The Dehumanization of Ethan Brown

The large city park main entrance was chained off. Nearby a baseball field was a paved road that emptied into a large parking lot with tree lining it. Beyond the parking lot were a playground with swings, metal slides and a modern plastic jungle gym with tunnels and es. es. Past the playground were thick trees and a few muddy hiking paths and beyond that Ria and Etwerewere in the clearing in the wooded area a distance from the parking lot.

Ethan couldn’t smell the direction that the alien wolf had taken but his scent was on the trees and several paths, marking this park as his own. Ethan urinated over the other wolf’s smell. Two could play that game. He needed to find a fresh trail. The rogue wolf would be back; he killed the two women and the man at this park. Ethan and Ria would be waiting for him when he returned.

Ria found fresh trail first; then Ethan caught the trail. The rogue, standing in bas baseball field, growled at Ria. Ethan growled at the other male wolf as to say, \"she is my bitch\". Ria circled the rogue. Ethan snapped at his tail. Getting underneath the larger male, Ria dug her fangs into the rogue’s neck.

As the male pushed her off, she got a mouthful of chest while Ethan stuck his fangs into the wolf’s leg. The wolf then turned to try to nip at Ria causing her to lost hold on his chest. Ethan kept a hold on the leg and dug in. As Ria growled at the male, Ethan bit off the leg.

Ethan spit the leg from his mouth and tossed it onto the blacktop. The wolf leg changed into a human leg soon after it hit the ground. Ethan went for the jugular as Ria bit the wolf by the ass as the rogue was losing blood fast. Ethan held onto the wolf with Ria bringing her jaw and front paws down on the wolf’s backend.

Ethan hated that the man who shot him, but he didn\'t kill him. He remembered biting down the pain and not changing because his partner, Reese, was watching him. Now, he hated that he enjoyed the taste of werewolf flesh, human flesh. He didn’t want to be like the creature that he had brought down. Brought down was a euphemism for killed, and he needed to be honest with himself. At this moment he felt he was as much of a monster as the drug-crazed man who shot him and two other cops. The two other cops were dead. He only survived the wound to his lungs because he wasn’t human. He had needed Leslie to hug him and tell him it would be all right. He needed to feel human again, but he fear that would never happen.

The fact he was having these thoughts meant he had a conscience. The werewolf returned to human form as Ria opened the chest to eat the heart. The other members of the pack had arrived and were feasting on the carcass. Ethan heard footsteps of a woman wearing shoes. The pack had saved this woman’s life. The woman would probably call animal control about a crazed wolf pack. Then, Ethan smelled Leslie; it was Leslie. Leslie was here, his roommate and best friend, a woman his mother\'s age that he had grown to trust.

Ethan went over to Leslie and licked her hand. She isn’t bending down to let me lick her face. I did something wrong. Ethan didn’t know what he did wrong. He found the bad guy. He brought him down like Leslie had done in the past. He used his sense of smell to find the murderer. This was better than hunting with Ria.

Leslie bent down to pat the battle worn creature and put her head against his blood-matted fur. “Ethan, I miss you. I want to see your face, again. I miss your blue eyes.”

Ethan curled into a ball as Leslie hugged and petted him. The wolf yowled in pain; he was changing form like Ria had done. The muzzle shortened to a human face, the limbs lengthened and the hair grew in. Lesbackbacked an inch away.

Ethan sat up and looked at Leslie through human eyes. “Leslie, you did the impossible.” He stood up and admired his fingers. “You don’t know how nice thumbs are until you don’t have them. My backpack has an extra set of clothing in it.”

Leslie put an arm around him. “You look cold.”

“My weak half-human blood. No one or nothing should be able to change a werewolf back to human, outside death, injury and poison.”

“You ate someone,” said Leslie.

“You put five bullets in a perp and killed other people in the line of duty.”

Leslie repeated, “You ate him.”

“Ria got the heart,” said Ethan. “I’m not proud of what I’ve done. I was born a werewolf and I choose to be a cop.”

“Still, you ate someone.”

“He killed three people. You’ve been in the army and I’ve seen you shoot people. Don’t give me this holier than thou shit.”

“Killing someone isn’t eating part of their stomach and their leg.”

“Werewolves eat their dead. You talk about the bait and shoot programs being a waste. You said the venison should go to the homeless shelters,” said Ethan. “His death fed the pack.”

Leslie was fuming. Ethan knew that cannibalism was not the same as killing someone in the line of duty; the two things could not be compared. “What happened to your father?”

“He was killed by the alpha male of another pack.” Ethan\'s father died less than two years before while attending a conference in Atlanta. He informed the other alpha that he would be in town for professional reasons and it had nothing to do with the pack. Albert Feldman brought no one from his pack as protection as a sign of good faith. The alpha of the other pack saw his traveling without an entourage as a show of weakness. The story went that he was grabbed from the hotel and killed in alley. The Atlanta police reported the death as related to gang violence and the that English professor was caught in the shotfire.

“Ethan Brown, pacifist, can’t approve of this gang war mentality unless that was a lie, too.”

“I need to get in the truck. My goosebumps have goosebumps. The clothes I was wearing earlier today are in my car, which is still parked outside Juan’s house.”

“We’ll be in the truck soon. I’ll put on the heat. We wouldn’t want you to die of frostbite. We need to talk. Can werewolves get frite?ite?”

“A full-blooded werewolf no,” said Ethan. “I’m only half werewolf.”

Leslie gave Ethan her jacket. Ethan wrapped the jacket around his shivering body. The lady’s jacket wasn’t big enough for Ethan to wear, but he could wrap it around him like a small blanket. “Better?” asked Leslie.

“Much. My father died because he went to a conference on an old enemy’s turf. He explained to the other pack that he was only traveling on business and he meant no ill will. Al emailed Juan that he would handle it. That was the last anyone heard of my father.”

Leslie unlocked the truck. Ethan took his extra clothes from his bag and started dressing. Leslie noticed the rest of the pack and the dead body were gone before starting the truck and turning on the heat.

“You don’t approve of vigilante justice.”

“I’m a cop,” Leslie said.

“I’m nothing. Bonnie was afraid the pack would eat me at birth. Al sent her away from the pack. I wasn’t born a Feldman because many packs don’t let creatures like me live. Al always promised Bonnie no harm would come to me. Al was the alpha male and spoke for the pack.”

“Ria speaks for herself.” Leslie pulled our of the parking lot.

“Ria speaks for father,” said Ethan. “Our pack mentality goes back generations. What choice do I have? I live somewhere else and that pack will hunt me down because I’m a half-breed.”

“I should kick you out.”

“It’s my condo.\" Ethan reminded her although he had little concern about suchngs.ngs. He told Leslie to buy anything she wanted for the condo but she left it almost as bare as he did. Leslie moved into the empty master bedroom but that didn\'t make her owner. Ethan\'s name was on the deed; his father had given it to him as a gift for getting his bachelor degree. \"You moved in with me. I’ll ask Wallace for a transfer. Narcotics seemed interested.”

“You’re short with long hair; you’ll blend in at drug raids.”

“And I can sniff out drugs,” teased Ethan.

“I care about you. Ethan, I love you.”

“I’m this creature that just ate someone. My life is all planned out. I marry Ria; we have cubs. I stay under pack protection. You don’t fit into this.”

“They sound worse that than the Mafia.”

“The Mafia has nothing on them. I’m loyal to my family. I’m also loyal to Kettlefire PD. Don’t make me choose.”

“I want you in my life.”

“What we have is special.” Ethan leaned against Leslie as she drive them home. “No one should have been able to do what you’ve done. I have always stay a wolf until sunrise.”

“I just asked for my Ethan back.”

\"You have magic.\" Ethan put an arm around Leslie’s waist. “I’m here.” Ethan kissed Leslie’s face when they stopped at a light.

“What do you want from me?” Leslie said as the light turned.

“Affection. Love. I wish I knew.”

Leslie pushed Ethan’s arm away. “I need to drive.”

Taking his arm off of Leslie, Ethan sat up, turned away and growled softly.

“Ethan, we’ve worked with witches. Using magic to commit a murder is a death sentence. You and Miss Lopez ed ted that creature in the park. I promised to return the shirt to forensics. You put me in a bind.”

Ethan’s growl changed more into a yelp of a wounded dog.

“Please, talk. You’re scaring me.”

“I’m caught between two worlds,” said Ethan. “I’m who I am. I can’t change that.”

After she parked in their marked space, Leslie stroked Ethan’s face. Ethan’s beard was soft like his hair had been growing three or four days.

“Leslie, don’t.”

“You said Ria’s mother is half and she\'s having babies every other year.” Leslie touched Ethan’s chin.

“Under Juan’s protection.”

“Tell me that you don’t love me.” Leslie pressed her lips against Ethan’s lips. Ethan’s mouth gave into the pressure and opened. Leslie continued to kiss Ethan as Ethan’s arms wrapped tightly around her. Leslie finally broke the kiss still fondling Ethan’s hair.

“It doesn’t change a thing. I could hurt you. How could you want me after I humped my cousin in front of you and killed a man with my teeth?” Ethan enjoy the snuggling and kissing and found himself becaming sexually aroused. He had spend two years keeping his distance from Leslie. He wasn\'t going to hurt her now. She had no idea how dangerous he could be if he changed form during sex. Ethan heard stories as a teen and he didn\'t want to repeat them himself.

“We both need some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning. I’ll return the shirt and tell them the wolf was killed and the body was eaten by scavengers.” Leslie left the truck and walked up the stairs.

Ethan sat in the vehicle a few minutes before following. He didn’t want to be part of the pack before but enjoying living on the fringe. He never joined the pack in its gang wars claiming that he was a weak half-breed and a liability. Tonight, he showed that he was as strong as the others. Not that gang wars were currently a problem. The last one was over three years ago and no blood was shed. All they did was growl, sniff each other, and part company.

Ethan went up to the townhouse, went to his room and shut the door. He would talk to Leslie in the morning. He wanted to speak to Juan but he didn’t know what to say to him. Ethan’s cell phone rang; it was Juan. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I saw what happened.”

“Leslie has powerful magic.”

“She loves you.”

“I’m go to marry Ria.” Ethan walked outside to the balcony.

“You can’t even start dating her for another year. Enjoy Leslie’s company.”

“What if Ria kills Leslie in a fit of passion.”

“I’ll talk to my daughter and explain that it doesn’t involve her.”

“I didn’t think about that till now. Ria smelled my odor on Leslie. She isn’t a little girl anymore. If I continue to live with Leslie, Ria’s going to kill her.”

“It doesn’t hurt the pack.”

“Ria isn’t going to see it that way. She’s going to see it through the eyes of a scorned woman.”

“She knows that you’ve been living with Leslie for two years. I\'ll tell her that you see her like an older sister since your mother is human,\" Juan explained.

“Ria met Leslie. She has seen the love in Leslie’s eyes. I’ll have to move and get a transfer at work.”

“Leslie will be heart-broken.”

“I need to keep her safe. I love her so much.”

“Come over this afternoon and we’ll talk to Ria.”

Ethan knew that he could no longer be on the fringe and now had to take his place in the pack. He knew that killing that rogue meant that he wouldn\'t be seen as weak and unimportant anymore. Juan had to deal with him. “I accept my obligation to the pack.”

“Pack your things; give Leslie the deed. We’ll talk in person.”

Ethan would give Leslie the deed. The townhouse never felt like a home, anyway. “I have to see Wallace about transferring.”