Chapter 2: The First Hunt
1044 Words
The next morning, Blackridge woke beneath a gray sky.
Rain drizzled over the town, coating the streets in a thin layer of mist. News spread quickly through cafés, grocery stores, and the halls of Blackridge High School.
Something had attacked a group of campers during the night.
No one had died, but their campsite had been completely destroyed. Tents had been ripped to shreds, coolers crushed like empty cans, and massive claw marks scarred the trunks of several pine trees. One terrified camper insisted he had seen a pair of glowing golden eyes watching from the darkness before an earth-shaking howl echoed through the forest.
The sheriff blamed a bear.
Almost no one believed him.
Malik Carter sat quietly at the breakfast table, barely touching the pancakes his grandmother had prepared. Every muscle in his body ached after the previous night's transformation. Purple bruises circled his wrists where the silver chains had held him in place, and his head pounded as if he hadn't slept in days.
Loretta noticed immediately.
"You remember everything?" she asked softly.
Malik nodded.
"I stayed inside the cellar."
"You did."
He looked into his grandmother's eyes.
"But something was outside."
Loretta's smile disappeared.
"What do you mean?"
"I smelled another werewolf."
Silence filled the kitchen.
"That's impossible," she whispered.
"It wasn't me," Malik insisted. "I know my own scent. There was someone else in those woods."
Loretta slowly placed her coffee cup on the table. Her hands trembled.
"For generations, our family believed your father was the last Alpha werewolf."
"So what did I smell?"
Instead of answering, she walked toward an old wooden cabinet. After unlocking a hidden compartment, she removed a faded map of Blackridge Forest. Several locations had been circled in red ink, with strange symbols drawn around them.
She pointed toward the northern edge of the forest.
"If another werewolf has entered Blackridge," she said quietly, "then the ancient seal is weakening."
Malik frowned.
"What seal?"
Before she could explain, a loud knock echoed through the cabin.
Loretta quickly folded the map and hid it.
Standing outside was Sheriff Daniel Hayes.
"I'm sorry to bother you this early," the sheriff said as he removed his rain-soaked hat. "We're asking everyone who lives near the forest if they heard anything unusual last night."
Loretta smiled politely.
"Only thunder."
The sheriff looked toward Malik.
"And you?"
Malik forced himself to remain calm.
"I slept through it."
For a long moment, Sheriff Hayes simply stared at him.
Then he nodded.
"If either of you notices anything strange, let me know immediately."
As the sheriff's truck disappeared down the muddy road, Malik released the breath he had been holding.
"He knows," he whispered.
Loretta shook her head.
"No."
She looked toward the forest.
"But he suspects."
Blackridge High School buzzed with excitement and fear.
Students crowded around their phones, watching blurry videos taken by the campers before they fled.
"They said it was at least nine feet tall."
"My cousin heard it killed a deer with one bite."
"No way. It was probably just a prank."
Malik ignored every conversation.
His thoughts kept drifting back to Ethan.
When he entered chemistry class, Ethan was already seated at their shared lab table.
"Morning," Ethan said with a warm smile.
"You look exhausted."
"I didn't sleep much."
Ethan hesitated.
"Neither did I."
Malik looked at him.
"I kept having strange dreams."
"What kind of dreams?"
Ethan lowered his voice.
"I keep seeing a huge black wolf."
Malik froze.
"It never attacks me," Ethan continued. "It just stands there... watching me."
A cold chill ran down Malik's spine.
Over the next several days, Malik and Ethan became inseparable.
They worked together during chemistry class.
They ate lunch together.
They walked through the halls laughing about teachers, homework, and basketball games.
Malik learned that Ethan loved photography and dreamed of becoming a wildlife filmmaker someday.
Ethan discovered that Malik loved astronomy, old jazz music, and spending quiet evenings with his grandmother.
For the first time in years, Malik felt... normal.
He laughed more.
He smiled without forcing it.
Whenever Ethan was nearby, the weight of his curse seemed just a little lighter.
Not everyone appreciated their growing friendship.
During lunch one afternoon, Malik and Ethan were walking across the cafeteria when three senior students blocked their path.
At the center stood Tyler Mason, captain of the football team.
He smirked at Ethan.
"So..."
"The rumors are true."
Ethan remained calm.
"What rumors?"
Tyler laughed loudly.
"That you're gay."
The cafeteria became silent.
Malik stepped forward.
"Leave him alone."
Tyler looked surprised.
"What? You his boyfriend now?"
Several students laughed.
Tyler shoved Ethan backward.
Before anyone else could react, Malik grabbed Tyler's wrist.
The bully cried out instantly.
"You... you're hurting me!"
Malik released him at once.
His heart pounded violently.
For just a second...
His fingernails had grown into sharp black claws.
Only Ethan noticed.
Tyler stumbled backward, rubbing his wrist.
"What... what are you?"
Without answering, Malik turned and hurried out of the cafeteria.
Ethan found him sitting behind the gym an hour later.
"You didn't have to defend me," Ethan said.
"I wanted to."
"You scared him."
"I know."
Ethan studied him carefully.
"I saw your hand."
Malik's heart skipped a beat.
"My hand?"
"For a second..."
Ethan frowned.
"I could've sworn your nails turned into claws."
Malik forced a nervous laugh.
"You must've imagined it."
"...Maybe."
But Ethan didn't sound convinced.
That evening, Ethan developed the photographs he had taken around town earlier that day.
Most of them were ordinary.
The school.
The church.
The basketball court.
The forest.
Then he reached the final photograph.
His breath caught.
Standing between two towering pine trees was a dark figure.
It was enormous.
Its body resembled a wolf, but it stood unnaturally tall.
Two glowing golden eyes stared directly into the camera.
Ethan's hands began to shake.
He knew with absolute certainty that no one had been standing there when he pressed the shutter.
A deep growl suddenly echoed from outside his bedroom window.
Slowly, Ethan pulled back the curtain.
Standing in the rain, at the edge of the woods, was the same massive black wolf.
Its golden eyes locked onto his.
This time...
It did not disappear.
End of Chapter 2
- Writer
