Chapter Nine: Being a Werewolf
AN: So this chapter's kind of weird...but necessary, to set grounds for future events...but I still don't think I like it.
WARNING! This story is slash, as in male/make pairing, and yes, it will live up to its 'M' rating, eventually. You've been warned. Haters will be ignored, or will possibly go missing sometime during the night while they sleep, never to be heard from again...just kidding. I'm open to criticism, unless your a homophobe, then, I won't care for you much.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Ethan was trying not to freak out. It was Monday, and they were still in Blue Tree, the town grandma had taken them to. They were leaving tomorrow, but...
He still didn't have a present for Benny's birthday! It was only three days away! He hadn't even come up with any ideas! Well, he did order a 'Supernatural Hunting' kit like a month ago, but it still hadn't come. So, now...he was royally screwed.
You know what else was mercilessly screwing him? His appetite.
Before going to bed, Ethan, Benny, and Grandma had gone to that 'fancy vegan restaurant' as Benny deemed it, but it'd done almost nothing to help the sickly empty feeling in Ethan's stomach. The food had been great, but it was all green and altogether unappetizing at the moment he was eating it.
The Seer dreaded what he knew would come next. The hunger would keep sickening him until he ate actual warm food. Actual meat, not veggie burgers.
Not only that he was sick with hunger...he also found it was much easier to push away the flashes of memory that came to the forefront of his mind every so often. For whatever reason, his formerly forgotten memories seemed to be wanting themselves to be burned permanently into his brain. Things just kept repeating and repeating...sometimes something new would come up, but usually it was the same things. It'd been going on all day, consuming his mind and vision for short, random periods.
"Ethan?" Grandma asked as she walked into the room, and was about to turn off the light before she seen Benny's sleeping form beside him. Ethan gestured for her to wait and got up from the bed, trying to shake his thoughts off as they both headed to the Inn's dark hallway. "Are you okay?" She asked. "I thought I heard something."
"How's he doing?" A blonde asked the raven haired girl, her spikes still sparking and managing to keep their shape despite the rain.
"He's alright." She replied, and the blonde man placed a hand on Ethan's neck. The boy flinched and jerked back painfully at the uncomfortable contact. "A little shaken up."
"He's a fighter." The man said, smiling. "Ethan, my name's Jason..and..well, Tasha's already told you what she was, right? So, you should know, I'm a vampire." He held his hands up as Ethan's face twisted into a mask of immediate distrust. "But I'm not gonna hurt you, I swear. That other blonde girl..the blonde wolf, that was Katee. She's a werewolf."
"We came to help you." Tasha said, still dropping wispy threads of light into Ethan's body. "I'm so sorry, we were too late! But we're going to hell you."
"Help me what?" Ethan asked, groaning.
"Ethan?" Grandma asked, worry in her voice.
"I'm fine, grandma." Ethan shook his head as he came out of the vision, and tried for a smile, but it came out as a grimcace. "Just me hungry again and rustling through our suitcases..I don't think we brought anything else to eat." Grandma only gave an amused look.
"Well, son, I think there's an all night diner just across the street." She smiled, leading him to her room. "This is a historical town after all, tourists come through all hours of the day."
"You don't need to give me money, Grandma!" Ethan protested as the elderly woman slipped some bills from her clutch. "I have money already."
"Just take the money, Ethan." Grandma smiled. "I'm too old to be argued with." Ethan rolled his eyes, assuring Grandma that that wasn't the case, and reluctantly took the twenty dollars. Heading back to he and Benny's room, he slipped on some shoes and debated on wether or not to wake Benny.
It was around one in the morning right now, and he and Benny had fallen asleep around eleven. The seer had woken up to a dark room, Benny still sleeping soundly on the bed next to his. The tendencies he'd come to recognize as werewolf instincts would kick in at about this time every night, maybe earlier.
He still was unsure.
He sighed, and then froze suddenly as a shiver crept up his spine. His hair stood on edge as he peered out the two story window, suddenly very aware of his surroundings. There was no one outside that he could see...and his new ability to see in the dark told him there was no one in the dark streets or the woods beyond, at least within his line of sight...then again, they could be hiding. But what reason would they have to hide?
'Do they think I'm dangerous?' He wondered. 'Who are they, anyway? Who are the bad guys?'
What did they want with him anyway?
'Ethan.'
The seer jumped, looking around and automatically moving closer to Benny. "What?" He hissed to the dark room.
'Stay away from the woods.' A female voice whispered. 'It's not safe.'
'You're being watched.' The male voice was more urgent, but just as quiet, just a thought in his mind.
And then, as quickly as they'd been there, they were gone. All in all, the warning seemed creepy...but Ethan was sure he wasn't going near the woods that night. Instead of scaring him, as it was probably meant to, he only felt an odd twinge of annoyance. Even though they were just trying to help, he could handle himself. And plus, Grandma had put protection charms on the room, as she always did, and those should keep Benny safe while he was gone...Grandma could handle herself. With this thought, Ethan set off to go find some food.
The streets were quiet, and the night air was cool and wet from the rain that'd just passed. Ethan saw a few others wandering the streets, one man with a briefcase, and two people who appeared to be a couple. There was also a diner just across the street, as grandma said, and when he entered, Ethan could tell the place had been around a LONG time. The creaky wooden floorboards, chipping paint, and endless decade decorations that crowded the walls spoke for themselves, but it had a cosy feeling Ethan liked, and there was only one other man sitting at a table in the back. It reminded him of a place his own grandma had always taken him to back when she was alive.
"What can I get you, sweetie?" A young, pretty waitress asked. Ethan quickly scanned over the menu, and ordered the second to largest steak on the menu, medium rare, and a bowl of what they called 'pioneer soup'.
"I'm sure you wouldn't like it." The waitress said softly. "Most teenagers don't find it all that appealing."
"I'm not like most teenagers." Was Ethan's easy reply, and that was that as the blonde clicked away on red heels to place in his order.
To kill time, Ethan found himself drawing in a notepad -always at the ready in his jacket pocket- straining to remember the faces of his apparent saviors. The woman known as Tasha, with her carefully sculpted, thick spikes, intense eyes, and the few freckles that dusted her nose and cheeks. The man, young and athletic, with great looks and his hair dripping in front of his eyes with the pouring rain. And then finally, around fifteen minutes later, a more painful image, of a terrifying wolffish face in the night. White teeth and large claws, like knives and a glare just as sharp and frightening.
"What's that?" The waitress from before asked, quietly, but Ethan still jumped.
"Oh.." He shook himself out of his memories. "Uh, nothing, just a stupid drawing for my mythology class." The seer replied with a shrug, surprised atheism self for lying so easily.
"You're really good." She smiled. "That monster looks like it's just about to jump off the page."
Monster...
Ethan manages a smile back and then closes the small booklet, slipping it into his pocket again, secure. "Thanks. I didn't actually know I could draw up until a few nights ago." He admitted.
"Why not? Usually, it takes people a few practice runs to just sit there and draw like that." She shook her head, a bewildered look on her face. "My friend Ashley can do that. I'm so jealous." She smiles again, softly. A dazzling sort of smile that just brightens her whole face, and Ethan realizes that he'd missed it at first. He'd been so distracted by hunger, but now...
"Uh, thanks, and...I don't know." He shrugs again, returning the smile as best as he could. With her blonde locks and blue eyes, she reminded him somewhat of Erika, but her voice and smile had real warmth. "Im Ethan."
"I'm Danielle. It's nice to meet you."
"You too." Ethan gestures to the chair opposite him as he takes a sip of some water that she'd brought for him. "Wanna sit?"
"Actually, I think your foods just about done, and I also think you have other company." She looked over his shoulder, and Ethan did the same, spotting the man he'd seen when he first came in approaching the table. "I'll be right back." With that, the blonde was gone, and the man still approached, sitting down without invitation as he sat at Ethan's little table.
"Want some company?" The man asked with a smile that sent a chill down Ethan's spine. For whatever reason, Ethan was suddenly on edge, but accepted the man's offer of a handshake anyway.
"Sure." Ethan rubbed his arm through his jacket, feeling goosebumps creeping across his skin with the air this man brought. "Why not?"
"It's a bit late for you to be out, isn't it, boy?" He asked, slipping off his leather jacket to reveal an equally black shirt underneath. The man himself had skin the color of mocha, black hair buzzed to almost nonexistence, deep brown eyes, and features that weren't overall unattractive. He looked to be somewhere in his mid twenties or early thirties.
"I would say the same to you." Ethan replied with some effort as Danielle walked towards their table with a large tray full of several plates. "So, what are you doing out?"
"Just wandering." The man shrugged. "The boss scheduled me a meeting..but it's not for another ten minutes or so."
"I hope it goes well."
"As do I." He smiled warmly at the blonde as she set the trays carefully in front of them. "Thank you, sweetheart. Could I possibly get some coffee as well? If its not too much trouble."
"Sure can." She turned to Ethan. "Is there anything else you'd like with your water while I'm away?"
"Um...orange juice." Ethan picked a drink at random. "Thanks."
"And how's your night out?" The man asked as Ethan immediately began eating his food, remembering his hunger and deciding that he didn't have a good feeling about this guy...so why should he care about manners?
"Alright." Ethan answered, still chewing. "Just came out to get something to eat, is all. Doing a little late night searching for my best friend's birthday." He decided to be honest. He was going to go on a search for birthday gifts for Benny after he got back, since he suspected he'd be up for many more hours.
"Hungry?" The man asked, training his eyes creepily on Ethan, his food and coffee untouched.
"Yeah." Ethan replied, throwing all dignity aside as he brought his whole steak up to his teeth with a fork and bit into it brutally, met with almost no resistance to the thick meat. "A friend of mine took me to a vegan restaurant earlier, but salads and imitation meat didn't really do it for me."
"No it usually doesn't for your kind." Ethan froze, and the other gave a small smile. "Especially at so young."
"Here you go." The blonde clicked back to the table and smiled at the teen. Ethan only just managed a small smile back and a quiet 'thank you'.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ethan managed, trying to play dumb and took a bite into one of his fries.
"Why don't we both quit pretending here, Ethan?" The man sighed. "I quit pretending to be a stranger that just bumped into you in an Ontario small town restaurant, and you quit pretending to be oblivious."
"You are a stranger, and I did just bump into you." Ethan pointed out, now tense as he gripped the fork in his hand. "And I don't believe I told you my name...what, are you guys stalking me?"
"Don't be upset." The man held up his hands, a friendly smile now plastered on his face. "We've been looking out for you for years, boy." Ethan's blood ran cold.
'Ignore him.' Someone whispered in his mind. 'Stay inside.'
"Why don't we take this outside?" Ethan asked in a very, very measured voice, successfully coming across as angry when really he was shaking underneath. Was this the man who'd been watching him earlier? And why was Tasha talking to him, now? Did this man mean trouble?
When they stepped out onto the sidewalk, Ethan grounded himself, and turned on the man.
"Okay, who the hell are you, and why are you following me?" Ethan spat. "I don't want any trouble."
"You and me both." The man held out his hand, receiving only a glare. "My name is Markus, and I'm here to welcome you."
"I don't want your welcome." Ethan's eyes narrowed. "You don't think I felt you watching me earlier? I want you to leave me alone. I told you I don't want any trouble, which is exactly what your going to get if you don't quit following us."
"Your on the wrong side of this war, Ethan."
"What war? I'm not a part of anything! I don't even know what your talking about!" Ethan managed not to stutter as he began realizing maybe he DID know something about it. Was this really happening? The confrontation he'd been waiting for, to confirm everything he thought were just dreams? There wasn't room for doubt anymore.
"I know your lying." The man stepped closer, causing Ethan to become ever more uncomfortable, more fearful. "We've seen your dreams, young Seer...or should I say, werewolf?" Ethan's insides did a flip. "We've lived your dreams. That red furred monster you dream of? Well that's an ally of mine, named Sylvan. He's a werewolf too, and we also know you've been having trouble adapting to the new changes in your life."
"I'm doing just fine!" Ethan nearly yelled. "I know who my allies are, and their certainly not the ones who turned me into this!" He gestured at himself, and was surprised when he felt a powerful surge of anger corse through him, suddenly reminded of all the downsides to being the monster he was becoming. "No friends of mine would've condemned me to this!"
"I agree, they should've used other, more effective means first...nonetheless, they thought in passing on the curse, it would make you see things their way. As I can plainly see, it didn't have the desired outcome."
"What curse?"
"Nothing you need to worry about at the moment. Oh, but there is something else, before I leave." The man 's lips twitched up in a humorless smile. "I wasn't just sent here to make small talk, Ethan." And then the next thing he knew, Ethan was airborne, flying into the trees behind the little diner, and the breath left him all at once as his back slammed into an evergreen.
"Sorry about that." Markus apologized, though he didn't sound too sorry. "We need to release all those pent up emotions inside you, boy. It'll change you for the better." He picked up Ethan -still trying to catch his breath- by the collar of his shirt. "Build up your immunity and make you strong." Then, he bit into the flesh of the Seer's neck, tearing a pained cry from the younger male's lips.
"Get...off!" Ethan managed, and mustering strength he didn't know he had, forced the man to release his grip on him as he threw him backward. "What the hell, dude?" Ethan panted. "I'm not changing for you!"
'Use your instincts!' A new, lighter voice screamed at him from within his mind. 'Let them take over! You're a werewolf, Ethan. Our kind are created to kill vampires!'
His nerves combined with the encouragement from an ally he'd never truly met had him feeling he knew exactly what this man wanted from him. But Ethan wasn't going to just comply to his wishes...no, instead, the young seer went with his gut and used newfound speed to crash into his opponent, spinning, and sending them both flying deeper into the woods. Once they landed, however, Ethan found himself quickly overcome by the older vampires strength, and was pinned to the ground.
"How about it, Morgan?" The vampire asked. "Come back to Whitechapel with me? I promise, it'll be absolutely painless." Again, he bit into Ethan's flesh, into his shoulder this time, and Ethan yelled in pain.
'You can do it, seer! You were born to fight evil!'
"Forget it!" Ethan ground out. "I'm not evil...and I'm never going to be."
"Come on, Morgan." The mans deep brown eyes now stared coldly into his own. "You'll become more powerful than you've ever been before, with powerful allies. And your family will be left alone too, granted they stay out of our way." This angered the young seer-turned-werewolf, and he found renewed energy inside him, giving him the strength to push the vampire away from him.
It was then that Ethan began to learn a fraction of how to fight back in a situation like this, and pushed himself, ever forward, breaking the vampires strength until finally, he was in a position to stand. When the teen finally did find his feet on the ground, he grabbed the vampire by his jacket and slammed him up against a large pine. Again and again, Ethan slammed him against the tree, fighting the fear that came with the view of fangs snapping inches from his face, and eventually beginning to claw the mans neck and chest with nails suddenly much too sharp to be considered human.
It was then also that Ethan learned a few things about being a werewolf, and about himself.
"Listen, you stupid little prick." Ethan slammed him back again on the tree and it was Markus' turn to let out a pained yell, and Ethan felt just a little tinge of guilt. "If I EVER find out you've been hunting someone I love, believe me, I won't hesitate to hunt you ALL down and destroy you." Ethan snarled, meaning his words and for the first time, saw fear flash quickly in and out of the other mans eyes. "I've got allies of my own, got it? I can train myself, and I am adapting, very quickly, so I'd suggest you'd think twice before pissing me off."
Even if Ethan didn't completely believe his own words, it seemed to have some effect onolder vampire, and Ethan watched with a wicked pride as fear once again entered the man's eyes.
And it was then that Ethan learned exactly how to bite like a werewolf, shoving the others jacket off and sinking his suddenly razor sharp teeth into the mans neck. Deciding the piercing scream wasn't enough, Ethan bit a little deeper and the pulled away, tearing some of the vampires flesh along with him, and stepping back before swiping a hand from his forehead to his chin, and then again from his neck to his stomach.
The dark skinned vampire dropped to the ground, screaming in agony, and the next second, he was up and running through the woods, stumbling before gaining vampire speed. Ethan decided it was a good thing the vampire had run away like a coward, because almost immediately after, he fell to his knees, shaking, and threw up everywhere.
'Oh God...' Ethan moaned to himself, continuing to empty the contents of his stomach. The vampire blood tasted no better coming up than it did going down. 'I can't believe myself! Why did I just do that?! HOW did I just do that?' WHAT did I just do!?' As his vision shifted the world in alarming ways, Ethan crawled several feet further into the woods before collapsing next to a rather large tree, curling into a fatal position. He shivered and coughed as the aftermath of what he'd just done washed over him.
'That was disgusting.' Ethan shook a little more, sitting up and throwing up again, and again until there was absolutely nothing left to come up. Even so, he continued to dry-heave for another ten minutes. But the grass was cool and moist, and soothed Ethan's hot, sticky skin, and the moon was also visible through the treetops, bringing a tiny bit of comfort to the sick teen.
'I can't believe myself." Ethan groaned again, dragging himself to his feet. 'What did I just do?'
Still grumbling in discomfort and slight pain, Ethan nearly tripped over a thick piece of fabric, but caught himself on a tree. Growling lightly, he looked down, and then smirked as he caught sight of the vampires jacket he'd torn off. Not far was his sunglasses, and Ethan could help but give a little laugh, picking up the offensive object, and not thinking much of it, took it with him as he headed for his abandoned seat at the restaurant.
Entering the diner, Ethan tried to keep any limo from his walk, and hurried for the restrooms. Upon arrival, he discovered that the bathroom only had one toilet, and it was very small. But it was clean, cool, and the walls were decorated with pictures of 80's bands. Throwing off his own sweater, he splashed his face and neck with cool water, and tried to scrub out his mouth the best he could with water and paper towels, even going as far as to swish hand soap around in his mouth.
After thoroughly -maybe a little too thoroughly- scrubbing his mouth and hands, he exited the bathroom, and made his way to the table he'd left, and was surprised to see that both dinners and beverages had been moved into to-go containers. From the kitchen came the girl from before, Danielle, who smiled brightly when she saw Ethan.
"I didn't think you would come back." She said with a small laugh, and then gestured to the styrofoam containers.
"Me either." Ethan replied lightly, but meaning his words. He realized at that moment that what had just occurred had been his first actual fight.
"I put you and your friend's food away, if you don't mind. I promise, I didn't touch any of it."
"It's okay." Ethan smiled back. "Sorry about that. He had to leave in a hurry, and so do I, sort of." He said, apologetically as he shakily handed her the money for his food, with a big tip.
"I thought as much." Danielle smiled ruefully. "And I don't need a tip, Ethan...but I would really like to call you sometime." She tried to hand it back, with a shy smile but instead Ethan held up his hands.
"Keep it, I want you to have it." Ethan smiled again, more genuinely this time. "But I think I'd like to have your number too, Danielle."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
"Ah!" Ethan nearly fell backwards as a light suddenly flicked on in the formerly black room. "Oh, hey Benny." He smiled sheepishly, realizing he'd been caught. Discreetly, where he'd actually dropped the leather jacket, he kicked it to the side, into the bathroom.
"What's up, E?" Benny asked with a smile from his chair in the corner of the room.
"Nothing...just got really hungry and went across the street to get something to eat." He held up the plastic bag and shook it. "Want some?"
"Sure." Benny got up and crossed the room. "I'm starving." He plopped down at another chair near a small table near the entry to the large room and began opening the containers, examining the contents. "You got breakfast."
Ethan winced uncomfortably as Benny begin to eat the vampires food. Granted, he hadn't touched his food or drink -which turned out to be coffee- but it still gave Ethan the chills.
"Want orange juice?" Ethan asked, placing a cup with a stray in front of Benny. It was still cold, as ice still sloshed around within the large cup.
"Sure...hey, E? Who was that blonde?" Benny asked suddenly. Ethan's eyes were trained on him in an instant.
"What?" Ethan nearly yelled, causing Benny to jump.
"What?" Benny exclaimed, looking rather uncomfortable. "I woke up and you weren't here...so I asked Grandma where you were and she told me you went to the diner across the street. He shrugged, not making eye contact as he placed another bite of food in his mouth. "I went looking for you but I saw you talking to a girl, so I didn't want to interrupt." He looked up then, if only for a second. "Get her number, E? She was totally hot."
'Didn't want to interrupt?' Ethan thought, disbelieving. 'Benny didn't want to interrupt something?' As he thought this, he also noted the change in the way his best friend spoke, like he was straining to sound casual. Trying too hard to sound normal. It would've fooled anyone else, but after ten years of friendship, Ethan caught the mistake immediately.
Wait...did Benny see something between Markus and Ethan? Did someone else come to interrogate him?
"Umm..." Ethan suddenly found himself straining to sound normal, much like Benny was. "Uh, yeah...her name was Danielle, and as a matter of fact, I did get her number!" Ethan tried for a smile and pushed up his jacket sleeve, showing the pink highlighter digits that decorated his pale skin.
"Awesome, dude!" Benny grinned, but there was that forced look again, and Ethan grew more nervous. If any one of them had hurt Benny..."Wait!" The other said suddenly, pushing up his jacket sleeve further, with a warm hand. "Your bleeding, E...and your really cold!"
"Its fine, Ben." Ethan panicked momentarily, but quickly got a grip on himself, pulling off his jacket and praying to god there weren't any scratches or tears on his skin or shirt. Luckily, there was none. "That blonde? Well she was kind of a klutz too, and she spilled some dirty dishes on me when she walked by. It must be some sauce, or something." Ethan tried not to feel worried about lying, figuring Benny would never meet Danielle, and wouldn't discover his dishonesty. "I'm going to take a shower, okay, B?"
"Okay..." Benny bit his lip, still eyeing the stains on Ethan's soiled blue shirt, and as he slipped away, Ethan immediately checked his body for damage.
Spying no signs of broken bones, he only found bruises and a few healing scratches on his legs and back. Recalling the incident of how he acquired them, Ethan bent over the toilet and proceeded to feel sick, though nothing came up.
AN: Well, people, here it is. I know this was similar to last chapter, where Ethan hears voices in his head, and Benny sleeps in a hotel room, and there wasn't enough Bethan, but trust me, there will be in upcoming chapters. I'm not sure if I like this chapter, but the next one'll be better, I'm sure...maybe...I hope so. Well, at least the word count was up there. Almost fove thousand. *fist bumps the air*
What'd you think, peeps? Drop me a review!