Wolf's Bane Ch. 02

Chapter 2

I slept through the entire day, waking up now and again to cry softly then fall back into slumber. On the second day in my cave I finally roused myself up from hunger pains and the need to urinate badly. Once that was taken care of I went in search of breakfast; which turn out to be a rather small hare. It was pretty easy to kill it, as I just threw my hunting knife at it and struck it in the head, handle first. It was dead after that blow so I took it back to my cave then gathered some dry wood and made a small smokeless fire. After that I looked around my little home, looking in all directions, nothing but tall pine trees as far as the eyes could see. Down in the valley there were small herds of deer and other wild game. Mostly turkey vultures, quail, turkeys, and even pheasant. Wandering down the mountainside into the valley I found an oak tree fall which had seen many summers. I broke off a branch, about four feet in length, and sat on the oak log. I pulled out my hunting knife and started to sharpen one end of the branch, pulling off offshoots as I went. Once that was done I repeated the process twice more and carried my three spears back to the cave.

The days passed with a steady pace, slowly turning into months then finally years. I now stood outside my cave the last remaining shreds of clothes had long been turned into a loincloth. I was leaner than a mountain lion but stronger than a bear. There were quite a few of these creatures in the area but not for a long time for some strange reason. I had watched many winters in my cave, nearly freezing to death once or twice. My skin was now tanned to a nice golden bronze, my hair held back in a tight thong made out of animal skin. I notice over time that my senses, speed and strength had been increasing in leaps and bounds. My mind seems sharper than it was and my overall intelligence seems to be increasing year by year. And as the years passed, my monthly changes came with them until one night not so long ago that I willed myself not to change and I didn't. It took a while of practicing and now I was able to change into my wolf /man form whenever I chose. To me, it has felt like many a year has pasted since that fateful night. Surviving here was difficult at first but then it got easier over time. After the first couple of years I stop even counting the days for I no longer cared about things like that. That is until I noticed people. At first it started innocently enough, a man walking through the woods wearing a strange rucksack and odd clothing. Time pasted and on the far edge of the forest, my eyes strained to their limits, I could see the beginnings of a road. From my cave to this road was at least a few days away on foot. Time pasted again and the road expanded further into the woods, driving most of the wild game further away than usual. Soon a building went up, no more than a shack, which in time became a larger house. Then a second house was built, then a third, and then a fourth, until dozens of house lined the outside of the forest. Other buildings soon went up and these groups of houses and buildings became a town.

Still I stayed in my cave; I really didn't want any part of that town. Usually I would watch this town, unable to see the odd-looking black road.

'Must be a new form of cobblestones.' I thought.

Time passed yet again and the town expanded only a little, but the animals stayed away from the town and only went into it at night. On some days I could see some odd looking horse-less carriages on black wheels but that was only if I climbed to the highest point of the mountain. Other strange machines started to appear, ones that could fly high up in the sky. At times they flew low enough so I could see people travelling inside and other times they were so high that they must have reached the top of the world. All was peaceful on my mountain, that is until the townspeople started to clear a good portion of the trees from the forest. They used ugly, foul smelling, yellow metal monstrosities to push and trample trees and undergrowth. The animals fled these machines, driving further and further into the forest, and soon my supply of game will be gone. The trees that were knocked down were placed in the back of a huge metal cargo hauler and disappeared down the winding road into the distance. Machines with claws dug into the earth, tearing, ripping it apart until it was flattened course sand. These people were coming into my territory; soon I will not be able to stay hidden.

That came to pass rather quickly. It happened on one of the moonlit nights and I heard strange noises off in the distance, near the base of the mountain. I drew my weathered hunting knife, years of maintenance kept my knife relatively sharp, but the passage of time was taking its toll on my ever-useful tool. I went to investigate this noise, so close to my home. After thirty minutes of walking in the shadows I came upon a small clearing. In the center of the clearing was a large bonfire, a few dead falls lay scattered around. I then noticed a large group of people, around the age of eighteen if I had to guess. They were laughing and singing but their was no instruments in sight so I knew not where the strange loud music came from. There was a strange curved 'box' near one of the dead falls, where a rather short guy with dark hair and metal piercings through his nose and ears. I then smelled liqueur in the air, a very pungent odor which told me these people were drinking or drunk at the moment. I peered closer and saw them hold flimsy cups. As I watched I noticed that the young women in this group were unchaperoned and dangerously close to being taken advantaged of. Lust filled the air and I saw a small splinter group of three boys watching the young women like foxes inside a chicken coup. The way these young women dress was near scandalous.

'Those pieces of scum, they're planning something. Maybe they're going to take advantage of one of the young ladies.' I thought.

One of the girls staggered to her feet and shuffled out of the clearing, wobbling on her unsteady feet. The three boys watched her leave with what I could only describe as a predator's gaze, cold, calculating, and excitement. I made my way around the clearing, avoiding the firelight, ducking behind bushes and trees. My progress was slow but eventually made it to the path they took and followed stealthily not making a single noise. Soon the woods thinned out and I came upon the area where the large metal machines were clearing the ground. The three boys had the young lady cornered against one of the machines and from the distance I was at I could clearly see fear on her face and smell it on the breeze. They blocked very escape route, forcing her to remain where she was. As I approach I could hear snippets of what they were saying to her, their tone harsh, their body language threatening.

"Come on you little bitch. Your going to give it up to us one way or another." Said the leader of the group. The other two laughed at her apparent fear.

"No, please, don't do this. I'm begging you not to do this." The girl whimpered.

This only spurred them on, filling the air with the scent of their lust.

"Oh, yeah we're going to have some real fun with you. I'm going to claim that tasty as of yours'." Sneered the one to the left while the last one remained silent.

The girl began to cry, unable to stop what was going to happen to her. Then they started to grope and prod her flesh, making her cry out in pain. All the while I remained in the shadows, getting very angry with these fools. No one had the right to take advantage of someone like that. I walked forward, still being silent and the girl continued to cry. They were laughing now, clearly enjoying their fun. One pulled out what appeared to be a handle of some sort and with a flick of the wrist the blade of a knife shot out. The knife wielder started to cut the shirt of the girl and was very rough with the knife cutting into the fabric. I finally reach the trio, still quiet as a church mouse. They were laughing, enjoying their fun, almost sadistic in nature. I reached out with my right hand and grabbed the leader by the scruff of the neck. He stopped laughing immediately, as did his two friends. I threw him to the ground roughly and slid four feet away. His two friends realized what was happening and lunged for me, one going for my legs, while the other went for my midsection. I saw this coming a mile away and easily sidestepped the pair. As they passed I threw a right hook into the temple of the nearest fool and he dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. The other one scrambled to his feet and spoke finally. "This is none of your business motherfucker, this bitch is ours." He spat out. I was then that he notice my appearance for the first time and stared opened mouthed at what he saw.

"You are a fool and a braggart. You will come to a bad end some day, in which it may be painful to the bitter end." I replied.

I lashed out with my bare foot, connecting with his left knee. I heard a wet snap coming from the knee and he crashed to the ground screaming in pain. The girl all the while watched in fascination, as her would be hero mopped the floor with these three losers.

"Hey, dumbass!" I heard behind me.

The leader had gotten his second wind and somehow found a strange sledgehammer. He swung with all his might, in a wide sideways arch and landed a heavy blow to my shoulder blade. He was surprised to see the hammer bounce off my back, only leaving a small, barely visible bruise. It hurt for a few seconds but it wasn't that bad though, it did piss me off though. I stared at the confused boy and I decided his life wasn't worth a bucket of piss and started to change into the beast. Loud popping noise could be heard several feet away, and my fur rippled along my muscles. As soon as it started, it was over. Where once a wild man stood now a werewolf took his place. I popped my claws out and slashed his neck out, blood spewing everywhere covering my black fur in blood. I turned to the other one that had regained his senses; he stared at me with open horror. He tried to stab me with his knife which I caught easily in my paw. I grabbed him with my other hand and hoisted him up nearly three feet off the ground. He was helpless now, at my mercy, which at the moment I had very little in store. I heaved with all of my inhuman might and he went sailing through the air, hitting a large oak with a loud sickening thud. Definitely dead, his neck crushed down into his body, his head split open with the chewy center leaking out. The last one was still on the ground screaming in pain and fear; I could see madness clearly in his eyes, spittle coming out of the corners of his mouth.

I turned back to the girl, she was staring at me wide eyed, unable to decide whether to be scared or awed at what she had just seen. Our eyes met and I stared deeply into her dark blue eyes.

"Are you ok?" I asked, my voice a deep timbre.

She nodded her head once unable to speak for a minute. While she decided whether to speak or not, I changed back into my human form. Yet again she stared in awe and saw my face for the first time.

"My God your gorgeous!" She said and then blushed as she realized what she said.

"Um, thank young miss" I replied, very unsure for the first time in a long while.

"Do you know you're naked?" she asked.

I looked down and it appeared she was right, my transformation had apparently took it's toll on my loin clothe.

"Yes, well, as my grandpa used to say 'Shite happens.'" I replied with a hint of humor on my lips. But the girl seemed preoccupied looking at my crotch. I lowered my hand to waist level and gestured upward and she blushed when she realized she was caught.

"You speak very oddly, you know." She stated.

I nodded my head sagely.

"Been hearing that since I was born. 'Course my brothers said that very often." I said. Memories of my family came to the surface of my mind. A lone tear slide out the corner of my eye.

"Well, my name is William Smythe. What is your name my dear?" I asked the girl.

"My name is Tessa Martinez. Glad to meet you Willy." She said with a smirk.

A bark of laughter escaped my lips and really looked at the young girl in front of me. She was very beautiful. Shoulder length brown hair with blond streaks, large blue eyes starring at me with something I couldn't identify, her skin was the color of honey.

'Yes, very beautiful.' I thought.

"Martinez? That's a strange name. Where does your family hail from Tessa?" I asked. She gave me an odd look, but shrugged a second later.

"My family originally came from Puerto Rico, we moved here a couple a years back. It's just me and my mom now. Dad was killed in a car crash not long after." She said looking down at the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss." I said, she seemed to be sad for a moment. I didn't exactly know what a car was, but I assumed it was something mechanical.

"So Mr. Smythe, where does your family come from?" she asked. She wiped her hand across her face, smearing a little of her makeup.

"My grandfather came over from England with his wife and started a farm. My father became a farmer too and started breeding like rabbits with my mother. Five siblings in all." I said with a smile on my face.

For reasons beyond me, we were getting along famously, though a few words were strange.

"I think Tessa, that I should escort you safely home." I said to her. She nodded her head and gave me a huge smile. She grabbed my hand, feeling the rough calluses on them and we started to walk away from the cleared area, leaving the broken boy on the ground long since passed out. We avoided the other clearing and made our way towards the town, which I had avoided like the black plague.

"You know you're the first werewolf, I've ever met. Tell me William, how long have you been out here in the woods?" Tessa asked.

"Well I been out here a long while. Don't know for sure. Last time I check it was the year of our lord 1765. Why, what year is it?" I asked almost fearing the answer. I may have been out here at least twenty, twenty-five years. What she said next shocked me to my core.

"William, it the year 2006." She said slowly. Looking at me very cautiously.

"So, apparently I'm...a two hundred and fifty-nine year old werewolf, walking in the moonlight with a very beautiful young women."

She beamed a smile at me that could have light the entire forest. "Hmmm, two fifty nine. Wow, you're older than the damn country." She said. I was a little surprised at the language she was using, but then again this isn't my time. Everyone I knew was dead and buried. And I barely looked older than twenty-two.

"Well, you, Sir William, need a shower, a hair cut and most definitely a shave." Tessa said with a twinkle in her eyes.

With that one look I blushed like I hadn't done in years. We continued walking into the woods drawing closer to the town. Twigs and grass were crunched underneath my feet, a light breeze blew threw the trees, lifting up Tessa's hair every so often. I then notice what she was wearing; dark colored breeches, bright blue shoes, a short-cropped tunic with lettering on the front though that was now unrecognizable from the attack earlier. I took in her other features as well; long legs, wide hips, slender arms, an almost swan like neck, she nearly came level with my shoulders, and though I tried not to look, her bosom was very 'abundant' and nearly popping out of her ruined shirt. But I'm naked so I didn't have much to talk about and I wasn't wanting to be a hypocrite. We continued to walk in a comfortable silence, still holding hands. The woods thinned out and we reached a stretch of grass that bordered one of those very strange cobbled streets. The road was still warm from the afternoon sun and felt refreshing from walking the forest floor for so long.

"Tessa, what is the name of this town?" I asked.

"Well you wouldn't know the name of this little burg but then again, nobody outside of it would recognize its name. The town is called Fox Hollow; it isn't even on a map it so small. The nearest neighboring town is a good thirty miles away but basically were in the middle of nowhere on the back end of the Pine Barrens." Tessa said with a little humor.

We continued walking for little less than a mile into the town, Fox Hollow, now that I knew the name. Most of the houses that they pass were dark but others had lights shinning threw their windows. Finally we reach our destination, a fairly large house, two stories at least, painted a pale blue color with white trim and a white front door. All of the lights in this house were blazing, as if a hundred torches lit the inside of the house.

"Oh, shit." Tessa whispered. The fear came back to her face and returned to air once more.

"What is something the matter?" I asked, concerned at her reaction to her home. Unconsciously claws popped out of my fingers and my hands sprouted dark fur. It took a second to calm down and my hand returned to normal then I looked into Tessa's face presenting a calm exterior.

"Yeah, you could say that. My mom is up and is waiting for me to come in. I didn't exactly tell her I was going out and snuck out. I can tell you right now she is going to be pissed." She said.

"I think she'll be happy you weren't killed or raped tonight. But you might want to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. And don't worry I'll be right there, right beside you." I flashed what I considered to be my most charming smile, though I probably didn't even come close to charming at the moment.

I held her hand and walked towards the house, Tessa stop at the front door for two minutes, gathering her courage for the fight she knew would be ahead. She reached out, turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, we moved silently into the house. Just as I closed the door, I heard the most ear-shattering scream, which hurt my sensitive ears, and was repeatedly hit by a blunt object. Then the yelling began as I was being hit, the yelling was mostly in another language, which thankfully I couldn't understand. I threw up my hands to shield myself form the blows, and turned to she an older version of Tessa, whom appeared to be extremely pissed at the moment and was glaring daggers at me, and then at Tessa.

"What the hell do you think your doing young lady!? Where have you been? It's nearly two thirty in the morning!" Mrs. Martinez screamed in fluent Spanish

"Momma, please calm down! I can explain everything, if only you stop hitting William." Tessa responded like wise in Spanish, her eyes glazed over with fear.

"Who the hell is William?" she screamed in Spanish.

"Hum... the guy you're hitting right now." Tessa said meekly.

Mrs. Martinez stopped hitting me and got her first good look at me.

"Why the fuck is he naked?" she said and then noticed the condition of her daughters' clothes. "What the hell happened to you!? You son-of-a-bitch! If you hurt one hair one on my little babies' head I'll fucking kill you." Her eyes were blazing with rage at the thoughts that I had done something to Tessa.

Of course I didn't know what she was saying to me, but I could under stand her body language and the hostility she was showing me.

"Ma'am, if you will only give me a chance to explain you'll be happy to have your daughter back safe and sound." I said with all of the sincerity I could muster.

"Alright, but you have ten minutes to tell my your damn story and if I'm not satisfied with it your going to end up as a human piñata in my living room. Then I am going to call the cops on you dumbass."

She said fiercely and walked down the hallway to another room, Tessa and I followed and once there we sat down. Mrs. Martinez was pacing back and fore, muttering under her breath every now and again. She stopped suddenly and lock eyes with me, her hazel eyes bore right into me, but I was unaffected by it and its' intensity. Her gaze flickered down to my crotch and stared for a few seconds longer than necessary. She looked back up and saw that she was caught in the act, and blushed beautifully just like her daughter.