Author's Preface
Naren's eye flickered with dread as he finally was finally able to track down the Werewolf's howl. Right in front of him, he watched the burning beast tear itself apart, like a hideous mutant, before swatting Cairo a hundred meters out.
He staggered a bit seeing the gruesome scene unfold.
Damn he got ahead of himself. There was no point to any of this if he dies before figuring out who the actual wolf is.
From a safe distance, Naren observed the canine beast. Doing quick mental math to figure out just who was left — Cairo and Nico just went flying. The big guy's dead. And he's standing right here. That means it was Dian or Yuna.
Naren tried playing every scenario to narrow it down but couldn't.
He'd cut the princess if they hadn't separated for an hour at the first wolf attack. Naren had no way of knowing if she'd gone and committed the attack in that hour or not.
Then there was Dian. Found alone and away. It all seemed to point to him.
Just then, the wolf sniffed the air, it's beading yellow eyes slowly tracking onto Naren hiding a few terraces down.
Naren sheepishly chuckled.
"Good dog...Right? You're a good boy."
A low snarl rattled his bones before the beast pounced on all fours. It's hulking body smashing through buildings like clay, throwing up dirt as it drooled looking at it's next prey.
"Bad dog!"
Naren looked around for where to go. Each movement the wolf made had scattered any lightsource into oblivion. Blue lightning bugs scattering as soon as their glass lamps broke.
'Just great. This damn mutts got me all figured out or something.'
Finally Naren spotted a glass window dimly lit by a stray lightning bug in the alleys below. Squinting his eyes, he was a hairs slow as he watched the tree thick arm of the beast crash into him.
Narrowly, Naren flipped over, grabbing onto the wolf's stray hairs, pulling himself onto the arm.
Naren clicked his tongue as he swiftly decided how he was going to proceed.
"Damn it. Why couldn't you be a good boy. Learn a trick or two."
The red-haired boy ran up through the arm as the beast began flailing it's body to get rid of the bug. Though, Naren's balance was great as he slid under sweeps and brushes of it's claws.
With a leap, Naren focused his attention on the beading yellow eyes of the beast. The back of his heel digging right through the iris. Blood gushing out as the beast's vision dissipated.
At least, that's how it should've went.
Instead, in effortless speed, the wolf shifted, it's maw hanging open right below Naren's airborne body.
CHOMP
Naren's bare feet stepped out of the little alley, his gaze wincing staring at the beast wondering where he went. Thankfully he was able to keep the window in the back of his mind and use it at the last second.
"Maybe I'll try finding you some dog treats."
Just then, the wolf sniffed the air once more. Seemingly picking up on something more delightful than Naren as it began loping through the rooftops, sliding into the alley, whilst breaking down any walls in its path.
Naren yawned as he realized he had to chase after it.
Slipping into the alley, he followed behind the beast. Trying to stay as stealthy as he could. He was lucky that the wolf seemed to have some other target in mind. But that didn't mean he could let his guard down.
Though before long, he had lost the wolf completely. The mess of alleys swallowing him whole as the sounds of the beast died down into the dead of night.
Naren continued trotting through the alley. Snickering to himself.
"That princess' sure gonna be mad when she wakes up. Serves her right...Well whatever, I just gotta wait till one's left."
Naren stopped.
—————————————
Vera was breathing heavily holding onto her arm. Tiny cuts all over her body. She hadn't known what happened, it was all to fast.
All she did know was that the Werewolf was after her. It always was.
Every time night fell, the Werewolf seemed to appear beside her, sniffing her out. And this time was no different.
The abomination had scraped through her clothes, ripping them to shreds. Thankfully, through the rubble of houses, there were clothes scattered about, ones that weren't completely destroyed by some miracle.
Turning the corner in a pink dress, Vera was instinctively smoothing out the creases. Limping as her left leg was still bleeding. She had to figure out some way to get out of here.
That wolf was always chasing her. So she would take it away from here. And whatever she does then...Well she'll have to figure something out—
Vera stopped as her gaze caught something in front of her.
A boy with a dull crimson scarf.
"Shrimpy! Great of you to join me."
Hearing those words, Vera winced. A dull pain in her chest intensifying as she watched Naren kneel over, his back facing her.
"Pardon? What're you doing?"
"I'm picking flowers...Obviously I'm giving you a piggy back Shrimpy."
Vera stood there not moving for a moment.
"I-I can manage."
"Look, stop acting all high and mighty, old and mature, or whatever you're trying to do here. Stop tryna be strong. You're a little kid—"
"I am not a little kid!"
"Yeah yeah, just get on!"
"I will not! Stop pestering me and just leave me alone!"
Naren yawned, his eyes facing the ground as his back faced Vera.
"I don't care. I don't think I've ever cared for your words or your feeling. You don't know me? Yeah yeah great job. Who cares?"
Vera's eyes glistened, a pit in her throat appearing as Naren continued:
"Newsflash, I don't know you either! And I sure as hell don't care about this little temper tantrum of yours. All I need, is for you to turn me into a shaman. We do that, you're free to go. Sounds like a great deal to me. So come—"
Naren stopped, as his ears perked, hearing the subtle hint of sorrow coming from behind him.
For the first time, after trying to be an adult, after trying to be a grown up for years and years, Vera had finally broke. And for the first time in years, she had completely reverted back to the little girl who lost her mother from her own arms.
Tears began streaming down her face as her lips quivered.
Vera couldn't stop it this time. No. This time, she didn't want to stop it. This time, she was tired of pretending.
The little girl sobbed as years of tears came flowing down.
"I-I hate you!"
Vera ran back. Back into the alley, back the way she came. She was done with it all. She was done with being hurt over and over again.
She didn't care what happened to those around her.
Nobody had cared for her. She was tired of it all.
Naren stayed kneeling as he listened to the sounds of Vera's footsteps grow further and further as she tried her hardest to hide her muffled sobs.
A dull pain in his chest as he couldn't move a muscle to go after her. Then he heard a scream. Vera's voice that shook his eardrums. His legs already moving before he could figure it out.
He finally stopped at a dead end.
In front of him was a mutilated figure. A short man with pink feather boa hanging loosely from his neck. His hanafuda earring splattered with blood.
Dian laid slouched over, his intestines ripped out and devoured.
But what caught Naren's attention more was right in front of the corpse.
A familiar girl with dark-blue almost black hair stared at the corpse. Her heartbeat rapidly increasing by the second. She turned her gaze to the two behind her, her pitch-black eyes failing to reflect Naren.
But there was no sign of Vera at all.
Before Naren could get his words out, Yuna spoke first.
"The horrifying part of the virus is the Werewolf will manipulate its host to lure in the meal. Just as the grandmother was forced to do to poor little Red."
Naren's eyes widen as his world suddenly goes black.
—————————————————
Naren's eyes shot open. Sweat beading down his neck. He was breathing heavy without even realizing. His chest beating hard. It hurt. A deep blunt pain quietly pulsating in his heart.
A stray ray of sun struck him from the oceanic sky, not even attempting to block the glare this time.
Instead he stood there as crowds of what he thought were Fae passed by him. Bumping into him, without warning, passing by without care.
He clenched his fists, as he let a smile creep onto his face.
He figured it out. The Werewolf.
It was Yuna.
That sly princess.