The Russet Wolf: Swans are weird. (Be ready to cringe.)

I also want you to know before you start reading that every chapter after this one should consecutively get better, I had to mostly lay the ground work in this chapter.

"Welcome to Camp Campbell!" Was what the sign is supposed to say, if the "bell" part wasn't worn off. When you think about it," Camp Camp" did make more sense. Today was a fine day, the wind rustled and the sunlight shone brightly… yeah blah blah before we get started here I want you (yes, you) to know that this story will contain no smut or depressing notions, so if that's what you're looking for this story isn't for you. In fact, this story will probably be less inappropriate then the actual show itself.

Ok, so here we go.

Ah, the day had been a good one. The stars now winked charmingly in the black sky. The kids were finally asleep, and David only had attained one stab wound today.

A shining smile spread across his face as he placed his hands against his hips. He sighed, sorry to say goodbye to such a gorgeous night.

The familiar cabin door creaked and slammed behind him. Gwin slept soundly at the far corner of the room, opposite to his bed. David always thought it was odd that both female and male councilors had to share the same cabin, but they made do with a large makeshift curtain.

He walked to his corner of the room un-doing his bandana, watch, and boots. Too tired to do anything else he plopped into his bed with the rest of his day clothes on and fell into a nice, fitful sleep.

For about exactly 23.59 minutes.

Owie, this hurt. Was the first thing that popped into David's conscious. Pitch black darkness and the sound of crickets told him it was still late at night. He instinctively put his head to his forehead which now throbbed.

He'd woken up from a headache. That was a little odd, David rarely remembered getting headaches, especially ones like this.

A sharp wave of pain rushed through David's head making him gasp softly. Ok, this really hurt.

Gwin rustled in her sleep, catching his attention. She needed her rest.

She always took care of his wounds, there was no way in heck he was waking her for a simple headache.

Still clutching his forehead, he climbed out of bed, clumsily put back on his boots, and crept out the door, shutting it behind him as quietly as possible.

David couldn't help but admire the still-beautiful night sky. A white crescent moon now visibly accompanied the bright stars, further illuminating the darkness. At least-

another wave of pain brought him back to reality. A gust of wind chilled his overheated skin, causing him to feel the dampness from what must have been his sweat. David fought the urge to wakeup Gwen and pulled a standard yellow and black flashlight from his pocket, clicking it on. A small circle of light appeared through the darkness, revealing a narrow dirt trail up ahead.

It was the (insert random name here) trail. The path was a short circle through the woods and had a worn but reliable wooden bench near its start that could be used to rest on. The (insert random name here) trail, like all of Camp Campbell's trails was full of majestic wonders such great oaks, red squirrels, cardinals, and one of David's very favorites… the magnificent Monarch butterfly. David remembered seeing it for the first time on that trail, it was actually quite a great story, the kids loved to hear about it and-

yet another burst of pain seemed to implode in his skull. This time he fought the urge to release a super humiliating scream.

"Ok, focus." Came a low, pained voice. "No getting distracted, no matter how tempting it is…"

Just get to the bench. The pain seemed to become less and less bearable the longer he dawdled.

With much more effort than should have been needed, his legs shakily made their way toward the trail. A vague voice in the back of David's head questioned whether it was still a good idea not to wake Gwin at this point, but was ultimately dismissed by another boat of pain.

It would all be better once he reached the bench.

David found that if he focused on concentrating his breathing or counting his steps the pain became a little less prominent.

Another vague voice came into his head this time saying he should really being starting to panic.

For some reason, he couldn't. There was only the sound of slow rhythmic crunching from his boots and shallow breathing. Thinking about anything else would take too much energy.

David approached the darkened entrance of the trail, formed by a long canopy of trees and somewhat overgrown pathway. Within it there was a shadowy rectangular shape in the distance, he was close to relief.

David's head felt like it was being bashed with a hammer over and over, even the pain from getting hit by Mr. Campbell's car was nothing compared to this.

He urged his already exhausted legs to move faster, draining what little energy he had left.

He was at the bench.

David's legs practically gave out, forcing him to catch himself from faceplanting by gripping the black arm rests of the seat. His arms shook with the effort of supporting his weight as he slowly lowered his body down to sit.

Some energy returned to his body as it no longer need to support him, and for the first time David noticed there was something terribly wrong going on. The formerly lively sounds of the forest night had all but disappeared, leaving only unnatural silence.

When had it become so quiet? The awful feeling in his head which had only been numbed a little, came back in triple its previous force.

David did not hold back his scream,

but for some reason there was no sound.

Too distracted to think, David dropped his flashlight which rolled into a dense patch of grass. Its absence made no difference as his vision had already begun to fail and slowly fade into blackness.

He could focus on nothing but the agony in his head.

Moments passed as he lay there helpless on the bench. He tried to move, scream, anything to distract him from the pain in his head that right now seemed to be the sole focus of his existence.

If David hadn't been in so much pain at the moment, he probably would have wondered how it came to this so quickly. Right now, it seemed to him that there had never been a time without this pain.

Just make it stop! He begged uselessly.

It felt as if someone had jabbed a red-hot poker in his eye socket and was holding it there, slowly digging it deeper and deeper inside his skull. The urge to get up and run, run away from the pain tortured him as he tried unsuccessfully to move.

Time moved in slow motion, savoring each second of the pain that coursed through David. He had just begun to think, "well this couldn't possibly be any worse" when by some miracle it did get worse.

A voice rang in his head. Make the pain go away, it whispered. The request had been his own thought, but something in it scared him for some reason. His body had begun to tremble from over exertion. He tried to push his thoughts on something pleasant.

The hot iron penetrated further and drew close to his brain, so sharp and excruciating that there was nothing he could do but scream internally about it. Slow drilling dug deeper and deeper inside him, making his ears pop from the pressure.

It came back. Do what you must.

The request awoke a sudden overwhelming feeling of temptation. Kill, was what his mind demanded.

Under David's closed eyelids, his eyes had begun to glow a bright green along his pupils. The feeling started to return to his limbs, and he started to change.

NO! Another, stronger voice, rebelled in his head. David froze.

The rod reached its destination, delivering with it the feeling of being burned alive along with the awful pounding he already felt. There was no fight. This was as much as his body could possibly take.

Something snapped inside David.

There was only one thing that mattered.

A new thought emerged into his head.

He would kill anything if it meant the pain would go away.

His consciousness slipped into darkness.

The pain momentarily went away.

He awoke in the forest, but in area he had never been before. It was still dark but brilliant fireflies floated around, dappling the forest floor in golden light. The sounds of life had returned, creating their usual beautiful symphony once more.

This was not ok. What had he done? David stood up and frowned, energy fully restored.

Had he really just wanted to kill? There was no way.

Suddenly he remembered the pain, automatically putting his hand to the part where it had hurt. An unsettling feeling washed over him, what if it happened again? David couldn't help but to shiver. He shoved away the sensation and focused his thoughts back on to his surroundings.

It was wide and open formed by a wall of surrounding trees. The expanse was sprinkled with colorful wild flowers that David didn't recognize, vibrant colors like neon orange, royal blue, and emerald green kept catching his eye. In any other circumstances David would have been overjoyed.

In the middle of it all was a glorious towering marble fountain. Lilies grew along it, thriving on the plentiful pulsing water. It had three layers of bowls where the water collected and tripped downward, smallest to largest from the top. Somehow David knew that this couldn't be the doing of Mr. Campbell.

You see, the actual fountain itself wasn't even the most amazing part. It was what lay on top of it.

At a glance, one may think that it was real. On top of the fountain there laid a ginormous statue of a swan, its wings spread open in a protective position. It had piercing black eyes ringed with gold and a fierce expression.

David stared, half expecting it to move. Each and every pristine white feather was detailed to the finest point. He never considered the swan to be particularly fierce creature but this one took the cake. If David hadn't known any better he would have thought the swan was, um, looking back at him.

It just wasn't normal. David peered closer at it, was that a mocking look in its eyes? No way… maybe? David did believe in much stupider things. He worked up a shy smile and waved at it.

"Hello Mrs. Swan, my name's David." His voice echoed weakly as nothing happened. David couldn't help the feeling of despair that welled inside him. He looked down gloomily.

"Where am I?" he asked nothing.

Nothing answered.

"What's happening to me?"

Tears welled up in his eyes as David remembered the things he had formerly thought, had he really given up just like that? He looked back up and wiped them off with his sleeve, and smiled. He'd find a way through this.

Wait a second. The fountain, no longer had a swan.

That's when he noticed the sound of fluttering now coming behind him.

A deep resonating voice rang loudly through the air.

"I. AM. NOT. A. GIRL!"

David whirled around to see an offended looking giant marble swan looking down at him. He let out an embarrassingly high squeak in surprise.

"Oh!" David's face reddened as he stumbled backwards. "I ah, um, … I'm so sorry, uh… Mr. Swan!" The swan, unsurprisingly, looked unimpressed. There was an awkward pause as he stared at David, sizing him up.

David focused on not flinching away from his gaze and stood up as straight as possible, arms flat against his sides. Its long winding neck arched downward, moving his magnificent head only inches away from David's. "You don't look like much of a-

"Much like a what?" David interrupted without thinking, immediately regretting it as the swan reared back angrily. He put his arms in front of his face protectively, "I'm sorry, I-I WON'T do it again!"

Peeking through the gaps of his fingers, David saw the swan's expression switch from one of anger to mild annoyance. "STOP COWERING LIKE A SMALL CHILD!" His voice boomed through the forest, silencing it.

David, not wanting to die via swan mauling, did as he was told and lowered his arms back to his sides. The swan stood a few feet away, wings folded tightly against his sides, still looking rather on edge. David didn't really know how he was able to see the swan's emotions so clearly, but he could.

"You are the one who said you'd do anything to get rid of the pain, correct?" The swan's voice sounded nothing but formal.

David cringed hazily remembering his previous pain-filled thoughts. "I never actually said that…" he mumbled.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU NEVER ACTUALLY SAID THAT!?" The swan pondered for a moment, rubbing his chin with his right wing in confusion. "Tell me I didn't summon the wrong one…"

David braced himself. "I-I thought that, but I never actually said it."

The swan looked up at David pointing an accusing giant white feather at him, "But did you mean it when you thought it?"

David paused for a moment and responded carefully. "Maybe I did at the time but not anymore."

The swan cocked his head to the side and squinted suspiciously. David could feel the power emitting from the stone bird. He knew without a doubt that it would easily kill him if it wished to.

Yet, for some reason another emotion flared inside him. What exactly was this swan getting at? He stepped towards the bird and looked him in the eye. "You've got it terribly wrong if you think I'd ever kill someone, Mr. Swan." The angry tone in his own voice surprised him.

The statue's eyes widened in shock.

David's brain caught up with his emotions. Why in the world did I just say that? Their gazes were now locked. The giant gold and black orbs didn't waver in the slightest as David looked away.

"I never asked you that, did I?" The swan's tone set a chill through David's spine. He didn't know what to think.

"No, but-"

"BUT, WHAT?" The swan's eyes narrowed.

David took in a deep breath and replied. "I just wanted to make that perfectly clear to you." David's voice had radiated with defiance. He looked up at the who's eyes were still narrowed. I'm going to die.

It paused before darkly chuckling. "That's interesting…" He stretched out the sentence in mock contemplation.

The words picked away at David, making his heart rate peak. "W-what do you mean?"

The swan ignored him. "You don't have a clue, do you?"

David swallowed and shook his head. Two flaps of the swan's mighty wings sent gusts of air that ruffled his clothes and stung his eyes.

"I know something very important that you don't." He whispered scornfully. David didn't react.

The swan gave him an incredulous look. "Do you even know why I'm here?"

David felt like a child being scolded by a parent for coming home past curfew. A strange feeling of guilt bubbled inside him, quickly making its way to his heart. "You're wrong." Was the immediate reply. He would never, would he? Something blurred his vison and ran down his cheek.

"YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE!" The screech made David's ears ring in discomfort.

No, no, No, NO! "Stop it!" He screamed so loud it stung his throat.

Sounds of clashing marble filled David's ears as the swan picked at one of his primary feathers with the tip of his beak. "I'm sorry for snapping." Came a quick apology.

He looked up from his wing and observed David who wore a conflicted looking expression "David, my job is to figure out if your kind has a chance of becoming good."

From down below David could see a glimmer of pity in the swan's eyes, it sent a surge of emotion through him. "What do you mean? He murmured, staring into nothing. The swan didn't hesitate with his response. "Monsters, I see if super natural creatures like you have a shot at becoming good."

Something inside started to click, like a gear that had been jammed coming loose. "Monsters?" His voice was barely a whisper. "Aren't swans supposed to represent love?"

The bird chuckled sadly. "The story of the ugly duckling, have you heard of it?" David nodded. "Well you may remember that, in the story, a mother duck's eggs hatch. All of them are strong and healthy, except for one who looks different from the rest, and in turn is constantly bullied…" The swan paused, reminiscing. "He is ugly and clumsy, and grows up ashamed of what he is."

"So, one day he decides to run away never wanting look at his reflection again, but little did anybody know that he was actually becoming a grand and beautiful swan." Another pause. "It was many years before he finally looked at himself again to see what he'd turned into."

David listened carefully. "That's why he chose me for this job, because I know what it's like."

"I'm not a monster." From the lush, flowered filled grass David shook his head in disbelief. "E-even if what you're saying is true, why do you keep giving me such pathetic looks?"

A sigh that could only mean bad news vibrated through the air. "You're a werewolf. I've encountered almost every one of them in existence."

David's pupils doubled in size. "But- "

"I have never once found one to be good." "I'm sorry…"

That couldn't be, that's impossible. David knew next to nothing about supernatural creatures.

There had never been a good werewolf? He bit his lip, all the cogs and gears that had been stuck in David broke free at once. Yes, some part him had known all along. David was indeed destined to kill. He had already made his decision when he hadn't been able to take the pain. If it ever truly came down to it, David would kill to save himself. "NO, YOU MUST CALM DOWN!" The swan's warning fell on deaf ears. There is no point in trying anymore. David's thoughts spiraled deeper and deeper, getting more and more morbid. You've already failed. For the first time, he felt his eyes glow.

It was happening again, the swan released a cry of despair. He had hoped with all his heart that this one would have been able to fight it, but as always none of them ever did. His job was not to kill creatures that were deemed to be bad, but to simply let them free. The pain had been a test, it was merely a fraction of the actual temptation werewolves felt on a full moon. David was a good person, down to the deepest part of his heart, if he couldn't fight it no one could.

He barely noticed as his vision, smell, and hearing sharpened to one hundred times their normal power. He had no choice but to believe every thought that popped into his head. Kill. Kill. Kill. KILL. David could practically taste the blood.

NO, STOP! A rebel thought entered his head, not for the first time. This confused David, which he didn't like. His eyes flickered.

No, Kill! David couldn't remember which order he should follow. A desolate feeling entered him, making his eyes shine. Ignore the voice, it will lead you astray. Oh yes, he was supposed to follow the order to kill.

YOU. MUST. STOP. The annoying voice wouldn't stop pestering him. Wait just one second. I can fight it. The thought somehow never occurred to him before.

Behind the scenes a swan that had been about to send David away did a doubletake.

The two sides in David's head kept battling each other. One moment he was a killer, the next that was wrong. He felt like balloon about to burst from too much pressure. Something quickly flashed in the back of his mind, distracting him. A… picture? It flashed again. Ugh. It looked like some kid? Abruptly he needed to know who it was.

YOU MUST KILL THEM ALL! David ignored himself.

Who was in that picture? He had a darker complexion and a small stature…

Max. It was Max!

In that moment, his eyes faded and vision returned to normal. Standing before him was a dumbfounded swan, its beak hanging wide open. This time it was his turn to be nervous. "H-how'd you do that?' He stammered.

David only just started to form the first word of "I don't know." when he was suddenly overtaken by exhaustion. The last thing he remembered seeing was the start of a sunrise through the leaves of trees.

"What the fuck are you doing out here?" Came a voice that David immediately recognized as Gwin's. A boot came into contact with his head, jolting him awake.

End of chapter 1

(Sorry if David got out of character, I was in a rush to finish this... and it's currently 1:14 am and I have school tomorrow.) I am fully aware that the ending was bad as well, I just don't have the strength right now to edit it, depending on how this story does I may fix it later. Thanks SO much for taking the time to even read this, even if you hated it XD.