The good looking boy who looked like he could be part Native Alaskan, waved his hand towards the vacant seat.

 

(Excerpt Alma Chapter 1)

 

            After I signed in, I was told which classes I would be in.  I was given a map to download onto my phone of the school building, with my class time table.  I was relieved to see on my schedule that I was placed into the Home Science and Music classes that I nominated as my electives.

            The school bell sounded and hurriedly I left the office.  I walked down the now empty corridor looking for Room 306 for my first class of the day which was English.  To be honest, I didn’t find the school map that helpful.  I kept losing my place by having to check the ‘key’ at the bottom, to work out what all the different colours meant.

            Merde! I'm going to be late for my first class! Now I’m really going to stand out!

            At last, I found Room 306 after walking up one staircase and down another corridor.  Nervously, I approached the closed door where I knocked once before slowly opening it.

            The English teacher was a red-headed woman, who was standing up the front of the class.  She was writing on an electronic board with a sensor pen before she paused to look on my lateness, unimpressed.

            “I’m – I’m new,” I tried to explain.

            I heard some snickering from the students who were all staring at me.  Most of them eyed me analytically and looked unimpressed with what they saw.  Their expressions mirrored the look on my teacher's face.

            “You’re new?” the teacher raised her eyebrows. “That would explain why I’ve never seen you before.”

            There was more snickering as the whole class stared at my appearance.  I stood there, like I was stuck in the mud, wondering if I was supposed to say anything else? The teacher didn’t ask for my name nor did she offer hers.

            “Well, unless you want to stand there and help me teach, you can find a seat," she said at last.

            My face burned in embarrassment as I looked for a place to sit down and hide, but there were only two places.  Beside the vacant seats, sat fashionably dressed boys or girls who looked like they were secretly hoping I wouldn’t sit beside them. But if they didn’t want me to, where else am I supposed to sit?  I’m going to have to sit in one of those seats whether they like it or not.

            I moved towards a seat beside a boy who was wearing a sports team jacket, when abruptly he put his foot on the chair to stop me from sitting down.

            Mon Dieu!  This day was worse than I could have imagined!  Not only does nobody like me, but they already hate me!  I froze in terror as I didn't know what to do, when out of the blue I heard this…

            SMACK!

            …a good looking boy who was sitting behind the mean boy who'd stopped me from sitting down, had just slapped him on the back of his head!

            “Don’t be a dickhead, Johnson! Move your frickin’ big foot!” he snapped.

            The other kids who'd witnessed this, burst out laughing, whereas I wished I could turn invisible.

            The good looking boy was sitting next to a broad-shouldered girl with a very pretty face.  But her physique was what made you notice about her first, as she was one of the strongest looking girls I'd ever seen.  Truly, she looked like she could have been a weightlifter!  She had bright blue eyes and long, wavy, dark blonde hair, and was looking at me with a curious expression.

            She was sitting next to another boy, who was the exact opposite to her as he was very thin.  He had faded blue eyes and his pallor was so unnaturally white, his lips were almost blue.  To say he looked sickly would have been an understatement. 

            The good looking boy who looked like he could be part Native Alaskan, waved his hand towards the vacant seat. 

            Immediately, I sat down and busied myself by taking out my laptop.  I tried to ignore the death stare by the sports jacket guy named Johnson.  He glared at me then the good looking boy and back to me. 

            Mon Dieu!  That's it, tomorrow I’m not coming back to this school!  I’m never going to come to this school again!

            However, I noticed the good looking boy didn't bother with Johnson's threatening looks, he was too busy staring at me.  And he wasn’t just staring, but he looked completely transfixed.  Then I noticed so too were the blonde girl as well as the pale guy.

            The good looking guy had scruffy, dark brown hair which sat just below his ears and dark brown eyes.  Although he and the girl were sitting down, I could tell they were both tall.  Their pale, thin friend wasn’t as tall, or anywhere as built-up as the other two.

            These three weren’t dressed as trendily as their classmates and seemed to have their own style.  The good looking guy was wearing blue jeans, a grey t-shirt and a brown suede jacket.  The girl was wearing brown jeans, a pale blue shirt and a black suede jacket.  The pale guy was wearing black jeans, a white shirt and a black, pin-striped suit jacket.

            What’s more, it wasn’t just the good looking guy that was staring, but it was all three.  Whereas the first guy’s mouth hung open, the girl and the pale guy looked very curious.  Then, the two smiled in a friendly way, but the first guy continued to stare.  When the girl noticed her friend’s mouth was hanging open, she whacked him on the arm to make him snap out of it.

            “What?” he looked back in surprise. “Oh yeah.”

            He straightened, closed his mouth and gave me a goofy grin. 

            I liked his smile, it told me that he was a nice person.

 

*****

“But Mama, look at their clothes! Look at my clothes! I won’t fit in here! I fitted in, in my old school in Nara!”

(Excerpt Alma Chapter 1)

 

            We sat in our vehicle and looked at the kids who appeared to be my age or older, all stream through the front doors of the large school building.

            The students were a mix of Caucasians, Asian-descent or Native Alaskans. I spotted a couple of African-American kids, but their hair was treated so it looked smooth and straight, not like my frizzy hair.  All of their clothes looked like the latest fashion and they all carried the latest models of laptops or tablets or mobile phones.  I saw how they pretended to look busy by messaging each other using their technology, as they checked their class schedules on their tablets. Some of them even wore large earphones to listen to loud music and block the world out.

            I knew I was going to stick out with my old clothes. My laptop was second-hand and used to be Mama’s and my mobile phone was old so it didn’t have all of the extra features of the newer models.  In Nara none of this mattered, but here I was worried that I wouldn’t be accepted because of it.

            “Can I move back to Mali and live with Uncle Bouren and Aunt Menaka?”  I passed her a pleading look.

            “No," she was quick to glare. “Your father left me for another woman and now you want to leave me too?”

            “But Mama, look at their clothes! Look at my clothes! I won’t fit in here! I fitted in, in my old school in Nara!”

            “Then make them fit in with YOU!” she flared and next, she hit the control for my door to make it open. “Now go to school!”

            With a huff to show my unhappiness, I climbed out of the vehicle.  Then as I slowly walked up the concrete path towards the large building, I looked back.  Mama powered up the hover-car and I watched the vehicle rise into the air.  Lastly, she threw me a wave before she flew off down the road.

            Merde! I’m all alone and I’m going to have to ask one of these fashionable kids where the school office is to pick up my class timetable.  I walked through the doors to find a crowded school corridor with lockers lining the walls.  The students stood with their friends in front of them, either putting things in or taking them out, as they all talked loudly.

            There weren’t any signs that I could see for the school's office, so I was going to have to ask for directions.  I started to walk over to two girls who appeared to be my age, who were touching up their made-up faces using small mirrors.   Mama would never let me wear make-up to school.  Now there’s another reason why I’ll stick out like an elephant next to a giraffe.

            “Pardon," I smiled as warmly as I could. “Could you please tell me where the school office is?”

            “Down the corridor and turn left," one of the girls answered without looking away from her mirror.

            “Merci - er - I mean thank you," I replied awkwardly.

            Merde!  They were like the neighbour Mama and I encountered.  Only worse, the teenagers here won't even look at you.

            I walked down the corridor and I turned left just as the girl directed only to find another long corridor.  Mon Dieu, please don’t make me have to ask for directions again!  Feeling lost, I started to walk down this hallway past more lockers and kids chattering loudly.  I still couldn’t see any signs of any school offices so I stopped and looked about, confused.

            Just then a pretty girl with long black hair and dark brown eyes noticed me standing in the middle of the corridor.  She was standing with a similarly looking friend and I think they were Native Alaskan. The first girl walked up and smiled which immediately made me like her.

            “Hi, you look lost," she laughed, but not meanly.

            “I’m trying to find the school office.” I told her.

            “It’s just down the end of this corridor," she pointed.  "The door is hidden, so I’ll show you.”

            “Thank you!” I gushed in relief.

            Next, both girls walked me down the corridor and as they did, they openly examined my appearance.

            “Where’s your accent from?” the second girl asked out of interest.

            “I just moved here from Mali.”  I answered.

            “Mali?” the second girl echoed in surprise. “That’s a big change coming to Alaska.”

            “Where’s Mali?” the first girl enquired.

            “In Africa," the second girl answered for me.

            “Wow," the first girl sounded impressed before she stopped and pointed out a door.  “There it is.”

            “Thank you very much,” I said gratefully to the two.

            “Good luck on your first day," the first girl smiled then she and her friend walked on.

            I gave them a wave as they departed and I wished I could be in their classes but unfortunately they were younger than me. 

 

*****

I came from a climate where a ‘hot day’ could reach forty-five degrees Celsius; to a climate which could drop to minus forty-five degrees Celsius.

 

(Excerpt Alma Chapter 1)

 

9th September 2380 – Nine Months Previously

 

            The hover-car landed with a gentle thud on the side of the road out the front of Alma High School and powered down. 

            Our second-hand hover-car wasn’t as shiny and new as the other models that we passed on the streets, or even those that were parked in the student car park.  Our vehicle also made a loud humming noise coupled with a slight rattle when we were zipping from A to B whereas the newer models moved almost soundlessly.  These differences only aided my self-conscious tendencies which were nerve-wracking when starting at a new school.  

            Mama turned off the ignition and turned to give me a brave smile. 

            She ordered, “Don’t be scared.”

            “I’m not,” I lied.

            “Today is my first day at my new job.” Mama continued. “I’m not scared, I’m excited.”

            “Mama, I’m not scared.” I repeated.

            She wasn't convinced though as she examined my face which looked very similar to hers in features, but our colouring was different.

            Mama was full-blooded Mali with the typical smooth, dark brown skin, big brown eyes and short afro hair. Her eyes were her best feature as they were large and yet pointed in the corners which gave her a feline-like quality. Mama was 170 cm’s tall and skinny.

            I wasn’t as tall as Mama, I was at least ten centimetres shorter. I was 16 years old so I still had a couple of years left where I might reach her height. My hair was long and frizzy and my skin was a light brown colour. My paler skin came from my father since he was Caucasian French.

            My parents divorce had just been finalized.  Papa had moved back to France at the start of their separation and with its completion, Mama and I moved to Alaska.  It was thanks to her getting a job at the new hydro power plant which operated just outside of Alma.

            It was ‘fall’ as they called autumn here.  Mama and I were already wearing coats as we had to adjust to the colder climate. I had moved from arid conditions to almost arctic.

            I came from a climate where a ‘hot day’ could reach forty-five degrees Celsius; to a climate which could drop to minus forty-five degrees Celsius.  Alma had odd daylight hours being so close to the Arctic Circle.  In summer, I've heard that there are days where the sun doesn’t set until 11 PM and in the middle of winter, there are days when it doesn't rise until 11 AM.

            I didn’t want to come here. I didn’t want to leave Mali. I miss my Aunts and Uncles and I miss playing soccer with my cousins. I miss the warm weather and the warmth of my family.

            Alma has a population of around 7,500 and people here aren’t as friendly.  When Mama and I first moved into our small, two bedroom townhouse which was in a complex, we asked a neighbour for directions to the supermarket. The lady was snobby and only gave a short answer which wasn't helpful.  Now I'd be going to school with people like this and I've been dreading my first day.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How could we make the Detective and Forensic Scientist understand that this was a war between Werewolves and Vampires?

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

It took me a minute or two to regain my bearings and recognize physical sight instead of my gifted sight.  I blinked then I blinked again as my mind returned to Alaska.  I lay on my back, breathing deeply to slow my racing heart.

            Eventually, I turned my head to look at the digital clock sitting on my bedside table and saw the time read as 7.49 AM.

            Were the Sabre’s awake, especially Aunt B and Uncle Dec?  I wanted to run into their bedroom and deliver my warning.  I knew they'd believe what I had ‘seen’ in my sleep, but what would their reaction be?

            Would they harm the Moscow Police Officers?  I've seen what Uncle Dec can do to protect his family.  Could we think of a peaceful solution instead that prevented his arrest?  How could we make the Detective and Forensic Scientist understand that this was a war between Werewolves and Vampires?

            The smell of bacon and eggs cooking filled my room, indicating that he was awake and preparing food for the family as usual – which now included me.

            Uncle Dec wasn’t really the cold-blooded murderer the Officers thought.  But how to make them see this, without exposing the Sabre family and the Lokoti Tribe’s secret?  Now that would be tricky. 

            Oh dear Mama in heaven, what do I do?

            Anxiously, I jumped out of bed and flung open my bedroom door.  I raced down the upstairs hallway in my flannel pyjamas then slowed as I approached the staircase.  But just as I started down the stairs, I stopped.

            I saw below the Sabre family congregated around the table with Uncle Dec carrying people’s plates out from the kitchen.  He and Aunt B were dressed but their children were still in their pyjamas.  Susanna was wearing her ‘Scooby Doo’ set and Sophia was wearing dark purple satin.  Lucia sat in her usual seat in a white singlet top and grey pyjama bottoms.  They looked just like a regular family preparing to eat their Saturday morning breakfast.

            “Mali, you’re right on time.” Uncle Dec greeted, as he carried out a plate and put it down at my spot.  “Pull up a seat.”

            But I couldn’t eat, not with the bad news I was carrying inside.

            Aunt B noticed my hesitation and she asked, “Mali, what’s up?”

            I opened my mouth to answer but I couldn’t find my voice, I was so nervous.

            Lucia and Sophia noticed this as they looked up from their food whereas Sues seemed oblivious and kept on eating. 

            “Mali, are you OK?” Lucia looked on concerned.

            “Spit it out!” Sophia prompted.  “Our breakfast is going cold!”

            My wide eyes met Uncle Dec’s curious ones as he stood beside his seat at the head of the table, holding the last plate of food which was for himself.

            “I had another storm dream.” I uttered out.  “They’re coming for you.”

            His eyes narrowed as he squared off his shoulders defiantly as if he thought I meant more Vampires. 

            “Who Mali?”  Aunt B stood up in alarm. “Who are coming?”

            “The Moscow Police.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So our victims were allergic to silver which caused the chemical burns when they were decapitated?"

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

Wearily, she rubbed her eyes which were sore from looking at computer screens all day.  She envied Griggori since he was a Detective, he could leave the building and get some fresh air once in a while.  Her work was scanning samples on glass slides then analyzing the results.

            "There are more murders that occurred in Russia which are related to our OO Positive suspect," she sighed tiredly.

            "More?" he echoed in surprise. 

            Julia hit a new command on the computer and pictures of twelve bodies appeared on screen.  Nine bodies had been decapitated and three victims were missing most of their heads, which looked eaten away.  Even Griggori had to flinch at the gore, with blood spatter, bits of skull and some brain matter surrounding what was left of their heads.  Then he caught the date on this case file, it was the year 2145 again.

            “These bodies were all found at a crime scene in St Petersburg.  Nine were beheaded by a sharp, metallic weapon, like a sword.  The weapons were most likely in the style of the Japanese Katana, as they are light-weight but strong and extremely sharp.  Do you see the cuts?”

            “They’re clean," he nodded along with her.

            “But look here at how the flesh is singed slightly.  Forensics first thought the swords had been heated to burn the flesh so.  But when they ran further tests, it showed that the flesh was not singed by heat, but they were chemical burns.  There were also traces of silver in the wounds, meaning the Katanas were coated in silver."

            "So our victims were allergic to silver which caused the chemical burns when they were decapitated?" he summed up.

            “Correct, now don’t interrupt me," she playfully whacked him on the arm.  “Or I will pack up my test tubes and Petri dishes and go home.”

            “No, don’t do that, Babushka," he pretended to be alarmed.

            “The twelve victims all had OO Negative blood type," she announced. 

            "Really?" he sat back on his stool, to take it all in.

            "The OO Positive middle-aged man that died by a sword to the heart, he too showed chemical burns around his wound."  She continued.  "I believe the same person or persons, with silver-coated Katanas, murdered that man as well as the nine OO Negative victims." 

We're dealing with a creature from the canidae family that's over two hundred years old.

 (Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

“Look at the results and at what happened to the blood samples that were added to the OO Negative.  The samples were drained of all their nutrients and healthy cellular functions before it too turned OO Negative.  However, with the blood samples added to the OO Positive, they weren't drained.  They were immediately converted to OO Positive and instead of being depleted of red and white cells; they increased in numbers.”

            “So OO Negative takes away and OO Positive adds to the blood it comes into contact with?” he summed up.

            “Da.”

            “And the blood sample taken from the latest corpse I brought in, is OO Negative?” he checked.

            “Da.”

            “Then how does OO Positive come into this investigation?”

            "The blood under the nails of the latest victim is the perpetrator's blood," she said.  "And guess what kind of blood type the murderer has?"

            "OO Positive?"

            "Da."

            "So the latest victim has OO Negative blood and the murderer has OO Positive blood?" he clarified.

            "Da, but Griggori, all your victims in this murder spree are OO Negative.  Yet, they all tried to fight off their attacker, which explains the blood under their long nails.  The blood that I've taken from each of the victims nails are OO Positive."

            "So it's the same perpetrator?"

            "Da, but look, this OO Positive suspect has the same DNA which was taken from three other corpses which were autopsied 236 years ago.”

            He watched as she hit a new command into the touch-screen.  Three faces appeared on the screen, a man and woman whose heads were barely attached to what was left of a ravaged neck.  The third victim which was a middle-aged male had a singed hole in his chest where his heart used to be.

            “Who are these people?” he wondered.

            “They couldn't be identified so they were simply called Jane Doe and John Doe.  Their deaths were written off as a wild animal attack from the nature of the bite marks on the youngest male and female's necks.   The older man’s death was by being impaled with a long, sharp, metallic object such as a sword.  But the Police declared him dead possibly by the same perpetrator because of the claw marks on the rest of his body.  The clawing and teeth marks were concluded to be from a species in the canidae family."

            "They thought wolves did this?" he arched an eyebrow, sceptical.  

            She nodded, "But see here, the DNA retrieved from the bite marks?”

            “It’s the same as our OO Positive blood type," he squinted at the screen.

            “These three victims and the ‘animal’ that supposedly attacked them, all had OO Positive blood," she sighed.  “But look at the year that the victims died, 2145 AD.  The DNA of the murderer who killed them has the same DNA taken from our latest victims.  We're dealing with a creature from the canidae family that's over two hundred years old."

“It doesn’t exist, there is no such blood type in the natural world as OO Negative," she sat upright in a huff. "It's a category they made up to classify an unclassifiable blood sample that shouldn't exist.”

 

(Excerpt Alma Introduction)

 

9th June 2381

 

            It was raining heavily from a rumbling sky when he made a run for it from his hover-car to the entrance of the Moscow Police Station.  He grimaced when he felt the icy water seep inside his suit collar which only made him run faster.  The angry sky flashed once more before a deafening clap of thunder chased him inside of the building.

            He shook himself off once he was inside the front door.  The water droplets easily fell off his new suit with the water fortunately not soaking into the fibres.  The artificial clothing was light weight and water resistant however, his dark hair was a different story, it was soaked. 

            “A lovely summers’ day outside?” a co-worker joked upon passing.

            “Da,” he said sarcastically, “with tropical sun showers.”

            The female officer laughed before putting up a clear plastic umbrella then venturing outside.

            Once he'd shaken off most of the water he walked down the busy hallway.  The Police Station was always abuzz with activity and this wet day was no different.  In fact, he noted that the uniformed and non-uniformed officers moved around with a louder hum of work today.

            Recently with the spree of murders including the one which had brought him here, there was public pressure on the Police to catch the killer or killers.  The public couldn’t understand how the use of 24th Century scanning equipment hadn't identified the murderer/s yet.  But as he told several different World Wide Media reporters, “Identifying the DNA left at the scene of the crimes is easy.  Finding the culprit who the DNA comes from is the hard part.”

            After turning down several corridors he entered the Forensics Lab via a set of frosted over, automatic glass doors.

            Then he saw her as she was leaning over her touch-screen computer going over the latest scans from the recent crime scene.  Her blonde hair complimented her white lab clothes.  Although the lab smelled sterile, the fruity fragrance of her shampoo tickled his nose.  The very sight and smell of her gave him pause.

            “Griggori," she acknowledged his arrival while not looking up.

            “Babushka," he returned teasingly.

            “Julia," she gave him a quick glare.  “In the office, you call me by my proper name.”

            “As you wish.”

            When he came over to sit on the available stool beside hers, he noted that they were alone in the lab since the other technicians had left for the day.   Julia returned to her work and he sat quietly to allow her to concentrate.  Besides, this way he could admire her beautiful profile that was lit up by the light coming off the computer screen.

            “Look, there it is again!”  

            Her shrill voice was accentuated by her Russian accent.  The Forensic Scientist hit the computer touch-screen bad temperedly.  The screen blinked in protest before re-displaying the same information as before.

            “Woah there, Babushka," the Detective gently restrained her.

            Whilst holding his lover in his arms, his face was considerably closer to the screen than before and that was when he saw it.

            “OO Negative?” he uttered in disbelief.

            “It doesn’t exist, there is no such blood type in the natural world as OO Negative," she sat upright in a huff.  "It's a category they made up to classify an unclassifiable blood sample that shouldn't exist.”

            “But this classification that was created 300 years ago has the same blood type as my corpse which is two days old," he argued.

            “It was 236 years ago that Forensics then invented this classification," she corrected.

            Griggori used this chance to move closer to her computer and press the touch-screen to bring up records of this phenomenon.  As he went over the data, she thought she should narrate what he was seeing, since he wasn’t educated in Biology.  His knowledge with Forensics extended to using a scanning device to check a suspects' DNA but that was it.

            “The OO Negative sample is neither human nor animal, but it has characteristics of both.  It is parasitic in nature and completely void of red and white cells.  It appears to feed off other sources of blood from either human or animal, to replenish its missing cells, proteins and sugar levels.” 

            “Then what’s this?” he noticed a link to another file in the bottom corner of the screen. “OO Positive?”

            Julia leaned forward to use her index finger to press the link for him as she continued:

            “OO Positive is the exact opposite of OO Negative, it’s rich in red and white cells, antibodies, blood sugars and proteins.  But there's something else."

            "Da?" he waited for it.

            “Both OO Negative and OO Positive are communicable by infection of the blood.  If either OO Negative or OO Positive blood infected the blood of a human, they would become either OO Negative or OO Positive.  But the patient infected with OO Negative blood would soon need to consume more blood to replenish itself."

            "Why?" he asked, confused.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nobody Part One

 

Nobody Part One

 

Clarissa Downing considers herself to be a 'nobody', commuting to work on a daily basis to a call centre job she dreads until one fateful Monday afternoon her life abruptly changes. 

 

Starting with a mysterious text message from an unknown sender, she finds out her life is in danger and her political opinions have made her a target.  The mysterious text messages continue as the source known only as ‘Central’ promises to keep her safe. 

 

At first Clarissa finds Central’s methods exciting; paid a million dollars a month to travel the world as one of the jet-set and see amazing destinations and sample culinary delights.  But it eventually dawns on her that she must pick a side, humanity or A.I.

 

Drones are the downtrodden members of society with humans prepared to kill in order to keep it this way.  Clarissa has published her beliefs that drones should have equal rights.  But what lengths will Central go to achieve this?

Published March 2022

For more information visit https://deliriouslyhappybutslightlyinsane.blogspot.com/

KR Smith © 2022

Declan who as another breed of Werewolf, could never completely be one of us, just as I would always be different

(‘Scent’ Excerpt Chapter 11)

30^th October 2084

“Are you ready?” Grant’s glowing silver eyes felt like they burned into my soul.

“Yes.” I gulped.

“I feel that you’re ready tonight B.” He rumbled out in his thunderous voice. I looked at him expectantly when he said simply, “come.”

Then in his Werewolf form, Grant leapt from our front veranda, clear over the driveway and he disappeared into the woods in a single bound. In one leap, in my Werewolf form I joined him. He ran out in front as I ran right behind, so close I was almost treading on his heels.

We ran through the darkened woods so fast that the colours seemed to stream into each other like army camouflage of green, grey and black.

My husband streaked along, running up to 200 km/h as I deliberately hung back, not engaging my faster speed thanks to my ability as a Circulator. Although Grant’s supernatural strength was more than my match; my Circulator speed was greater than his. My instincts slowed me from overtaking him as I played out the role he were First and I were Second of our personalized pack.

Grant ducked left and instantly I ducked left. He ducked right and automatically so did I. I mirrored his movements and together we bolted through the woods as he was Yin to my Yang. I smelled his scent as clear as day as I felt his heart beat and I felt his hunger… Tonight I hunted as a Lokoti Werewolf with my mate.

TONIGHT WE HUNT ANIMAL AND NOT HUMAN – Grant willed to his Werewolf wife.

TONIGHT WE FEAST ON ANIMAL FLESH – I willed back to my husband.

My body copied exactly what my mate’s did. I ran at his pace and I panted when he panted. Hell, even my heart would beat to the same rhythm as his.

Then I sensed what he sensed, as I smelled what he smelled. I picked up that we were closing in on the pack, as they chased down a small group of moose. I smelled the scent of our prey which made my stomach rumble.

The thirteen other members of the pack all closed in on the four moose who were running for their lives. I felt exhilaration with my predator instinct delighting in their fear. I could almost taste the fresh kill!

However as my mouth watered, another instinct knew that this wasn’t the National Park’s only moose. I sensed that I wasn’t hunting a species to the point of extinction. If this had been the case, then our instincts would have steered us towards other prey.

As my mate and I left the tree coverage, we spotted the Lokoti Werewolves running up a mountain ridge behind our targets. Out in front of the pack, ran Declan in his European Werewolf form as our honorary member.

My heart skipped a beat, as it picked up in speed from seeing Declan’s large supernatural form running on all-fours. Like this, he chased down the Alpha male moose. Don’t ask me how and don’t ask me why, but although this was my first hunt with the pack; I sensed that the pack allowed him to take down fighting, the largest and the strongest. If it were moose than Declan would challenge and take down the alpha male or if it were caribou it would be the same. The pack would chase other quarry to let him combat alone. I sensed that his European Werewolf bloodlust demanded that he didn’t share his prey.

My greater speed as a Circulator engaged, thanks to the rush of exhilaration I experienced from seeing him out in hunt. I streaked past Grant as I spotted the fastest female moose. As Declan challenged the strongest male to combat, I wanted no I needed, to chase down the fastest. My bloodlust wanted to feel the satisfaction of being not only stronger but faster than my meal.

As the female moose ran out in front, I streaked past the entire pack to chase her down. The female tried to shake me as she ducked left so I did too. The female next ducked right and so did I. Next, she bolted towards more trees to try to hide but before she reached the tree line I leapt upon her.

My bloodlust boiled as my heart was pounding and all I could smell let alone breathe was the scent of my kill. I smelled her fear, her racing heart and her adrenaline rush as she tried to escape from death - from me.

I leapt into the air and landed upon her outstretched, engaging my supernatural strength to dig my claws into her tough hide. The female moose made a last-ditch attempt to bolt with all of her might…but by instinct, I knew exactly where her jugular was in her larger neck and I brought my dangerous jaws down. I felt her mangy fur against my tongue, as my elongated teeth drove through her tough pelt. I tingled all over as soon when I felt her warm blood gush into my ready mouth.

With her jugular pierced she immediately came crashing into the ground with me right on top of her. Then as her legs flailed uselessly in the air, I kept my jaws over her crucial artery which both expedited her death and made it as painless as possible.

In the corner of my eye, I caught Grant also pounce on her fallen form, indicating that he had run right behind. Then so did Grandpa, Dad and Ian and share my kill they did. Grant’s elongated teeth dove into the artery in her chest, right next to her heart. Dad also bit into another major artery. Ian and Grandpa bit into the moose’s upper legs which were still trying to kick us off. As soon as I saw my kin do this, the sooner I felt the female moose’s heart stop as she no longer inhaled air…she was dead.

The female moose who was my first kill on my first full moon hunt with the pack, was extinguished. As if guided by my predator instincts, my elongated teeth now began to pull away her pelt to reach the warm, soft flesh underneath.

This even tasted better than my Great Grandma’s roast dinners with her famous gravy! This was more fulfilling than I could have ever dreamed possible! The taste was both sweet and yet savoury, with the fresh kill both placating my hunger and my thirst. My heart raced as I felt giddy over the exquisite delight!

Frickin’ hell, this both excited as well as satisfied me in a way that I have never experienced before. This was more than pleasure, this was more than delight, this WAS fulfillment. For a brief couple of moments as my bloodlust was purged; I felt more than satisfaction but I felt almost euphoric as I addressed my yearnings.

As I feasted, I caught Grant’s silver eyes watching as he hungrily ate. Then I felt something else…I felt a rush of pleasure and appreciation in my Lokoti Werewolf husband that he got to share this with his wife. I sensed the relief that he felt for being able to share the hunt and the kill with not only another Lokoti Werewolf, but it was with his mate.

My glowing turquoise eyes met his glowing silver ones. Grant growled satisfactorily as he ripped open the chest cavity with his clawed hands. I couldn’t see Dad’s or Grandpa’s bloodied faces, as they were eating their way through the moose’s abdomen. Ian tore off a leg to eat, like it could have been a giant chicken drumstick instead.

The males feasting encouraged my own as we didn’t have to worry about table manners. I didn’t care about being ‘lady like’ as I was permitted to gorge on fresh kill. My dangerous mouth became covered in blood, just as Grant’s, Ian’s, Dad’s and Grandpa’s did.

I am Lokoti Werewolf who is mated to another Lokoti Werewolf. I AM the fifteenth member of the pack and for a coherent moment all of the basic principles of life and my existence made perfect sense. I AM a predator, just as I AM a killer. I need to hunt when the full moon piqued not only our bloodlust but our lunatic tendencies.

Luna which means the moon…lunatic which means made crazy by the moon…the light of the full moon which stirred my bloodlust and I must hunt and I must kill and I must feed. That was all there was to it, so why fight it when I could hunt with my kin; animal instead of human?

The circle of life and death; the universe expands, the universe contracts and the cycle of existence continues to renew itself. My Lokoti Werewolf instincts were part of this; able to hunt a species where numbers were not endangered so it harmonized with nature.

As I contemplated all of this, my life started to make sense because I now made sense. I am the first female Lokoti Werewolf and I am the last Circulator. I am the beginning and I am the end but I am not alone. I had my Mum, Gran and Vincent, as members of the Circulate; I had Grant and the rest of the pack to guide me as one of Earth’s dangerous predators. But in a small way I also had Declan…

He was the male whom my secret desires lay with; he was the male who secretly desired me; Declan who as another breed of Werewolf, could never completely be one of us, just as I would always be different as the first female of the pack. Declan, who after combating the strongest male moose, he ate his kill alone. The rest of the pack numbered four to six Lokoti Werewolves per prey. As the Lokoti Werewolves could hunt in a pack, his European Werewolf bloodlust demanded that he ate his conquered alone.

Declan raised himself from his already-eaten meal, thanks to his greater appetite. I felt his burning gaze as the green-eyed monster looked my way. I overheard the satisfied growl he emitted, seeing me covered in blood as I sensed inside of him a different kind of hunger build…

Just then he caught sight in the corner of his glowing green eyes, another male moose come into the clearing. It looked enraged at my feasting on one of its females. The male moose made a charge towards me, but Declan swatted the animal with his strong, sharp claw when it charged past the tree that he was standing behind.

His second kill went crashing bleeding profusely, into the ground. As Declan’s large canine head and ever-hungry jaws lowered to eat his second meal, he never looked away from my direction.

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HERE’S A TIP B, MALE WEREWOLVES ARE ATTRACTED TO STRONG WOMEN.

(‘Scent’ Excerpt Chapter 11)

Declan reluctantly stood up from his half-eaten meal and then he waited for me to stand up. I had to lean on him whilst I pulled myself to my feet, as my legs wobbled horribly. I feel so weak and hungry!

FRICKIN’ HELL, YOU LOOK USELESS – he telepathically taunted – HERE’S A TIP B, MALE WEREWOLVES ARE ATTRACTED TO STRONG WOMEN.

“Man am I relieved that I’m not married to you!” I grumbled.

CLIMB UP AND I’LL CARRY YOU HOME TO YOUR HUSBAND – he thought bitterly.

He was so big in his European Werewolf body that even standing on all fours, he was almost the height of a horse. He was too high to climb in my weakened state! When I pointed this out, he growled unhappily and lowered himself to the ground. As soon as I’d clambered up, I wrapped my legs about his wide, muscled waist. I leaned over to hold onto his bulky shoulders which also enabled me to bask in his excessive body heat.

The monster raised himself once more to his four clawed feet, but he stood still for a minute or two as I sensed he appreciated our contact. Then after turning his beastly head to make sure I was holding on tightly, he took off out of the grassy plain! Declan bounded along on all fours at typical European Werewolf speed which was something like 300 km/h which was 100 km’s faster than what Lokoti Werewolves run.

We ran through the forest, with Declan expertly dodging the trees in our path as he simultaneously leapt over log, rock or bush. I must admit, I was enjoying the ride...! I felt as warm as toast thanks to his greater body heat and I also enjoyed the feel of his huge muscles ripple. However it took him twenty minutes running in supernatural speed, for him to reach the hill that my house sat on. I didn’t know I had gone so far…

WHEREABOUTS WERE WE? – I wondered when he slowed to a jog.

YOU MEAN IN THE NATIONAL PARK? ALL THE WAY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE BORDER – he answered.

NO WONDER I HAD NEVER SEEN THAT PART OF OUR LANDS BEFORE – I marveled.

It was here that the ride ended when he leapt out of the tree line of the woods and landed on my dirt driveway. There we found Grant, Ian, Dad, Grandpa and Grandfather standing by the veranda steps talking to Mum and Gran. Everyone looked relieved to see me, but puzzled by the method of my arrival.

“B?” Mum came forwards, as did Dad and Grant.

“Hallo.” I growled out in my Werewolf voice as I gave a little wave with my claw-like hand.

Declan lowered himself to the ground once more, to enable me to climb off. When I did so, my legs gave away but Grant was quick to catch me. The European Werewolf looked on my husband jealously, before he abruptly turned and leapt back into the woods! Mum and Gran looked surprised by his sudden appearance and then disappearance, but I sensed he did it to stop himself from mauling the man who had become his rival.

“B, what’s wrong with you?” Mum cried out concerned as I had trouble standing on my own two feet.

“I instantaneously phased tonight.” I managed out, looking on their astonished faces. “I ran so fast in light speed that I accidentally turned myself into light. I looked bright and see through as I was running and when I nearly ran into a tree? Suddenly I found myself on the north side of the border, having instantaneously phased there without realizing it.”

“Hunter!” She whacked her husband on the arm. “You take our little girl out on a hunting trip as a Werewolf and she circulates for her first time without us!”

“You’re weak and tired at the moment, which happens to a Circulator who circulates for their first time.” Gran frowned. “Let’s get you inside and warmed up.”

“Actually,” I looked on in a pleading manner. “I’m really, really hungry…could I please have some bacon and eggs?”

“Of course you can!” She quickly agreed. “I was famished after the first time I circulated.”

Grant was about to scoop me up into his arms to carry his weakened wife inside, when I stopped him. I looked apologetically into his concerned eyes, before I next looked to Ian, Grandpa, Grandfather and then lastly, Dad.

“I’m sorry I disappointed you tonight and I’m not a very good Werewolf. I know if you had a son instead of a daughter he’d probably make a much better Lokoti Werewolf -”

“You think I’m disappointed in you?” He interrupted in an incredulous voice, before he crossed over to stand closely. “B I’m damn proud of you! I’m proud that you’re my daughter just as I’m proud of the fact that you’re the first female Lokoti Werewolf.”

“But,” I said in confusion, “when I couldn’t kill the bear you seemed angry or something.”

“Tonight I saw a new Lokoti Werewolf not let the bloodlust get the better of her. If that bear had been human, you managed to run away from the temptation of the kill and the human would have lived.” He said strongly.

“The human would have lived?” I asked amazed. “The human really would have lived because I ran away?”

“As long as Ian doesn’t snap its neck, sure.” Grandpa joked, making the men chuckle.

“Hey, how often do we get to eat grizzly?” Ian tried to justify himself. “The bear was just lying there like that…”

“I really can’t take you anywhere.” Grant mockingly shook his head at his older brother.

Just then Gran shuddered from the cold as Mum rubbed her arms in agreement.

“Er guys? Can we have this heartfelt moment inside where it’s heated?” My mother complained.

“Bacon and eggs do sound good right about now.” Grandfather smiled on Gran, before he escorted her up the veranda steps and into the house.

“But I thought you guys fed on grizzly tonight?” I looked at Grant.

“Never underestimate a Werewolf’s appetite, B.” Mum rolled her eyes. “They’re ALWAYS hungry.”

“Yeah well, it’s not just for food.” Dad laughingly pulled her close, before they followed her parents inside.

“C’mon then, let’s get some ‘human’ food inside of you.” Ian joked. He stepped back as he watched Grant pick me up to gallantly carry me over the threshold. As he trailed in after, he mused, “but what about Declan though, I’ve never seen him give anybody a ride on his back before.”

“With his European Werewolf temper, he would soon as maul whoever would even suggest such a thing.” Dad agreed.

Grant sat me down in a chair at the dining table before taking the seat next to mine, as Gran and Grandfather helped themselves to cooking in my kitchen for one and all. Mum even went in to help, as Dad set the table.

“Declan’s always been protective over B.” Mum mused, overhearing their conversation. “I remember how he used to pick her up and carry her everywhere when she was little.”

“He did?” I looked up, taken aback. “I must have been really little then, because I don’t remember it.”

“I remember.” Gran smiled softly. “You, Derik and Declan all used to be quite close until you and Derik hit seven years old.”

“That’s when the fighting began.” Mum chimed in. “Suddenly you and Declan went from best friends to worst enemies, almost overnight.”

Just then Grant frowned as he leaned in and sniffed me, “his scent on you is strong.”

“Oh, I had to hold onto him tightly so not to fall off.” I tried to say casually.

“Anyways that’s enough about Declan.” Dad said narkily.

“Agreed.” Ian declared. “Mmm that bacon smells good, Em and Arabella.”

All of our heads turned at the delicious smell of bacon frying and the creamy, cheesy scrambled eggs being cooked to perfection. As Gran and Grandfather were concentrating on these, Mum made the toast as Dad put out the butter, salt and pepper.

I was relieved when the conversation was changed and as soon as we were all sitting at the table eating; I was able to shrink back into my human body. My prior thoughts of Declan slipped away just as my Werewolf muscle bulk did.

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