Savannah's POV
I could hear it. The growls, they were getting closer and closer by the second. Oh god, what was I thinking?! I put my whole family and my best friend at risk for something so stupid.
"Marissa!" I pleaded, the tears blurring my vision, "Please wake up, we have to get out of here."
The girl on the ground in front of me didn't move. However, she was still breathing and that gave me a glimmer of hope. Yet… there was so much blood pouring from the wound in her stomach. I pressed my hands against it, hoping to slow the blood flow enough so Marissa would make it until the ambulance arrived.
A low growl sounded from my left, dangerously close. On instinct, I changed into my wolf form and took a fighting stance. I had never fought before. Ancient, my group's old leader had told me that I was a rare type of wolf: very gentle and not used to being aggressive. But right now, the life of my best friend was at stake, and I just had to fight for her. I waited nervously for the wolf that I knew was tracking me.
Finally, a dark shape emerged from the foliage. The animal was a dirty blonde color and smaller than I had expected, but built with enough muscle to be able to put up a good fight. It sent a shocking glare at me then switched its gaze to Marissa. I could swear on my life that it smirked as if it was saying, "Hey, I'm glad she's hurt."
The look pushed me over the edge and I leaped to attack it. I aimed my fangs for its neck, just as Ancient's training had taught me, and the blonde wolf yelped as my teeth hit their mark. Being this close to the wolf, I could smell that it was a male and it sickened me but I ignored it; I had to protect Marissa. The male wolf tried to claw his way out of my grasp but my paws had too tight a grip around his neck and my fangs were sunk too deep; the threat on the life of my best friend made me stronger than him. I managed to pin him to the ground and I hesitantly bit down harder. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth and I resisted the urge to let go and spit it out. Finally, the wolf started to whine and I felt his body shift under me.
The transformation was happening. I knew that he was loup-garou, a werewolf, like me but the feeling of fur turning into human skin made me jump away from him in fear, even though I wasn't scared that he'd attack me now. A werewolf changed, willingly or not, when their bodies couldn't take the injuries they were receiving. The naked human that took the wolf's place looked to be in his early twenties. He had blonde hair that seemed shorter on the sides than it did on the top and a variety of many different tattoos covering his body. The man raised his head, a hateful glare on his pierced face. He looked familiar to me, but I didn't dwell on it. I just took another protective stance over Marissa's body.
"You little bitch." The man snarled at me. He looked at Marissa and sneered, "I hope she dies."
At that, he ran back into the bushes. I listened to his receding footsteps, waiting until I knew he was totally gone before I lay down, still in wolf form, next to Marissa, who was thankfully still breathing.
The poor girl wouldn't have had a chance without me.
