Chapter One

“Awwwww, come on Cap!” Ricky whined, perched atop a large grey stone. We were resting in the woods, so very close to the city. I could smell the food from here. It made my mouth water. I hope no one noticed my stomach grumbling. Cap only grunted in annoyance, trying to ignore Ricky. Ricky, however, could be persistent. “But, smell that fooooood!” he whined again, crouching atop the stone. I smiled, despite myself, and quickly lifted my hand to my mouth to cover it up; the side of my index finger pressed to my lips, the knuckle smushing my nose. “I said no, Ricky” Cap finally answered, “Let it be.” Ricky blinked, looking like an upset puppy, “But why? It would only be for a bit, just to get food quickly, then we’d come right back” he said. I blinked in surprise, getting pulled into the conversation once more. “We?” I blurt out, Ricky hadn’t even asked me if I wanted to go, he’d just started complaining about how the smell of greasy human food was making his stomach eat itself. Okay, perhaps he hadn’t used the word ‘greasy’…

Cap rolled his eyes, and Changjo sighed. “You don’t need all that grease in you anyways, what if our safety is threatened? I am not going to carry you when you get too fat to run” he said, though his heart didn’t seem to be in it, I suspected that he was only arguing because his decision had been questioned. “One simple hamburger isn’t going to give me a heart attack, Cap. You’ve been reading too much” Ricky said as he slunk down until he was curled up on the rock, looking much like a wolf relaxing, a human would have found the position very uncomfortable. “Not everything gives you high cholesterol and heart attacks, the humans dramatize everything” Ricky continued, trying to find a chink is Cap’s armor. “I don’t want you calling attention to us” Cap said. Now it was Ricky’s turn to roll his eyes “Come on, you don’t think I’d stupid enough to just swipe one off a counter or something, right? I still have money” he said. I blinked, it was rare, but when we arrived at a relatively small and calm town, we got to stay for a while, really stay, as in get jobs, rent a room… I’d already wasted all my money on my new jacket. I didn’t know Ricky had saved his, I thought he blew it away… the only one I thought saved his money was Cap, he was always preparing for the worst.

            “Fine, you know what, fine! Go get your sleazy burger, waste all your money, don’t come crying to me when you see a pair of shoes you would have loved then realize you wasted all your money on food” Cap finally snapped, after a few more minutes of Ricky’s irritating 'pleeeases'. Even I had to admit that I was ready to smack him upside the head. I glanced at Cap, I understood why he didn’t want Ricky to waste his money on food, we could easily hunt for it. I knew Cap preferred hunting, our ‘real’ diet, as he called it, rather than eating the processed junk of humans. Cap didn’t consider us in the human species, at all. He didn’t consider us to be human half the time, and wolf another, he considered us a different species entirely, werewolves, neither human nor wolf, we just took the appearance of both. He found it repugnant to eat human food, though he didn’t complain about our choice in clothing, which I guess was something.

            Ricky beamed at me, hopped off the rock and grabbed my arm “Come on” he said, pulling me up, “Before he changes his mind” he hissed, though I doubt Cap’s acute sense of hearing missed a single word. He pulled me in the direction of the town, and we were both soon running, racing through the trees, swerving and veering just in time to avoid smacking into the trunks, leaping over stones and upraised roots. He laughed as his powerful strides helped him gain ground. I smiled to myself, Ricky was so cocky, he often forgot that while I might be the least strong of the entire pack, I was still the fastest.  I pushed myself faster, my lean body having no trouble maneuvering around the trees that began to blur around me.

The ground dipped suddenly, it would have tripped a lesser being, and at the speed I was going, it would have broken my ankle, if not my leg as well, but I was a werewolf, all my senses were heightened. I glanced around before leaping up, grabbing onto a nearby branch, and swinging over the small trench. I landed safely and gracefully on my toes and fingers, my body in a very inhuman crouch. I glanced up, flashing a smile at no one, and pushed off the ground, I was quickly at a full out run once more, Ricky far behind and forgotten.

All I registered was the feel of the wind tugging at my hair, caressing my face, my legs and arms pumping, keeping me going, my muscles tensing with each bound. I felt free, I was happy, carefree. There was nothing better than this. Running was life’s ultimate gift; the only step up would be flight. I closed my eyes briefly, my skin soaking up the warm sunshine that filtered through the tree tops. I was fast, I was sleek, lean, I was power. I felt, though I would never admit it to my pack, very much feline right then. Like a cheetah, slight, lean, long limbed, but housing much muscle underneath, with enough power to take down an animal much taller than itself. Dangerous. Deadly.

I opened my eyes and took a final leap over a bush before skidding to a stop, I was breathing hard, my lungs working to supply my body with all the oxygen it asked for, but I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t panting, or struggling for breath. I was still very much happy. My head snapped up as I heard something crashing through the vegetation, I crouched down, my body suddenly tense and alert, as if ready for a fight, though I knew that if it came to a fight my instincts would chose flight over fight every time. My body knew its strengths.. fighting and brute strength, were not among them. I breathe a sigh of relief when my nose told me it was just Ricky. I chuckled quietly; I knew for certain that I wasn’t as loud as my friend. I was much more silent. Deadly, the word slipped into my mind, though it was brushed away before I could ponder over it, as Ricky came into view, a few leaves in his hair. “It’s called ‘ducking’” I said, trying to hide my smile. “Oh, be quiet!” he replied, though he was trying to hide his own smile. “Come on, I’m starving.”

I would never admit it, but I like going into town, or the city, or whatever piece of civilization we happen to be closest to. I don’t agree with Cap, or at least, I don’t agree fully with Cap, he thinks we should live our entire lives in the woods, like the werewolves we are. He believes we are closer to wolves than humans, and we should stop pretending. I can’t agree with him on that, I just can’t.

Ricky goes off to see what his nose picks for lunch. I trail after him slowly, glancing around, trying to take everything in. I glance at a newspaper, it is yesterday’s and free, it in a bin that reads ‘Take One’ on the top. I shrug and grab one, I will read it later.

I apparently move a lot slower than I thought, as Ricky soon hops over, a burger in one hand. “What’s that?” he asks, mouth full, pointing at my newspaper. “A newspaper” I reply, shrugging. He furrows his brow, “What do you need that for?” he asked, wiping at his mouth with that back of his hand, then glancing around for a place to wipe his hand. “To read…” I say, feeling a bit unsure of myself. “Why would you want to do that?” Ricky asked, a smile on his lips, his head tilted slightly. I shrug again. “I just… I like to know what’s going on in the world” I say finally. Ricky shrugged, pouting unconsciously; I know very well he could care less about sports, politics, and anything else that can be found in a newspaper, but not me. I want to know.  I may be a werewolf, but I spend much of my life walking upright, talking, with hair only on my head and clothes on my back. Except for the increased abilities, I feel essentially human, or at least, what I think humans feel like, and humans care about what happens in the world, humans can read.

Ricky his lips, I notice for the first time his burger is gone. “Okay” he says, “Let’s go back.” So soon? I panic, I wanted to see more, to walk around, perhaps I’d be able to find a free magazine… I glanced at Ricky, finding him to be starting back toward the woods. I know human things do not interest him, unless it’s their food, or he needs new clothes. I sigh, “Okay, let’s go” I said. He smiles at me, his entire facing lighting up, and then begins to walk away, controlling his speed. I follow at a much slower pace, head down. Who knew when we’d need to go back into a town? Ricky’s appetite for fast food had probably been sedated for a while.

Ricky slows, sniffing at the aroma of cooked meat coming from the door of a nearby restaurant, the smell drifts toward our noses from the door, being held open by a gentlemen to allow a young woman though. I nearly bump into Ricky, before I stop, realizing he isn’t going anywhere for a while, entranced as he is by the scents. I must admit, the smell is enticing, nearly overpowering all other scents in the area. I turn my head, it feels crippling to be without my sense of smell, like being blind. I hope turning my head will help clear it from by nose. That’s when I pick up another scent, something I don’t recognize. I stiffen, my instincts taking over. I sniff, very much like a dog, trying to detect the smell. It’s not something I’ve ever smelled before…

Whether I’ve smelled it before or not, which I hadn’t, my nose quickly finds the item of my discomfort. I find myself gazing at a young man, with bright orangy-golden hair, he was a bit short than Ricky and was wearing a black T-shirt with a grey jacket, dark grey jeans, sun-glasses, and black shoes. My nose twitched, my senses on high alert. ‘He’s not human’ I realized. I followed the young man’s movements, turning my body till I was mostly back-to-back with Ricky. The man walked around calmly, glancing about, stopping here and there to look over some irrelevant human stand, before he continued walking.  He finally stopped, really stopped, as in, for more than 2 seconds, by a middle aged man’s fruit stand. He leaned over, trying to look over two women's shoulders.

I tilted my head to the side, looking and feeling thoroughly confused. ‘Something’s not right….’ I thought uneasily. I stiffed as it all became very clear, the fine hairs at the back of my neck stood on end. Ricky sensed my changed in mood, for he turned around, looking at me with concern, and asked “What’s wrong?” his voice laced with worry. I bristled, and instinctively moved to protect my pack; I threw my arm back, shoving Ricky behind me. I could only hear three heart beats coming from the fruits stand. The young man had no heart beat…. He was a vampire…

AN: Okay, first of all. I'm so sorry this took so long.. I'm so busy with school... I hardly have time to sleep, but I love to write.. so I will be making an effort.. Secondly, I'm sorry this is so long.. I probably could have cut it  somewhere, but I liked it as one single chapter.. Sorry..