Any Day but Halloween

Halloween was coming, and I wanted nothing to do with it. I figured that no one else would want to have anything to do with it either, not after everything that had happened this year. I was wrong, though.

“What do you think of my costume?” my 6-year-old sister asked.

I had been staring out the window, off into space, thinking about how life used to be. Turning to face Brittany, I was forced to confront what life had become. She had fashioned a pink princess dress out of some old sheets. Christmas-tree silver garland was wrapped around her head like a tiara, and a pair of gold ornaments were hanging from her ears.

It would almost have been cute if it weren’t for the fact that she was an 8-foot-tall grey-skinned troll.

“It’s very pretty,” I said, trying my best to sound positive.

She smiled and spun around, nearly knocking over a lamp as she did. After stabilizing the lamp and giggling (a disturbing sound with a voice as deep as hers), her face lit up with realization.

“I have your costume ready as well,” she said, picking up a shopping bag and pulling out an extra-large spiked dog collar.

I stopped faking positivity. In a huff, I crossed my arms and turned to look out the window again. “That’s not funny,” I grumbled.

“But,” she said, “you’d be a perfect royal hound.”

I could tell that she had not meant to offend me, but how could I not be insulted? I would have thought that by now she understood how much I hated my new body.

“I’m not a hound,” I corrected her. “I’m just your brother.”

“Come on,” she said. “You’re so furry and pretty, and Halloween is gonna be a full moon. You’ll be even more…”

“No!” I said, growling. “I’m not putting on a stupid collar.”

I glanced up at her, and I could see that she realized she had upset me. “S-sorry,” she said. “I just…”

“It’s okay,” I said, trying to smooth things over. “I just need some more time to get used to things.”

“Okay,” she said. “I can wait.”

Feeling my fur starting to itch, I stood up and excused myself. Then, I headed upstairs to my bedroom. Walking past the bathroom, I felt a perverse impulse to look at myself in the mirror, even though I knew it would only cause me pain. I gazed into the mirror, straight at the horrorshow werewolf that I had become, daring myself to keep looking and not turn away. I laid a paw hand on the glass and sighed, realizing that I hardly remembered what I used to look like, now.

***

I went for a walk. I needed to clear my head, so I thought I would visit my friend Mark at his job at the big box store just down the road. It was a dreary autumn night. The sky was overcast, and the sun had set an hour ago. The world was littered with fallen leaves, blown about by an occasional breeze. My fur was thick enough to keep me comfortable in the cool air, but I wore sweatpants and a hoodie as well. By law, werewolf fur counted as clothing, and the hood did not fit over my ears. I wore it all anyway. I sniffed the air, sensing that rain might be on the way. I hoped not. As I walked, my mind drifted to thinking about how different life was now after that day.

You see, just over six months ago, everything changed. All over the world, at the same time, people transformed into monsters, every single one of us. Ogres, vampires, pixies, dragons… werewolves, anything you can imagine, really. It was quite shocking, not only the changes but also the realization that magic existed. As if that wasn’t bad enough, we never got an explanation for why it happened. It all remains a big mystery.

Of course, “The Change” (as it came to be called) took some getting used to. The fortunate ones were still mostly human, just altered in some way. Some ended up tiny. Others, like my sister, became huge monsters. I ended up somewhere in the middle. I was hardly human, though.

A pair of centaurs trotting down the road toward me pulled my attention back to the present. They had been chatting with each other as they clopped along but quieted down when they spotted me under a street lamp. I must have looked a bit grumpy as they gave me a wide berth. I tried to ignore their reaction. It had become so common for people to fear me that I barely thought twice about it. Still, I hated the smell of it in them.

I shook it off, walked a little faster, crossed the parking lot at a pace just under a run, and entered the store. Being in a well-lit building helped me relax. I knew I looked less menacing in better lighting.

Seeing some pale human-like employees, I felt a moment of apprehension, my instincts putting me on alert. Then, I calmed myself down, reminding myself that vampires were no more dangerous than I was. I did exchange some suspicious looks with them.

“Ben?” someone called my name.

I turned to see Mark approaching, looking as pale and lethal as the other vampires. “Hey, how you doing, man?” I replied.

“Same as ever,” he replied, offering his fist for bumping. “Making the most of the night life.”

I nudged his knuckles with my hand paw. “You mind if we talk a little? You know, while you’re stocking?”

“Sure,” he said and led me to the Halloween decorations aisles, where boxes were waiting to be unpacked. “So, what’s the matter?”

“I just needed to get out of the house,” I replied. “Clear my head, you know?”

“Still struggling with the whole wolf thing?” he asked as he put some talking skulls on a shelf.

“Kinda,” I admitted. “I know it’s nothing compared to what you’re dealing with.”

“What?” Mark said. “You mean the whole sunlight allergy? The blood drinking? Funnily enough, aside from a new schedule, things don’t feel all that different. I barely even miss daylight anymore. It’s all started to feel… natural. Weird, huh?”

He put some fake pumpkins on another shelf.

I sighed. “I don’t feel natural, and I really don’t get why everyone is so into Halloween this year.”

“They’re nuts for it,” Mark said. “We can barely keep the decorations on the shelves.”

“Why?”

“I dunno,” he said. “I guess people have started embracing it more. They’re celebrating the spookiness, like creepy Christmas.”

“I just want it to be over.”

“Is it the moon that’s bothering you?” he asked.

“Maybe,” I said. “You noticed?”

He smiled, unintentionally showing off his fangs. “Bro, the moon is the only light in the sky for me besides the stars. I notice it.”

“I don’t want people seeing me… you know… when I’m like that,” I said.

Mark nodded and said, “Well, are you going to Felicia’s party tomorrow at least?”

I shrugged and rubbed the back of my neck. “I don’t know,” I said, reluctantly. “Swimming really isn’t my thing.”

“Come on,” he said. “She really wants to show off the new pool. Everyone’s going to be there, even the other night school kids. You haven’t seen some of us in a while. I know they’d love having you there. People… they worry about you a little.”

I sighed. “All right,” I said. “I’ll be there.”

“Great,” he said. Then, he paused as he opened another box. “You gonna be okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, but I was far from confident. “Probably.”

“It was good seeing you again,” Mark said. “We’ll chat again tomorrow. Make sure you show up.”

“I will. I promise. Later,” I said, and we bumped fists again. Then, I walked out of the store.

It had begun to drizzle, so I allowed myself to run on all fours to make it home faster. Sometimes, being a wolf could be a little convenient.

***

The next day, after I finished my homework, I picked out my nicest sweats to wear. While I appreciated how normal it felt to wear clothes, I found it a bit irritating having to awkwardly maneuver my tail through the hole I cut in my pants. It seemed that whatever I did to try to feel normal, I was still stuck with a reminder of my wolf side. I headed downstairs.

My sister was sitting on the floor, watching a cartoon. At least I thought it was a cartoon. Her body blocked my whole view of the screen.

In the kitchen, my mother was prepping for dinner, quite the ordeal now considering my sister’s troll-sized appetite, my mostly carnivorous appetite, and her own centaur appetite. Her hooves clomped as she turned to the sink to rinse some vegetables.

“How’re you doing tonight, son?” my father asked. “You look a little uneasy.”

I hadn’t noticed him standing on the counter, working on seasoning the soup. Gnomes are easy to overlook, though.

“I’m all right,” I said. “Just getting a little, antsy.” My fur had started to crawl a little as night neared.

My mother swished her tail and said, “It’s getting near that time of the month.”

“I’m all right.”

“Do you have any plans with your friends for tomorrow night?” my dad asked. “We’re taking Brittany to the festival downtown. If you’re free, you could come out with us.”

“Honey,” my mom said to him. “He told us before that he wants to stay home on the full moon.”

“I know,” he said, stirring the pot. “I just thought that it was a special occasion. Maybe you’d make an exception. Brittany’s really excited about her costume. She’d love to have you there with us.”

“He’ll go if he wants to,” my mother said. “Just let him figure things out for himself.”

“Of course,” he said, setting down his spoon. “We’re all still learning to adjust. I understand.”

My mother leaned down and gave his bearded little face a kiss. She walked forward and paused to let him get on her back and start riding her.

“Well,” he said. “I hope you have a good time tonight with your friends.”

My mom stepped back and opened the oven, pulling out a roast chicken, my dinner.

“Just give it a minute to cool,” she said, lifting it onto a serving tray for me.

I licked my chops. The drooling had started, and I felt a sudden ravenous hunger. It would take some willpower to wait even a minute.

***

I arrived at the party a half hour later and parked my car in the driveway. There were few other cars there, but I knew that most of the guests would already be there. They would likely be taking alternative transportation as they no longer could use a car, either due to being the wrong size or lacking the ability to drive.

I could still fit in my car, barely. I just needed to slide the seat all the way back, hunch a little, and fold my tail between my legs. It was uncomfortable, and I knew I was being stubborn. Running on all fours would have gotten me here just as quickly, but just like with my clothes, there were some other human things I wanted to keep doing, even if there was no practical reason for them anymore.

I pried myself free of my car and knocked on the front door. Felcia’s minotaur father opened it and let me in, guiding me back to their new indoor pool inside a barn-sized addition to the house. There I found a lot of old friends milling around the pool, many of whom I no longer recognized. Fortunately, Mark was there. I spotted him chatting with a goblin girl who I think might be his sister’s best friend.

“Hey, you made it,” he said.

I shrugged and replied, “I promised it would.”

“Come on,” Mark said, “You ought to say hi to Felicia.” He excused himself to the goblin and walked me over to the pool edge.

I gazed down into the water, surprised at just how deep it went. Down in the dark water near the bottom, I could see a massive tail fin flapping. The upper girl body attached to the lower fish tail bits turned to head up to the surface. She accelerated and leapt out of the water, doing a graceful flip and coming down in a perfect dive. Then, she floated up again and surfaced by the edge of the pool, resting her crossed arms on it in front of her.

“Hi, Ben,” she said. “I missed you. How’ve you been?”

“Good,” I said, doing my best to sound upbeat. “Quite a nice place you’ve got here. How are things going for you?”

“Not bad,” she said. “Better since the pool was finished. We were worried that we might need to move south for better weather, but this is a good ocean substitute.”

“Nice,” I said, feeling bad for her but trying my best not to show it.

She looked past us and yelled, “Hey, everybody. Get your suits on. I want to show you my new room. I have scuba gear available for those who need it.”

There were a few cheers and some chatter and chuckling.

“Are you two coming in?” Felicia asked me.

“You bet,” said Mark. “I’ve got my suit on already.”

She looked at me, hopefully.

“Uh,” I said. “I don’t think so.”

“Really?” she said, sounding disappointed.

“I doubt you want to get my fur in your filters and… well… the whole wet dog thing. You know?”

“Oh,” she said. “Well, I doubt anyone would be upset. I wouldn’t mind a little bit of fur.”

Before I could respond, someone knocked at a pair of enormous sliding doors.

Felicia excitedly swam to the other side of the pool and said, “Oh, someone open the doors, please.”

Some of our friends pulled the doors aside revealing a 30-foot long purple dragon waiting outside.

“Val!” Felicia cried. “You made it!”

“Felicia!” the dragon, Val, replied, poking her head into the pool room. “Oh my God, look at you. Look at this place. I love it all.”

“Hey! Did you bling out your horns?” Felicia asked.

“Oh,” said Val. “You like it?” She turned her head side to side showing off golden rings, gems, and dangling gold chains. “I’ll be getting my ears pierced as soon as we can find something that can get through dragon skin.”

“You look so cool!” Felicia said. “Hey, you’ve got to check out my place in the pool.”

“Okay,” Val said. “But, give me a bit. I’ll need to ease my way in, unless you want a tidal wave in here.”

They chuckled together. Everyone else chuckled.

Meanwhile, I could not understand why everyone was just… okay.

Val could no longer fit through most doors. She could no longer use a phone. Felicia could no longer be out of water for more than minutes without feeling ill and would eventually dry out and die after a while. Yet, here they were, just being fine with all of that. Why? Why was everyone just treating this like it was normal?

“Let’s swim!” Mark cried. He had stripped down to his swimsuit while everyone was looking at Val.

“Yeah,” Felicia replied. “The water’s warm. Come on in, everyone.”

Everyone started changing clothes, while I stepped back to keep from getting wet when Mark dove in. Soon, everyone was in there, playing Marco Polo, splashing around, diving, and generally having a good time. Meanwhile, I found a chair a safe distance from the water and pulled out my phone. I checked my messages, using a claw to operate the touch screen. My mom had texted me to say she hoped I was having a good time. I replied that I would be heading home soon.

“Ben!” cried a little voice from my left.

I looked beside me but was confused when I saw no one there.

“Up here, silly,” the voice said.

I looked up and noticed a little pixie hovering in the air above me. “Emily?” I asked, squinting to see if I recognized her face.

“That’s right,” she replied and chuckled. “How’ve you been?”

“Okay, I guess.” I remembered Emily. I had wanted to date her before. Now, I had no idea how that would work.

She landed on top of my head. “Ooh,” she said. “Your fur is sooo soft. Do you brush it?”

“Uh,” I said. “Actually, my sister does. She was kind of sad at first that she didn’t have any of her own hair left to brush, so I let her brush mine. She finds it really calming.” If I were being completely honest, I would have said I found it really calming, too.

“Aw, that’s sweet,” she said. “So, where’ve you been? I used to see you at the community center every week. Did you stop going to your group?”

As part of coping with the change, our suburb had set up group meetings for people who had been transformed into the same monsters. I had gone to the werewolf group for a few months. At first, we discussed ways to control ourselves when the moon was full, turning us feral. You see, while the full moon is up, our minds and bodies change even more. We become wild beasts, giant wolves in mind and body. It’s a terrifying feeling, losing control of your own thoughts, feeling yourself reduced to a wild animal. We tried everything we could to resist it.

Then, after a while, we heard from other wolves who had decided to give in to the influence of the moon. The group decided to give it a try. Soon, they were organizing monthly hunts on the night of the full moon. I was horrified. They would run wild as a pack, hunting a deer together, the night culminating in a communal meal of raw venison. They got government approval to do it after the idea had caught on with many wolf packs around the world. I was invited, but I never went, locking myself in my bedroom instead. After that, I went to the group once or twice, but the hunt had become the main topic of conversation at the meetings. That’s when I stopped going.

“Ben?” Emily asked. “You okay?”

“I’ve been really busy, lately,” I said. “No time for group. Lots of homework.”

“I see,” she said and started flying again, hovering in front of my snout. “Well, I’m going to check in with some other folks. We’ll chat again later?”

“Sure,” I said.

“Bye,” she said, waving, and flew off.

I watched her go, wondering what it felt like to fly and trying to decide if it would be worth it if I was stuck being that small.

Wanting to take my mind off of her and the full moon, I went back to checking my phone, but soon I felt myself growing bored. My fur had begun to itch. I set my phone down and walked to the water’s edge to see if I could say goodbye to Felicia. However, she was at the bottom again, showing her friends around her new room.

I found Mark preparing for another dive, and called to him.

“Are you leaving?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Just hang out a little longer,” Mark suggested. “Some of us will be drying off for a break soon. We’ll hang out.”

I shook my head, scratching my neck with my claws. “I’m feeling a little on edge. You know, the moon and all. I think I’ll go. Tell Felicia I wanted to say goodbye. She has a nice pool.”

Before Mark could reply I felt someone brush past my tail.

“Come back here!” some ogre yelled, playfully chasing the goblin who had just run past me. The ogre slipped on the wet tiles and tumbled into me, knocking me into the pool.

Water went up my nose, making me choke and snort as I paddled back to the edge of the pool before pulling myself out of the water. I stood there on all fours, water pouring out of my soaked fur. I was furious. I turned to the ogre and let loose a fierce growl. “Look what you did!” I roared. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going.”

“S-sorry,” the ogre replied.

I looked around, realizing that everyone was staring at me, some looking genuinely afraid.

I stood up on my hind legs and said, “I’m sorry.” I shook out my fur and retrieved my phone. Then, I left through the barn door and headed around the house to my car.

I was still dripping wet when I wedged myself into my car, but I did not care. I drove home a little too fast, as if I were being chased by something.

***

After arriving back home, I stumbled while getting out of the car. When I entered the house, I bounded up the stairs and headed for the bathroom to grab a towel. I found Brittany in there, brushing her teeth with a scrubbing brush.

She spit in the sink and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Seeing no way past her, I grumbled, “Nothing.” I turned to walk to my room.

“Did you get wet?” she asked. “Is it raining?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I felt a snarl coming on.

“It’s okay,” she said. “That’s no big deal. We can dry your fur off.”

“No!” I cried. “It is a big deal. All of this is a big deal. Why is everyone just… okay with things? Why is everyone treating this like it's normal?”

Brittany looked down at her troll feet. “Sorry,” she said.

I felt awful. I felt like a monster. I ran to my room and slammed the door shut behind me.

***

I pulled off my wet clothes and lay on my bed, getting the sheets damp, not really caring. I felt like screaming or crying. I looked out the window, seeing an enormous moon out there, nearly full, glaring down at me.

“Why?” I asked.

“Stuff happens,” said a hollow sounding voice.

I looked toward the foot of my bed and saw a transparent white ghost floating there beyond my foot paws.

“Grandpa,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“You were making enough noise to wake the dead,” he said. “Literally.”

“I don’t want to talk,” I said, placing my hand paws on my forehead, covering my eyes behind them to hide any tears that might creep out. “Just leave me alone.”

“I’m worried about you. Everyone’s worried. Talk to me,” he said. “I mean, listening and talking is all I do now.”

I sighed. “Aren’t you mad about it?”

“Mad?” Grandpa asked. “About the change? Well, this isn’t what I was expecting my afterlife to be. Still, I got to come back, which is alright.”

“I just want to be human again,” I said. “Things used to make sense. Now… I hate being an animal. I hate feeling out of control.”

I felt the coolness of Grandpa hovering a little closer to me. “Everything changed,” he said.

“Yeah,” I said. “I mean, you never had to deal with anything like this when you were growing up.”

“Well, maybe nothing quite this dramatic. However, if there’s anything in life that’s always the same, it’s the fact that things keep changing,” he said. “One way or another, something major changes about the world, again and again.”

I lowered my paws and looked at him. “How are you supposed to deal with it?”

“One thing is don’t dwell too much on what’s gone. You can mourn it a little, but eventually, you need to move on.”

“How do I do that?”

“Some changes make things worse, but usually it’s not all bad. There’s always something good to find if you look for it.”

Looked down at my paws and all the fur beyond. “What’s good about this?”

“You can sense things most people can’t. You’re stronger, faster.”

“I’m dangerous,” I said. “When the moon is full… That one time…”

“You mean, the incident?”

I pictured a girl’s face, twisted in horror by me. I could remember my lips curling, my teeth bared, my throat rumbling with a guttural growl. My family and I were out at a store, a few months after the change, grabbing snacks on our way to a drive-in movie. My parents had convinced me to come out despite the full moon. All the lights and people in the crowded store were overwhelming my wolf senses. Then, a little gnome girl grabbed my fluffy tail, setting me off. I did not bite her, but someone called security and escorted us out of the building. The police even came by, but they let us go when it was clear that no one was hurt.

Most of all, I recalled how the incident made me feel. I felt like a monster.

“What if I hurt someone?” I asked grandpa.

“You won’t,” he said.

“I could.”

“Do you want to?”

“No,” I said. “That’s the last thing I would want.”

“Then, you won’t,” he said. “You need to trust yourself. Even if you are thinking like an animal, you’re still the good person you are every other day. That's the core of who you are.”

“But, I’m not myself.”

“You’re a wolf,” he said. “I get it, but you’re a good wolf, though. Just as you’ve always been a good person.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded.

“Should I go out tomorrow night or not?”

He shrugged. “That’s up to you, but it might be the best time to try it. You’ll be with your family. Everyone else will be looking to have a good time, so they’ll be forgiving. The real question is do you want to miss this chance to make peace with the wolf in you?”

I looked out the window again, seeing the moon being swallowed by a cloud.

I made my choice.

***

As sunset approached on Halloween, I felt the itchiness growing more intense.

My sister, dressed in her princess costume again, handed me the collar she had picked out for me to wear. “Do you want to put it on yourself now?” Brittany asked. “Or, should I put it on after you change?”

I wrapped the leather strap around my neck and buckled it in place. The bone shaped tag on it had the name “Benji” engraved in it, short for Benjamin. Tonight, that was my costume, Benji, my sister’s royal hound.

“You ready?” my mother asked.

I nodded and gazed out the window, seeing the last orange light of the sun dip below the horizon. Behind me, I felt the pull of the moon as it crested the horizon in the opposite direction.

This was the moment I would usually fight to control myself and retain some human consciousness. Tonight, though, I let it go and allowed the change to happen as it would. My thoughts faded away. Then, I felt my body ache as it changed shape, my hands and feet becoming only normal wolf paws. My back and shoulders bending forward, forcing me onto all fours. My already long snout lengthened even more, along with many other subtle shifts, until my body was in the shape of an ordinary wolf, only much larger.

Brittany knelt down and hugged me close to her chest. “Thank you,” she said. “Thanks for being my dog.”

My wolf mind could not make much sense of what she was saying, but I understood the hug. I felt her love. In response, I panted happily.

“You’re a good dog,” she said.

Those words I could understand and agreed with them. I was a good dog.

She attached the leash and stood up. “Let’s go for a walk,” she said.

My tail started wagging, and I smiled, letting out a half-bark of excitement. My mother opened the door for us, my father riding on her back. Then, the four of us headed out into the cool evening air to walk downtown.

To me the world was a feast of smells. There was the pungent aroma of moldy dead leaves mixed with the cool odor of damp earth. As we passed houses, I picked up traces of sugary smells: caramel, apple, and chocolate, some cinnamon as well. All over, I detected the slow decay of pumpkins. Intermingling with it all was the scent of fleshy things, creatures I could eat, but I would not be eating them. I had eaten a meal earlier, a steak, cooked rare. I knew I did not need to kill to eat, so I would not be killing. Killing these creatures would be bad, and I was not bad. I was a good dog.

Above us all, rising into the starry sky was my guiding light, the moon. It lit the world dimly with wonder and mystery, driving me onwards into the welcoming night.

As we neared the town square, more creatures joined us on the same path. I sniffed them, inquisitively, recognizing what they were: vampires, goblins, centaurs, satyrs, harpies, ogres, trolls, gnomes, pixies, and many more. Soon, they had all become mixed together as just a mass of living things around me.

I began to feel a little overwhelmed, so I kept my attention on the smell of my sister and mother and father. In particular, I remembered the collar and the leash and my sister’s loving hands. I was safe with them. They were my family. They were like a home traveling with me.

The town square was alive with lights and sounds and strong smells. People chatted, but I made no sense of their words. My sister traveled around with me by her side. She played games. She ate snacks. She chatted with friendly creatures, chuckling and laughing and smiling. At one point, we encountered some creatures that seemed familiar. I thought I may have seen them only yesterday. I let these kind creatures pet me and panted cheerfully. I was declared a “good dog” again and again, which made me very happy. It was all I aspired to be.

Then, a tense moment occurred. Some little creature grabbed my tail, hugging it to her. I was startled and felt an impulse to respond with a defensive growl, but I caught myself. A good dog did not growl. A good dog was gentle. I turned to the young goblin and licked her cheek. She smiled at me, calling me “puppy.” I panted good-naturedly at her.

Then, the girl goblin asked my sister a question. I understood the word “ride” and lay down on the ground to let the girl climb on my back. Standing up, I listened as she cheered happily and clung to my fur as I trotted along with her mounted on me. Other people saw what I was doing and cooed happily. I felt like a very good dog, indeed. The ride ended, and I received so many loving pats and pets.

At one point, a crowd of creatures gathered together by a raised platform, a stage. Some creatures would ascend the stage and display themselves in front of the rest. I stood in a line of the creatures beside my sister, waiting to go up on the stage ourselves. When our turn came, I stood beside her and panted happily as she spun, showing off her princess costume. She commanded me to “bark,” and I did. People clapped and cheered. I panted, knowing what a good dog I was. They gave her a ribbon, and she was so happy to wear it, showing it off to our parents proudly.

Time passed, and I heard my sister yawn. The crowd began to thin as the moon rose high above us. I could sense my family wanting to return home.

Then, I heard the hint of a primal sound and paused, perking up my ears.

Off in the distance, wolves were howling an invitation to all of my kind. It was a call I had resisted many times before, but now… I pulled on the leash, feeling the collar tight against my neck.

My sister and my parents chatted. Then, she reached down and removed my collar.

“Go,” she said, smiling. “Go hunt, Benji.”

I shook out my matted neck fur and panted appreciatively to her and my parents.

Then, I listened for the howls again and ran off in their direction, leaving behind the streets and buildings of the human world for the rough wilderness beyond. Out there was a place and a pack in which I belonged. I raced to them.

Soon, I found the werewolves. I greeted the pack, trading sniffs and appreciative pants with my kind. They welcomed me in. Already, they had the scent of some wild creature with antlers. The hunt was on. We raced together through the trees and open fields, chasing our prey. Soon, we would take its life and feast on its warm flesh. For now, though, the deer was out there, running naked and free, just like me.