Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 6

"OK... what the hell?!"

"You Changed," Rory smiled. "You ran with the pack. You howled under the Moon."

"What the hell are you talking about?! Demarco demanded.

"You're a werewolf," Rory replied.

"I'm a... I'm sorry, what!?" Demarco blurted out. "Let me break my weekend down for you... I came up to get away from the Harbor, do a little fishing, breathe the air. I end up getting lost in the woods, bitten by some big hairy monster, sleep the whole day in the Cabin of Aging Hippies, get lost again, threatened... by you... and now I'm hung over and naked on a mountain top, with you guys... naked! And you're telling me I'm a werewolf!?"

"Feel better for that?" Rory asked.

"A little," Demarco admitted.

"Good. Look... sorry, I've forgotten your name," Rory said.

"Demarco, Lux Demarco."

"Right... Demarco," Rory nodded. "It's normal to be a little hazy after your first change, but think back. You remember running. The feeling of the earth beneath you, the scent of the others around you. Our scent. You remember running with the pack."

"I... oh shit," Demarco breathed.

"You remember standing on this mountaintop. The scent of the grass and the trees, of the lake below us. You remember the Moon above us. You remember howling to the Moon with us."

"This is... insane," Demarco stammered. "I... I remember. Oh shit, I remember!"

"You're a werewolf, Lux Demarco," Rory said. "You're one of us."

"You're a werewolf?" Demarco said, feeling like her aching head wasn't handling things well. "You're all werewolves? Right... yeah... of course you are. Wait... you knew! When I came to the fire, you knew. Was it you? Are you the one who bit me?" 

"No," Rory said. "I could smell the Wolf in you. With the moon rising, I knew the Change was coming. That's why I couldn't let you run off. There are some normals around Moonwood Mill. Keeping you with the pack, we could keep you away from them. Less chance of someone getting hurt."

"What about the... werewolf... who bit me? Noone kept him from hurting me," Demarco muttered.

"Let me guess," the brown-haired man put in. "Creepy house out in the woods. He was big, grey and black?"

"Well, I didn't get a really good look, on account of him trying to eat me, but yeah, sounds right," Demarco said.

"That would be Greg," the man said. "He got me too. I'm Lou, by the way."

"This is Bianca," Lou added, nodding at the fair-haired woman, "and tall, dark and sinister over there is Kiril."

"Nice... to... meet... you," Demarco said slowly, still uncertain.

"Look," she continued, "I don't want to make this weird... weirder... but can we talk about the whole 'everybody is naked' thing. I mean... did I? Did we?"

"Fuck?" Bianca finished for her. "No. Kiril's mine and Lou is Rory's. We don't fuck around on each other."

"Yeah, I've got an ex who talked like that," Demarco said, "until I caught him banging Missy from the gym."

"Wolves mate for life," Bianca replied. "We aren't normals."

"Anyway, clothes get in the way of the change," she continued. "Yours... all of ours... will be back at the trailer."

"I bet Demarco would feel more comfortable dressed," Rory said with a wicked grin. "Bianca, lead them back."

"Clothes, yeah," Demarco nodded, "clothes would be good."

"You just have to run naked through town to get them," Lou grinned.

"I hate you all," Demarco chuckled.

"Ok, so this is the craziest morning I've had in a while," Demarco said. "While I was sober anyway."

"You get used to it," Lou said. Demarco was starting to think that grin was just his resting face.

Back at the trailer, and with everyone dressed, she did certainly feel more comfortable. The entire night... nights... before was starting to take on an unreal quality in her mind.

"You're starting to think it wasn't real," Rory said.

"OK, can werewolves read minds or something?" Demarco asked, shocked to hear her thoughts spoken aloud.

"No," Rory grinned, "but I've seen a lot of people go through this. Everyone here, in fact."

"First you can't remember," Bianca said. "Then you can't believe and you wonder if it really happened. Then, you start to think you can go back... back to the life you had before."

"You can't," Rory said.

"Wait, what?" Demarco said. "Hey, I've got a job... OK, it's a shitty job, but it's a job... and I've got an apartment... ok, also shitty. I've got friends... not shitty friends! I've got... a life." 

A life waiting to get started, she thought. 

Did my life just start?

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 5

Her arm throbbed as she walked, echoing her footsteps, her heartbeat. With determination and a steadying breath, Demarco walked on despite it. The night was cool, clear and surprisingly bright. She wondered again how long she had slept. Had she missed work? Had she been gone long enough for her friends to start wondering what had happened to her? 

... and really, had it been a good idea to leave Lily's house? It occurred to her now that she didn't really know where she was. Moonwood Mill wasn't that big, but nothing around her was familiar. The abandoned and graffitied building and piles of old trash reminded her a more of the Harbor than the parts of Moonwood Mill she'd seen so far.

The pounding beat of music and the sound of voices drew her attention to a gathering around a bonfire. So far, asking for directions had gotten her attacked once and cared for once. Figuring that gave her about 50/50 odds, she headed for the fire.

"Hey guys," Demarco said, trying to sound more confident than she felt as she approached the fire. "Nice night..."

The group turned, fixing her with intense stares.

"You lost," the fair-haired woman's words sounded more like a threat than a question.

"Actually, I... hey, I know you," Demarco said, addressing the blue-haired woman in the center. "Rory, right? We met at the Caboose. You're a friend of Celene's."

Rory said nothing. Fixing her with an uncanny stare, Demarco got the strange impression the other woman was actually sniffing the air. 

"I actually did kinda get turned around," she continued. "Any chance you guys could point me toward my car?"

Without warning, Rory surged forward, literally snarling. 

"What the hell?!" Demarco gasped, finding herself instinctively cowering before the other woman. "I'm going. I'm going!"

"No you're not, whelp," Rory growled, circling menacingly. "Get into that corner."

"Wait, wait!" Demarco panted, realizing she was being driven into the fenced off compound around the fire, the snarling woman and her gang moving between her and escape. "I don't want any trouble!"

"Then go where I tell you, whelp," Rory growled again.

"I'm going, I'm going," Demarco said.

"You sure about this, Rory?" asked the brown-haired man in a stocking cap.

"Can't you smell it?" Rory answered. "She's newly bitten... and the moon's rising. We can't let her wander off."

"I won't make any trouble," Demarco said.

"Yes, you will," Rory countered. "If we let you run off, you're going to hurt someone. You're bitten."

"Yeah, OK, yeah," Demarco said, desperately trying to get a handle on things. "I got bit... some big, hairy thing in the woods. What's the problem? Oh God, am I sick? Am I..."

The pain was so sudden, it took her breath away. Heat rushed through her body. Her skin felt too tight, as if it was no longer the right shape for her body. 

"What's... happening... to... me!" Demarco groaned.

A scream tore at her throat... but what she heard was a wild howl.

-------------------

"OK... what the hell?!"

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 4

Chased by the monster's howling, Demarco ran and ran. Her body ached from the battering she'd taken. Her arm burned from the beast's bite. Still, she ran. 

As she ran, her panic faded, replaced by a feeling of anger, a fury that pulsed in time with the pain her arm and kept her legs pounding. She was alive. Someone - some-thing - had tried to take that from her and, quite frankly, that pissed her off.

Slowing, she spotted a house... not a trashy trailer or ramshackle hut but a nice, sturdy, honest looking house. It was late but, damn it, she needed directions. 

"Oh Ms. Demarco." Lily, the old lady she'd met earlier, was just coming out of the house as Demarco approached. "Oh dear, you have been through the wars, haven't you child."

"Yeah, about that," Demarco snapped. "You know all those warnings... about signs and paths and stuff? You didn't mention... oh, I don't know... the TOURIST-EATING MONSTER IN THE WOODS! Maybe that would been a good thing to warn people about!"

"Oh, you poor dear," Lily replied mildly. "The thing of it is, we've tried that. Most people didn't believe and many of those who did went looking for him instead of staying away. Honestly, if I'd thought it would have helped, I'd have just chased you away myself. I'm sorry this happened."

"I'm sorry," Demarco said, feeling a bit embarrassed and ashamed for yelling at her. "I don't know..."

"You've had a frightful night of it dear," Lily said gently. "I understand. Oh... dear, your arm is bleeding."

"Yeah, that... thing... bit me," Demarco sighed.

"Ah," Lily said softly. "Well, you'd best come with me dear. Let's get that looked at."

"You don't live there?" Demarco asked as Lily set off down another path. 

"No, no, that's the Moonrunner's," Lily replied. "I was just babysitting Little Freddie. He's quite a handful. I'd have taken you in to get patched up... lovely couple, they'd be happy to help... but they just got the boy down for the night. I'm afraid we might wake him and..."

Demarco didn't really listen as Lily rambled on about the joys and challenges of a toddler. The anger she felt seemed to come and go in slow waves. She felt like screaming and raging when it rose and bitterly tired when it faded. 

Uncertain, she allowed herself to be led. 

As she reached the house, the fatigue - born of shock, terror and pain - was definitely winning. She didn't really listen as Lily introduced her to a man named Kristopher, just did her best to nod and mumble a greeting. 

She let Lily lead her away, tend to her wounds and finally put her to bed like a child. She thought she muttered a quiet thanks but wasn't sure.

Sleep claimed her quickly.

--------------------

"Is she going to be alright?"

Drifting the grey borderlands of sleep, Demarco didn't recognize the young woman's voice, but she thought it was a very good question.

"That depends on what you mean," she heard Lily answer. "The scratches and bruises have already faded, and the bite is healing quickly."

"Well that's good, right?" the younger woman said.

"No," Lily said grimly. "That means the bite is taking hold."

"What about Celene?" 

"She isn't at Grimtooth's," Lily answered, "and I can't seem to reach her on that mobile phone of hers. Picked a fine time to go on a trip, she did."

"You know, if I had my powers," the young woman said.

"Etta Blackwood, it's been two years now, and I've heard that quite often enough," Lily snapped. "Your powers were stripped from you because you misused them... and a gentler punishment it was than you deserved."

"I'm just saying," Etta said, "if there was ever a time they'd be useful."

"If we're wishing for things we can't have, better to wish up Celene's treatment," Lily replied sternly, "or better yet a stout fence around Greg's territory so things like this don't happen. Now off with you, the girl needs her rest."

Rest, Demarco thought fuzzily. Yeah, that sounds good.

--------------------

"How long was I out," Demarco wondered to an empty room.

Her phone was no help. The battery had died completely, and her charger was back home on her nightstand. The house around her was quiet, and the sky outside the window was still dark, or perhaps dark again. 

She'd awoken, finally, alone in the rustic bedroom. The pain of the attack had faded to a dull ache. Checking, her minor cuts and bruises looked almost healed. Even the deep bite on her arm was scabbed over, though it was still hot and angry red, making her worry about infection.

Gingerly pulling her shirt back on, she stepped out of the room.

The living room had the old furniture and roaring fire she dimly remembered from... before. Whenever before was. Lily was sleeping on the battered-looking couch, her aged face relaxed and peaceful in the firelight. 

Demarco smiled a little sadly. She'd grown fond of the strange barefoot old lady in the short time she'd known her. Let her sleep, she thought as she softly slipped past.

"You should be in bed." The younger woman, Etta, stepped into the short hallway about the same time as Demarco.

"Oh hi," Demarco startled. "Umm, yeah... could you tell Lily thanks for... well, everything."

"You can tell her yourself," Etta said gently, "when she wakes up... after you should go back to bed."

"Look, I really appreciate you guys looking after me," Demarco pressed on, "but I've got to go. I've got to get home. I've got work in the morning... probably... and anyway, I just have to go."

"You haven't been well," Etta insisted. "You need to lie down and..."

"No, I need to GO," Demarco said firmly, pushing past Etta and out the door.

"Wait!" Etta called out. "Come back... you..."

Demarco didn't hear whatever the other woman shouted after her as she trotted down the path. 

This was all way too weird.

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 3

By the time Demarco reached the base of the mountain tunnel, darkness had fallen over Moonwood Mill. 

Shaking her head, Demarco's only thought was how late it would be when she finally got back home and how early she would have to get up for her shift at S-Mart tomorrow. Still, energized by her day, she couldn't find any regret in her. She had definitely needed this day. 

A little walk back after dark wasn't such a bad thing.

A little later, Demarco was pretty sure she'd gotten turned around in the dark. She had no memory of crossing this little stream on her way to the lake. She had definitely lost the path. 

Well, she could admit when she was lost. She considered turning around, trying to find her way back to the lake and start over, but she thought she saw a house up ahead. 

Looking past the signs, she examined the battered-looking house. It didn't exactly look promising, but something about it didn't feel empty either. Whoever lived there probably went to bed early. That, or it was later than she thought. 

Taking a deep breath, she decided it was worth risking waking some cranky local to ask for directions. 

The house was dark and quiet. Still, the trash piled up around added to the sense that it wasn't completely abandoned.

Demarco could admit to herself that she was starting to get nervous. It occurred to her she was a woman, alone, in the dark. No one actually knew where she was. If she disappeared here, this was totally the kind of place where they would never find her.

You're letting your imagination run away with you, Demarco chided herself. Still, maybe heading back to the lake is a better idea than disturbing the ax-murdering mountain man in his meth-lab cabin.

In the quiet of the woods, she heard a twig actually snap, and she jumped. In that moment she decided that, as an end to a perfectly nice day, running away was better than being violated and killed.

That was, unfortunately, a mistake. 

Never run from anything immortal; it only attracts their attention. [1]

She caught a glimpse of grey and black fur, sharp claws and long, white teeth as the Beast hit her from the side. 

Lux Demarco fought, punching and kicking, biting and gouging. Every self-defense class she'd had was channeled through a desperate desire to escape, to survive, or - failing that - to damn well make the bastard hurt for it. The tiny corner of her mind that wasn't fighting for its life or screaming in panic couldn't decide if the thing that on her was a man or a beast, but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was survival.

Demarco screamed as those long white teeth tore into her and hit back with all her strength.

The Beast roared, pain and fury blending into a sound that was neither man nor beast but a hideous combination of the two. 

It shook her. Teeth deep in her arm, her shoulder wrenching as it hurled her, Demarco screamed. 

The world spun as it threw her, and she landed hard.

"I am not dying here," Lux Demarco groaned as she levered herself to her feet.

She saw it then. The monster. The Beast. Not man or animal but some horrifying combination both.

"Get up," Demarco snarled to herself. "Get up, God damn it!"

The Beast growled deep in its throat.

"I am not dying here!" Demarco answered.

She was, however, still perfectly fine with running away.

He howled out a challenge as the Intruder fled.

Moments later, the Intruder passed the boundary of his territory. Beyond those markings, he would not follow. 

Greggorius Lunvik howled again, reminding the Others he was here.

This territory was his and his alone!

---------------------------

[1] - quote from Peter S Beagle's The Last Unicorn

Bad Moon Rising - Chapter 2

"So, this is Moonwood Mill," Demarco grinned, surveying the sign board.

She'd driven up from the Harbor, following the map app's directions along the twisting roads into the mountains to find the place. The road into the town itself was gated off, and she'd parked in a lot that wasn't much more than a field except for the collection of beat-up old cars and pick-ups (many of which probably qualified as 'vintage' if they actually still ran). 

At least the walk along the rutted dirt road into town had been nice. 

The among the tattered and faded notes on the sign board were several posters proclaiming the local opportunities for hiking and fishing. She also spotted a sign warning visitors about the dangers of local wildlife and admonishing them to obey all posted signs. Someone with added a note in marker - Beware of Greg!!! 

Demarco figured Greg was either the pet-name of some notorious local bear or someone's ex-boyfriend.

When Knox had suggested she take a trip to the mountains, Moonwood Mill hadn't been Demarco's first thought. Everyone went to Granite Falls, after all. It had been one those chance run-ins that had put the idea in her head. She knew Celene casually from around and, running into her on the street, had found herself talking about her vacation plans. Celene had suggested Moonwood Mill as a good place for hiking and fishing. 

Funny, come to think of it, Demarco remembered Celene has said something about the local wildlife and paying attention to signs, too.

"Hello, dear." The old woman's greeting brought Demarco back to the present. "Visiting, are you?"

"Oh, hi," Demarco smiled. "Yeah, I'm on vacation and I heard there was some good hiking and fishing around here."

"Oh, isn't that lovely," the old woman smiled warmly. "We don't get many visitors since the old mill shut down... but yes, there are some lovely spots around this old town... but I'm being rude and not introducing myself. I'm Lily."

"No, you're fine. I'm Demarco. Lux, Lux Demarco," she added in response to Lily's quizzical look. "Everyone back in the Harbor... Evergreen Harbor I mean... just calls me Demarco."

"Welcome to our little corner of the world, Ms. Demarco," Lily smiled.

"Just Demarco 's fine," she said. "So, Lily, any tips about where the good fishing is."

"If you're looking for a good hike and a pretty place," Lily smiled, "I suggest Lake Lunvik. Just follow the path here, across the bridge and bear a bit left. You'll see it. The lake's on public land, so no need to worry about that."

"Thanks," Demarco smiled. "I appreciate it."

"One thing, Ms. Demarco," Lily added. "Mind you stay on the path and watch for posted signs. Folks around these parts can be touchy about their privacy and there's some wild animals in the woods. Don't stay out after dark, stay on the path and mind the signs."

"Yes ma'am," Demarco answered with an indulgent smile. 

It was a beautiful fall day, warm but pleasantly so after the oppressive summer's heat. The leaves, just starting to turn, fluttered in a gentle breeze. Demarco broke into a light jog as she followed Lily's directions - across the bridge and down the path toward the spot where the sunlight glittered off the waters of Lake Lunvik.

Looking around at the cool waters of the lake, the green of the trees and the sturdy strength of the mountain peak rising over them, Demarco smiled. Knox had been right; this was exactly what she needed. She felt relaxed and at home here in a way she never had back in the Harbor.

The land was lush and green. Everything was quiet, except for the sounds of the birds and the lapping of the water. She was as completely alone as she could be.

A sneaky thought dawned in Demarco's mind. There wasn't anyone around and the water look so nice and cool after her jog. To hell with it, she decided on impulse. Time for a swim.

Quickly, before she lost her nerve, she stripped off her clothes and waded into the water. She gasped as she dove into the cold, mountain-fed waters of the lake and swam with powerful strokes, through the cool, bright waters. 

Pleasantly worn out, she treaded water for a bit and laughed at the pure joy and freedom of skinny dipping, before finally wading back the shore.

She waited a bit, to dry off. Surprised she didn't feel more self-conscious about it, Demarco still decided it was time to put her clothes back on and actually do some fishing.

She didn't actually catch anything, but that wasn't really the point. Just being out in nature, breathing the fresh air and enjoying the warm fall afternoon was enough.

Still, Demarco could only not-catch-fish for so long before she felt the urge to move. Standing still just wasn't a comfortable state for her... to much like working register back at S-Mart. 

Who could stand still, waiting for fish, all afternoon when there was a mountain behind her begging to be climbed.

Exploring a little around the base, she found an old tunnel which led inside. Feeling daring, she followed the dark passage into the peak and upward until finally she emerged.

Standing there, at the top of the mountain, Demarco looked out over the mountains and the trees. Some people, Demarco imagined, would say they felt peace at a moment like this. As she stood there, watching the sun set, Demarco felt energized, in way she had never felt before. 

As the sun set, she felt alive. Really and truly alive.

"I could stay here forever," Demarco said softly to the rising moon.

Unfortunately, she knew she couldn't. She was on shift tomorrow and she had to pay rent and buy groceries. Running around the grass, swimming naked in the lake and watching the moon rise from the mountaintop was a wonderful vacation... one she knew she'd desperately needed.

Now it was time to head back down to the world, she thought as she started back down the mountain tunnel. 

Behind her, the Moon rose over a world greater and stranger than Lux Demarco imagined.