Author's note: Ok, this may not be completely realistic, but I tried to make it plausible as possible with my limited resources and many werewolf flick viewings. Hopefully it seems plausible and IC, and hopefully I'll be able to keep the chapters coming at a fairly quick pace, but updates probably won't come this fast. Anyway - thank you so much for the reviews so far, and please keep reviewing. Reviews make me happy.

Disclaimer: I do not own. Please do not sue.

CHAPTER ONE: ILLEGAL GAME HUNTING? NOT QUITE…

It took Adam a little over five minutes to reach the subway station, the night a clear night for once. There had been so much rain lately, he was surprised Budapest didn't have a monsoon season. The break from rain was a welcome one, and made walking much more enjoyable.

Although being so tired, Adam didn't like walking at all, and he was convinced it didn't matter what the weather was like, he would still be unhappy at having to do any. He wanted to just be able to snap his fingers and magically be back home in an instant, able to collapse onto bed and remove his clothing with another snap of his fingers.

Maybe he would look into that witchcraft stuff. If he could attain the ability to do that, then he'd willingly "sell his soul" to become a warlock. Not a witch. He refused to be called a witch. Sure, warlock didn't sound all that inviting, but at least it sounded male.

The subway station was semi-crowded, despite the hour. He recognized a few others around - some even fellow coworkers from the hospital - but nobody there was anyone he was on friendly terms with. It was mainly just a polite smile and brief nod of acknowledgement, admitting that there was recognition but nothing more.

I wonder if Michael's still alive. If he's sunk even deeper in that hole he somehow dug himself into.

Adam knew that if he ever found out, he was to report to the police. He'd been given pretty much an order to do so. Sometimes he worried they had tapped his phones and watched his apartment or something. Hopefully it was just paranoia. Besides, he doubted Michael would contact him.

Michael was a smart guy from what Adam knew of him. A good doctor, he had brains in most matters he and Adam discussed. Sure, he had gotten himself in deep, but even smart people could make mistakes. Perhaps he was doing it for money. The pay at the hospital wasn't the best right now, and Michael wasn't the only one to fall on rough times when it came to financials. Adam had nearly lost his apartment half a year ago.

No, Michael was smart enough to keep himself alive and safe even if he had gotten himself into that mess. Whatever the hell it actually was.

His ride finally arriving, Adam pushed his musings to the back of his mind and filed onto the car along with others, quickly moving to a seat and plopping down with a groan, his eyes closing as a look of relief spread across his face. He hadn't wanted to move that fast, but it was well worth it. He'd never been so thankful for nabbing a seat on the subway before in his life.

Ok, he was that thankful every time he worked that late, but that was beside the point. What was the point, was that it felt really, really good to sit down and rest.

It stank on the subway, but he was used to the smell. At least there weren't a whole bunch of bums with empty bottles of whatever liquor they could get their hands on. He'd had enough of that at other subways, but it wasn't so bad here. It just smelled of sweat, a bit of liquor, various foods, and different perfumes. All so strong that you didn't have to have the nose of a dog to pick it all up. And everything mixed together made for something unpleasant.

Adam was used to it though. He rubbed his nose briefly when he breathed in too fast and caused his nose to feel slightly tickly, then closed his eyes, leaning his head back as he waited for his destination to be reached. He fought not to dose off - dosing off on a subway was never a good idea, no matter when or where - and thought about work to keep him awake.

It was thinking of the soft, warm sofa and the even softer, comfier, warm bed that was dangerous. Made him want to drift off even more. He started to imagine he was already in med, under the covers, nice and warm and comfortable with no work to worry about for the next twelve hours, and then he was nearly falling out of his seat as the train came to stop.

Shit! He'd dozed off. Shaking his head and blinking repeatedly, Adam checked his pockets to make sure nothing had been stolen. Letting out an audible sigh of relief when nothing seemed out of place or amiss, Adam rose and shuffled off with most of the others, quickly walking to the escalator - there was no way he was taking the stairs right now - and waiting for his step to reach the top.

Home. Not much farther. Just a little bit more walking. You'll be there soon, he kept telling himself as he walked down the street, thankful he wasn't getting drenched but not at all happy he had to walk more to get home. He repeated his mantra as he neared his apartment complex, the lighting dim, the sky clear, and almost nobody in sight.

The hairs stood up on the back of Adam's neck for some reason. There had been plenty of times he had walked home when it was deserted. There had been times he'd done it in the raining so hard you could barely see five feet ahead. There was no reason to get edgy. It wasn't even a full moon. There was no moon.

But it felt like something was off. He could sense something. It was like feeling eyes on his back, hearing footsteps that stopped when he stopped, hearing someone's breathing even when there was nobody there when you turned around. Something was wrong.

It was too quiet.

It was too light with too many shadows that were darker than the night sky above him.

It was too tense.

It was too calm for a night in Budapest.

Suddenly he heard something, the bushes near him rustling. To make the complex he lived in look a little better - it looked like it had been around for over two hundred years, and hadn't had a new paint job since the first one - the manager had planted bushes all around. It merely gave the building some greenery. And now they were rustling, moving, and then out came a squirrel, then another, and they ran away from Adam and back into another bush.

Adam let out a loud, long breath. He hadn't realized he'd been holding it. Or that he'd gone completely still and silent, tense and ready to snap like a twig.

A loud growl reached his ears and something large and heavy was abruptly on top of him, growling and pinning him down. He only felt one set of paws, and they almost felt like hands, and then he couldn't take in any more details as teeth settled quickly into his arm, biting, starting to yank, and for a moment Adam feared his arm was about to be ripped off by some rabid creature.

The sound of gunfire stopped the yanking, and there was a howl of pain from the creature above him before it ran. The sound of its running was heard even as more footsteps came, a human voice - male, stern, American - told whoever his companions were to ignore the body on the ground.

They thought he was dead. Adam kept perfectly still, holding his breath. He wasn't sure these people were good guys or what, but he didn't want to hear gunfire again and feel another pain before blacking out to never wake up again.

He listened as the male told however many others were there to worry about the body after the target was taken care of. An animal was a target? Adam wondered if he had somehow gotten entangled in an illegal hunt gone wrong.

The footsteps picked up again after the male finishing speaking, the sounds growing distant, and soon Adam was fairly certain he was alone, thought of as nothing but a corpse. It was a good thing they were gone, because he couldn't hold back his grunt of pain. As he moved, it became a whimper, his back sore from being tackled.

The animal had been heavy, strong, and had nearly crushed his back. Or at least it had felt like it. It had been silent, too. How could an animal that big and heavy be silent? It had to be big. He'd felt its weight and its paws. Its paw were huge. Hand like almost. And yet it had been perfectly silent until it had lunged at him.

I'm beginning to really miss New York, Adam muttered silently as he told himself he was too tired to figure this out, and that his arm needed immediate care. He had adequate supplies in his apartment, but he needed to get to them soon. Who knew what that animal might have given him. When it was morning and he'd been properly tended to and had some decent sleep, he would report the incident to the police.

Right now though, he just wanted to get to his apartment before those people - or that animal - came beck and realized he wasn't a corpse. He was afraid that what the animal started it or the people would finish the job should they see him.

Weakly, Adam righted himself, shakily walking the rest of the distance between him and the apartment complex. The security guard at the front desk noticed his condition and rose, speaking in an almost panicked tone, his Hungarian and English mingling so he was completely unintelligible, at least for Adam.

"I'm fine," Adam assured the man, then pointed outside. "But there's a wild animal loose. You should call the police and the pound," he added, deciding it was a good idea to go ahead and get word out. It wouldn't be good if the animal attacked someone else - especially if they weren't as lucky as Adam.

The security guard eyed Adam worriedly, but nodded. "Stay here, Sir," he said with a thick accent that was as difficult to understand as his mixed languages, but Adam was able to decipher it after concentrating on the words for a few moments. The security guard walked behind the desk again and picked up the phone, calling the incident in.

Great. I'll be getting visits from the police. Again. Only this time it's at my place, and I'm the one mixed up in something. I think I know how Michael felt.

Deciding that he needed some rest and his wound needed medical attention soon or he could be in trouble, Adam ignored the security guard's order and walked to the elevator. He was thankful the guard was too busy explaining what had happened to notice the creak of the doors sliding open, then sliding closed again.

The bite wound flared with pain, and Adam swore he could feel infection begin to develop. He knew it was his imagination running wild and paranoid, but still, he didn't like it taking him so long to get the wound seen about. It was still bleeding somewhat, but he knew blood loss wasn't too big of a problem. It was starting to stop, and he would just feel a bit weaker than normal for about an hour or so most likely.

Infection and disease was his biggest worry. He'd had his shots, but he was always afraid shots weren't good enough. He had a more advanced first aid kit in his apartment though, so he would probably survive until a doctor's appointment at the hospital.

Wow. This time I'll be on the other end of the stethoscope for once.

The elevator finally reached his floor, and with a creak the doors slid open. Adam stepped out, reaching into his left pocket for his keys. He panicked when he didn't feel them, then mentally smacked himself. With a grimace, he reached into his right pocket, his wounded arm protesting. He pulled out his keys as he reached the door and unlocked it, hearing the creak of the elevator doors closing again as he entered his apartment.

Home sweet home. Finally.

Adam flipped the switch, the light coming on and nearly blinding him - why did it have to be so dim in the hallway and the elevator? - and he made his way towards the bathroom. He groaned when he removed the shirt, her whole right arm and shoulder flaring up with searing agony.

"Ow, ow, ow," Adam muttered as he finally got it completely off and could put his arm back down. He instinctively reached up to grip the wound, but refrained from touching it just in time. He needed to clean it, not give it even more germs.

The young doctor walked into the bathroom and eagerly sat down on the toilet seat, the cover down for once, thankfully. He pulled his medical kit out from the cabinet under the sink and quickly went to work. He cleaned the wound - with much hissing and wincing and cursing involved - before disinfecting it - that brought even more cursing and some grunting. Finally it was all taken care of and he quickly saw about to binding the wound.

As he finished up, he heard his phone ring and groan escaped him. Can't I just have one, peaceful, stress free night? he asked himself and God - if God even existed, which Adam sometimes doubted - as he rose. Extremely reluctantly.

Wearily emerging from the bathroom, he walked over to his nightstand, picking up the phone and bringing it to his ear, blinking as he spoke. Fatigue was coming on strong now.

"Hello?" he whispered, his whole body aching and his head beginning to pound from the fall and pressure on him from the animal, his initial tiredness, and having to keep awake to take care of his arm. He suddenly realized he probably needed a shower, but he was not in the mood to stand. Even though hot water sounded so tempting.

"Mister Lockwood?" came the familiar voice of the security guard, a bit calmer now, but just as thickly accented. It made Adam's head spin even more to try and focus on the voice so he could understand it.

"Actually, it's Doctor Lockwood," Adam correctly absently, his eyes blinking once more and then staying closed, "but yes, I'm Lockwood." A tired Lockwood, so make this quick and simple and speak slowly so I can understand you.

"Sir, the police will be here within an hour to ask you about your attack, is there anything you need in the meanwhile?" the security guard asked, and Adam was amazed he understood it all. Of course, it took him five minutes to understand it all, but still, better than having to ask the man to repeat his words all over again and talk slower.

While Adam was not particularly thrilled he would be receiving guests soon, he decided it was for the best. He might could get a half hour nap, anyway. "Thank you, but I'm good. Just send the police up when they get here," he instructed, and didn't wait for the guard to confirm that or ask him anymore questions before he hung up and collapsed backwards.

The moment Adam hit the mattress, he was out, visions of forests and strange howling noises filling his dreams.