chapter 2
960 Words
“Hello, I’m a wolf. Delighted to make your acquaintance.”
Though standing upright was difficult, I still forced myself into as human a posture as possible and extended a wolf’s claw toward the man.
He stood frozen, pupils dilating slowly—then suddenly let out a shrill scream and bolted toward the rooftop staircase in blind panic.
“Why are you running? I happen to be starving. Shall we go find something to eat together?”
In an instant, I appeared at the stairwell entrance, courteously extending that same hand—no, claw—once more.
His pupils widened yet again. Another scream erupted from him, somehow even more piercing than the last, before he stumbled away in terror.
“Sorry, the stairs are over there.”
I lazily crouched down before him again and flicked my tongue across my lips. “I don’t care for your scent. Truly.”
The sensation of instantaneous movement was rather exhilarating. The elders had once said that after transformation, werewolves awakened strange abilities. It seemed mine was speed.
The man looked moments away from complete mental collapse. Scrambling desperately to his feet, he fled headlong toward the stairwell, from which there soon erupted a cacophony of crashes and tumbling sounds.
“At the very least,” I murmured, “his falling posture was impressive.”
I walked over to the girl. She had already fainted—whether from fright at my appearance, I could not tell. I tried tugging lightly at her clothes with my teeth.
“Riiip—!”
The already pitiful fabric tore open further. A large expanse of her skin was exposed. I immediately shut my eyes and muttered solemnly, “Impropriety leads only to disaster…” Though precisely why impropriety led to disaster, my godfather had never explained.
It seemed impossible to move her downstairs tonight. A werewolf’s transformation lasted at least six hours.
The wind atop the building was fierce and cold; the moonlight carried not the slightest trace of warmth.
If this continued, she would surely freeze. I looked at the moon, then at her. Her face lay hidden in shadow, indistinct, her ponytail scattered behind her like the petals of a half-bloomed chrysanthemum.
I had no choice. With rather indecent thoughts, I gently lay over her to shield her from the cold.
The fragrance of her body sent a tremor through me. Even through my thick fur, I could distinctly feel the warmth of her half-bare skin. It was the first time I had ever been so close to a girl. My thoughts spiraled wildly, while a bottomless exhaustion swallowed me whole. Wrapped in warmth and delicate fragrance, I could no longer resist; I drifted into a hazy sleep.
When I awoke to the sharp sting of a slap, the sky, clouds, and stars all seemed to spin before my eyes.
“Whose slap was that? Why does my left cheek hurt?”
Ah. It really was me. Clutching my burning cheek, I scrambled awkwardly to my feet.
Apparently the transformation had ended. I had returned to human form, clad in nothing but my underwear—during transformation, wearing anything more was impossible—only to be struck across the face by the girl cowering in the corner, clutching her torn clothes around herself.
“p*****t!”
Her cheeks were flushed crimson. Beneath the sunlight, her slightly rounded face appeared exquisitely delicate, her small nose and faint brows lending her the ethereal beauty of a fairy from another realm. For a fleeting instant, I stared like an i***t. Last night I had never truly seen her face. I had not imagined she could be this beautiful…
“You shameless creep!” she shouted furiously. “Get away from me!”
She actually knew I was a werewolf? Had she witnessed my transformation…?
Then I realized—in such circumstances, “wolf” carried another meaning entirely.
Seeing my dazed expression only seemed to infuriate her further. Though even in anger, she looked astonishingly lovely.
“My apologies, miss,” I asked earnestly, “but how did you know I was a wolf?”
“You—you shameless brute! You bullied me…”
To my bewilderment, she burst into tears. I had merely asked a small question.
The moment I stood up, she turned her face away and cried even harder.
“H-Hey… why are you crying? I… I didn’t do anything…”
I stood there helplessly, uncertain whether to comfort her or keep my distance, afraid any approach would only worsen her sobbing. Indeed, the instant I took a step forward, hearing my footsteps, she broke into outright wailing.
Forget it. I should put on some clothes first.
I retrieved my clothes from the corner of the rooftop, hesitated briefly, then returned.
“Here, take these. Be careful—you’ll catch cold…”
Humans truly were fragile creatures, always afraid of heat or cold. Unlike us werewolves, who wore clothes merely out of etiquette.
“Who wants your filthy clothes? Get lost!”
She caught them, only to hurl them back at me.
“But without clothes, how are you going downstairs…?” I decided persuasion might work better than argument, though my left cheek still throbbed painfully.
“Wuu… I don’t want them… you heartless beast… wuu…”
I could not help admiring her observational skills. “Well, yes, I do have a wolf’s heart… but certainly not a dog’s lungs.”
“Waaah—!”
She burst into tears once more. “You’re bullying me… waaah…”
And yet, even while crying, she seemed impossibly adorable.
Having no idea what else to do, I simply stood there awkwardly, deciding that I would wait patiently until she had cried herself out…
- Writer
