Chapter Eleven: Hunger (Molly Cassidy)

June, 2013

            I'm a wolf. Long, sleek, and majestic. I move through the forest like the shadow I'm trailing; silent. My fur is the color of mocha. My nostrils flare as I take in the scent of my prey. My yellow eyes scan the forest for any signs of movement.

            My gaze zeroes in on the black shadow. I catch just the tip of his tail up ahead. He's headed up the hill towards the falls. Somehow, I instinctively know he can't swim. Neither can I.           

            I pad up the hill at a steady pace. Once I would have been panting, but now I feel strong, and the climb takes little out of me. I reach the top, and my eyes dart to the left and to the right. The shadow cannot disguise itself out here in the open, but I don't see it. I carefully trod up onto the rocky cliff that overlooks the falls. I pause at the edge, and dare a glance down at the rushing white rapids below. It's a long fall.

            Something collides with me from behind, pushing us both off of the cliff. I  yelp in panic as I plummet. My paws flail uselessly, searching for purchase they cannot find. My claws dig into the flesh of the thing that knocked me off the ledge. It's the shadow.

            I hit the water with a surprisingly painful smack, him only seconds later. We're dragged beneath the water, where it is quiet and still. It's peaceful under the rapids, and for a moment I close my eyes and allow my tense body to relax. Then my lungs begin to burn, and my eyes snap open. My survival instincts kick in. I struggle to the surface, and open my jaws, gasping desperately for breaths.

            In the corner of my vision, I see the shadow, whose limbs are hitting the water repeatedly in an attempt to remain afloat. Both of us are being carried towards the falls by the strong current. It's a drop neither of us will survive.

            I'm heading straight for a large rock, and as I pass it, I stretch out my front paws and attempt to haul myself up onto it. The rock is slippery, but somehow I manage. I crawl up, my claws clicking nosily against the surface. I collapse onto it, wheezing. My tongue lolls out.

            The shadow floats by. He lifts up his head and emits a yowl; a clear plea for help. I extend my left front paw towards him, but at the last second withdraw it. As he goes by; right before he is dragged back under; his yellow eyes lock onto mine.

            Then he's gone, out of sight, plunged over the edge. I can just barely hear his howls over the rush of the waterfall.

            I lift my own head and let out a long, low, mournful howl. When I looked into his eyes, I recognized him. The shadow I was hunting, the one I let drown, was Jasper.

...

            I bolt upright in my bed, gasping and clutching at my sheets. I'm drenched in a cold sweat, and shaking. I look out the window. It's still dark outside. The moon is just a tiny sliver. There are only few stars peeking through the heavy cloud cover.

            I glance over at my brothers' beds. Jaden is in his, but Christian isn't in his. I'm suddenly aware of a pressure across my torso, and realize that it's Christian's thick arm. His head is resting on the edge of my pillow.

            I gently remove his arm from me, surprised by how light it feels, and set it down on my bed. He's slumped over in a chair he's placed beside my bed.

            I go into the bathroom, and turn on a light. I hiss at the brightness and squint into the mirror. I see my own eyes widen in shock. My pale skin is not covered in coarse fur as I feared it might be, and my fingernails haven't turned into claws, but my eyes...My eyes are yellow. I flip the switch to turn off the light, and my eyes glow in the darkness. I bite back a scream.

            I return to the bedroom, and crawl back into my bed. I pick up Christian's arm and drape it back over me. I press my forehead up against my brother's, and squeeze my eyes tightly shut. I work to slow my breathing and to let my taut muscles go lax.

            My next dream is even stranger...

...

            I'm pacing back and forth along the fence line, searching for a weakness in the structure. Finally, I find it. I crouch down and slide my slender body through. Once I'm on the other side, I straighten myself and shake out my body. I pad up to the big white barn. Inside I smell something delicious.

            I stand on my hind legs and scratch at the doors. I whimper pitifully, then remind myself that I am a wolf; a fearsome creature of the night. I paw at the door's metal handle, wishing I had opposable thumbs. The door slowly slides open, inch by inch, until the gap is wide enough to allow me to slip inside.

            Inside the animals sleep soundly. I trot up to one of the cows and nudge her with my nose. I lick my jowls. This is where the delicious sent originated. I plunge my teeth into her middle.      The animal immediately awakens, and moos loudly. She kicks at my head with her hooves, and the blow sends me stumbling back a few feet. My vision blurs momentarily, and then refocuses. I pin back my ears and growl at the cow. I strike again, but this time the animal is prepared. Her hoof connects with my muzzle, and I yelp in pain.

            I decide to give up. The cow is too large of prey for me to take down on my own. I go exploring throughout the barn, my nose glued to the ground. Not smelling anything else appealing, I leave the way I entered.

            In the distance, I spot a chicken coop. The gate is unlocked, so I have no trouble gaining access. I stick my head into the coop's small door. Inside a dozen chickens slumber. I snap my jaws at them, but I can't reach them. I scoot farther into the coop, and manage to snag one of the hens. The others wake as I am ripping the one apart with my teeth, and they begin to cluck loudly in panic and flutter about the tiny coop.

            Annoyed, I try to pull myself back out, but my head is stuck. I dig my paws into the soft earth and jerk wildly back and forth until, with another cry, I am free.

            I turn away from the chicken coop and wander the grounds, still hungry and searching for my next meal. I catch movement in my peripheral vision and take off running after it. It's a squirrel that, as soon as it notices my approach, takes off. My paws pound the earth as I give chase. I lower my head and snarl. I extend my jaws and snatch the it up. I crunch down on bone...

...

            My eyes snap open. I'm no longer in my bed with Christian's arm draped over me, but at the edge of the property, lying flat on my stomach. I sit up slowly and clutch at my throbbing head. I stare down at myself. My nightgown is dirty and ripped. I wipe my mouth, and my hand comes away red and sticky. I gasp.  

            A bright flash of light momentarily blinds me.          

            "Molly?" Jaden's voice calls my name. He sounds worried.

            I rise unsteadily to my feet.

            "Baby girl?" Christian cries. He sounds even more frantic.

            "Jaden! Christian!" I yell back to them. The light is shined directly into my eyes, and I growl instinctively.

            As they draw closer, the light disappears, and I sigh in relief.

            "There you are!" Christian cries when they're near. His voice is tight. His strong arms engulf me and lift me off of my feet.

            "Are you alright? I woke up and you were gone." He murmurs. He sets me down on the ground.

            "I...I don't know." I answer honestly. "I don't know how I got here."

            Christian and Jaden exchange a look.

            "Let's get you back inside." Christian says tenderly, returning his attention to me. He takes my hand, and leads me back into the house. As we pass the cornfields, a shiver runs down my spine, and I glance back over my shoulder. There is a brief flash of yellow, so brief I can't be certain I didn't imagine it. I press myself more closely to Christian's side, and he winds a protective arm around me.

            He takes me into the bathroom. Jaden wets a washcloth with warm water and wipes gently around my mouth. When he rings it out, the water turns red beneath the faucet.

            "Can one of you check on the cows and the chickens?" I implore anxiously.

            Jaden's brow furrows. Christian narrows his eyes.

            "I woke up at the edge of the property covered in dirt, with blood on my face after dreaming that I tried to eat a cow, and that I did eat a chicken. I need to know that it was just a dream." I tell them. 

            I reach up and rub my neck, which is oddly sore. I recall being trapped in the chicken coop and gasp again. I stand from the toilet, which my brothers gently pushed me down onto, and stare into the mirror. My eyes are an even brighter yellow than before, but what disturbs me are the angry marks on my neck. I open my mouth. My teeth are coated in red. Proof that it wasn't just a dream after all.

            "Oh, God." I moan. Bile rises up in my throat. I sprint for the toilet, throw open the lid, fall to my knees, and heave. Jaden holds back my hair and rubs my back. He murmurs soothing things to me. When I'm finished, he helps me to stand. Christian offers me my toothbrush and the bottle of toothpaste, and I scrub at my teeth and then spit. Red swirls down the drain. If I had anything left in me still, it would be coming up right now.

            "It's alright, Molly." Jaden murmurs to me. He places his hands on my shoulders. "It happened to Christian and me, too. The first time we transformed was while we slept."

            "I ate raw animals." I groan. "And I liked it!"

            It occurs to me that the reason my head is throbbing might be because of the cow's kick. I rub my temples and close my eyes. A cool glass is pressed up against my lips, and I take a few small sips of cold water.

            "It's ok, Molly." Jaden continues to reassure me. "It's natural. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

            They lead me back to my bed. My gaze falls upon the open window. A slight breeze wafts in. A pair of yellow eyes stare at me, but when I blink, they're gone. I open my mouth to tell my brothers, but then change my mind. They tuck me back into my bed, and Christian resumes his place in the chair beside me.

            "Can you close the window?" I finally ask Jaden. "I'm cold." It isn't a lie. I am cold; I'm alternating between freezing and overheated about every five minutes. It's a part of the fever that's a part of the transformation.

            The first day wasn't as awful as my brothers warned me it would be. My muscles spasmed and nothing I drank could quench my thirst. Now my entire body aches, and my stomach is in knots. My head hurts, too, but it helps to have my brothers with me, and they give me something that effectively knocks me out.

            "Just two more days." I mutter to myself as I drift off.

            Two more days, and I'll be a werewolf.