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Uneventful.

That had been his day so far. Work in the morning, meetings in the afternoon, and hours of studying all leading to a late dinner. Or at least that was plan. Now dinner for Nathan had turned into a run for his life as a homeless man chased him. He ran blindly down the alleyway, the calls behind him echoing.

"C'mon! Gimme your phone or I'll kill you!"

A quick glance behind him revealed the glint of a metal blade in his pursuer's hands. This momentary lapse in concentration, however, cost him dearly. His foot fell into a pothole, catching his toe upon the edge. The world blurred for a moment as his head struck the pavement. Dazed, he had no chance to escape the man falling upon his back. His blood ran cold as a knife was pressed to his throat, drawing a small trickle of blood.

"PHONE! NOW!"

"I-I-I don't have it!" He stammered out, straining to keep his neck away from the knife.

"'The fuck you mean? Give it here, now!"

"I f-forgot it! It's not here!"

"Fucking liar!"

He yelped as the knife was drawn across the back of his jaw in a quick yet light slash, turning the trickle into a stream. Before he had a chance to cover the wound, the homeless man flipped him onto his back, hovering the knife over an eye.

"Last chance before I start doing some exploratory surgery."

The man didn't have a chance to finish. A hand hauled him off of Nate, dangling him in mid-air. Covering his wound, he didn't get a clear look at his saviour, but the hobo's strangled call of alarm made it clear that this ordeal was going to be over very quickly. What happened next was a blur for him, unable to see anything in the darkness. The hobo brought his knife up, stabbing the newcomer in the arm. The cry of pain that he expected was not a scream, but an animalistic yelp. Warm blood dripped onto his wound, mixing with his own. The hobo stumbled as he was released, eyes wide with fear as he scrambled to his feet. Just as quickly as it started, the intervention was over, with the hobo running one way, and the newcomer the other.

Left alone in the darkness, he quickly scrambled to his feet, still holding his hand over the cut on his jaw, his rescuer darting away. Their stride was lopping, running almost as a dog would. The figure was bathed in the light of a car's headlight for a split second, and the silhouette he saw made him gasp in shock. Two pointed ears sat atop its head, while a thick, bushy tail flowed behind. Its outline was softened by a coat of auburn fur. It glanced back, revealing a set of glowing amber eyes and sharp, protruding canines set in a long muzzle. This glimpse, however, was all he got. As soon as the light faded, whatever it was disappeared, as if it were made of the shadows itself.

***

"A werewolf? You sure the nurses didn't shoot you up with morphine or something?"

"I shit you not. It had ears, fur, teeth, the whole nine yards."

"Dude, you know humans have ears and teeth, and a bit of fur on our heads, right?"

"Fuck you Daryl."

A burst of static swelled through the cell phone, muddying Nate's friend's laugher on the other side. "Right, right, sorry. So you're absolutely convinced?"

Nodding and running his fingers gingerly along his stitched jaw line, the soreness all too evident amongst the stitches. "I am. They had a muzzle and a tail as well."

"Right, well, if you say so." He answered skeptically. "Well at any rate, just take it easy, don't pick at the stitches like you did when you were in Grade 2. Hopefully the police will get that guy and you'll be able to put all this behind you."

Sighing with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, he nodded. "Yes mother, don't worry about me mom. I'll look out for myself."

The sarcastic remark was met with another chuckle from Daryl. "I'll be back in a couple days, just wrapping up a few loose ends here in London. Don't worry about picking me up from YVR, I'll just take the Canada Line back. I think my battery's running out, so-"

As if on cue, the call was cut. A few cursory calls of "You still there? Hello?" ensured that the call was over. He set down the phone, lying back on the couch in the living room of their apartment. It was the typical bachelor's pad for two recently graduated university students. The walls were painted a terracotta red, with a few photos hanging on them, framed in plain black frames. An entertainment unit sat against the wall with a flat screen almost wedged into it. A metal and glass coffee table sat before the black leather couch he laid upon. On the room, a ceiling fan spun slowly, with dim lights shining down.

Placing his hands behind his head, he struggled to make sense of the events from the night before. As a child, he found no interest in the supernatural like other kids did. While he did hear stories about dragons magic and, of course, werewolves, to him they were simply background noise. To have one appear before him in the flesh however had shook him to the core. The silhouette of the werewolf was etched into his brain, so much so that he could see it clearly when he closed his eyes. Like Daryl did, the police had dismissed his story as a byproduct of the painkillers given to him by the nurses.

As he thought, a question lingered in his head: what if the werewolf didn't show up? He turned his head over to face a decorative mirror on the wall. Overall, he was far from being an impressive physical specimen, being relatively thin, but lacking any visible muscle. His skin was a pale tone from the hours spent inside studying, a stark contrast to his jet black hair. Light-green eyes looked back at him, examining the suture on his jaw. As minor as it was, there was no question in his mind. The werewolf had saved his life.

Which begged another question: would the wolf come back? What would he do when the wolf came back? Would they be angry? Most likely, since he was the only one that saw them, aside from the hobo. As he thought, more and more questions began to pop up, something he didn't want to deal with. A glance over at the clock on the microwave in the kitchen read 1:00 PM. Since he had spent the night at both the police department giving a statement, and the emergency room getting stitched up, he had yet to get any sleep, and had been running on caffeine since then. His eye closed as he relived the entire incident again and again, each time becoming more and more lucid.

Dozing off, Nate's dreams were dominated by thoughts of what happened, until finally he found himself in the body of the werewolf itself. It's strength and senses were his. He could see through the darkness as if it were day. The smell of sweat was thick in the air, tinged with fear. His tail flipped back and forth in agitation as he bared his teeth, snarling fiercely at the figure he stood upon below him. Grabbing them, he hoisted them into the air winding up to slash his claws across their face in what he could only describe as righteous revenge. Before he could do so, he was blind-sided, tackled hard enough to send him to the ground. His prey toppled over, desperately pushing away from him. Snarling, he shook his head and sat up, brandishing his claws at the one that interrupted his retribution. It was then that his fantasy came crashing down.

Amber eyes stared back at him, just as fierce as he was, with hackles raised and canines glittering brightly. The werewolf stood on all fours, low to the ground, muscles tense as if ready to leap forwards to tear his neck apart. Not wanting to experience this nightmare, he tried to force himself to wake up, a cold sweat breaking out as the werewolf stalked forwards, a low, menacing growl rumbling in its throat. Pushing himself along the ground, he shook his head, slowly realizing that this was no dream anymore. "Oh shit shit shit, stay back!" As soon as he said that, the growling stopped immediately, as the werewolf suddenly lowered its hackles, relaxing visibly.

Panic gave way to confusion, though he still brought a hand up to hopefully shoo it off. "Leave me....." His command however died instantly as he saw his hand, or more accurately, something his thought was his hand. His hand, along with his entire arm, was covered in fur, golden yellow with black spots on it. Sharp claws tipped his fingers where his nails would be, each one with a wicked, intimidating curve to them. Looking down at his chest, he saw that his entire body was covered in the same fur, with his chest and belly a cream white. More importantly however, he was stark naked, with no evidence of clothing.

While he grappled with the situation, the werewolf stood up, walking over while giving the hobo a warning snarl. Not giving him any chance to protest, she seized Nate by the scruff of his neck, hauling him to his feet, growling at him quietly in a stern, female voice. "Let's go. You've caused enough trouble already."

"W-what?" He stammered out in a mixture of fear and surprise. "What are you..." Looking back, he saw the hobo cowering on the ground. His body was covered in scratches, with deep gashes across his arms. A glance at his bloody hands and claws told of the worst case scenario for Nate. "I did that?"

"Yep." She replied dryly. "Happens to everyone on their first time if they're not being watched."

"First time? What first time?"

"First time being fucked." She said sarcastically. "First time turning you idiot."

Scrabbling the ground with his feet, he struggled to gain purchase as she kept up a brisk pace. "What the fuck? Let me go god dammit!"

She stopped, yanking him upwards to bring his face even with hers. "You sure you can keep control of yourself? Because I don't wanna have to deal with you going feral on me again."

Grabbing her wrist to take the pressure off of her grip, he nodded. "Yeah, at least I think so. What the fuck is happening to me?"

Releasing him, the werewolf helped him stand up. "Not here. Follow me."

She ran forwards, stopping at the exit to the alleyway to glance around. Following closely, Nate stopped behind her. "Why? Why not here?"

Whirling around, she grabbed him again, glaring at him. "I said not here!" She growled quietly

"Okay, okay! Let go already!" He yowled back, stopping promptly as he heard himself. "Did... Did I just meow?"

"Yes you did, now let's go already!" She released his neck and sprinted out into the night, dropping down to all fours.

With no other option to answer the questions swirling around his head, he ran after her, struggling to keep up. She moved like water, vaulting over obstacles, sliding underneath railings. It took only a short distance for him to be panting. It was stop and go, with the werewolf stopping frequently to let him catch up.

"Come on, use your arms, it'll be easier to keep up." She suggested, still low to the ground.

"What?" He said, leaning over to catch his breath. "No I'm not. I'm not an animal."

"You are now. Keep up, not much farther."

Their run took them along a park path and into the forested area of the park. Eventually, she darted off the path, heading through the trees and bushes. As she slowed, he fanned himself, dizzy from the exertion. "What the hell... Where.... Where are we going?"

"Somewhere where people aren't." She replied, stopping and placing her hands on her hips. "Are you okay?"

Wheezing, he nodded and held up a finger. "Yeah, just give me a sec..." He swallowed, taking deep breaths, surprised at how much his chest heaved. "What the hell is happening to me?"

"You're a Lycanthrope now."

"A Lycanthrope? I'm a werewolf!?"

"More like a were-cat. My guess is either leopard or cheetah." She waved over her shoulder. "There's a pond you can get a look at yourself in over here."

The two emerged into a secluded grove, opening onto a pool. The water was still, as was the air. The moonlight shone down upon them as they stood upon the shore. Leaning over the water, Nate finally saw his reflection. Golden brown eyes gazed back, with slitted feline pupils while a pair of black tipped ears poked out from his black hair. A black triangular nose tipped his muzzle, covered with short white fuzz and long whiskers. Every inch of his body was covered in coarse, spotted fur, the same he saw on his arm. His limbs and chest now showed clearly defined muscles exactly like a sprinter's build. Even his teeth didn't escape the transformation, his canines much longer and sharper. Almost speechless, he brought his hands up to touch his face. "What the hell..."

The werewolf stood slightly behind in the shadow of the tree, watching him patiently. "What do you think?"

"I dunno. It's a lot of shit to take in."

"It is for people who just turned. What's the first thing that comes to mind?"

Standing up, he turned back to the werewolf and shrugged. "Impressed?"

"Impressed?" She repeated with an amused snort. "Not the usual reaction."

"Well getting all pissed off or scared about it won't help, and I like big cats. I guess it looks kinda cool."

She nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose you've got a point."

Struggling to organize the millions of questions in his head, Nate figured she had the right idea, plucking the first one off the top of his head. "What I did to that guy, will I do it again?"

"Thankfully no. Lycanthropy, when it starts taking hold, packs a really nasty punch for your conscious mind. It puts the Lycan into a dream-like state while their new instincts develop. You just went after what you felt threatened by the most. I'm just thankful I knocked you back to reality."

"I see." He looked down, examining himself once again. As he felt the initial shock of the night starting to wear off, his nudity became painfully evident. He blushed and covered himself, an embarrassed smile on his face. "I don't suppose you brought some clothes with you?"

This only served to bring an exasperated sigh from the werewolf. "Oh come on, don't be getting all self-conscious on me now. Here." She stepped forwards from the shadow, also just as naked. "You're like me. Your fur covers everything up so don't worry about me or anyone gawking at you."

Just as she said, she was covered in a thick coat of fur, a tawny auburn blending to greyish white on her belly. Her build, however, surprised him. Contrary to the myths that he had been taught when young, she looked nothing like the stereotypical werewolf. Instead of a musclebound, slobbering beast with fearsome teeth, she was much more slight and feminine. She retained her more human aspects in the gentle curve of her breasts and hips, mixed with the majestic strength of a wolf in the lines of muscle that ran beneath. Her hair, an earthy red in the glow of the moonlight, ran down to the base of her tail, flowing like water.

Uncovering himself, he tried to forget the fact he was naked in an attempt to corral his thoughts. "Right, right....." Looking at his reflection again, he started checking his body closely. "How did I get infected anyways? I mean you or no other lycan bit me. At least, if the legends are true."

"I think I know." She held up her arm, wrapped tightly in a bandage. "You were the guy that I saved yesterday right?"

"Yeah. Why were you there anyways? And why save me?"

"I got bored, went for a run, saw you and figured it was a good thing to do. But that's not the point." She turned over her arm to show a bloody spot on the bandage. "Did you get any of my blood into you?"

Running a claw along his jaw, and along the stitches. "Wait, that's what did it?"

"I think. I mean, that's the only thing I can think of." Her ears pinned back and she looked down, a note of guilt in her voice. "I.... I'm sorry... For turning you, that is."

Nate looked up at her, not quite sure of what to say. "I don't think there's anything you can apologize for. I mean all this is is just one hell of an accident beyond your control."

"I know, I know, I just wanted to say that. Call me stupid, but I'm still ultimately responsible." She looked up at him, her ears rising a little. "If you want, I'll stick around until you can turn over at will, and then you can just stay a human, and that'll be the end of this."

"And how long will that take?"

"It varies. Usually it's a week or two."

"A week?" He replied instantly, just stopping short of snapping at her. "Is there any way I can change back sooner?"

"Don't worry. You'll change back by morning. Until then, I should probably stick with you."

"So I don't go crazy again?"

"Exactly." She tilted her head quizzically, an intrigued look on her face. "I've gotta say, you're probably the calmest guy I've met. Out of both humans and lycans."

"Like I said, getting stressed out doesn't help when things are beyond your control."

"Hah, you repeat that like it's a mantra or something."

He threw a smirk back at her. "Worked well so far."

She chuckled, looking back to the city. "You should get back home and get some sleep. Turning for the first time takes a lot out of you."

"I take it you can get us back without being seen?"

"Yep. Not a problem there. Just tell me your address and keep up."

***

True to her word, the werewolf lead him back to his apartment, even navigating the lobby of the building and stairwells without any problem. The way she moved told him that she had been a Lycan for some time, and this was nothing new for her. Under any other circumstance, he would have been asking more questions, but just as she had said, fatigue had already started to set in.

"You can.... Crash here if you want." He offered, pausing to yawn mid-sentence.

"Thanks. Don't worry about me, the couch will do. You just get to bed before you pass out." He said with a raised eyebrow, watching how he trudged forwards, his tail following behind limply.

"Nah, bed in here you can use." He said, pushing open a door to a bedroom nearly entirely empty, save for a mattress. He pointed to a closet, mumbling. "Blankets there."

"Right, right! Now you get to bed!" She pushed him away from the closet, trying to stop him from doing anything more.

"Yeah sure. G'night...."

Nathan stumbled through the door to his bedroom, the world already dimming before him. Never before had he felt this tired, falling asleep before he even hit the mattress.