Werewolves of London
Chapter 2: Not what you think...
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Kagome stood, paralyzed with fear at the sight of the beast in front of her. She briefly recalled the newspaper article she had read earlier. She wondered why her legs betrayed her, not allowing her to run.
"Dog," Inuyasha said simply, wincing at her display of fear.
Kagome's face turned to one of confusion. "What?"
"Were-dog. I'm not a stupid wolf."
Curiosity was slowly replacing the fear in Kagome's system. "What's the difference?"
"Wolves are wild, primitive and stupid. They run on instinct alone, doing things that give respectable people like myself a bad name," he explained with a huff. "Dogs, on the other hand, are a domesticated species. We are refined, intelligent and trustworthy."
Kagome stared at him blankly. "So that means...?"
Inuyasha sighed. "A werewolf will rip your throat out and a were-dog will be you best friend."
"Oh," Kagome said, somewhat relieved. "So... you're not going to be killing me then?"
"If I were going to kill you you'd already be dead," he said flatly. "Besides, I couldn't afford to lose a business partner like you. We'd go belly-up in a week!"
Kagome gave him a swift kick in the shins for that. "Okay, well, this is still really freaky and confusing," she said, brushing past him into the bathroom. "I'll be out in a minute, and when I do come out I'm going to ask you a few questions."
Inuyasha sat down on the extra bed. So she hadn't run, that was a good thing. He sighed. He wondered if he'd ever gather the courage to tell his other friends and family about it. Right now the only people who knew were himself, Kagome.... and Kikyou.
He felt the usual twinge of regret at the thought of when he had told Kikyou. She laughed at him when he told her, and when he tried to show her... she changed her name and moved to a different country.
At least Kagome had stayed, but... he was starting to wonder if it would be more trouble than it was worth. The underground world of the werewolves of London was a dangerous place, especially if you weren't one yourself. And they still had that rogue wolf to deal with...
He stiffened as Kagome stepped out of the small hotel bathroom, her raven hair giving a final shimmer as the fluorescent light buzzed out. She had calmed down considerably, but he could still lightly smell the fear coming from her. It was strange how a dog's smell worked. Each scent had it's own color, leaving shadows as it passed from one point in space to the next. Kagome's scent was a soft powder-blue, and it itched his nostrils in a pleasant way. It was a pleasant contrast from the harsh red chemical smells of the bathroom.
Inuyasha's thoughts were broken off by the sound of the girl plopping down on the bed across from him. "So," the girl started, a contemplative look crossing her features, "where do I start..."
"How should I know?" Inuyasha said, his usual arrogant tone pervading his voice.
"How did this happen?" she asked. "I mean, how did you become a were-dog, and when?"
"It was shortly after I moved here," Inuyasha said, telling the story for the first time. "I was out walking at night, just for the nostalgia of it, when this huge black dog came into the street in front of me. It was really friendly, so I was petting it and stuff, and then it bit me and ran off. Then a few days later, the next full moon... it happened. That was almost 6 months ago."
"Have you told anyone else?"
Inuyasha sighed. "I tried to tell Kikyou, but she just thought I was joking. So then I tried to show her... and I haven't seen her since..."
"Oh," Kagome said, feeling guilty again for bringing it up. "So... are there any more? Were-dogs, that is. And wolves too, I suppose."
"There are all sorts of us. Dogs, cats, wolves, you name it. There are different types, too. Some people can switch back and forth whenever they want. And there are anti-werewolves, who are wolves all the time except for the full moon. And then there's your stereotypical changeling like me."
"Do you have, like, a secret headquarters or something?"
Inuyasha laughed. "Not in so many words, but there is a nightclub reserved only for us creatures of the night. It's mostly used by the wolves though. They're the only ones who lose control, and so they go there in order to avoid causing harm to others."
"Oh," Kagome said again. It seemed like it was an "Oh" day. Her thoughts trailed back to the newspaper...
"There's one rogue wolf on the loose, though," Inuyasha said, answering her next question before she had the chance to ask. "It's got everyone upset. People like him give us a bad name..."
Kagome nodded. She still wasn't quite sure what to think of the whole thing. "Ne, Inuyasha? What's it like, being a were-dog?"
"It's... pretty crazy. I can see smells. And I can hear everything."
"What about silver? Does it really kill people like you?"
"Pssh, that's a Hollywood thing. Sure, being shot with a silver bullet could kill me, but so could being bludgeoned to death with a lead pipe. We're quite mortal, just... bigger, and stronger and faster."
Kagome giggled. She no longer doubted it, this was the same Inuyasha she knew by day. She took in his new form once more, his silver mane flowing around him as he sat Indian-style on the bed. Her eyes caught sight of the fluffy triangles adorning the top of his head. They looked more like a cat's ears than a dog's. Without thinking, she reached out with one arm to rub the ears affectionately.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Inuyasha said, backing up in his own mixture of fear and confusion. Kagome couldn't hear him. The world was lost on her as she continued rubbing in a trancelike state.
It wasn't until she heard a low moan from below her that she realized what she was doing. She looked down to see Inuyasha curled up on the floor, his eyes drooping lazily. His head pushed into her hand, begging her to continue. She laughed, giving them a final tweak before climbing into her bed.
She felt the bed shake as Inuyasha climbed in, resting in a ball at the foot of her bed. She marveled at how the huge beast could overlap himself into such a small mass, before realizing that she was in bed with Inuyasha. "Inuyasha-! Get out of my bed!"
It was too late though. He was sound asleep, and no matter how hard she kicked he wasn't budging. She gave up with a sigh, curling up under the covers and hoping to avoid an awkward moment in the morning.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
A young woman, about the age of 23, sighed as she stepped out of her car. She couldn't believe the nerve of her boss, making her work the graveyard shift three days in a row. She closed the door of her car with a slam and set off down the path to her rented house, which was set back in the woods a ways away from the garage. It had seemed so cute when she first saw it, but it soon lost its charm with the many nights of walking through the wooded path alone.
She stopped, imagining she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She shrugged it off, and continued. The sound returned. She stopped again, the breaking of twigs behind her sending chills up her spine. "Hello?" she called out to the chill night air, "Who's there?"
She heard the rustling of branches to her side. Turning sharply, her heart pounding in her chest, she called out again. "Hello?"
She imagined she heard a snarl. She started off again, walking briskly in the direction of her house. Hearing the footsteps behind her again, she quickened her pace. The sound followed suit. Soon she was at an all out run, panting in fear as she grasped the handle of her door. She swung it open as she heard a great roar behind her. She turned to see a huge beast, like a man with a wolf's head and fur, leaping through the air.
She slammed the door behind her and locked it. She leaned against the door, relief washing over her as she caught her breath.
And arm shot through the glass window of the door, reaching a clawed hand over to grasp her throat. She felt claws bursting through the door behind her and ripping into her flesh, and then everything went black.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
A/N: I think I'll leave it there for now... although this chapter was rather short, again. Sigh
Anyways, I'll be in Florida for 8 days, starting tomorrow, so don't expect any updates soon. =( Oh well... 'till next time, ja!