Blood Moon
Prologue
My first memory of my new life was not a kind one.
The moon rose over the lake, full and red. I stared at it for a moment, wondering what caused such a color in nature. I shook my head and started back around the lake to my cabin. I yawned, stretched and checked my watch. What had possessed me to take such a long walk at this hour?
I'd left the outdoor lights on at the cabin as a beacon in the dark. The warm yellow lit up the porch and carport. A chill breeze ruffled the hair on the back of my neck; winter would arrive soon enough. I promised myself I'd light a fire when I got back inside and chafed my arms.
A twig snapped to my right, startling me. I glimpsed the shadow of a large creature with red eyes reflecting the moonlight slinking through the undergrowth before a weight barrreled into me from the opposite side, knocking me into the water. I struggled to right myself but the creature leapt upon me, slashing at my arms and torso with its shining white teeth and claws. I spat out water and mud, striking back at the beast in vain. It jumped in the water beside me and the red moonlight illuminated the form of a second large black wolf with glowing, mad eyes. They descended upon me once more, mirror images of horror. One of them caught my arm in his jaws and I heard the crunch of bone -- my bone. I screamed in pain and tried to roll away into deeper water. In the distance, more wolves howled and the creature raised his nose to the full moon returning their call. He calmly turned and disappeared into the forest, his companion trotting after him as if nothing had happened.
I lay in the water, concentrating on breathing and listening to make sure the wolf left. I pulled myself half out of the water and found I could go no further. My chest heaved and I shook with cold, fear, and shock. The water around me absorbed my blood, swirling eddies of pink. The world spun and darkness closed in on my vision. No one would miss me; I lived alone.
I lay there for... I don't know how long. I no longer felt cold and my eyes drifted shut.
Unexpectedly, I heard voices. I barely felt hands lifting me out of the mud. A man, I knew by his deep voice, picked me up as if I weighed nothing and cradled me against his broad chest. He touch burned like fire, and I became more alert to my condition, of the cold that froze my very core. Groggily, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself closer to that searing heat. I sighed and succumbed completely to the fog clouding my senses. I hoped that this turn of events signalled the end of my nightmare. Just as my eyes closed again, I noticed that the glint of the red moonlight on the water faded and disappeared.
I woke lying flat on my back in a soft white bed enveloped in blankets. I wiggled my toes, fingers and nose. My body seemed to be in working order. 10 fingers, 10 toes, one nose. I sat up carefully, propping myself up on my elbows. I could tell I'd had a fever. My clothes smelled of sweat and I felt it dried on my skin.
Someone beside me mumbled and shifted. A huge man sat in a chair next to the bed. He slept, chin resting on his chest bent over muscular crossed arms. He snored a little and jerked awake abruptly. I focused my blurry eyes on his face.
"Hi," I spoke hesitantly. The man smiled faintly. He had laugh lines around his mouth and gold eyes."Good morning Sleeping Beauty," he joked. "How do you feel?" I licked my lips."Thirsty." He handed me a cup of water. I gulped it down."So," I started, "you found me in the woods." He nodded."You were injured, so I brought you back to the house." I looked down at myself."No bandages? Those two wolves tore me up." I lifted my shirt, checking my torso and ran my hands over my arms. You're healed now," the kind man informed me. Healed? How long-" "Only three days." He leaned forward, piercing my eyes with his. "You've been turned." His hands formed a triangle between his knees."Turned?" I frowned. The fog started to encroach on my vision again."You've become a werewolf." The room flickered and eventually went out.Later, Adam, the alpha (leader) of the Randall King Pack, explained that I'd been attacked by a rogue clan. Their tradition was to hunt for new humans to join their pack on the day of the Blood Moon, a brutal ritual where they attacked any human they found, turning them, changing them irrevocably.
*the narrator is Nathan Montgomery - M - 26 yrs. - an involuntary werewolf