Prologue

The wind rushes past my ears causing them to sting in the cool night air. Twigs and branches snag at my tattered clothes, getting caught in my fur. Each snag of cloth or plucked hair makes me jump and run still faster.

I know they're still chasing me, they must be. Why wouldn't they be chasing me? I'm, a monster. After what I did I know I should be hunted down and killed.

Breaking through some brush I stumble down a small hill. Tripping over my own feet, or rather paws now, I nearly fall flat on my face. looking up from all fours I see that I am near a pond situated in the center of a clearing hidden amongst the trees.

Slowly I claw my way towards the shore and still waters. Reaching the edge I peer down into the inky depths as my racing pulse beats a loud rhythm in my ears. With trembling, fearful, movements I move to see what will be reflected back at me.

At first my eyes see nothing but an empty void, then the full moon comes out from behind a cloud and I nearly scream out as my eyes widen and my heart skips several beats.

Looking back at me through icy blue eyes is the head of a wolf. Fur white as snow, triangular ears with pink flesh visible inside, a long muzzle with a mouth filled with sharp white teeth, and a nose black as coal.

I fight the urge to run as I lift a hand up to my face. The reflection does the same, only instead it raises a large paw with dark pads and claws on it. Tearing my gaze from the water, I look at my hand and see the same paw as the reflection.

Looking at it I can see dirt, twigs, and the unmistakable red of blood all mixed into and between the pads and claws. Dreading what I am about to do I slowly look back at the water.

Like before the wolf is looking back up at me as though just beneath the water. Trembling I raise both of my hands, or paws, up to my face and touch the side of my cheeks.

All I feel under my touch is fur and flesh. As a lump forms in my throat and my heart feels as though it has settled somewhere around my stomach set in I rub my left paw up over my eye towards my ear. As the reflection does the same I watch as the paw grabs hold of the triangular ear.  I give it a sharp pinch and instantly let out a yelp of pain.

As my eyes fill with tears, I look back at the reflection and watch as a single drop rolls down the wolf's muzzle and falls toward the still surface. I watch the sparkling drop fall until it hits the water sending out ripples in all directions distorting the image. It is at that moment that I finally give in to the despair.

Covering my eyes I throw my head back and yell. Only instead of my normal voice a long, sorrowful howl is released from my throat and begins to echo through the trees.

As the full moon rises ever higher in the sky, I lower my head as silent sobs shake my body. Eventually I manage to sniff myself under control enough to look back at the water.

There the wolf is again looking back at me. Tear tracks trace down both sides of its muzzle leading to the point where they dripped off on their voyage to join the pond below me.

Finally accepting that what I am seeing is not a dream or hoax, I fall sideways and wrap my arms around myself as I think back on what has led me here. Why did this happen to me? Why did I hurt them? Why did I become this monster.... this.... werewolf?