"Ok." Spencer replied. "Just..." images flashed through the exotic girl's mind. She remembered the smell of blood, the acrid copper heavy on her tongue as if it flowed before her. Pieces of tattered fabric snapped in the wind and above it all was the sound of crying and fearful screams. Spencer shook her head. "Just be careful."
"You know me." Asteria replied.
"Yes. I do." Spencer said gravely. "Be. Careful."
Asteria looked into her friend's eyes. "I will.
Spencer gripped Asteria's arm comfortingly. She opened her mouth as if to say something but closed it instead. She walked away, her stylish heels snapping smartly against the floor.
Asteria took a deep breath and let is out slowly. She couldn't put her finger on the why, but her nerves were up. Maybe a brisk walk would help. Asteria straightened up, standing to her full height of 5'11" and ran her fingers through her voluminous red hair. Her light blue eyes shimmered between hue and colorlessness as her thoughts, and feet, carried her away from the madness of a house preparing for Halloween.
***
The wind whipped across the thick strands of Garrets silver coat. The light from the sliver moon was a bright streak down his back. Most predators craved to be cloaked in the darkness. Garret was not like most predators. To him it didn't matter if his prey could see him or not. What he hunted would never escape. His tongue licked salaciously at his mouth. He could almost taste the kill. The forest was dark but it made no difference to Garret. His eyes could pierce the darkness and force it to reveal it's secrets. He prowled, hugging his enormous frame close to the ground. He stalked his prey. He sniffed the air, tasting the subtle flavors on his tongue. Dust, fresh tanned leather, slight mildew, a walnut fragrance which brought to mind the image of antlers. Garret shook his body, a tremor of delight traveling through his spine. A grin - if it could be called such - split his maw in a horizontal slash. If he had been in the light, the ivory daggers of his teeth would be seen gleaming.
A loud snort drew his attention. He peaked through the underbrush, the leaves whispering against his body. No further than 50 yards away a large stag stood in a small clearing. Garret drew his body up, tightening the muscles he would need. The stage raised its head, its ears standing high. Garret could see the thick cords of muscle tensing within the beast. It was going to run.
He burst from the underbrush. A flash of silver in the night as he collided with the buck. They rolled to the ground and the beast managed a mangled scream before Garret's teeth silenced him forever.
Garret had enjoyed the hunt. He licked the residual blood from his claws and his fur as he slowly walked through the woods. He was nearing the edge of the city. There he would use his training to remain undetected while he hunted a different prey.
"Don't fuck this up!" Asher had ordered. The sound replayed through Garret's mind like a haunting track. He solidified his focus and with a final lick of his sharpened digits, he returned to the ground. He was ready to be finished with this assignment so he poured his energy into a full-sprint. His powerful body tore through the woods with unbelievable speed.
Suddenly, he stopped. Crouching low he pricked his ears, his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits of yellow in the near dark. He inhaled quietly, testing the air for any scent which might settle the unease he felt. He blew through his nose - like a sneeze - and shook his head. "I am a GOD!" He said to himself. "I do not fear others. THEY fear ME." He growled low in his throat before throwing his head back and howling into the night.
Garret dug his claws into the soil beneath him and launched his powerful frame down a dirt path. Deep gouges of torn Earth were left in his wake as he exploded through the woods, asserting his dominance as the top predator in a world of inferior beings. He tore through the woods paying no mind to the noise he made as he progressed. He tried to ignore the prickles on the back of his neck but something deep within him knew: He was being followed.
Garret slid to a stop, his nails digging deep trenches as his momentum halted. He stood, rising to his transitioned height. When meeting with Asher in the woods Garret had been 6'2", after receiving his "communion" he now stood 8'1" bristling from head to tail in thick fur. Heavy blocks of muscle rippled as his anger flooded him. He bared his teeth, a rumble like a rockslide breaking free from his mouth. Strands of saliva dripped from his teeth. His ears twitched and flicked, listening for the slightest noise.
He heard nothing, could smell, nothing. His anger increased as his skin continued to prickle. He flexed his heavy claws as the realization dawned on him; he was being hunted.
***
Elizabeth 'Asteria' Madison passed through the antique looking 'old town' district of the city. She loved looking at the weathered stone buildings. Their soft-red clay bricks, edges rounded from years of elemental abuse, were comforting to her. She trailed her fingertips along the gritty stones as her stiletto heels clicked against the sidewalk.
When she had been a Freshman at University the high heels had been murder on her feet. Once, she had nearly snapped her ankle when the pointy heel slid between two blocks on the sidewalk. Now, they were a part of her. Her feet barely complained, and it was rare for her to ever lose her balance.
She passed "Shoe Pie" the local Cobbler shop. The locals got a kick out of the pun. Asteria rolled her eyes. Though she would never admit it to anyone, she liked the hokey atmosphere. It reminded her of her home.
Asteria shook her head, clearing the thoughts away. Now wasn't the time to get lost in a revelry of the past. She looked around suddenly. She hadn't noticed how dark it had become. Consulting her watch she discovered that she had been walking for well over two hours. The orange night lamps kicked on in unison. Asteria shivered and pulled her jacket tighter around herself.
It started with a tickle in the back of her mind. Then she could feel the tiny hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. When she was a child she had put her hand on a metal ball that made all of her hair stand on end. That had been a fun, playful experience. This time she did not feel the giddy excitement as she had then. This felt more like another experience altogether. An experience spelled out in physical and psychological wounds. Like blood beneath her fingernails, bruises on her skin, and tingling numb lips which come from screaming your lungs out. This was fear.
Asteria looked around. There was no one around. No people walking the old pathways. No noises hung in the air. No strange animals. Goosebumps spread across her arms and down her legs. A chill set upon her hanging in the air like an ethereal blanket wrapping around her. She shivered and started to walk again; faster. Her imagination chased her with terrifying images. She could feel the boney fingers of the monsters reaching for her, but the instant she looked behind herself there would be nothing. She walked faster still.
