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Saturday, October 16th, 2011

Moon Phase - Waning Gibbous

"Why are you here" was what Alex's father said as he stood frozen in place.

"Not to cause trouble, sir. I swear." Shane said. His eye contact towards his father never wavered.

"Then spell it out for me: Why are you here?"

Shane glanced towards Alex again. "Hey." He said before waving two fingers in front of his eyes. "Calm down a bit."

Alex closed his eyes and shook his head in response, just before his parents looked towards him; once they reopened, his mother's expression shifted to concern and his tongue ran over his teeth.

As he tried to slow his breathing, despite his heart, Shane spoke again, his focus back on his father. "I just want to talk to him."

"Then you can do it with us nearby."

Shane stayed quiet for a moment, exhaling out his nose before he said, "Alright. Right here, or inside?"

'Right here' was Alex's immediate choice, and when his father looked towards him again, he said so. Once he was standing between his parents and Shane, he asked, "What did you need?"

"You, for a few hours."

As Alex's eyebrows scrunched into a questioning scowl, his mother asked, "What for?"

"My parents want to meet him."

This time, Alex's father spoke. "For what reason?"

"All they said was 'See if he's willing to come over for a while.'"

Although Alex didn't notice any hints of maliciousness in Shane's tone, his father replied first, and how he expected. "No. Absolutely not."

Expecting Shane to protest, Alex kept quiet. Instead, after shrugging and saying "Alright", Shane about-faced and headed north towards the sidewalk.

"C'mon, son." Alex stepped back over the threshold and his father closed and locked the door. After a confused sounding sigh, he asked, "Do you think that was what he wanted?"

"It sounded sincere so, probably."

"But why would he ask that now?" his mother asked.

"Because I found his house yesterday, and that made his folks nervous?"

"They could be thinking he'll identify them, or him, if another animal turns up dead." His father said after a second.

"Could be, but I don't know."

"Didn't you say that would be dangerous?" his mother asked. "Him being arrested."

"Yeah, so it has to be some other reason."

"Whatever it is, son, you know what he's done."

"And you don't know these people." His mother asked.

"That too, so don't get involved with them."

After Alex glanced outside, finding Shane already gone, he spoke. "If I see him again, I'll just tell him I won't say anything. Hopefully, that'll work."

"If it doesn't, or he tells you there's another reason, you tell us."

Alex nodded his head and said he would, though for an hour after, he couldn't stop wondering why Shane had given up so easily. Was it concern for his family, or something else?

Monday, October 17th, 2011

Moon Phase - Waning Gibbous

"What do you think they wanted, then?" Nathan asked once their class was over.

"Try to convince me to not rat them out, tell me that their son's not a bad guy...I don't know."

Nathan began to grin after a moment. "You say that, and now I'm imagining us in some TV police drama."

Alex gave a half smile at that. "Starting to wish this was nothing more than that."

"But anyway," Nathan said after he stopped grinning, "got any ideas for next time?"

"A few; none that won't make me a burden on my folks, though."

"What about scouting a spot and then going for it?"

"Shane suggested the same thing, and going out very early in the morning, but it's the patrols I'm worried about. If I pick a spot, but then they're there that night, or use the canine units and track me, I'm screwed." As his friend went quiet, likely to think of other options, Alex opted not to bring up the dead dog story. "Plus, as Dad told me, the police are now actively looking for large canines."

"Shoot to kill?"

Alex shuddered at that. "I hope not, but for all I know, yes."

Nathan gave a nervous hum in response. "I'd say go out of town if it comes down to it. Did your folks say when they needed you to decide on something?"

Alex shook his head. "Kind of wish they did. I'm guessing around a week before the full moon is as long as they'll wait."

"When's that?"

"November 10th. It's a Thursday."

Nathan took a second to respond. "If you can't decide on what to do by then, tell me. There's a few places with livestock around here."

The offer eased some of Alex's mental weight, and his response was delayed in turn. "Thanks, man. I appreciate it."

Nathan nodded as a way of saying 'No problem', though as he and Alex approached the nearest stairwell, he resumed speaking. "Just thought of something. This guy lives in a house in town. How long has he been living there?"

"Good question." Alex said after a second; the fact that he'd not thought about that before now, even though he couldn't see Shane letting slip how long he'd lived there, made him feel foolish. But if he and his family had been there for some time... What if they'd always been there, but just more careful until just before Angela died?

What her connection was to Shane and his family stayed on Alex's thoughts as Nathan spoke again. "Had to be a while, a few months at least."

"Or more."

"Yeah, but if that's so, he did a really good job hiding the evidence up until now."

Or he never killed anything himself until that calf."Or went after things other than livestock." Alex noticed Nathan rub his arms after that statement.

"That the impression you've got of him?"

"Not him being a man-eater, no. I meant to say stray animals, things like that."

"Ugh."

"Would be easy to hide."

"Yeah, it would, but that sounds like something to do if you're low on options and need something fast."

"Good point." Alex said after a second. "If I can get him to spill anything, I'll let you know." After Nathan gave him a quick handshake, the two of them parted ways.

* * *

As the first half-hour of his shift went by, despite the help he was providing to the shoppers, Alex found himself more lost in thinking about everything from the last few days. Although he was quite certain of what Shane' parents wanted of him, he couldn't let himself think that was the whole of it. Nathan's offer remained hopeful for the time it stayed in mind, although with still no idea about when he could feed and sate the hunger, asking him for help at the wrong time would squander the offer, and make his scent taunt his stomach.

What the hell do I do? Alex rubbed his temple and closed his eyes as that question came and went. For a moment after, he imagined more of the meat that Shane had given him. If that was how Shane, Angela, and the third werewolf had stayed out of sight and kept from killing, what had caused them to go after the calf? Lapse in supply? Boredom? He was asked by Daniel to help at the front as he tried to think of a third possibility. None came to mind, even ten minutes later, though those same ten minutes gave him enough time to lean towards boredom.

As five p.m., and the last hour of his shift, neared, Alex turned his attention to the trade shelves. What few gaps he found were closed, though as he worked, he almost missed seeing someone with jet black hair walking by the store. The door' bell went off soon after and when Daniel greeted the customer, the replying voice was enough to signal that it was Shane.

Alex felt his chest at that and attempted to resume working, only to stop himself after a few seconds. If Shane was already here, then he had a chance to assure him he wasn't going to rat him out, possibly find out more about what his parents wanted.

After a few steps towards the front windows, Alex noticed Shane walking towards the used RPG rulebook shelves, his attention solely on them. With Daniel manning the register and counter, he kept his distance, but left an eye on Shane. Although he didn't move, within that same minute, Alex began doubting that he'd come here on his own. With a glance outside through the nearest window, in the direction he'd seen Shane approach from, he didn't see anything like the SUV his mother had driven; the occupied parking spaces near the store obstructed his view of the northern part of the lot, where a grocery store was, and encouraged him to move.

The glance he snuck at Shane in turn was returned. Was he waiting for some of the customers to leave, or for him to be in a more secluded spot?

After seeing nothing from the north side of the store, Alex was asked for some input from a nearby browser. By the time he'd finished helping them, Shane had come closer, and then within a few feet. "Question for you." he began as Alex's previous customer walked away, "I'm looking for a certain trade. Could you help me?"

"Yeah." Alex said after glancing at Daniel; Shane had started moving before he finished the word, and led him to the other side of the store, where at least one shelf hid him from Daniel' view. "I'm not..." Alex began, to which Shane cut him off with a 'Me first.'

"Yes, they're serious about meeting you. No, it's not a trap or some kind of bait, but yes they will mind if you say no."

The last part of Shane' statement elevated Alex' pulse. Was he bluffing? What would his parents do if he wasn't? With his suspicions about their intent now sealed, what he told his parents was next out of his mouth. "I'm not about to identify you, or get you tossed in jail."

"That's not what they're concerned about."

"Then why didn't you say that before instead of being so vague?"

"Because I figured you already knew how stupid an idea that would be."

Alex glanced around before continuing. "If it's that important, then at least give me some idea of what they want."

"Like I said, they just want to talk to you. That's it. About what, I don't know. They didn't tell me."

Alex let his shoulders slump. "So, this has nothing to do with me finding your place the other day? They just suddenly want to."

"The fact that you did made them a bit nervous, yes. And me, too."

"So you were concerned that I would say something."

"Were, not am."

"Then I guess what I said about the patrols and canine units are factors too."

"Yes." Shane's reply came with a reluctant sigh.

If that's what's concerning his parents, but he knows I won't speak up..."You called me a rogue before. Is that what this is about? You all trying to convince me to go along with you?"

"No."

"Then why is it such a big deal that I talk to your folks? I know what I shouldn't be doing. What is there to discuss?"

"You know what you shouldn't be doing, and yet you lost your catch and almost let yourself go hungry. And then you make a fuss about being left in the dark, even though you already knew what could happen in that case." Shane paused and then continued before Alex could rebut, though as he spoke, his frustrated tone grew a touch of disgust. "Here. As simple as I can make it. My old man gave up some of our meat stock for you, made me carry it to your house and offer it because they were worried you would kill someone. That's why they'll mind if you say no."

After Shane spoke, the reference to his father and what had been done pushed Alex into thinking he was the second werewolf. At the same time, the fact that he'd not brought up the meat the day before put his sudden departure when turned down into context. If he'd pushed or brought that up...but then, all this sounded like he was being forced, and that wouldn't have sat well with his folks nearby. "You're making this sound like an obligation."

"It's not, but are you honestly saying you can't spare an hour or so after that?" Alex delayed too long. "Wednesday. Between 1:00 and 4:00. Could you make that?"

Although what he'd promised his folks had returned to mind by that point, the time and date Shane had given him would be when both of them would be at work, and when neither work nor his classes would be things to consider. "Let me think on it."