the full moon, 22nd february. [cory, open?]

[Alec Edwards]

This thread has been left open, so feel free to post if you wish. However, please be advised that nobody will be getting bitten unless it has been specifically plotted out with Eev and myself first. So do not throw your characters in the middle of the werewolves. If you do, your post will be deleted.

It annoyed Alec that girls got to complain about their ‘time of the month’. What was so special about their time of the month? So what, they bled from their vagina for a week. Who cares? As far as Alec was concerned, a girl’s period was no cause for their extreme mood changes. What right did they have to yell and scream at a guy for being ‘insensitive towards their feelings’? They went through no major changes. They didn’t become something that could damage a person’s entire life. They didn’t become a dangerous being that would do everything it could to hurt something that got in its way. Where the hell did they get off whining about their period?

Alec was storming through the first floor halls, his hands clamped firmly over his ears. A few days before the full moon, his senses grew stronger. He could hear everything a lot better, and he could smell everything. It was the most annoying part of his change. And today, the 22nd of February, everything would be complete. His senses were at their peak, and it was only a matter of hours until he succumbed to the monster that was waiting within. Alec took his hands away from his ears for a mere second to push the doors open before he made his way towards the cliffside. He always came here during the full moon. There was no forest for him to change in. But usually Alec had taken his Wolfsbane potion. Not this time.

This time, Alec had received several letters from his parents, warning him that he’d better get his act together. Alec had had enough. He’d sent back a rather abusive letter, only to receive an equally abusive letter back from his father. And the letter abuse continued. This was the only way Alec could get back at them. By not taking his potion. By allowing himself to change. Hopefully this full moon he didn’t hurt anyone. It wasn’t as if he’d hurt anyone before, but he’d come close on several occasions. Stupid students who didn’t heed the Headmaster’s warning to stay inside during the full moon. Students who thought it would be funny to get in the way of a hunting werewolf. Well, two hunting werewolves. This would all depend on whether Cory hadn’t taken his potion, as well.

The sun was just setting when Alec reached the cliffside. He rested his hands gently on the cliffside wall and looked out at the sunset. He’d have to remember to bring Dani out to the cliffside one day so they could watch the sunset together. Alec was sure Danielle loved sunsets.

[Danielle Hale]

Dani had been sitting at the cliffside for over an hour and it was getting dark, the sun was going to set and she was hoping to see Alec. She hadn't seen him all day, and she missed him a little. It would've been nice sitting there next to Alec not having to think about anything, but unfortunately Dani had been alone. She was by the entrance to the school having walked all the way through the courtyard, when she looked back to the sea. Dani saw a figure standing in the distance. She lifted her arm, squinting in the sunlight, wondering who it was, surprised she hadn't seen them earlier. Dani focused on them, then realising that it was Alec.

Smiling, she ran as quickly as she could to the cliffside, taking the faster route this time. Her flats rushing through the grass, as she struggled to keep them on as she ran, her hair making waves as the wind rushed through, then slowed as she reached him. Alec was staring out to the sea, something seemed to be on his mind, making her frown as she tried to work out what it was. "Alec?" Dani asked, walking closer to him, "Are you ok?" She was concerned, not having seen him all day and there was no one around. It was a bit strange, normally the place was crowded.

Dani sighed as she walked closer, wrapping his arms around him. "What are you doing?" Dani tucked her head under his chin, looking out to the sun slowly setting. The waves were still crashing rhythmically against the cliffs, she relaxed with his arms around her, thinking about how she could've possibly missed seeing him around the school. At least she had seen him now, but Dani wasn't sure how long they would be out here, before he would want to go in. "I haven't seen you all day" Dani shrugged, "I missed you"

[Alec Edwards]

A frown crossed his face as he heard someone running through the grass. He could hear them as if they were right behind them. And then all of a sudden, they were. “Alec?” His face softened. “Are you ok?” Alec made no attempt to move Danielle as she wrapped her arms around him and tucked her head under his chin. Instinctively, Alec wrapped his arms around Danielle’s waist and pulled her tighter to him. He planted a light kiss on the top of her head, and buried his face in her hair, breathing in deeply. “I’m fine, Dani. I’m just…” Alec then remembered why he was out here, and immediately he jerked himself away from his girlfriend.

“Shit Dani! What the hell are you doing out here?” he asked, his voice a growl. “Don’t you know what day it is?!” He grabbed Danielle by the shoulders and whirled her around so she was facing the setting sun. “It’s the twenty-second, Dani! The full moon is tonight!” He felt bad for getting so angry at her, but the one thing Alec was absolutely terrified of was hurting Danielle when he was in his werewolf form. Alec gave his girlfriend a gentle push towards the castle. “Get inside, Dani.” He shoved his hands deep into his pockets as Danielle started walking back towards the castle. He felt horrible for treating her that way. He hadn’t meant to get so angry, but he didn’t want to hurt Danielle. Even thinking about it terrified him.

Every step Danielle took closer to the castle was a step further away from Alec. He didn’t want her spending the night thinking of the way he’d just treated her. Without a second thought, Alec started after her. Within a few strides, he’d caught up to her. He reached out and grabbed onto her hand, pulling her to a stop. “Dani…” he said, turning her around so she was facing him. He glanced nervously back at the setting sun before pulling Danielle closer to him. He cupped her cheek gently in his free hand for a moment before crushing his lips to hers.

[Danielle Hale]

All of a sudden, everything had been fine then out of no where Alec had pushed her away. Frowning at him, she tried to work out what he was doing, she would've pushed him back if she had a good enough reason, unfortunately it was her fault. A look of realisation appeared on her face, it was the full moon. No wonder he got angry at her, she wasn't supposed to be here, she should know better. Dani looked up at the sun, the moon would be coming soon, and she didn't want to see Alec change. It always hurt, seeing him in so much pain, Dani knew it was a part of him but having to think about every month. It got in the way, alot.

Alec pushed her towards the castle, and she slowly began walking. She didn't say anything, but hoped Gabrielle would be around, she could do with taking her mind off this moment. Kicking the grass, irritated, she heard him call her name. His hand taking hers, he loked away for a moment before kissing her. It wasn't a normal kiss, a little rough, probably down to it being that time of the month, but Dani didn't care and responded just as she normally would in the situation. Alec was Alec. Werewolf and all. She felt guilty for putting him in this position, but she just wanted to be with him, forget about the world for just a minute. His hand was on her face, her hands were in his hair, she really loved his hair. Dani loved all of him, to put him in that position.

When she finally pulled away, Dani quickly apologised, "I'm sorry, it's not fair on you. I should've remembered, I should know better and -" She stopped, realising she was babbling, something that she really didn't do, around Alec no less! If anything had happened, it would be her fault for getting in the way. "How about I just... stay until Cory gets here?" Her hand slid down to take his, it was up to him. Dani would want to stay, to make sure he was ok, she wasn't scared, she was more concerned for him.

[Alec Edwards]

A wave of relief washed through Alec as Danielle responded to his kiss, her hands tangled in his hair. He slid his hand down, away from her face, to her waist, pulling her closer to him. After a moment, she pulled away, and apologised. “I’m sorry, it’s not fair on you. I should’ve remembered, I should know better and –” Danielle cut herself short and Alec smiled. She was babbling. He’d forgiven her the minute she’d started back towards the castle. He’d couldn’t not forgive her. “How about I just… stay until Cory gets here?” Her hand slid down and took his. Alec gave Danielle’s hand a gentle squeeze, and bent down to kiss her lightly on her cheek. He cast another nervous glance to the setting sun. They had at least another hour until the moon rose, and Cory would be there soon.

Alec hadn’t seen Danielle at all today. Even though he did become withdrawn during this time of the month, it was very unusual for him not to spend time with Danielle before the sun set and the moon rose. “I’d like it if you stayed, Dani”, Alec said, “But only until Cory gets here.” He just wouldn’t be able to live with himself if something happened to Danielle, let alone if it was him who hurt her. His hesitance at Danielle staying was evident, but he pushed it aside as he led her back to the cliffside wall. Once they reached the wall, Alec leaned against it and pulled Danielle towards him. His arms instantly wrapped themselves around her waist, and he rested his chin on the top of her head.

[Danielle Hale]

Dani could understand why he was nervous, but it was her fault if she stayed and got hurt. She was the one getting in the way after all, but if she was in Alecs position, she would blame herself if he got hurt. A firm nod, she smiled, "Good" She tried not to roll her eyes, she was happy he was letting her stay. Once they were at the wall, Alec sat down, Dani followed him. She wanted to stay, it was better than going back and worrying, even if Gabrielle came and they talked for a while, it would still be in the back of her mind. The first time that Alec had to change, once she knew about it, Dani had stayed up all night just thinking about him. She was so worried, and when she saw him the next morning, she just didn't want to think about that.

She was pulled down by Alec, his arms wrapped themselves around her waist, while she hugged herself to him, leaning towards him. Dani felt him rest his head on hers, as she watched the sun slowly setting. She remembered the time he first told her that he was a werewolf, that he changed once a month. Dani was just sitting outside, they had been going out for six months, and she couldn't of been happier. She was so worried when he said that there was something he had to tell her, the seriousness of the situation was obvious and she had asked if something was wrong. Once Alec told her what he was, Dani relaxed .. a little, she had thought he was breaking up with her!

She had said she needed to go think about it, leaving him there while she thought about what he was. Dani didn't speak to him for three days, but after coming to the conclusion that it wasn't even his fault for it, she couldn't bear to leave him any longer. Dani had found him and said that whatever he was she didn't care, because he was too important to her. She hadn't said that but she supposed it was a little obvious to her, after that Dani was with him every step of the way and the rest, is history. They had been going out since fourth year, having known each other well before that time, and Alec was her longest relationship. She couldn't see herself ever leaving him and if that day ever came, she would fight to keep him there.

Dani couldn't believe she had forgotten, there had been a notice about it a couple of weeks ago. "Do you remember when you first told me you were a werewolf?"

[Guest]

Cory stalked quickly through the halls of Oasis, one hand clamped over his right eye which was twitching sporadically. His usually thick veneer of calm and control had melted away as the moon had ripened into fullness. Oh Merlin, how had he let Alec talk him into this? Well, to be fair, Alec hadn't said a word to him about it; he hadn't needed to. He'd tried to explain the bond between himself and Alec, and nearly all other werewolves for that matter, to Taylor on one late night, but it was beyond explanation. The moon talked to them and carried their thoughts between each other. The closer they were physically and emotionally, the more thoughts cascaded in with the moonbeams. Alec and Cory had made a conscious decision not to pry into each others' moon-weakened minds, but they still sometimes bashed each other over the head with their thoughts. And for the last week, Alec's thoughts had been ones of freedom with an undertone of rebellion. No wolfsbane for us, those thoughts had said. Cory had listened. It wasn't technically a rule or a law that he take his wolfsbane potion, he just usually did since it was the accepted thing to do. He'd thought, what the heck. I could use a little freedom.

Ugh, some freedom this was. Freedom to twitch and cramp and stifle to death in the cramped halls of the school, usually so wide and inviting. He knew, without really being aware of how he knew, that the tics and pains would cease once he got outside and bathed in the light of the full moon, but the distance from his room to the grounds had never seemed so large! He heard a low growl as he passed a couple of students in the entrance hall, and realized it had been him who had growled. Juuuust great. He could already read their frightened scribbles on the bathroom wall. Cory Gaunt is a growling beast. Who gives a wolf a prefect's badge anyways? Whatever. He scratched at the side of his head with his fingers, sending his hair jutting off at odd angles and twists. His scruff was long, intensifying instead of hiding the gauntness of his cheeks. He probably looked like a damn ape-man. Ohhhh, goody. No wonder Polly thinks I'm not good for anything. He walked out into the empty air, breathing it in as if he'd been drowning moments before, not merely walking through the school corridors. He sniffed the fragrant and disgusting air, separating each scent and quickly found the one he was looking for. There was another smell close to it, though. Too close. Didn't students know by now not to go traipsing about on the night of a full moon? Merlin, some people really were thick.

Wait a tick, he knew that smell too. It had just taken him a second. She must be wearing some perfume or something. He bounded across the lawn to the cliffside, feeling with surety that it would not be long until he'd be bounding on four legs instead of two. "Danielle." he growled, sounding far more sinister than he'd intended. "I know you're tough and all that but," he cleared his throat, talking was something of a difficult trick when he was this close to the moon, "But I think maybe two werewolves are too much, even for you." He gave her a grin and felt his growing fangs, sharp against his lips. He glanced furtively at Alec, Don't know how much longer I can hold back, mate. This is touching and all, but I really don't want to tear anybody to ribbons, if you don't mind. As speaking became more and more difficult, this way of thinking at each other came more naturally. Cory glanced once more between the two adorably daring lovebirds before his knees gave out, sending him onto all fours on the ground. He moaned unhappily. He had not qualms about being a wolf, least when there weren't people around to maul, but this whole change thing was No Fun. "Gwan, get. What're you waiting for?" A cramp ripped through his belly and he pulled his head between his knees, biting back a scream that he knew would turn into a howl.

[Alec Edwards]

He was only half listening to Danielle as she spoke to him. She was asking him something about when he’d first told her about his being a werewolf. Alec didn’t respond. Of course he remembered. She’d not spoken to him for three days after he’d told her, making him think the worst, naturally. But his mind was elsewhere at the moment. The sky was darkening, and a new smell had just entered the area. Alec recognized the smell almost instantly, and relaxed only slightly. The darkening sky meant that the changes would begin soon, and that meant that Danielle was more in danger now then she had been five minutes ago.

“Danielle.” Cory’s voice came out in a growl. Although Alec knew it was because of the full moon, he still felt his protective side surge through him, causing him to tighten his grip around Danielle’s waist. “I know that you’re tough and all that but… but I think maybe two werewolves are too much, even for you.” Alec nodded in agreement, meeting Cory’s gaze as his friend looked at him. Alec tilted his head slightly as Cory spoke through his thoughts, and nodded once more in agreement. He unwrapped his arms from around Danielle’s waist and gave her a slight push towards the castle just as Cory’s knees gave out, sending him onto all fours. Both Cory and Alec would be wolves soon, and Danielle wasn’t moving fast enough.

A low growl escaped Alec’s mouth as he felt a ripple of pain shoot through his body. The pain made him stumble forward slightly, and he shot his gaze to Danielle. His hands clenched into fists, his teeth were gritted together. “Is there any chance you can move faster?” he asked, his voice coming out in a strained growl. He was holding back his transformation as much as he could, but it was causing him more pain than it would have had he just let himself change. He didn’t want to, though, because the minute he changed and Danielle was still there, he would end up hurting her. Or worse, killing her. Alec knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he hurt Danielle whilst in wolf form. Another surge of pain shot through his body, this one successful in making Alec fall onto all fours.

He could feel the familiar tearing sensations on his back, and panicked. His hands clenched around the earth, pulling the grass from the ground, along with dirt. “For the love of Merlin, Dani, run!” he gasped, his body shaking violently. He felt a little guilty for putting Cory through this. Had they taken their Wolfsbane potion, they’d both be able to transform painlessly, and curl up in their respective dorms as harmless wolves. Alec knew Headmaster Chapman would frown on them for not taking the potion, but as long as nobody was out on the grounds when he and Cory were transformed, it was usually okay. Alec felt his body convulse somewhat, and he bit his lip. The howl he’d been about to let out turned into a whimper as another ripple of pain surged through his body.

[Danielle Hale]

Alec seemed to be in his own little world, half-listening to Danielle and the other, she didn't know. She saw Cory approach them, growling her name as she frowned at him, Alec pulling her closer, tighter. Dani rolled her eyes, "Alright... I suppose I'm off then?" She glanced at Alec, but was quickly interrupted when Cory dropped onto all fours. Her eyes went wide as she stared at the boy in front of her, Alec stepping forward as if he was struggling to hold something back. Dani swallowed, taking a step back from Alec he was telling her to move? She was moving, but then Alec fell onto the floor, just like Cory. Dani was barely breathing, quickly stepping back unsure of what to do.

When Alec yelled at her, she finally came back to her senses somewhat. Turning her back on her boyfriend and Cory, she began running as fast as she could. Hearing one of them whimper behind her, she sprinted through the long grass, Dani hated leaving him behind he hadn't taken the potion. She daren't look behind her, seeing both of them in that state, Dani didn't think she would bare it. To her, Alec was still Alec, but if he hadn't taken the potion he would be someone completely different. Even the thought of him killing her wasn't exactly something that had sprung to mind as soon as she saw just Cory fall to the floor. Alec shouting at her to get out of there as quickly as she could had had some effect on her. Finally Danielle reached the stone steps.

Her heart pumping in her ears, Danielle tried to catch her breath while thinking about what Alec would be doing. It had felt like she had been staring at Cory in slow motion, nudged forward by Alec and then Danielle just felt something inside her telling her to MOVE! RUN! and she had. She realised she was back at the courtyard where she had first started and with a tired sigh, Dani opened the door and began wondering back to her common room. She didn't think she would sleep too well, while she worried about whether Alec was ok.

[Guest]

The pain brought on by the sudden full force of the moon broke over Cory like a tumultuous wave. He barely registered the fact that Alec was on the ground with him now, though the smell of the wounded earth and torn grass under Alec's hands assaulted his nostrils. Dani was running now, though, and that was good. The cloying smell of flesh, blood, and perfume was dissipating along with her and Cory no longer had to worry about her on top of worrying about, you know, turning into a wolf and all that jazz. He dug the tips of his own fingers into the turf beneath him and the ground gave away like butter under the fingers that were quickly becoming paws and claws. Another burst of pain wrenched through his body and he could hear his spine crack like the spine of a new textbook. His mind tried to get away from him then, tried to run off into the dark and self-pitying recesses of his mind that he had been inhabiting far too often as of late, but he clutched at it with all of his will.

He had to keep himself from thinking about the pain. Instead of lingering on the earth-shaking changes that were ripping through his body, he made himself focus on the freedom he would have once the change was final. He would not be an old house-wolf this evening, no, nor would Alec. They could let their blood and their legs run free, without the constraint of the wolfsbane. It was worth the pain, and he just had to remember that. Alec whimpered beside him and Cory glanced at his friend before letting forth a howl of anguish and joy. Letting the howl from his lips served to make him feel better, and he was aware of the thick fur that now covered his body. It was over, and the pain had stopped. His pain, at least. Merlin save any poor fool who was still wandering the lawns at this hour. Cory doubted that even a professor wouldn't fare so well against two werewolves such as himself and Alec.

He straightened himself out and shook his body as if he were wet, throwing the last remnants of the change from himself. He looked sharply at the wolf that was now behind him, (Alec, that's Alec) and growled deeply at him. The other wolf was a friend, but he was too close. Cory leaped upon the wolf-Alec and jawed at the back of his neck. It was a dangerous game, but Cory was only playing. He sunk in no teeth, but he did knock Alec over. Cory went sprawling past Alec, having miscalculated his jump, but turned quickly back to face him. Full moon, chum. he thought at his friend.

[Guest]

He was ravenous.

Jasper had avoided it as long as he could. The desire he had, however, for raw, real blood, as much as he despised and fought it, was too overwhelming for him to ignore. He ran a hand through his thick blonde hair and fisted it as a wave of hunger-induced nausea clenched his muscles and made his stomach thick with bile. His entire body was overtaken with trembling for a moment and he stumbled, hitting a nearby wall with his shoulder and shaking as his eyes, intense, gleaming, with little to no pupil showing, rolled into the back of his head. Jasper forced the cry that was stuck in his throat back down into his diaphragm and pushed off the wall, releasing his hair and moving quickly to the front doors of the castle. He practically threw his body, thin and clearly strained as muscles and skin stretched over his bones, down the steps and into the damp grass, lying there for a moment as another fit of trembling rocked through his thin figure. The boy coughed, but didn't get up, taking a moment to breath the cool night air, taste potential prey on the breeze. This was nothing less than a potent combination of torture and pleasure, a unique result of his human mother's genetics blatantly combating his vampire father's from the moment of his birth. The change he suffered when he gave in (or lost control) was, thankfully, not as intense as that of a werewolf or other such creature, but the searing pain of hunger and horror did not make it much easier.

When Jasper finally stopped convulsing, he rolled to his back and stared up at the sky for a moment, breathing hard but steady, his open mouth revealing lengthened and sharpened canines, his skin thin enough that the veins running through his body almost tinted him blue. Climbing to his feet and brushing his hair from his eyes, he cracked his neck, taking a great, open-mouthed whiff of the air and using his now heightened senses to taste the birds, the trees, the small rodents that slipped through the shadows. He wouldn't indulge this close to the castle, the windows and the eyes of the students. Instead, he would head toward the cliffs, and the edges of the forest. He would drink until his stomach swelled with warm blood, and then he would return to the halls of Oasis Hill, satiated, guilty, and suffer the change to relative normalcy. Sleep. And in a few weeks, do it again.

Moving like a fox through the twilight, he crept in the shadows as though he was the one being hunted; habit taken from his ancestors, he supposed. He paused briefly to take his bearings, but before he could move again, his nose was overwhelmed with the scent of a woman. Jasper inhaled deeply, reveling in it for a moment. Fruity and floral, spicy and sexy -he couldn't help but smile; that quickly faded, however, as another wave of hunger slid through his lithe form. He wanted to taste her. Oh, to just have a taste! He felt a low, husky growl rise in his throat and released it, grimacing in frustration at himself before his instincts once again took over. He had to get away from her. Darting from the shadows but not daring to go any closer to her, he waited and watched her for a moment longinly before growling at himself in ire and pushing forward, ignoring the pounding of her pulse in his ears. Jasper was not an animal like his father. He would not take the blood of a human being. He never had, despite the overwhelming desire that gripped him when tempted, and he hoped beyond hope that temptation would never result in action. The rationale of his thoughts were sporadic in this condition, and frankly, he was just thankful he had been able to avoid such lovely bait.

Jasper took a few steps forward and froze as a howl echoed through the night, causing the hair on his neck to stand on end and bumps to rise along his vividly pale skin. Something carnal rose within him more strongly than usual at the cry of the werewolf, and it was followed quickly by a raging desire to eat, to prepare...

Catching movement in the woods out of his peripherals, he tore his eyes from the cliffside that the howls had come from and darted into the greenery, crouching down and stalking slowly along the soft, dewey dirt until he found what he was looking for -a large rabbit, eyes widened in the dark, ears perked. It knew he was here. As usual, Jasper felt his humanity shrink in the face of hunger, and in a burst of ghoulish speed, he was on the helpless creature, his teeth sinking into the soft flesh of the neck, through thick hair and sinew. The warmth of blood rushed down his throat and he moaned softly, sinking into the ground and fisting a hand into the mud as he collapsed in delirium against a tree. His eyes, rolled into the back of his head, came back forward as he finished the meal, the pure energy of a fresh kill coursing through him in a manner that made him leap up. Flexing his hands, his arms, and rotating his shoulders, he wiped his mouth on his wrist and ran his tongue over his gleaming teeth, all humanity tempoarily forgotten in the wake of feeding. He never felt so alive as he did in these moments. Jasper listened to the air, still with what might have been fear, as another howl ripped through the night. Against what his sane mind would have known to be danger, he crept stealthily through the trees, and, as he neared the cliffs, scaled one in order to catch a better view. His fantastic vision made it easy for him to focus in on two figures on the cliffside. All of the Jasper they all knew was gone -had it still be present, it might have recognized that those two werewolves were likely to be Alec and Cory; he did not, however, and instead, decided to wait in the trees until they moved. He would decide, then, what to do. Until then, Jasper would sit in silence, the indescribable desire for confrontation coursing through his heated blood.

[Alec Edwards]

He could practically smell Danielle’s fear as his girlfriend sprinted away from the two werewolves. He could hear her heart pounding in her chest, her rapid breathing. Alec tried to focus on something else; something else so that he wouldn’t go running after Dani. He could feel his werewolf instincts taking over, and he wasn’t enjoying this as much as he thought he would. He tried to focus on the freedom that would come from allowing himself this change. He focused on Cory, whose change was already beginning. That seemed to do the trick. He was no longer thinking about Dani. He was thinking about Cory, about Cory’s transformation. He let out a howl of anguish as he felt his skin ripping away from him. He could feel his fangs sliding down past his lips, his face stretching into a snout. His nose became cold and wet. His hair grew into shaggy black fur, tangled and messy. He watched as his hands changed into paws, large claws taking the place of his fingernails. And then, there was no pain. His eyes took in everything from a new perspective. He could see everything much clearer this way. He could smell everything much better. His hearing was impeccable.

And then he heard a growl from beside him. Alec’s head whipped to the side, and he bared his fangs at the wolf beside him. It’s only Cory, he was thinking to himself. But there was the problem of, who was alpha male? And then Cory leaped at him. Alec could feel Cory jawing the back of his neck. He growled as he was knocked over. This was a dangerous game, indeed, but it was only a game. He watched as Cory went sprawling past him, landing on the grass nearby. “Full moon, chum.” He could hear Cory’s thoughts as clear as if the boy were speaking to him normally. One of the upsides of being a werewolf. Alec stood up and shook his fur. He stretched, and let out a low growl, his eyes on Cory. Freedom. he thought back, and leaped at Cory, knocking his friend to the ground before bounding away from him. Down the hill towards the front lawn. Together, like this, Cory and Alec were quite harmless. Two wolves playing amongst themselves. To anyone watching (from a safe distance, of course) they would just look like a couple of dogs having fun. Alec pitied the person who decided to be stupid and venture outside on this night. Not even a professor would be able to handle themselves against two wolves like Cory and Alec.

Alec stopped running as he reached the front lawn, and turned around to face Cory, who was still following him. He lifted his face to the sky, his eyes on the moon. So full, so beautiful. Who knew a moon could mean so much to two people. Freedom is what that moon stood for. Alec let a howl escape from his lips. This was not a howl of anguish, as he had let out before. This was a howl of joy, of freedom. Alec took in a few deep breaths, and his head whipped around. A new scent had entered the area. Alec didn’t really recognize this scent. He’d gotten Dani’s scent into his system long ago. Her perfume, her skin, her hair… he knew all of that, not that it would save her against his werewolf form. This scent was different, though. It was the scent of a human, no doubt. A male human. But it wasn’t all human. Someone’s out here. Alec thought to Cory, taking a few steps forward. His pace quickened, his nose working a mile a minute as he followed the scent. It’s not all human! Excitement had filled the air. Alec’s pace quickened into a quick trot, and then he was at full speed. The school whipped past him as he ran, his nose working quickly as he continued to follow the scent.

Alec’s werewolf self yearned for confrontation. During the full moon, if he got hungry, he would feed off rabbits, deer, whatever animals he could come across. But Alec yearned for a real fight. A real kill. Something that would matter. Alec came to a sliding stop at some trees, his nose pressed to the ground. The scent seemed to lift upwards. He sniffed along the bottoms of the trees until he found one that held a stronger scent than the others. Alec growled as he looked up into the tree, his eyes focusing on a dark shape on one of the branches. Found it. he thought to Cory. This was becoming the most exciting full moon he’d ever had.

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