November was almost over and there were just two days left until the full moon rose. Sofia knew this not only because she was keeping track of the lunar calendar, but also because she was finding it harder to sleep at night. Since the exams were in two weeks, Rosa, their biology teacher and tutor, had told them they could use the tutoring class to study.

Both Sofia and Dave were doing quite well in their classes thanks to the effort they had both put in, so they decided to review the subjects for the public examination they would both be facing. Sofia had moved her chair next to her friend's desk and was reviewing some boring law stuff.

“What is this about ‘promoting an international system based on strong multilateral cooperation and good global governance’? What does it mean?” asked Sofia, pointing at her notes.

“I guess it’s exactly what it says,” said Dave, shrugging.

“Yeah, I get that. What I don't get is why it has to be so ambiguous.”

“The law is like this. You just learn it by heart.”

“You're kidding, I hope. It's a shitload!” she exclaimed, shaking the papers.

Dave shrugged and continued marking with a color marker the parts he considered important.

“Nobody said it was going to be easy. It stands to reason that we have to know the laws if we're going to be civil guards.”

“Yeah, but it's such a pain,” Sofia grumbled.

They were supposed to be quiet, but a constant murmur of whispers filled the classroom. If someone went a little too loud, Rosa would hush at them to lower their voice and most of the time they obeyed without complaining. Rosa was a friendly and kind teacher, but her exams were hard and she could be very inflexible with the grades. That was why her students respected her.

“Hey, is there any news about that white wolf?”

The one who asked in such a quiet voice that it was almost imperceptible was Luis. He was addressing Rodrigo, the boy sitting next to him, the same one with whom he had a conversation about bolt-action rifles that turned into something darker and more sinister. Although Sofia kept her gaze fixed on the boring community law lesson, she pressed her lips into a thin line and held back from growling. The energy inside her chest stirred a little. In normal circumstances it remained at rest, but when the full moon approached it reacted faster and with more intensity.

“No. After the night when I saw it, I thought I'd scared it so much that it had run away because I hadn't seen a trace for weeks. But last weekend I went a bit further inland and found tufts of white hair. The damned beast has moved away from the meadows.”

Sofia was not surprised by this information. If he was smart, he wouldn't stay near where he had killed domestic cattle, so it made sense that he had moved away from the meadows. She didn't really know anything about how the changes worked but if she, who was just a pup, found it hard to sleep, it had to be unbearable for one who had already changed. Her mother had told her that, during the days before and after the full moon, between a week and ten days or so, they tended to change more often and found it harder to control themselves. That's why it was one of the best times to hunt them.

“Are you sure it's the same animal? You told me you only saw its eyes in the dark. You could have been chasing anything, man.”

Sofia bit her lip. She had already considered that possibility. Rodrigo was a dick but he wouldn't shoot at a classmate. Something made him take aim at them, though, and she knew that her eyes glowed in the dark like those of a nocturnal predator. It wasn't so easy to see it, the light had to hit them at a very specific angle to reflect off the back of her pupils, but it happened. What she wasn’t so sure about, though, was whether Rodrigo had seen her eyes, or Dave’s.

“I don't know, Luis! I told you that very strange things happened that night, and on top of that, I couldn't see shit!”

“Hey, guys! Listen to this!” said Miguel, the rancher's son, who had turned around on his chair to chat with the other two. “A few days ago, that weird guy who lives alone in the mountains came and told my father that he was sorry about what happened, that his dog had ran away in an oversight and that it wouldn't happen again.”

‘The weird guy? What weird guy?’ Sofia bit her lip. ‘Is there some kind of hermit who lives by himself in the mountains?’. Her knowledge as a former hunter of supernatural beings told her that it was more than likely that this was her white cinanthrope. Most of them lived as humans and were able to lead an almost normal life, but she knew that a handful of them failed to adapt and decided to move away from civilization to live closer to the forests. He would match what she would expect of a wild weredog who subsists by eating what he is able to hunt.

“The guy paid him for the lamb and all, but if the dumb fool continues to let the mutt loose, I'll have to tell my father to put the traps back on.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Sofia felt her blood burn. The energy in her chest pulsed against her ribs and began to pour through her veins in a slow trickle that pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat. A dry, deep growl climbed her throat and her lips tensed to bare her fangs. With difficulty, she was able to control her instinctive urges, but not the other urges that made her try to get up. It remained as an attempt because Dave grabbed her hand and locked his eyes on hers.

“Control yourself,” he whispered with a firmness she had never heard in him before.

It wasn't a suggestion, it was an order, and he executed it with such confidence that Sofia felt conflicted. Though the boy's shoulders were relaxed and his breathing was calm, Sofia held his gaze and her lip began to tremble from the effort she was making not to bare her fangs. What was before her was no child, it was a wolf, one who was far more self-assured than she was.

Aware of how much she was tensing the rope, Sofia blinked, licked her lips and broke eye contact to make it clear she didn't want any trouble. It was not only because it was completely disproportionate, but also because challenging him as a wolf was ridiculous.

“What happened to the ones you set?” Rodrigo asked.

“Someone found them and removed them, but if you tell me where you saw the vermin I'll tell my father and we'll set them around there.”

“It was me,” Dave whispered in a very quiet voice and his gaze softened, though Sofia could see he was way more tense than usual. “I found some more snares and took them down. It's better if they don't know anything about what we're doing. It'll be easier if they don't suspect us.”

The three boys fell silent. Rodrigo looked around as if he wanted to check if anyone was listening. It was very unlikely since, although the classroom was almost silent, the murmur of whispers was a constant noise. No one who did not have exceptional hearing and was close enough would be able to discern the words spoken by those three.

Dave released Sofia and leaned over his papers, returning to his task of marking those words he considered important. However, Sofia saw him inhale several deep breaths of air and run his tongue over his lips. His body was still tense, despite the calm and steady demeanor he had shown a couple of minutes ago. The two things were not incompatible.

“Look, guys, if the snares have been removed, it's because someone must know that beast is out there and wants to protect it. I'm sure it's one of those shelter idiots who think dogs are like people,” said Rodrigo in a voice so quiet the other two had to lean towards him to hear him.

Dave clenched his jaw. The tension in his body increased and so did the frequency of his breathing. The marker he was holding fell from his hand as he hunched over his desk and clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white.

“Hey, are you okay?” Sofia asked in a quiet whisper, placing a hand on his arm.

Under the skin she felt a slight vibration, as if his muscles were throbbing. Her friend was not even able to articulate a word. He was so focused on his breathing that he just nodded. That he was lying was quite obvious, one only had to look at him to know that he was not okay, but Sofia did not know what was wrong or how to help him.

A high-pitched whimper rose to her throat but she swallowed it and looked around for some kind of idea that would tell her what to do. She found it in Sara, who was sitting in her usual place in the front row going over some notes with her deskmate. Sofia bit her lip and the whimper that was still contained within her became more insistent. She had no idea how to get her attention but she didn't want to make a scene in front of all her classmates either.

“There are more effective methods, methods that are not easy to detect and that eliminate the problem in one fell swoop,” continued Rodrigo, thinking that no one could hear him.

“You mean...? No, man! That's super illegal and very dangerous.” said Luis.

“Some problems require strong measures.”

The bell rang. The murmur became a din of voices. Dave stood from his chair so fast that he tipped it over and ran for the classroom door. Quite puzzled by his attitude, Sofia got up and went after him. That was when Sara realized what was happening, and the cheerful expression on her face turned to one of concern. The girl got up and grabbed Sofia by the arm to stop her.

“Hold it there, she-wolf! What happened?”

“I don't know. He got kind of tense all of a sudden and...” Sofia looked towards the door in time to see Dave enter the bathroom and close one of the stalls’ door with a slam.

“It's probably something that's upset his stomach, or maybe he needed to go pee really bad. Don't worry.”

“I'm sure, but he was normal until...” She bit her lip.

Until those three bastards had started talking. It was quite obvious that the subject affected him a lot, and seeing how he behaved with Kas, she could understand it. They weren't just talking about catching rabbits to cook them, they were planning to kill a dog. No one who liked dogs would be happy to hear something like that. What Sofia didn’t understand was why he had reacted like that.

After a long time, longer than she considered reasonable, the boy came out of the bathroom. His gaze met Sofia's in a brief exchange that lasted barely a blink. As soon as he saw her, he licked his lips and turned his head to avoid her gray eyes.

“How are you, dude?” asked Sara.

“Uncomfortable, but I can't do anything about it...” he answered, blushing, and rubbed the base of his back before turning to Sofia. “I'm sorry for worrying you. Something I ate this morning must have made me sick.”

“That's all right. If you're feeling sick, maybe you should go home,” she said.

“No, I'm fine now. Let's go to our places before the Stuck-up arrives.”

All the students who were milling around the classroom made sure they were seated at their desks before the strict and stern physics teacher arrived. Sofia noticed that her friend's movements were more cautious than usual, and not just when he picked up his chair from the floor. He sat down slow and carefully, as if he was afraid of hurting himself, and he didn't look comfortable once seated. She had also noticed that he was quieter. In fact, he plunged straight into his notes and avoided to even look at her.

With a quiet sigh, the girl looked towards the window to her left. It was still somewhat early, and there was not a single cloud. Thanks to that she could see the bloated shape of the moon silhouetted against the blue sky as if it were an ethereal mirage. It was almost full.