TWO
The first night of the full moon was quickly approaching and Van Helsing seemed even more restless then usual. Carl watched him nervously for any signs that he was about to become dinner and prayed that they would reach some kind of town. He would feel much safer surrounded by other people.
Sadly for Carl, fortune didn't favor him tonight. As the sun began to set, Van Helsing reined in his horse and growled "We'll camp here tonight". Carl swallowed hard and dismounted. "I'll just gather firewood then" he said and fled into the woods. "Please Lord, please don't let me die tonight. I'll stay away from bar maids, I'll quit swearing…. Please, just don't let Van Helsing eat me tonight!" He picked up firewood and debated if it would be safer to flee into the night. Deciding that Van Helsing could easily track him down and that running would only make him angry, he headed back to the camp with his load of wood.
"I was beginning to think I was going to have to hunt you down" Van Helsing growled ominously and Carl trembled, glad he had decided not to make a break for it. He hastily set about making a fire and gathering the fixings for dinner
"I'm going hunting" Van Helsing said shortly, startling Carl. "But is almost dark. How can you hunt in the dark?" Van Helsing just smiled a particularly feral grin and said "Don't worry little friar, I'll be just fine" But as this statement was accompanied by a slow and hungry look up and down the friar's body, Carl wasn't the least bit reassured. He crossed himself as soon as Van Helsing's back was turned.
"Dear God. I'm not going to survive the night. Van Helsing is clearly not cured and with the full moon, he's becoming the wolf. What does one do with a wolf? Wolves are like dogs… so maybe if I treat him like a dog… oh god what am I thinking? He's hardly going to respond to a game of fetch and a nice scritch behind the ears. I'm going to die!" Carl's thoughts continued to spiral downward as he paced about the camp. It was no surprise that he didn't notice Van Helsing's return until he loomed up in front of him. He let a shriek and backed up rapidly, tripping over a rock. He would have fallen but Van Helsing grabbed him by the front of his robes, hauling him up against him. This time Carl knew he wasn't mistaken when he felt Van Helsing sniff his hair. He hastily pulled away from his grip and said, "Yes, well you're back. Perfect timing, as dinner should be just about done… " Babbling on, he put as much distance as possible between him and Van Helsing as he could. He thought he heard a slight growl but chose to ignore it. He quickly put food on a plates and handing one to Van Helsing deliberately moved to the other side of the fire
Van Helsing sat on a log and watched Carl while they ate. There was a look in his eyes that Carl couldn't quite identify but it was making him want to run and hide. He now knew what rabbits felt like and he didn't like it one bit. As soon as they had both finished he sprang up, grabbed the dishes and said, "I'll just wash these up" and fled down to the small stream. He barely noticed the cold water as he desperately tried to think of some way to distract the wolf currently in control of his friend. He was still sitting on the bank when he heard a voice growl "come back to camp, Carl." When Carl hesitated, frozen by the clearly predatory look, Van Helsing snarled "now Carl". With a small squeak, Carl sprang up and ran back to the camp.
His heart was pounding and he trembled from head to toe. He collapsed down on his bedroll and waited. He could feel Van Helsing's approach and squeezed his eyes closed, prepared for the worst. Van Helsing stood a moment in front of Carl and then sank down on the ground in front of him. Carl didn't open his eyes as he felt him draw closer leaning in towards Carl's vulnerable throat. Van Helsing began to sniff him and Carl held his breath, terrified at what would come next.
"Mine" Van Helsing growled and proceeded to bite and lick Carl's neck. Carl's eyes flew open in shock. Hands were pulling at his robes while a particularly hard bite caused him to gasp in shock. What was happening here? The wolf continued to bite at Carl's neck and collarbone with small growls and Carl found himself both terrified and aroused. Finally with an impatient snarl, the wolf grabbed the front of Carl's robes and ripped them open. Pushing Carl back, he pounced on him, licking and biting across his chest. "Mine" growled the wolf again and Carl realized that the wolf didn't want dinner, he wanted a mate. And clearly Carl was it.