HEIDI
The full moon above casts shadows to cloak me in. The Stabilizers are kicking in, and I can feel them. It's taking a while for Marianna and I to fully master our new werewolf forms, but at least Cara's helping us.
Wolf, Brian, Laura, Jack, Kevin, Jake, Phil, Don, Marsha, Ricky, and Ronnie have been with her in the Lunar Pack for a while now. There's 14 werewolves in this pack now, with Wolf being the only normal wolf among us, and he's proven himself like Alpha material. We regularly hunt in the more forbidden parts of the woods, away from humans. It's tough, though. The scent of human blood smells like…ecstasy. It's hard to resist. But we're a non-lethal pack. The only bodies we leave to quench our hunger are only animals.
But I hate seeing them struggle. It makes me feel guilty for killing them. That's why I try to just kill one with a single blow. Like decapitation. A swift death.
We've split up to cover more hunting ground. I go with Marianna and Cara. I've managed to catch another scent…which leads us straight to Dead House! The door is wide open, and inside, I smell three blood scents.
"This could be a trap." Cara warns us, as I'm reminded that we still need to get used to speaking in these forms. "I'll go in first."
She slowly crawls up the stairs and peers into the doorway, sniffing for the trio. She manages to see something, and uses a claw to cut a rope before darting out of the way.
THUNK!
An arrow strikes the spot where she used to be. And there's a glint of metal at the tip. My blood freezes when I see it.
Silver. This is a silver arrow! Someone's booby-trapped the place!
Something begins moving in the shadows in Dead House's living room. Eyes and a canine-like body. Another werewolf!
No, not just one! THREE of them! One looks grotesque and wears a white suit with a tooth pendant worn around the neck. Another has yellow eyes, the third having purple eyes. Once they see that Cara isn't alone, they freeze. Whatever they were expecting, it's not us.
"You…from…village?"
They're learning how to speak in this form too! Wait…village? What village?
"You seem frightened." Cara states. "But you'll find no refuge in this haunted house. Those who end up trapped during the day end up vanishing."
That's right…I recalled what the Waldhorns said about the talking raven…
"Now…just who are you?"
The werewolf that spoke seems to be silent. That is, for a moment.
"Aaron…Freidus."
My mind freezes. No…no, it…it can't be! I was only gone for-! Did the forest creature get him too?!
"Aaron…I know I may look different." I say, trying to force it out. "But it's me. Heidi."
Aaron only tilts his head. "Who…?"
"I'm Heidi, remember?!" It's getting easier the more I do it. "We went to school together! You have a cousin called Allan in the police force! And your mom works at the local bus station's luncheonette!"
He pauses.
"I…have no…mother. She died…two years ago."
W…WHAT?! I…I wasn't gone for that long!
Suddenly, I feel myself morph back into my human form in a quick fashion. The moon is blocked by a thick cloud. Everyone else changes as well…and the boy in front of me…is different.
When I last met Aaron Freidus, he had thick dark brown hair. Now he has red hair, his eyes are green, and now he's tall and skinny! He only looks at himself…then back to me.
"I'm sorry, but…I never MET someone called Heidi." He says. Before I can protest some more, that's when Cara steps up.
"I think I see what the confusion is." She says. "Apparently Heidi here knows someone ALSO called Aaron Freidus. And you're not that Aaron. This is something I call S.N.S. The Same Name Scenario. I take it you've never heard of the other Aaron."
"Of course not." The other Aaron says. "But…how did YOU become a werewolf?"
"My cousin Marianna was bitten, and she transferred it to me." I say. "What made YOU turn?"
"Well…it's a long story. But I can explain…"
…
"So…you're a hunter?"
"Not a monster hunter. I just go after werewolves." Jacob Freidus tells Cory back at Shadow House as I recount the story. "Managed to kill several back in London and Paris. Aaron is a werewolf hunter too. But now that we've BECOME werewolves, I've been more focused on hunting those with no humanity left in them. All while trying to find a cure ever since my son turned."
"You've been missing for weeks, Mr. Sheriff!" Lisa says. "And now we know why."
"So…you've BEEN to Horrorland?" Hannah asks.
"This living puppet man captured and threw us into this place called Werewolf Village." Ben Grentley says. "Treated us like animals."
"Did you see three other werewolves with you?"
"Three? More like three HUNDRED!" Aaron says. "They were everywhere!"
"Oh man…" Cory sighs. "We're trying to find three werewolves there: Grady Tucker, Will Blake, and Hannah Stoneman. If what you say is true, then it'll nearly be impossible."
"So…it's true then?" Jacob asks Cara. "You can turn into a werewolf by wearing its skin?"
"Yes, but you get addicted to it. We're trying to get rid of that feeling so that we'll have a disguise."
I only ponder about that cure. It could finally turn myself and Marianna back to normal. But Uncle Palmer said that he can't get rid of Hyde even if he wanted to. And given how we saw Hyde in action during training…it's making me doubt giving up this monster form of mine.
"We managed to escape," Aaron continues. "But we were hunted by this beast called the White Wolf lurking in the forests of Werewolf Village."
"WHITE Wolf?!" Conrad gasps. "Oh no, it's worse than I thought! That albino is a rare beast, but it's far more dangerous than any normal werewolf! They become one upon looking at a blood moon and remain in the form forever! Not even the sun can rever them! Even worse, silver has no effect on them, and it can tear any living being to shreds. It's even deadly to OTHER werewolves, thanks to an unholy mutation that grants it silver claws and silver fangs. To think Slappy has one of THEM in his park of peril roaming the forests to prevent any escapes…"
"If it's impossible to kill, maybe we can find a way to make it fall asleep? Knock it unconscious?" Cory asks.
"Well, there's only one such way," Ben says. "But I've only heard it as a legend. The White Wolf has only one weakness: The howling call and command of the Wolf Man."
"Wolf Man?!" Lisa asks.
"I've been around the world as a fur trapper and trader, so I've picked up on some local folklore. People say it is the very first werewolf that ever lived, void of all humanity. Thus, it's the Alpha of all werewolves. If any werewolf hears its howl, they have no choice but to obey whatever command is given. Try as they might…no werewolf can resist the Alpha's call. Not even the White Wolf."
"Including this Lunar Pack…" Brian notes. "But…that's just a story, right? Besides, the Wolf Man died a long time ago!"
"They say he came back to life multiple times. And his most recent death…will not be the last. There's a superstition that he'll return once again, and he lost more and more of his former human self each time he died. This next time will be when there's nothing left of who he used to be. The next time he is resurrected, all he'll be is a wild untamable animal that can't ever be caged. The ultimate apex predator. No one will be safe. For even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the Autumn moon is bright."
"You even killed the werewolf that bit me?" Marianna asks. "I feel like I should thank you for that."
"It was my last one before I turned." Jacob adds. "But knowing that this Slappy guy has a pack of his own, I'm not so sure I can hunt down all of them."
"Don't worry, not all of them are completely lost." Cory adds. "Besides, you've got help from not-limited-to-just-werewolf hunters."
"Plus, you'll fit right in with the rest of the Lunar Pack." I add. "Gotta admit, it's weird to be with a different person with the name of someone I know. What if the two of you meet?"
"I'll…work on it." Aaron says.
Yeah. If or when that comes…hope it's not TOO awkward…
