My full name is Rachael Kaily, but everybody in my pack just calls me Riley. I've been a werewolf for a long time now, and it hasn't caused me any problems. I go to high school just like any other normal 17 year old, I have human friends, and I do my homework like I'm supposed to. The only out-of-the-ordinary thing about me is the fact that I turn into a huge carnivorous wolf every night.
I was 16 when everything changed. It was Saturday, and I was hanging out at the beach with my friends. Everyone was swimming in the lake, but I didn't feel like getting wet. I didn't want to sit alone like a loser and watch everyone else have fun without me, so I ventured off into the woods. I walked around for a while, examining the odd plants and stopping every so often to relax. Pretty soon I realized how dark it was getting, and I turned around to go back. I headed in the direction I thought I had come, but just ended up in the exact same spot I was before.
I was lost.
I started to panic because my friends were going to be leaving soon, and I didn't want to worry anyone when they saw I wasn't there. The last thing I wanted was for someone to call my foster parents and tell them I had gone missing. They'd probably get fed up with my antics and send me back to the agency. I didn't mind being alone in the woods though; I always found nature to be very calming. I sat down on a large rock and tried to figure out what I was going to do, but as soon as I got comfortable I heard a sickening noise in the distance. It sounded like an animal was being eaten. Then I heard a little girl scream. My eyes widened and I stood up. A little girl was in danger and I was going to help.
I started running towards the noise. The girl continued to scream so it wasn't hard to find her. I ended up in a clearing. It was surrounded by trees and bushes. I knew that if I stepped out too far, I would forget which way I'd come. When I looked to the middle of the clearing, what I saw rooted me to the spot. A beast...a huge wolf...I didn't know what it was...was gnawing on a bloody mass. I assumed it was the mass of a person. When the little girl cried "MOMMY, NO!" my suspicions were confirmed. The little girl ran from her cover in a bush and ran wildly towards the mangled body.
I had no idea what to do. If the girl got any closer to the center, that beast was going to kill her. If I tried to save her, I'd be putting my life at risk as well. I was torn. I couldn't stand there and watch a child be brutally murdered, and I couldn't bring myself to leave the clearing and let her fend for herself. But I also couldn't help her. I was too scared, and my feet were rooted to the ground.
"MOMMY!" The little girl hollered. She had reached the center. At the sight of her mother up close, she fell to her knees. She was sobbing uncontrollably, and the beast was leaning over her...getting ready to strike.
It was at that moment when I knew I could not let that little girl die because of my cowardice. She had already been through enough pain, and I knew what it felt like to watch your parents die. I held back my tears as a terrible memory flickered across my mind, and I ran with all my might to the girl.
"You have to get away from here!" I yelled, pulling her away from the beasts' eager lunge.
"But my mommy!" She screamed as I picked her up roughly and ran back to the woods.
The beast growled threateningly and started chasing after me. I was nearly into the woods when I felt a harsh yank on my leg. I fell to the ground with a thud, dropping the little girl in the process.
"You have to go! Run away!" I bellowed, struggling to break free from the beasts' strong grip.
The little girl wailed and shook her head. She was obviously terrified, but I had to convince her that it was okay to run away.
"Your mommy would want you to be safe!" I yelled. The beast was dragging me back to the center; its claws were tearing into my skin. I cried out in pain.
She reacted to that, and turned to look at her mother's lifeless body.
"GO!" I hollered. "GO RUN TO WHERE IT'S SAFE! DON'T COME BACK!"
The little girl nodded and got up from the ground. With one last look at her mother, she turned and disappeared into the trees. I was happy that I was able to save her life, but I still had to save my own.
I jerked my leg away from the beast, and cried out in agony. When I jerked my leg away, a chunk of my skin was left behind. The beast swallowed it hungrily, and continued to attack me. It got a hold of my other leg and sunk its teeth in really deep. I hollered, clawing at the earth in a lame attempt to escape. The beast was holding onto me so tightly, I knew I wasn't going to be able to get away.
Just when I was about to lose all hope, another beast jumped out of the woods and came running toward us at warp speed. This one was a bit smaller, and it looked a lot less evil. The new beast pounced the evil one, distracting it from eating me. As soon as I was free, I began to crawl as fast as I could towards the woods. I didn't even want to look back.
I made it to the woods, and collapsed onto the ground. I was exhausted and in so much pain, but I knew I had to find my way out of there. It took a long time for me to stand; my legs were in pretty bad shape. I had to hold onto the trees to keep myself upright. Eventually, I was able to walk. But every step was hell. I had to stop a lot to regain the little strength I had left. Everytime I stopped I would listen for the little girl, but she wasn't close enough for me to hear, so I gave up on her. I just had to assume she had made it out of the woods safe and sound.
Two hours later, I was finally out of the woods. Both my legs were killing me, and I had to resist the need to hurl. I looked up at the sky; it was pitch black and littered with stars.
"RILEY!?" Someone called. It sounded like Johnny, my best friend. I was so relieved to hear his voice. They must've been searching for me.
"I'M OVER HERE!" I called back. I heard several feet running in my direction.
Soon my friends were all over me, hugging me, slapping me on the back; patting my hair...I was so glad to see them.
"Where have you been? What happened? Are you OK?" I knew the questions would come sooner or later, but I was way too tired to answer any of them.
"RILEY, YOU'RE BLEEDING!" Johnny yelled, pointing at my legs. He was always the most concerned with my health.
I don't know what happened after that because I blacked out. I woke up in a hospital bed, feeling worse than I did when I was last awake. My senses seemed much clearer; I could hear people talking in the next room. I looked down at my arms and literally saw every single hair. It was as if I had superpowers, like I was in a really weird dream. I was way too frazzled to even begin to try and understand all of that, so I leaned back against the pillows, sighing heavily.
"What's happening to me?"
That night changed my entire life, and I had no idea it was only going to get worse.