An English Werewolf in New England

Prologue

Dawn of a New Day

"BANG!" A loud gunshot echoed through the woods. I recoiled at the sound due to my very sensitive ears. The hunters had injured me badly, I thanked god that the bullets were not silver. I whimpered more as the wound on my back leg got even bigger. I was starting to regret leaving the old shed.

My name is Hershel Layton. Former professor of archaeology, but now cursed with lycanthropy. In other words, I am a werewolf. I ran away to Maine, USA because I was being hunted down back in England. But to my misfortune, a few members of the Lycanthrope Extermination Team of London (LETL for short) had followed me.

I started to drag myself away as blood dripped from my thigh and onto the wet ground. My vision was starting to get all blurred and grey and I felt such a horrible pain in my entire body. Overhead, I could see the rising sun and a farmhouse, even though the rain made it look a bit distorted. I tried calling for help but only a weak and hoarse yelp came out of my lips. My poor paws felt like they were burning and I wasn't sure if I was going to make it out alive. The hunters had injured me badly and the hospital was very far away. I let out another yelp as I reached a mossy, damp fence. Seeing it, I thought I could use the fence to at least stand up a bit, but the moss and the pain did not let me, and I hit myself in the muzzle. So I was forced to drag myself once more, feeling weaker and lightheaded as I did so. Suddenly, everything started to fade away, leaving me immobile. The last thing I remember before falling unconscious was some footsteps and the sunlight pouring onto my body. I believed I was dead…

But I was far from it.

Chapter One

The Boy in the Farmhouse

I awoke in a bed, covered by a blanket. I had become human again and could see much better than last night. Through the window, I could see a bit of rainclouds as well as sunlight, and a huge meadow. I looked around the room I was in, and I could see blue flowered curtains, a painting of a rainbow and my backpack lying against the bed.

Where am I? How did I get here? I wondered, my head still throbbing from last night. My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door and the voice of a young child.

"Professor, are you awake? If so…may I come in?"

I immediately recognized the voice. It was my old student…Luke Triton...I was surprised to hear him. We have not talked for a long time except for countless letters I sent to him. The boy was like a son to me. It was heartbreaking to leave him behind…even though I was sure I could protect him this way from myself…

"Y-yes…you may come in, Luke…" I said, my voice still sounding hoarse. I heard a creak from the door and small footsteps. I turned to the right and saw Luke, who was wearing his striped pajamas. I hugged him and in a way, felt all the pain melt away.

"I missed you so much…" I said. Luke giggled and smiled.

"So did I professor…I thought you were dead a few hours ago." he said. "How in the world did you get here so beaten up?"
I had no idea what to say. I haven't told the boy that I was infected with lycanthropy, and I couldn't just tell him that now. He was only eleven years old and werewolves did not have a great reputation, to be frank. So for now, I had to lie to him.

"I…was chased down by bears…" I said in a sheepish way. At first, he seemed a bit skeptical, but he immediately believed it.

"I'm glad you're at least okay…" Luke said. "My mom was kind enough to let you stay here for a while, as long as you could help out with chores." I nodded and stood up, straining a bit. Luke gently held me by the shoulder. I noticed that I was wearing an orange shirt and…some sort of white undergarment…my wounds were stitched and bandaged.

"Hey mom! The professor's awake!" Luke said as I entered the dining room and sat down. In front of me was a plate with eggs, toast and some sausage. I drooled a bit upon seeing it. However, if I ate the breakfast with my bare hands, I could raise many questions from Luke and his mother and risk exposing myself. Luke's mother brought me some tea, a fork and a knife. I ate my breakfast, feeling much more satisfied. After breakfast, I took a shower and put on some clean clothing, including my top hat. It had been a while since I had worn it, mainly because I feared being recognized. I sat down on the porch, gazing at the fields and the bit of sea that was hidden by the town.

"I like this view a lot." Luke said, sitting down next to me. "It relaxes me when I'm not feeling well."

"You know what? I believe I agree." I replied to Luke, smiling a bit. "The contrast between the sea and the countryside really sooths the soul, and the town does add a nice hint of color."

"So…how long are you going to stay with us, professor?" Luke asked. I stayed silent, for I did not know what to tell him. I did not want to tell him I was a werewolf, nor did I want to break his heart again by abandoning him.

"Well…I don't know exactly…but I know I might be staying here for a while." I said. Luke hugged me tight. I smiled and hugged him back. A tear slipped down my eye.
"Luke…I promise I won't leave you again." I whispered.

"Thanks…" he replied.

Later that evening, Luke's mother was making BLTs. The bacon looked so tasty and I really couldn't help myself, I always got hungry before the transformation. So I grabbed a piece of the uncooked bacon and ate it quickly. After that, I was unable to stop. I ate up all the bacon. Luke's mother stared at me in a confused way. I quickly ran to my room and locked myself inside. I did not notice Luke had followed me, but he did not get in my room. He knocked on the door a few times before calling me.

"Um, Professor? Are you okay?" he asked in a curious manner.

"Just leave me alone for tonight…I'm sorry…" I whimpered as my body started to change. I could hear Luke leaving to his room and closing the door.

That night, I slept horribly. My heart was heavy from what I did to the boy. I prayed and prayed for tomorrow to be a better day…

But that morning, I awoke to the sound of Luke asking me about claw marks on my windowsill.

Chapter 2

To Cry Werewolf

I was afraid when he asked me that. I tried to make it look like I didn't know what he was talking about. Luke simply shrugged and left the room.

"No…I have to tell him. I can't stand it any longer…" I thought. The second day seemed to go by very quickly. I didn't say much about what had happened last night, and neither did Luke. I helped out with the chores. I watered the plants and picked out strawberries, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and apples. I wrote on my journal about the current events that had been happening.

At 6:00 in the evening, Luke and I went for a walk through the forest. I felt a cold autumn breeze blow through my shoulder as the sound of crunching filled the path. I held on to Luke's shoulder like a child walking through a dark alleyway with their mother, something that perplexed him a bit. I was just a bit nervous because we were far from the farm, and I feared we could not arrive before sundown. Luke stopped and let go of me, crossing his arms.

"Professor, you've been acting strange lately…I mean, you locked me out last night, you ate all the bacon without it being cooked, you freaked out when I saw claw marks on the windowsill in your room…are you ok?" he asked in a serious and concerned tone. My heart was pounding and I had no idea what to do next. All this pressure made me feel like a gun with a lethal silver bullet was pointed at my head. But I knew I had to tell him the truth. Hiding it was going to make it worse.

"L-Luke…" I stammered. "I have to tell you something…I've been hiding it for a very long time from you." Luke had an afraid, yet still curious expression. I felt a few beads of cold sweat on my forehead as the sun started to set. Quickly, I held Luke's hand and walked away from the path and deep into the woods. I could see Luke hold on to my coat, and by instinct, I hugged him tight to tell him he was going to be all right. Eventually, we came across a pond inside a clearing that was very far from the farm. I could notice the sun was sinking behind the trees, creating an amazing show of colors. Luke sat down on the dry grass and put down his bag. I took off my hat, coat, shoes, socks and backpack and set them aside Luke's bag. He stared at me with a very nervous expression; I could even hear his heart beating fast-the transformation was starting. A horrible jolt of pain struck my body, making me fall into my hands and knees. I let out a pained scream, turning back I could see Luke's eyes widen in fear.

"YOU'RE BECOMING A WEREWOLF!" Luke yelled. I feared that he would run away and leave me alone in the woods. I felt tears flow from my eyes and heard my bones cracking and reshaping, making my hands and feet become paws. Brown fur started to sprout all over my body. My thighs widened and I grew a long wolf tail that ripped through my pants. But the worst part was yet to come. I gazed at the pond and saw my teeth sharpening and fur growing on my face and neck. My ears were also stretching a little, looking rather pointy.

I'm not ready for this…I never am… I thought to myself. My face began to push out, forming a muzzle. My face felt like it was on fire and my skin felt rough and uncomfortable. More fur covered my forming snout, as my pained groans became growls that did not sound human.

I turned to my right and saw Luke was absolutely horrified. He was just frozen in place, staring at me while shivering. His heart was beating fast and he was hyperventilating. I could see tears forming in his eyes as I finished transforming. When I extended my arm to hug him, he inched away.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" he cried. My heart tore in half upon hearing that. I did not want to scare him. I turned away and looked down at my paws.

"Am…am I really that frightening?" I muttered, breathing heavily. I heard Luke stand up, wiping his tears.

"P-p-professor…" Luke said. "I…I'm sorry for yelling at you…it's just that…I find the idea of my best friend becoming a werewolf…really…really scary."
I came over and pressed my nose against his cheek.

"I am sorry for not telling you…" I told him. "But since I have been so hated by the people of London…I feared you wouldn't care for me anymore. I also feared I would endanger you."

Luke stroked the side of my body. He seemed more relaxed now, and I myself was relaxing too.

"Well…at least my fur keeps you relaxed." I said. "Let's go home."

Luke got his things and got on my back. I grabbed my top the torn up clothes and began making my way back to Luke's home. I tried not to make too much noise and snuck into my bedroom. By that moment, Luke started to fall asleep.

"Goodnight my boy…" I said, curling around him and licking him goodnight.