Chapter Two
I could smell something. It wasn't the normal "Oh, there's a human" smell. Something about it made it very distinct- more prominent. A werewolf?
But it was a strong smell. There was more than one. I rolled over onto my back and groaned; I was still in pain. My mind felt like it was swirling around in circles at a dangerous speed.
As I started to wake up even more, the pain started to worsen. I grasped my head and dug my nails into it. My screaming began again, even as I screamed; the pain inched into my teeth. My whole body felt as if I was having a heart attack.
"Well, you were right, Damien. She is transforming, but it's so late in time…" A voice muttered from my left. I was surprised that I was able to hear it over my screaming.
"She's one of those who's considered a late bloomer." Another voice, more hoarse, said from a distance.
I opened my eyes hesitatingly. I could not figure out how long I had been resting, as now it was dark outside and pouring down rain. My clothes were damaged, covered in blood and torn with claw marks. Had I done this?
"Yeah but…even so, she's still in immense pain… we have to give her the shot." The voice spoke louder. I looked to my left and saw a man sitting down next to me. He was tan and had short black hair. The man looked down at me, concerned, and then gave me a reassuring smile.
Looking towards the entrance of this wooden shelter we were all in, there was another male leaning against the doorway. Unlike the other man, his hair was black. This mans shirt was white, slightly torn, and wet from the rain. He was smoking a cigar, "Are you crazy? We can't just give our shots to any wolf we come across."
"Damien's right, Llyde, that pathetic thing will just have to survive without it." A girl walked into the shelter. Her scent was strange. To be honest, I never really liked the smell of another female werewolf.
As soon as my body relaxed a little, I asked the question I needed to, "Who are you?"
The girl snarled, looking at me with her rage filled eyes. She crouched down at me and grinned, "Like it matters." I watched slowly as she stormed out of the building. Like I said, female werewolves and I don't mix.
"You'll have to forgive our Marcelle, for her temper is a little off sometimes." The guy next to me said smiling. "I'm Llyde. That over there is Damien… we are our own little pack, as you can see."
"Yeah, and we don't welcome outsiders." I heard the female shout from outside.
My body attacked again, the excruciating malaise I felt had worsened from when I had first approached the forest. My body thrashed again against the cold splintering wooden floor. My teeth wanted to clench together, but couldn't because of the feel of my teeth suffering in growth. My howls led an agonizing dryness enter my throat.
"Its just as I thought…" Damien sighed, approaching me lazily, "She's transforming on her monthly set."
"I thought that was rare." Llyde frowned.
"It is rare… it makes everything twice as painful. I almost feel sorry for the poor lass."
I felt a warm hand press against my shoulder, only to smack it away as a reflex of my discomfort. I tried oppressively to keep my eyes open so I could watch them, but my vision kept blurring. The pain was becoming indescribable.
"You know I don't like seeing another of our kind in pain. Its just one shot. She needs it." Llyde spoke vigorously.
A hand rose to Damien's temple, he apparently did not agree on the idea of sharing whatever the shots were. I barely watched as he walked over to a bag that was placed specifically in the corner of the shelter. He pulled out a needle from that bag. A drug?
I didn't like this, and for that I became apprehensive. Unfortunately, Llyde grasped my shoulders and pinned me down. I tried pushing him off, scratching deep into his arms. He was strong. I would have bit him if my teeth weren't numb from pain.
I struggled extensively as Damien got closer to me, kneeling down and grabbing my arm to inject the shot. I wanted him to stop, I tried to shout words from my mouth, but I couldn't hear myself. Nothing would escape from my voice.
He pierced the tip of the needle into my skin, slowly introducing the clear liquid into my system forcibly. I couldn't squirm any more. I couldn't move.
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A few minutes passed. I had finally gained control of my body again; whatever was in that shot, helped numb my pain a bit. I gasped for air, "What was that?"
"It helps with our monthly change. It was developed a few years back." Damien uneasily smiled.
"Yeah and its hard to get, Damien! Why would you give someone our supply?" Marcelle shouted at Damien, raising her fists at him.
He growled at her, glaring at her with a dead dropped look. "Don't get me angry, Marcelle. You'll regret it."
Llyde let go of me to let me sit up, "It works effectively, as you can tell."
I nodded slowly, holding a hand firmly at my forehead, "Yeah…" I scoffed, "Everything's lighter."
A short chuckle left Llyde, "It does that. What's your name?"
"Samantha." I spoke softly, "I came from a family of werewolf's… My condition was different…" It still hurt to talk; I coughed harshly.
"Well, Samantha… You can rest with us tonight." Llyde smiled, "We are just surviving travelers."
"I want her gone in the morning." Marcelle said angrily, "If she's lucky, she'll escape before they have a grasp on her scent."
"Who are they?" I asked.
Damien turned to me, looking down at me hesitatingly, "The Verserda. They hunt and kill werewolves. Unfortunately, we have been chased by them for a while now."
"We've been trying to lose them…" Llyde frowned.
"Why not fight them?" I looked at them in concern. It shouldn't be that hard to kill a pack of humans.
"They aren't normal humans." As if Damien was reading my thoughts, he sighed, "They have weapons and technology that we have never seen before. They already killed one of us…"
"Maybe I could help… I know how to fight and-"
Marcelle laughed at me, "You haven't even had your first shift yet. How the hell do you expect to help us?"
I stood slowly, still feeling light, "I'm different from most werewolves out there."
"Her scents different." Llyde added, trying to brighten the mood.
"Oh shut up. Damien, you and I both know she is unfit to travel with us. In her current condition, she would surely slow us down."
"She's only a couple hours away from fully transforming. After that, she'll need her first hunt. It would be graceful of us to find her one, that way she didn't attack the town and drag attention from the Verserda." Llyde explained, facing Damien.
Apparently, Damien was the leader of this pack. The other two had always made their opinions to him, tried to reason with him and assure him. He was still looking down at me, this time with a look of serious thought.
"She'll have to prove herself… but for now she can stay." He spoke firmly. "I want to see what she can do."
Marcelle was not okay with the idea. Her aggression grew unexpectedly high. She struck the wooden wall with great force using her nails, "Then I will fight her! She will not join this pack without getting through me!"
"That's fine…however, we wait until her first transformation, that way its fair." Damien turned to her.
"I don't care…I want to kill her…" Marcelle glared at me with hatred in her eyes. She left the shelter, probably finding elsewhere to sleep. I had assumed she couldn't stand my scent as much as I could not stand hers.
"You might want to get some rest, Samantha. We leave early." Llyde smiled at me, laying down on the wooden floor comfortably and closing his eyes.