Lycanthrope Tales

The Moon rose over the land.

The young man had been waiting for it. Since the beginning of the day, he could feel his blood boil. He was one of those extremely rare beings known as the Lycans. He emerged from the place where he had been hiding. In mortal life, his name was Liam. He was a tall and slender youth with dark hair, bronze skin and pale brown eyes.

As the moon rose into the heavens, a startling change came over the young man. Hair grew all over his body. His eyes turned yellow. His teeth elongated and sharpened. A savage beast is what he became. A hairy, muscular, man-like creature with yellow eyes, sharp fangs and long claws. Nothing like the handsome youth he had been only moments earlier. He had reverted to his true form, the form of the Lycanthrope.

The Lycanthrope ran into the woods. He had the urge to run. The woods were beautiful, so calm and peaceful. So alive. The woods belonged to him. He was the master here. He ran and suddenly stopped. He caught a scent. The scent of something very strange. He recognized it. An animal. A deer. He saw it. A tender-looking animal. He chased it. The deer leapt away. Its speed was great and yet the Lycanthrope was faster and stronger. He caught the deer and tore out its throat. Then, he feasted.

After feasting on his kill, the Lycanthrope ran. There was so much more to experience in the woods. The peace and serenity of nature. The simple fact that he belonged here. The woods with all the animals and plants there were part of nature, just as he was part of nature. He had the strength to thrive out there. This was his domain and it would remain that way.

When dawn came, the Lycanthrope changed once more and the wild side receded into the human side. Once more, Liam was a tall and slender youth. He was back to being ordinary. Well, not quite. Even in human form, the Lycanthrope was different from the humans. He had sharper senses, greater stamina and reflexes. The Lycans lived among humanity but they were not human.

Liam Peterson returned to his home. He lived in a house in the suburbs with his parents. Anthony and Juliana Peterson had no idea what their son was. Liam had never told them. They were his adopted parents. He realized what he was at the age of thirteen, when one night he suddenly changed. That had been a shock. The boy kept it to himself. Now, five years later, he was a Lycan and had come to accept that about himself. Every time the full moon rose, he would change from human to Lycan. The change could not be stopped.

Liam showered and put his clothes on. A black silk shirt, loose-fitting denim blue jeans and Timberlands. He went to school. On the way there, he caught a ride with his friend Lauren. Lauren Brownstone was one of his pals and she had recently bought a car.

"Hey, Liam. What's up?" she asked.

Liam smiled and said hi. She invited him in and he hopped in. He sat in the passenger seat of the Chevy Impala. He turned on the radio and listened to one of his favorite morning shows. Some freakin Puerto rican guy was talking about upcoming movies in the radio. Liam listened to the music and they drove toward school. Lauren chatted incessantly. She was that kind of person. Liam didn't mind. She was cool most of the time.

Elsewhere.....

The girl walked out of her house. She hated this. She hated the fact that she had to live in fear. Constant fear.

Her name was Samantha. She was tall and slender, with very pale white skin and long black hair. She wore a black leather jacket unbuttoned over a red silk shirt, black jeans and boots. Her long hair was pulled in a bun.

She came to the small town seeking peace, something she had longed to find ever since she discovered she was different from the rest of humanity. She wanted peace not only from those who made it their business to hunt her kind but also peace inside from the demons that plagued her. She saw this place that she now lives in as a new beginning rather than the dead end it appeared to be. That's what she told herself as she marched on to the new school.

To be continued.