Wolf's Heart
Bright blue sky, small cool breeze, fluffy white clouds, it was the perfect day for a picnic. Because of this, it didn't take much for the girls to convince their grandfather to take them to the park. They were practically bouncing off of the trees the moment they got out of the car and it took most of his willpower to herd them to one of the picnic tables. Sitting in the shade, Grandpa started to pull the different items out of the cooler while watching the girls out of he corner of his eye as they ran off to play. One went straight to the playground while her sister went off to the tree line, a look of curiosity on her face.
Grandpa set the last of the wrapped sandwiches on the table and was about to call for the girls when one of them screamed. His head snapped up and he looked around furiously before he could see his granddaughter at the edge of the park clearing, screaming her head off. Both he and her sister ran to her, and he grabbed her, turning her away. "Don't look, don't look. It's ok...." he said, trying to calm her as her screams continued in full, now muffled in his torso. "Sadie, stay away from it!" he told his other granddaughter while he pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket.
Once he had the 911 dispatcher on the line he detailed what he knew. It was a little hard for him for it was a gruesome sight. Blood was everywhere, staining the grass to a reddish brown. Splayed open, the deer's guts and entrails were scattered around, some still hanging out of the carcass. The neck was shredded, the head nearly completely separate from its body. Worst of all was the look on the deer's face: it was full of fear.
***
Dave whistled with the CD he had playing in the car, and his fingers would tap out the rhythm whenever he was stopped at a light. He and Julie had planned this dinner for nearly two weeks, and it was going to be great. The weather was beautiful, and they had heard good things about this restaurant. It was more upscale than they were used to (and probably more expensive than he could really afford), but it was one of those nights. Turning off of the main road, Dave wove his way through her neighborhood and pulled up in front of her townhouse. Hopping out, and practically skipping up the walkway, he tried to control his excitement as he waited for her to answer the doorbell.
His eyes grew large when Julie opened the door. The green dress was a killer, her looks were beyond description, but what struck him the most were her eyes. The light from the setting sun caught them in a way that they looked like they glowed. "If you're speechless, I guess I did ok with the outfit."
Dave snapped out of it, and put on a nervous grin. "I don't think OK is the right word. You look amazing."
"Aww...thanks." She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before closing the door behind her. "Shall we get going? The reservation is in half an hour, right?"
They walked to the car where Dave held the door open for her before jumping behind the wheel. He made another quick look at his fiancée and whistled in his head. Her brown hair was draped over her shoulder in a wavy ponytail, and sitting down she was showing quite a bit of leg. I might have to ask for a raise so that we can do this more often.
They made it to the restaurant with plenty of time to spare, the valet getting the car door for Julie before taking the car to the lot. Dave offered his arm and the couple walked in. He noticed a few heads turning their way and he grinned. That's right fellas, she's with me.
The maitre'd greeted them with the usual over-pleasantries and escorted them to a table. The waiter started them off on some drinks and they passed the time looking over the menu and chatting about nothing. Soon enough dinner started in earnest and the conversation flowed a little bit better once the wine was able to loosen them up. "Got the latest laser experiment up and running finally." Dave announced between bites of pasta. "You couldn't begin to imagine the shoddy workmanship in that thing. Melted wire, frayed wire, blown fuses, the thing was a mess."
Sipping some water, "I don't know, I see plenty of crappy things at the warehouse. Granted, nothing high tech like the equipment you work on at the lab, but cheap junk is cheap junk."
Dave laughed at that. "You can say that again. At least they pay well. Anything new happening at the warehouse?"
Julie shook her head. "No, just more of the usual. Boats bring the containers in, trucks take them out. Nothing's gone missing in a while, thank God. You can't begin to imagine the fuss people raise when boats lose their stuff." Both of them giggled like children.
All throughout dinner Dave and Julie talked about life, and they couldn't keep their eyes off of each other. Dave in particular. All too soon it ended though, and they were back in the car, the valet's pocket a little bit heavier. As they drove they watched the lights run past the car. This part of the city shone like a jewel at night, and they both enjoyed looking at it. The radio finished a song and started to summarize the day's news, and while Dave was ignoring it in favor of peeking at Julie as much as possible, one report drew his attention.
"While searching for the suspected bear that is loose in Gretchen Park, Rangers on loan from the nearby national park came across what they have feared for the past week. After killing four large animals in the past six days, it appears that it has added a new prey: people. A hiker was found torn apart, deep in the woods away from the paths. City and park officials have begun debating on whether or not to close the park until..."
Dave frowned, and Julie noticed. "What's wrong?"
He turned the radio to a music-only station. "They found a dead person in the park today."
"Oh."
The rest of the drive passed in silence, and he dropped her off at her home with a kiss. "Want to come in?" she asked, a look on her face he was familiar with.
Dave shook his head though. "I can't. They need me at the lab early tomorrow for the experiment."
Julie's face sagged in disappointment. "I see...I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow then?"
Smiling and lifting her chin, "Of course." They kissed deeply, and she waved to him as he drove off.
Dave's mind spun like a gyroscope as he went home, but he wasn't thinking about Julie. Four dead animals, now a person. This is getting bad... The moment he pulled into his driveway he jumped inside the house and changed out of his suit, and stood by the back door, which he opened.
He looked out the windows, making sure no one was in sight. Seeing and hearing no one, Dave sighed, and changed. His bone structure shifted, his physique now needing to be on all four limbs. He grew a coat of fur, the coloring matching the black and grey of his hair. Tail wagging at the familiar scents of his home, Dave trotted out of the door, pulling it closed it with his snout. With little time to spare, the werewolf ran across the back yard and started on his way to the park, hoping and praying that he's wrong about what he's begun to fear.
***
Even with park rangers, hunters, and the usual busybodies all around Gretchen Park, it was an easy thing for Dave to slip in unnoticed. He even managed to get to the scene of the murder without being spotted. The coroners had already taken the body away and the area was saturated with the stink of humans and medical chemicals, but he put his nose to the ground and sniffed around anyway. It took a bit of concentration, but he soon found a faint scent, one he hoped to never smell. It was similar to his, but it didn't smell as clean. Dirt, sweat and blood all played some part of this new scent. It led off into the trees. He followed the trail, alternating between having his nose to the ground and eyes up, looking around. He soon came to a small clearing, one well hidden and away from any of the trails.
Dave circled the clearing, sniffing the ground the entire time. This place is saturated with it. Is this where...? He didn't even need to finish the question, his answer came while he was still asking it. A bush rustled, and a wolf padded into the clearing and stopped at the edge. They stared at each other for a minute, both sniffing the air to learn something about the other. Needing more, Dave shifted into human form and sat cross legged on the grass.
The grey wolf took a few steps towards him, and paused. Dave watched it. "I know what you are. Shift so that we can talk."
The wolf barked, but when Dave glared, she lowered her head and shifted. Long, unkempt silver-grey hair fell nearly to her waist, but she was anything but old. _Hell, she's just a kid! _ She plopped down on her stomach, holding her head on her chin and her feet waving in the air. "Why this form?" she asked.
"This form's better for civilized talk. How old are you?"
"Twenty summers."
Ok, not a kid then. "What's your name?"
"The last one called me Grey. Said it was because of my hair."
"Ok then Grey. I'm Dave. Where are you from?"
She shrugged. "Not here."
Growing more and more concerned, "Was your mother a wolf?"
She nodded, and Dave's stomach fell, his fears being confirmed before his eyes. _A feral... _ "Why did you come here?"
She shrugged again. "I walked here, found a lot of food."
"But you're not eating them!" he shouted at her. "Just taking parts and leaving the rest!"
"I don't like those parts. I eat what I like, leave rest. There is a lot here, don't need to eat bad parts."
"What about the man? Why did you kill him?"
"He was mean, threw rock. I didn't like, so I kill."
Dave jumped up and took a step or two towards her. "I know you probably don't understand, being a feral, but you can't do that! When dead animals show up people get suspicious. When people die, they get mad."
She looked at him with innocent eyes. "You live here, you don't kill?"
"No!" He paused, calming himself. "I can buy food from the store. I don't have to kill. I can help you, get you a home, teach you how to live with people."
Grey whined and rolled onto her back. "I don't want that. Want to run free." She stared up at him. "Why don't you run with me? We can have lots of fun together."
Sighing in exasperation, Dave turned around. "I have a life here, and a woman I love. If you won't stop killing you need to leave. If people learn about what you are then they might find out about me."
Grey snorted in disgust. "You no live. You boring." She sniffed loudly. "Don't even smell like wolf."
"That's because I'm not a wolf. I'm a person, born and raised." Dave turned around and the hard glare he had softened. "Since you're a feral you won't understand. Growing up and living in civilization I heard stories about werewolves that paint us as monsters. I wish I could shift and run around like any other canine, but people won't understand. If they learn that we're real they'll hunt us down without mercy, and the ones who don't will insist that we bite them, thinking that will make them werewolves." Shaking his head, "No, I can't go with you, and if you can't learn to live like a human you have to leave. It's the only way we can survive."
Grey just sat there on her back, looking at Dave with a blank expression on her face. He sighed and shifted into wolf form. "Go away." Dave growled. "You're causing too many problems." With that, he trotted off into the trees.
Partway to the park's edge Dave heard a twig or something snap somewhere behind him. He stopped in his tracks and turned around, staring into the dark brush and sniffing the air, alert to any small clue. Is that you, or a rabbit? After a minute of sensing he didn't find any hint of what made the noise so he resumed his trot back home.
On the way, Dave couldn't stop thinking about Grey. The last thing I need is a feral around here. Did she even understand what I was trying to tell her? She didn't get her looks from her mother... He shook his head at that last thought. What was I thinking? She's a feral! I can't think that way about her, even if I wasn't with Julie.
***
A few days passed without any new mauled people or animals in the news, and Dave stopped worrying about Grey. I guess she did understand what I was saying. Work progressed at the lab, the laser he helped the scientists build worked great. The latest run worked perfectly, and the mood around the lab was one of excitement. A new grant was all but assured now.
When everyone broke for lunch, Dave called Julie at the warehouse she ran, but she didn't pick up. Probably in the middle of something. he figured. I'll catch her tonight.
***
Sitting at her desk, Julie was updating the warehouse inventory. A new set of containers arrived that morning and she needed to make sure they got logged correctly. When that didn't happen things would disappear, and she was committed to not letting that happen on her watch. The office was its usual quiet self, the only audible sounds were the clicking of computer keys and a radio playing softly in the background. A bottle of soda sat within easy reach, a sandwich just a little bit further.
Out in the warehouse proper, something went bump. Julie's head looked up and glanced out the door for a moment, but she went back to work, dismissing it. Squirrels often jumped in through the open windows, so it was nothing to worry about. Less than a minute later though, a louder thump came from a different part on the warehouse, followed by a crash. Crap, did it find a way into a container? Julie wondered, and stepped out to check it out. Sunlight streamed through the windows, lighting most of the large room while the fluorescent lights took care of the rest.
Julie stopped and stood in the middle of the room, listening for any sign of the squirrel. Something creaked to her right, the kind of noise made by an opening container. What the? The woman hustled towards the source and found that a container had indeed been opened. Her heart beat a little bit faster. "Whoever you are, you're in big trouble! Those containers are private property!" she shouted as she reached into her pocket for her cell phone. "Come out and I won't have the police press-" she stopped cold when she peered into the container.
A pair of yellow-green eyes shone back an Julie, and the bristling grey fur rippled as the wolf growled, white teeth bared. Her hands losing feeling, Julie dropped he phone as she turned and ran. Dodging between different containers she tried to listen for the wolf, wondering if it was following her. Panting from the exertion, Julie stopped and leaned against small table, trying to catch her breath. What do I do, what do I do, what do I do... her mind raced, the adrenaline in her system encouraging her to run.
Suddenly, something softly padded on the table behind her. She froze when she felt a hot breath on the back of her neck. Julie closed her eyes, an image of Dave appearing in her mind just as she felt the animal jump onto her back, pushing her to the floor. The moment they hit the ground she felt a series of sharp pains in the back of her neck, and Julie screamed...
***
Grey was laying under a tree in the clearing where he first met her, licking blood out of her paws when Dave burst through the trees. "You killed her!" he growled, not bothering to shift out of wolf form.
She just looked at him and barked back. "Of course. She was competition." To further spite him, she went back to her cleaning.
Growing in rage, his hackles rose, legs primed to jump. "She was to be my mate you bitch!"
Grey snorted and rose to her paws. "So? She was weak. You need strong female to live."
That was the last insult. Dave leapt forward, crossing the gap between them before Grey could do anything. His teeth grabbed a piece of flesh and he used that to toss her to the ground. He pounced on top of her, bating her legs aside, using his body to pin her down. Growing so hard he was drooling, he put her neck in his jaw, ready to rip it out, just like she did to Julie. His teeth pressed, drawing blood, but Grey lay there in silence. Dave gripped hard with his teeth and was about to yank, but he stopped. His growling turned into a whine, and he backed off of her, tail slipping between his legs.
Grey shifted and rolled onto her side, showing off her entire body to Dave. "What's wrong? You had me."
Dave shifted as well and sat on his knees, not looking at her. "I...I can't do it...I'm not like you."
"You're civilized." Grey spat the word out like a curse. "You're weak!"
"You're feral! All you do is kill!" he shot back.
"Living is killing. You're too weak. You can't live."
It may not have been what she meant, but the way she said it cut straight to Dave's heart. Every memory he had of Julie flashed into his head. "Not without her." The sight of her disemboweled, nearly decapitated body came to his mind, and he started to cry.
Grey walked over to the man and put her hand on his shoulder. "You said you want to teach me. I teach you."
Dave looked up, his eyes a mix of pain, anger, and sorrow. "Teach me what? How to kill? I can hunt just fine thank you." Everything he knew about wolves and werewolves ran through his mind, and he realized something.
"Why didn't I see it? You're feral, thinking like a wolf. I'm the alpha male here, and you wanted to become the alpha female. You do that by killing the current alpha." He stood up and loomed over her, pushing Grey to the ground when she tried to stand up as well.
"You may have grown up as a wolf, but you're in civilization now, and you'll have to start playing by civilization's rules. You've murdered two people. By all respects I should be tossing you to the police, but that will just raise too many questions. So instead, we'll do this: I will teach you how to live among humans. I will make you understand why it is wrong to kill people, and the limits to hunting."
Grey crawled backwards but Dave stepped forward. "You want to be an alpha, fine. You did kill a rival alpha, so by your account you are an alpha now, as long as I don't reject you." He knelt down and looked her in the eyes. "Here's what we'll do. Stay here in the park, but do not kill anything." He emphasized the last part. "I'll bring you food. After a week or so I'll bring you to my home, and you'll live with me there acting as a pet."
"Pet? Rope around neck? No freedom? No!" Grey shook her head vehemently. "No pet!"
Dave grabbed her face, holding it still. When she resisted he grabbed her arm too. "Yes, you will. You're an alpha female now, but I am still above you in the pack. You will do what I say. Don't think that my unwillingness to kill is a weakness. I can come up with ways to punish you if you don't behave." He let go and stepped back. The rage that had built up in his eyes over the past few minutes faded and he looked down at Grey with compassion. "It won't be for forever. As long as you're willing to learn from me you'll have a comfortable time with me, never wanting anything. After all, an alpha male has to provide for his pack, right?" He winked, then shifted into a wolf.
Grey watched him as he stepped up to her again. "I'll be back tomorrow with some food." he promised.
Grey shifted as well and lowered her head, not looking him in the eye. "I'll do what you say. You are alpha."
Barking, "Yes, I am. Never forget that." With that Dave trotted back into the woods and thought of Julie all the way home.