November was almost over and the full moon would rise in two days, something Sofia knew 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, each with their notes, they began to study.

“What is this about 'promoting an international system based on strong multilateral cooperation and good global governance'? What exactly do they mean?” Sofia commented, pointing to one of the sections in her study material.

“I guess literally what it says,” said Dave, leaning over her notes.

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

“The law is like this. You just learn it by heart,” said her friend.

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

Dave shrugged and continued marking with a color marker the key words 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 huffed.

They were supposed to be quiet, but a murmur of whispers filled the classroom. If someone went a little too loud Rosa would hush at them to lower their voice, and generally the student 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 had a conversation about bolt-action rifles that had turned into something darker and more sinister. Although Sofia kept her gaze fixed on the boring community law lesson, she noticed it harden, and her lips pressed into a thin line. The energy inside her chest stirred a little. Normally it was at rest, but when the full moon approached it reacted faster and with more intensity.

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

Sofia was not surprised by this information. If he was a bit 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 know that much about how the changes worked, but she didn’t feel like she was going through it anytime soon. If she was having a hard time sleeping, for one who had already changed it had to be unbearable. 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 frequently 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 beast? 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.

“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, turning around 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 escaped in an oversight and that it wouldn't happen again.”

The weird guy? What weird guy? Sofia had been living in the village for a little over a year and didn't know all its secrets, so it was possible that there was some sort of hermit living in the mountains far from civilization. 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, fully integrated into society, 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 in the mountains.

“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.”

Sofia felt her blood burn. The energy in her chest pulsed against her ribs and slowly began to pour through her veins. A dry, deep growl climbed her throat and struggled to will itself out, to force her lips to bare the teeth in a grimace of aggression. With difficulty, she was able to control her instinctive urges, but not the other urges that made her try to get up. It was only an attempt because Dave grabbed her hand and locked his eyes on hers, prompting her to stay still.

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

For an instant Sofia felt very confused. Her friend's whole attitude was different from what she was used to. All of a sudden he showed a strength and integrity that, on one hand, made her feel safe, and on the other it activated her most competitive side. She wanted to rebel, to fight back and prove that she was as strong and self-confident as he was. The very fact that she wanted to challenge him made her understand that it was not true, that it was her insecurity talking. Reluctantly, she managed to control that instinctive part to remain seated, albeit tense, in her chair. It wasn't just because it was completely disproportionate, but also because challenging a human as if he were another cinanthrope was utterly ridiculous.

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“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, leaning toward her. “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,” he explained, his gaze softening as did the hand holding her arm, though Sofia could see he was way more tense than usual.

Suddenly all three boys fell silent. Rodrigo looked around as if he wanted to check if anyone was listening. It was highly unlikely since, although the classroom was mostly 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 quieter voice, forcing the other two to lean towards him if they wanted to be able 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 tightly 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. Concentrating on his breathing, he only 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. Anxiously, she searched through the classroom until she located Sara in her usual place, at the room’s front. She was talking to her classmate, completely oblivious to what was going on many desks behind hers, and Sofia had no idea how to get her attention.

“There are more effective methods, methods that are not easy to detect and that eliminate the problem in one fell swoop,” the hunter's son kept talking, 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 got up from his chair, tipping it over, and ran for the classroom door. Sofia went after him. It was at that moment that Sara realized what was happening, and the cheerful expression on her face turned to one of concern. The girl got up and took her friend by the arm to stop her.

“What happened, mate?”

“I don't know. He got kind of tense all of a sudden and...” Sofia looked towards the door in time to see her friend 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 really needed to go pee. 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 this whole thing about trapping affected him a lot, as if it was the first time he was aware that it existed. Or maybe it was something else, although she couldn't imagine what it could be. After a long time, longer than she considered reasonable, the boy came out of the bathroom. For a brief moment his eyes met Sofia's, but he looked away quickly and ran his tongue over his lips in a nervous gesture.

“How are you, dude?” asked Sara.

“Uncomfortable, but I can't do anything about it...” he answered, blushing and rubbing the base of his back. “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 get to our seats 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 her friend moving more cautiously. He was careful when he picked up the chair to put it back up, as if he was afraid of hurting himself by bending over, and then settled into it very gently. She had also noticed that he was quieter and seemed to be trying not to open his mouth at all. In fact, he dived straight into his notes and avoided even looking at her.

With a quiet sigh the young woman 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, which was almost full, silhouetted against the blue sky as if it were an ethereal mirage.