. Because her head turned to me and she growled and barked at me as if I was a hundred miles away. She begun scratching the carpet and ramming her body into the cage. Thank God the cage was holding up. But damn, she was louder than hell. The neighbors aren’t too far away. How the hell was I going to calm her down?

  I thought about grabbing some meat from the fridge but I didn't know if it would help. Plus, all I had were twenty dollar steaks.

  She looked in the direction of my room and went absolutely berserk. She didn't like something in my bedroom. She must smell Patrick. What was I going to do? I couldn’t calm her down. She wasn't having any part of me. As matter of fact, my presence in the room seemed to be making matters worse. It wasn't like she and I had developed any kind of rapport with me so she could even consider listening to me.

  I looked in the cage at this beautiful, black wolf. She was a sight to behold. Absolutely spectacular in her perfect wolf form. I had to admit, she was scary looking, but I wasn't intimidated. She still had a level of femininity that made her seem more delicate than I imagined.

  I put my hand to my chin and scratched and when I did I scratched a hand full of beard. Crap. I ran to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror, fully expecting to have a Michael J. Fox Teenwolf moment, but to my surprise it just looked like I hadn't shaved in a couple of weeks. There were scattered patches of hair that looked more like a teenager’s sad attempt to grow his first beard than the makings of a werewolf. I looked at my eyes and there was a hint of yellow. Something was wrong. I was caught in between what I used to be and what obviously Sasha had become.

  I didn't know what to think. Part of me felt like I had just died and gone to hell, but another more competitive part of me wondered what kind of bad ass I could become.

  “Hey, anyone here!” A voice yelled from my bedroom. It was Patrick and he must wonder where he is and why a werewolf would be hooting and hollering in the living room.

  I went into my bedroom and Patrick had sat up. He was taking several deep breaths and caressing his throat.

  “How does it feel?” I asked, referring to his cracked larynx.

  “It hurts to swallow and inhaling is a bitch. So about every 2.2 seconds I'm in excruciating pain.”

  “Look, you attacked me. I was fine to just leave.”

  “I know. It wasn’t my idea, it was Nero’s.” Patrick paused. “You know, the guy you killed.” Damn that didn't sound right. This wasn't a video game where I eliminated an opponent in Halo. I fucking killed a man or Mani or whatever the fuck he is... was.

  “I'm still wrapping my head around all of this.” I said.

  “That's what I've been trying to do for a week.” Patrick added.

  “You said you were new to all of this.”

  Patrick leaned back against my bed post and rested. “Yeah, this was the last thing I wanted.”

  “You and I both.”

  Patrick stared at my face with a puzzled look. “I don't remember you having a beard before.”

  “I'm having my own issues,” I said.

  Patrick didn't seem like he was up for an inquiry. He closed his eyes and took a big swallow. I had just noticed Sasha quit barking and snarling. “Hold on,” I said, and I dashed to the living room. Sasha was sound asleep. I sighed. At least she'll be quiet for the time being.

  I went back in the room and it appeared that Patrick had gone to sleep also.

  I left and went into my kitchen. I sat at my oak table and looked across my living room where I had a werewolf sound asleep. I was exhausted. I had barely slept, and I only had one bed. Even though I barely knew Patrick, he was going to have a bunk partner tonight.

  I went into my room. I put a large pillow between him and I. There will be no vampire spooning in my bed. I layed down and turned my head and faced my cardboard windows and within seconds I was out like a light.

  Chapter Ten

  I was awakened a few hours later by my new alarm clock, known as a pissed off werewolf Sasha. She was yelping up a storm and I looked over at Patrick and he was no longer laying next to me. I instinctively felt my neck, I don't know why I thought he might have sucked my neck while I was asleep, but what the hell did I know. I was sleeping next to a freaking vampire.

  I walked out of my room cautiously and made my way out to the living room. Sasha saw me and began acting like a junkyard dog on crack.

  Right next to the cage
was a black raven, just chilling and staring at the crazed, overgrown dog. When did my apartment become an episode of Wild Kingdom?

  “Patrick?” I called out to the bird.

  The bird flew and landed in the hallway where I was standing. Then right out of a Tolkien novel the black raven transitioned and became Patrick. He collapsed to the ground and I grabbed his arm.

  “I'm still not great with the whole transition thing, Kyro,” he said, as if I could ignore the fact he just went from bird to man.

  I just stared at Patrick and mumbled, “How did I get mixed up in this?” I grabbed Patrick’s arm and we went outside my apartment to the porch. I closed the door behind me. “Maybe that will shut her up.”

  Patrick walked over and sat on a bench that is adjacent to my apartment. “You need to start getting used to your world being completely turned upside down. Everything you ever knew is wrong and everything that is actually true you couldn’t come up with even in the darkest parts of your imagination.”

  I stared blankly at my new friend and walked over to where he was sitting and sat next to him. “Why were you the bird just now?”

  “It seemed to make your female werewolf friend less upset.”

  “How do you know she is female?”

  “I checked.”

  “You weren't ‘perv’ing in there, were you?” I said, disgusted.

  “I'm not into animal love,” Patrick assured me. “If she is hot in her Carni form then I might make an exception.”

  “You're funny,” I said

  “Who knew?” he laughed, and then coughed like a fifty year smoker.

  “You alright?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay. It's hard to be funny fighting for your life. Also, it’s easier to breathe when I'm the raven.”

  “You're really going to milk this breathing thing aren't you?”

  “I'm sorry, you did crush my face.”

  He was right I not only choked him out but used his body as a weapon to knock out his friend. “So. What’s the deal? Where do you live?”

  Patrick was quiet. Uh uh, I had to kick a homeless vampire’s ass.

  “You don’t have a place to stay?” I asked.

  “My parents kicked me out a month ago.”