Pack Pals in Treeing Some Cooch
By
Annabel Bastione
SMASHWORDS EDITION
Copyright © 2012 by Annabel Bastione
* * * * *
The forest loomed over us, its presence an overshadowing power, as if we were merely worshippers to the trees that reached heavens above. I peered into it, trying to see beyond the few trees and thick undergrowth that concealed its secrets. My instincts telling me there was something dangerous lurking in it.
"You're sure this is the only way?" I asked.
"According to the map, yes," my stepbrother Stefan replied.
Damn, I cursed silently. We had just started out on our journey to find Stefan's father, my stepfather, Louis and lying ahead would be our first challenge. Granted it was Louis that first gave Stefan, and subsequently I, this great gift, this powerful curse that could help us overcome any adversary. But still, the lack of experience growing up in the world made me fearful of it and what was to lie ahead.
"Alright then, you ready?"
I nodded. We had no choice, and I was eager to see how my transformed body fared in new environments. I watched as Stefan took off his shirt, revealing a toned, muscular body riddled with scars from previous altercations. The scars did nothing but to make his body even more beautiful in my opinion. I took my shirt and dropped my provisions at one side.
Letting myself relax as my mind drew a blank, I let my animalistic instincts and urges take over me as I felt that strange, yet all too familiar feeling over transformation. Before I knew it, I held up my hands and saw the claws on my paws. I turned to Stefan, he too had transformed into the most handsome werewolf I had seen.
Granted, it was the middle of day, but we were always more like shape shifters than actual werewolves. We were still in control of ourselves, unlike our feral cousins that have lost all reason, hiding in the wild and only transforming during a full moon. Like I said, they have lost control.
My senses told me that we were alone and that no one had seen us. Good. Werewolves were ostracized by the human community in general. I knew it firsthand, where my father participated in a hunting trip commissioned by the village chief to take down the werewolf. Sadly, it was my father that ended up being the prey.
I smirked at the thought, how ironic that the one creature my father spent his whole life fighting would end up being his own son?
"Ready?" Stefan grunted. Of course, to regular humans a werewolf's speak would seem at best, barking and at worse, a blood curdling howl. But since I gained the ability, I could understand the language of not just other werewolves, but the normal wolves clearly too.
"Yea," I howled as we both headed into the forest in quick, light steps. We were agile as hell, and had spent the first two years, when our village had yet to know our terrible secret, training and playing in the nearby woods. We climbed over fallen logs, ran through the treetop canopies, played extreme games of hide and seek and tag amongst other things. I can safely say I am thankful of those times because they helped me shape the agile me that I am today.
Running through the forest, Stefan climbed up a tree and began making his way through the treetops, using tree branches with masterful, light steps. Because I was tougher and better at combat, I, on the other hand, preferred to stick to the ground where Stefan could warn me of impending danger and I could fight whoever dared cross our paths.
The forest twisted and loomed. The dense undergrowth soon cut off the line of sight from each other. Even so, our enhanced senses still managed to let us track each other's position. You do not spend years training with someone as close to you as your stepbrother without having his scent firmly imprinted in your memory.
I heard a howl in the distance. I stopped, it was Stefan's voice. It was not his usual, confident, husky voice, but one of confusion, curiosity and even, a slight hint of terror. Strange, for him to signal for help like that, it must be something unexpectedly powerful. I barged my way through the undergrowth, following his scent and the direction of his voice.
Through the undergrowth, I could hardly see three feet in front of me, too much plant life in the way. But when I emerged into a clearing, the world suddenly seemed strange. I looked around, vines of poison ivy seemed to dominate the place, snaking its way up trees, forming the pavement on the ground. Strange, the way it moved, and at such an inhuman speed too, would make any being think that it was either magic or alive. I saw Stefan up ahead, standing there motionless.
"Stefan!" I howled.
He did not move, it was as if he did not even register my presence.
This was beyond strange. I approached with caution.
Apart from our entire environment, there was nothing strange about the place. My ears heard nothing unusual and my eyes detected nothing out of the ordinary. My nose sensed no other living being, only the increasing weird smell that reminded me plant-based poisons.
Wait, poison? My eyes widened at the realization as I frantically stopped myself from proceeding further.
I turned around and tried to get away as fast as possible, but suddenly found my body too heavy and weak to move. What was happening to me? Did the poison enter my system through the air? How can it react so fast?
My run turned into a stagger as my gait became awkward.
My stagger turned into a crawl as I could barely move my limps.
Before long, I found myself motionless, feeling like the weight of the world rested on my back. My poisoned muscles refused to work, yet my brain and senses were not affected. What a devious poison, I thought as I contemplated my doom at the first leg of my journey.
* * * * *
What? I'm still alive?
I opened my eyes. My body still could not move, but I sensed a presence behind me. I would turn my head, but my neck muscles felt so tired and heavy any encouragement would lead to my body responding with waves of pain.
I sighed, whoever it was, especially a werewolf hunter, would kill for any opportunity to take down two werewolves just motionless in the forest alone, assuming Stefan was still in the same position behind me.
"Ahh! What is this! HELP!" I heard Stefan yowl.
My blood turned into ice as I heard him screaming. What exactly was the being behind me that could make the fearless Stefan cower in fear? I felt cold drops of sweat forming on my back, soaking into my fur.
"AHH! AHH!" Stefan continued yowling, and there was nothing I could do to help him.
"Not there! Not in my ass! HELP!" My eyes widened in shock. What in the world was the being doing to Stefan? Was… Was it raping a werewolf?
I cried, tears running down my yellow eyes, my black irises dilated with fear.
"Hey… Hey, it actually feels… Kinda good!" Stefan grunted.
I was in shock. I knew from young he was a bit bi-curious, but never did I expect him to say something like that, awakening his inner desires in the middle of a looming forest! I was overcome more by curiosity than by sadness and fear.
If Stefan could speak, could I?
"Stefan!" I howled, turns out I could. Haha! Yea!
"Stefan!" I howled again, louder this time, praying desperately for him to save me.
Behind me, I heard him apparently conversing with the being, "Yea, that's my stepbrother, please free him too."
My heart leapt, that's the Stefan I knew and loved! He had somehow overcome the paralyzing poison and would now save me like an older brother should!
Something started to slither all over my body. I felt it, but could not tell what it was, until I saw a vine of poison ivy move in front of me. Oh my goodness, I thought, is this really happening?
It slithered at first, before wrapping itself around my limbs. I would have resisted, but in this exceptional circumstance, I was thankful to be able to move once again when the ivy carried me up and turned me around.