Chapter 2

I went to school the next day and looked for a way to try and set my plan into action. I went over to the elementary school first to see if I could find Alicia. When I didn't find her there, I then went over to the middle school to look. Luckily, all of our schools were pretty much connected so it was easy to travel between each during lunch.

It was just before the end of lunch when I finally found her. I didn't have time to try to talk to her, but I did see that she sat with some of the rougher kids. Although she did seem to stand out. She almost looked like she was just sitting at the same table, rather than actually wanting to be there.

I did notice that Alicia was sitting tenderly. She also seemed to be confused about why she would be feeling that way. We still had two more days of full moon cycle remaining.

I made plans to try and head over to her house later so we could have a discussion about lycanthropy, so I could get her used to the idea. Even though she was young, she didn't look like the type to scare easily. I figured that she would be able to handle it fairly quickly.

I watched her with her "friends" so I could try to see how much she actually wanted to be there. She just didn't seem to fit in. Admittedly, she was wearing the same type of clothes, but she could have just not been able to afford better clothes.

It looked to me like she was trying to fit in. I used to try and do the same thing when I was her age. I learned quickly, however, that I would rather be alone than have to do the types of things that these types of kids always wanted you to do.

Thinking about it, I was actually surprised that she had been able to keep her virginity as long as she had. These kinds of people were notorious for making girls do things they didn't want to do.

I returned to the high school section of the school. I finished my day without any problems of any kind.

I went home and did my homework. Being that we had just finished a 3 day weekend, the teachers all liked to give us extra homework right after any of long weekends. I was loaded down with homework.

After I was finished with my homework, I went out to the backyard and snuck away into the woods. I was usually a very good kid so my foster parents usually weren't too bad about letting me go into the woods on my own.

After I was sure that I was far enough away, I got undressed and changed my form. I headed straight over to Alicia's house. I didn't know yet how I was going to get her outside but I was hoping that a situation would present itself.

I waited in the woods for a good hour and a half. Finally my chance presented itself in the form of Alicia stepping out back.

I watched her walk over to a bench that was set up in the back yard and sit down. I was trying to figure out a way to get her to walk into the woods when the decision was taken out of my hands.

I watched her stiffen up when her father stepped out the back door.

"There you are." Her father said. "I've been looking everywhere for you bitch. What the hell are you doing out here?"

"I'm just reading daddy." Alicia said while already starting to tear up. "The teacher said that I'm doing really well at English. She said, if I try hard enough I could go to college on an academic scholarship."

"I don't care what that damn stupid teacher said to you." Her father said. "You spread your legs and get you a man to take care of you. You don't need any damn college."

Her father then walked over to where she was sitting. Alicia cringed at his approach, which only seemed to excite her father even more. "Get your damn ass up in that house right this second." He said.

"But daddy, please!" Alicia said. "I just like to read."

Her father got even angrier at that point. I saw him reach his hand back. I couldn't believe that any father would do what it looked like this one was about to do. I was wrong. I heard the slap clear as day from almost a hundred feet away. I was quite shocked that he actually did it, but not enough to remain immobile.

I saw Alicia was crying and holding her face. I reacted without thinking. I growled very loudly and bared my teeth, as I slowly approached them from just inside the wood line.

Her father froze for a second. He then started to slowly turn his head around to look in the direction the growl had come from. His hand was still raised above his head for another blow. He didn't even hesitate to start to back towards the house.

When he stepped towards the house, and was no longer between Alicia and me, Alicia saw me for the first time. She gasped in shock, but she didn't move. She seemed to be too scared to move.

I showed even more teeth to her father and he soon ran around to the front of the house. After he had left, I approached Alicia very slowly. I had been fighting my instincts to attack their fear the whole time. I could see and smell the fear in Alicia. She still didn't move.

When I got close enough, I bent down in front of her and sat down to wait. I didn't know how long it would take, but I wanted to get her to trust me.

We stayed like that for nearly 20 minutes. I was actually surprised that her father hadn't called the police or anything like that. He just stayed in front of the window the whole time watching us. Finally I saw her relax a little. I waited even longer until she slowly lifted her hand. She reached out slowly to touch my head.

I looked her in the eyes the entire time. I waited until her hand made contact with the top of my head, and then I bent forward to give her more contact. She was very skittish at first but I just continued to wait and let her acclimate herself to the idea.

Alicia eventually stood up next to me and continued to pet my head. She started to scratch behind my ears. You would not believe how good that feels. Now I know why dogs love it so much.

I closed my eyes and leaned even further into the caress. Since Alicia was standing, I leaned against her side to encourage her to continue. I sensed that she was totally relaxed and I knew it for sure when she started to giggle.

I heard her father step towards us. My eyes flashed open immediately and I surged forward a foot or two. I felt Alicia tense up at my sudden attack posture. I went back to her side and leaned into her side again. She soon relaxed again after that.

I guess her father had taken the hint and left us alone. I waited, however, to make sure that we were alone and that she was relaxed before I turned towards the woods and took a couple steps. I then stopped again and turned to look her in the eyes again. She seemed to be confused so I just stood there staring into her eyes.

"You want me to follow you?" She asked.

I turned towards the woods again and took a couple more steps. I turned again to look at her. She got the hint then and started to follow me.

She walked by my side as we went a ways into the woods. She kept her hand on my back the whole time. When we came to a clearing with some soft grass, I stopped and sat down. She soon sat next to me Indian style. I lay my head in her lap and just relaxed. I figured this would be a good way for her to get used to the idea. Plus she was really good at scratching behind my ears.

"Thank you so much!" Alicia said.

I raised my head to look her in the eyes again. I nodded at her. After I was sure she saw it, I lay my head back into her lap.

"Can you understand me?" She asked in a shocked voice.

I looked her in the eyes again and nodded my head again.

"Are you going to hurt me?" She asked.

I shook my head emphatically at her question. She giggled at my antics.

"You know, you are kind of scary to look at. But at the same time you are also quite beautiful. You have the softest white fur I've ever felt. It feels like silk between my fingers." She said.

I lay my head back into her lap. She continued to become more comfortable with me and continued to rub behind my ears.

"Are you like my guardian angel or something?" She asked.

I shook my head at that question. I started laughing at her question. The laugh sounded like a mixture between a cough and a growl. Alicia actually understood the meaning though because she started giggling as well.

"I know that was a silly question." She said. "I'm just curious why you showed up at my house to protect me?"

I lifted my head to look her in the eyes again. I was trying to convey my intentions to protect her. I don't know if it worked but we sat there for about 20 minutes staring into each other's eyes.

"You are here because of what happened to me a couple days ago, aren't you?" She asked. I nodded.

"I remember that day." She said. "I ran into the woods to get away from my dad. I wasn't paying attention to where I was running; I just wanted to get away from him. I got lost and couldn't find my way back."

I nodded my head and waited for her to continue.

"I remember hearing something in the woods." She said. "I tried to run but I was so tired from running by then. Then out of nowhere, this monster appeared and jumped at me. It almost looked like you but it was bigger and scarier. And where you look kind of like a large cat, it looked more wolf like."

I nodded again as I was curious to hear her story. Her encounter wasn't sounding quite as bad as mine so I wanted to hear it all. Plus, I knew that it would help her to talk about it.

"It came at me fast." She said with a shudder. "I lifted my arm to try and stop it. It bit my arm hard." She said as she pulled up her sleeve to show me the marks on her arm.

"I fought it as hard as I could, honest." She said. "I was sure I was dead. I was so scared. Then, it just stopped. I was lying on my back with it standing over me when it just stopped. It looked around for a second, like it could hear something that I couldn't, and then it just left."

She seemed on the verge of tears as she was telling her story. I knew this would help her, being able to talk about it with someone. But it was hard to sit and watch her go through the memories of that night.

"I got up when it left and ran." She said. "I ran as fast as I could. I don't remember how far I ran but I must have blacked out right about then because the next thing I remember, I'm waking up out back of my house."

I was there after that so I knew what happened after that. I let her continue with the rest of her story but I wasn't really listening anymore.

"Are you the same as that thing that attacked me?" She asked me. At the vehement way I shook my head she continued with a smile on her face again. "Well you are a whole lot nicer. What are you though? You're not a big cat, but you're also not anything else I've ever heard of either."

I looked down as I shook my head. I couldn't explain to her what we were in this form. I wasn't going to change back so I could tell her though. I didn't think she was ready for that experience yet.

"You know something I don't, don't you?" She asked me. I couldn't look in her eyes. "I wish you could speak so you could talk to me. Are you young like me?"

I nodded my head and she smiled. She liked the idea of a friend that was young like her. We spent the next couple hours at the clearing. I figured I better get her back to her house before it got too late. I needed to get back to my house so I could spend a little time with my family today.

I stood up and headed towards her house. She jumped up and started following me. We hadn't travelled very far when she asked me. "Are you my friend now?"

I looked at her and after looking in her eyes for a couple minutes, I nodded my head at her. She smiled a bright smile at the news. I guess she was lonelier than I thought. I decided then that I would try everything I could to become friends with her.

We made it to her house quickly. When we got there, I stayed just inside the woods so I wouldn't be too visible. I could see her father staring out the windows.

Alicia walked a couple more steps before she realized that I wasn't following her. She turned to look at me with a question on her face. Her face turned sad however when she realized that I couldn't follow her anymore.

"Will you come back later so I can see you again?" She asked.

I nodded my head and she smiled big and ran to me. She was crying when she threw her arms around my neck and held on for dear life. I put my front claws around her as gently as I could and carefully hugged her back.

She eventually let go and went inside. I could see that her father stayed at the window to watch me. I waited a couple minutes before I turned around and left. I was still worried about what Alicia's father would do to her but I knew that I couldn't protect her all the time. I figured that she was going to have to learn to protect herself. She should be already starting to develop the extra strength so she should be able to defend herself if she just tries.

I went home and after I changed back, I went in to spend the next couple hours with the family. I was surprised though when I found that I had a visitor.

"Hey there Becca." I said. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to come over and say hi." She said. "I haven't seen you in a while so I've missed you."

"Yeah, well you know how it is?" I said. "I've been busy."

"Yeah I figured." She said. "But you can still say hi at school."

"You know what would happen to your reputation if I did that." I said. "I haven't bothered you at school for years. I'm nowhere near the same class as you so it would be social suicide for you to be seen around me. I won't let you do that to yourself."

Becca started to argue with me about what I said but I just looked her in the eyes until she eventually quieted down while blushing. She knew deep down that what I said was right.

"You've known about these days I've needed for years." I said. "You never had a problem with them before. Why the sudden interest in my life now?"

"Yeah I know." She said. "But that was before you showed me how brave you really are."

Julia looked at me funny after hearing that. I gave Becca a hard look. She blushed but didn't look away. When I saw Julia start to say something, I gave Becca an even fiercer look. I tried to distract Julia before she became too curious.

"So how are you doing?" I asked Becca. "I haven't had a chance to see if you were ok after your little accident."

Becca glared at me but I just smiled. Julia quickly took the bait and started acting all motherly on her. I mentally breathed a sigh of relief.

Becca knew that I didn't want my family to know about the other day. She knew I had diverted Julia's attention onto her because she had to cover for her bringing up the other subject. I knew that she had brought it up on purpose to try and get Julia started quizzing me. She knew I wouldn't lie to Julia. She honestly thought that my telling everyone was for my own good.

Becca just didn't understand why I would want to keep something so brave a secret. She was so outgoing that she couldn't see why I would want to remain invisible. She didn't realize how much I just wanted to remain unnoticed.

I left Becca talking to Julia while I went to the bathroom so I could clean up for dinner. When I returned, the two girls were setting the table for dinner.

I sat at the table and made small talk with them until the rest of the family joined us. Everyone was so used to Becca joining us for dinner that nothing was said when she sat down with us.

The sun was just setting when we finished dinner. I knew that I didn't have a lot of time before the transformation started. I had been trying to fight the transformation for the past couple of years, but so far I had never succeeded in more than delaying the inevitable. I didn't even want to try tonight so I wanted to get out of the house quickly.

I was still worried about Alicia so I wanted to try and be there for her when she changed. I didn't even bother trying to make excuses. I just snuck out the back door and ran as fast as I could in the direction of Alicia's house, changing forms on the way.

When I got there, I waited at the edge of the woods, for her to come out. I was getting really worried when she still hadn't shown after almost an hour. I had a bad feeling that her asshole father had done something to her but I didn't want to think about what it could be.

I snuck up to a window and saw something that made my blood run cold and made me see red. Because I was in this form, the feelings I was experiencing were intensified.

I saw Alicia chained to an eye bolt that was screwed into the middle of her floor. She had a choker around her neck and she had bruises on her arms and a black eye. Her eyes were glazed like she was drugged.

I couldn't take it anymore. I hadn't wanted her mother to see me like this but now, if her mother could let this happen to her own daughter, than I didn't care how scared I might make her.

Before I could move, her father came into the room. He bent over her and started yelling profanities at his daughter. I saw her cringe. Even in her drugged state, she was still terrified of her father. That spoke of many years of abuse. When I saw him slap her however, it was the last straw.

I backed up to get a running start. I ran fast and dived threw the window. The sound of the window shattering was loud.

I had excellent reflexes so I was easily able to land on my feet. I stood to my full height and growled at Alicia's father. He faced me with a scowl on his face.

I backhanded him hard enough to send him flying through the door. I then turned towards Alicia and bent over in front of her. She looked aware of her surroundings enough to recognize who I was.

I picked her up as gently as I could, after breaking the chain. I carried her to the window and climbed onto the sill. I was just about to jump out when I heard a gunshot. I growled and jumped out.

I quickly carried Alicia deep into the woods before I started to relax at all. Alicia seemed to be losing the effects of the drugs and becoming more aware of her surroundings. I felt her cuddle into my chest.

"I'm so glad you kept your promise and came back for me." Alicia said. "I hoped you would come rescue me. You didn't hurt my daddy did you?" I shook my head no because I knew that her father would be fine. I hadn't done the kind of damage to him that I would have liked.

About this time, as the drugs seemed to be most of the way worn off, I felt Alicia stiffen in my arms. Her eyes went wide in pain. She screamed and started thrashing around. I gently put her down and backed away.

Because she had been delayed in changing, she changed quickly.

When she finished changing, we ran off into the woods together. We spent the whole night just being together. We caught a deer and after eating our fills, we mated again. We were acting almost just like a couple for those hours. I wanted her to feel calm so she might remember more of tonight and be able to come to terms with what was happening to her.

We didn't have any more problems that night. About an hour before sunrise, she started feeling antsy so I led her back towards her house.

Alicia changed back before we made it all the way back. She passed out so I gently picked her up and carried her the remaining distance. I gently laid her down on the bench in her back yard to try to keep from waking her. She looked so peaceful that I couldn't help but stare at her sleeping form.

I stood over her for a good 10 minutes when I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. The pain was almost instantly followed by the sound of a gunshot. I turned towards the house to see her father aiming a gun at me. I growled at him.

He cocked the rifle again and fired. I felt another shot hit me in the chest. I just ignored it like I had the first one. I was losing myself quickly so I was running at him before I realized what I was doing. I faintly heard a scream after the second shot, but I was too far gone to stop now.

Alicia's father just finished loading another round into his rifle chamber, when I reached him. He tried to bring the weapon to bear on me but he was to slow. I had just enough reason left to grab the rifle barrel and push on it. I pushed it until it was under his chin. He was so shocked that I had moved the weapon so fast that he pulled the trigger.

The sound of the rifle going off startled me. The sight of the top of his head being blown out made me back up. I was shocked that he had just blown his own brains out, but the sound behind me was what made me sick.

I heard Alicia scream and start crying at the same time. I looked at her and my heart broke. I had been sort of hoping that she would have slept through the whole ordeal, no such luck.

I couldn't face the pain in her eyes. I turned and ran for the woods. I thought I heard her yelling at me but I was too distraught to make out what she said. I was sure she was screaming at me for killing her father so I didn't want to stay to find out.

I made it home and changed back into my human form. I went in after changing and got ready for school. I went to the table and sat down for breakfast. I was struggling not to cry and I wouldn't talk to anyone.

Julia and Alice both noticed how down I was but, thankfully, neither one of them said anything. I really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone about what had happened last night.

I made it to school and was on autopilot through most of the day. I didn't even pay any attention when a couple bullies tried to insult me. I just ignored them.

When lunch rolled around, I went to the middle school to see if I could find Alicia. I wasn't really surprised to discover that she hadn't come to school today.

I went back to the high school to finish out what was left of my day. I didn't get bugged enough by any of the bullies to even give them a second thought.

Tonight would be the last night of this full moon cycle. By the way that Becca had been acting; I could tell that she was probably in a hurry to have me around again.

I did my homework quickly that day so I could try to see how Alicia was doing. Due to my haste, I was done with my homework and out the back door in only half an hour.

I went straight to her house, after changing forms. I didn't approach the house; I just stayed in the woods and watched for her. I didn't know how long I would have to wait but it turned out to be quite a while.

I could see movement in the house, so I knew that someone was home, but no sign of Alicia.

I don't know how long I waited but eventually I saw Alicia come out the back door and sit on the bench.

She appeared to be looking into the woods a lot. I had a feeling she was looking for me but I was scared it was because she was scared of me and mad at me as well. I didn't know what to do. I wanted to approach her but I didn't want to hurt her. The decision was thankfully taken out of my hands.

"Are you there?" Alicia called into the woods. "I hope you are. Please come out if you are there. I want to see you."

Well I guess that meant she wasn't scared of me but it still didn't answer the question of whether or not she was mad at me. I debated with myself for a while. Alicia continued to sit on the bench. I eventually got up the nerve to act.

I carefully came out of the woods and started to approach her. I made enough noise for her to eventually spot me. When she did, she exploded off the bench and ran towards me. I hesitated where I was.

Alicia ran to me and threw her arms around my waist. I held onto her firmly because I was scared of what would happen when she pulled away.

"I'm so glad you came." She said. "I was sure that you didn't like me anymore after my daddy shot you."

I was stunned, here I was being scared that she was going to hate me for what I had done, but she was scared that I would hold something her father had done to me against her. I almost laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation.