PAGE | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Alice was nowhere to be seen, but a trail of blood led from the lair away towards the beach. He found her, dying from some deep gashes to her throat and shoulders. Her lifeblood was staining the golden sand. She sighed and lifted her eyes towards him in silent pleading. Her transformation back to human form was a slow drawn out process, the effort too much for her. I’m sorry. She managed to whisper. Her heart stopped and her eyes closed for a final time. Four grey shapes descended on her and ripped the carcass to pieces. Her growing pups had died with her, already formed into tiny furless miniatures. The four finished the job and stared at him in silent challenge. Disgusted, he turned and went back to the lair.
Lucy hobbled to him in greeting, but was really too weak to do more than acknowledge his entrance. He sat beside her and waited, not really knowing what for, but he waited alongside her until the morning. The four murderesses returned during the early hours and looked at him with distain. They were not about to accept him now that Alice was gone. What need did they have of him? Until the question of hierarchy was sorted out, none of them would come into season, so he was just an extra for the moment.
When the morning light fell, they had all transformed into human form. It was obvious that Lucy’s wrist was at least fractured and she was going to struggle. Although quite a bit older than the four remaining members of the pack, in her current condition, she would be unable to fight for supremacy and therefore, set the pecking order. It was Simone, a black girl, who became un-elected spokeswoman. You’re not wanted here Kevin. She told him. We have no need for your kind so you may as well fuck off now. It occurred to Kevin that she was just a bit too big for her own good. Simone, he quietly started. I would be careful about how you treat your mates. His warning was said in a low and dangerous tone that left no room for error in its malice. The implied threat hit home and she backed down. The others watched the confrontation with interest, but her capitulation ended the spectacle, they fell to getting comfortable for sleep.
A somewhat relieved Kevin thought about there being only the one more night until the current moon phase passed for another twenty-seven days. He also slept, but in the room previously occupied by Alice. Her smell invaded his nose and he dreamt of her. Dusk fell and found the diminished pack ready to go out on the hunt. Lucy was in no condition and had weakened during the day. Her wrist/paw had swollen to more than three times its normal size and her wounds had become infected.
Kevin thought she would probably die by the morning or certainly by the next evening when, even in human form, she would be too weak to do very much and either dehydration or hunger would account for her. He tried to feel pity, but somehow, it just wouldn’t happen. He left the lair and the pack for the last time and hunted alone. He took no thrill from the hunt and killing a sheep was too easy. The stupid animal was too dozy to react. Half-heartedly, he ate and then disposed of the remains in the canal. Pack and friendless, Kevin returned home to try and plan how he would survive.
A piece in the local newspaper a few days later, described how three girls were found shot dead and naked in a popular lovers meeting place. Police could find no identification and there were no missing persons listed that matched the descriptions. A smaller piece two or three pages in, reported the finding of a woman who had obviously crawled to safety in a dilapidated house basement after a terrible beating, only to die of dehydration. The pack was finished. He couldn’t mourn the loss of their lives, but he felt a sudden profound loneliness. He may not have fitted in the pack, but they were his own kind and now, as far as he knew, he was the only one.
Present.
Kevin’s lifestyle had altered now to accommodate the regular alterations. By keeping a diary and being careful, Kevin managed to drive his motorcycle to places widespread in order to make his kills. Although he didn’t particularly enjoy the hunt, he soon found that eating raw meat was no substitute for a freshly killed carcass. It was something to do with a need for hot blood he reasoned. By spreading his hunting grounds, he was able to restrict himself to sheep or the occasional pig. Never returning to the same place and always hiding the remains, kept the danger of discovery to a minimum.
Kevin drove to Tenterden with the intention of finding the wild boar that lived in the forest knowing that, even if he missed them, there would be plenty of Red Deer as a stand by. Stalking deer did at least provoke some excitement. The shy creatures needed to be carefully tracked or even ambushed. They had the advantage of large ears and fleet escape, making them something of a challenge. His luck was good, and shortly after dark, he located a group of the wild boar in a culvert. Their eyesight was not particularly good, so he was able to be almost among them before the alarm was raised.
He singled out a sow and separated the group by diving through the middle and then angling away and up, splitting her from the rest. In desperation, she tried to run, squealing her fright as he closed. His killing bite took her by the scruff of her neck, but as she died, an older tusker came flying at Kevin, catching him a glancing blow with one of his razor sharp teeth that curled wickedly from the side of his snout. The searing pain in his side told Kevin that he was in trouble, but he defended his kill and drove the Boar away. He returned to the sow and ate his fill before limping back to where his bike had been parked. The damage was pretty serious. A large gash had been opened up on his flank and blood flowed freely from the wound. The girl seemed to materialise out of thin air. Passing between two trees, she took a step or two towards him. He growled a warning for her to leave him alone. Shhh. She hushed his growls and held her hands palm out, signalling her lack of intention. Still he growled, but with less conviction. She stepped closer, closing the distance to a few feet. Kevin could do very little about the girl. The pain from the wound was burning into him and he was feeling quite weak from the loss of blood. Then she was crouching beside him. With a few strokes on his head, Kevin succumbed to her touch and his resistance disappeared. Quite a nasty wound you have there. She needlessly informed him. His blood was matting his coat, making the black fur even darker as it coagulated. He whimpered and fainted.
The eastern sky was already showing first light when Kevin woke. Groggily, he looked around and found that he was lying on a wooden cot in a shack or shed. There was very little furniture, just a table and a chair. In the corner of the room stood a packing case up turned with a two-ring gas cooker. He noticed the lightened sky through the grimy window and immediately tried to rise. The pain in his side stopped him in the effort; he flopped back down and whined a little, feeling very weak and dizzy. She stirred and got up from some sacking she had been laying on to check on him. Expert hands checked the wound on his flank, testing the skin to see if it was scabbing over. His fur got in the way a little, but by being careful, she managed to see enough with out opening the wound again.
