The Beginning
I felt my most free as I ran through the forest behind my home. Dodging trees left and right, leaping over streams, swiftly running my fingers through the infinite, scattered ferns. Spring meant green everywhere polka dotted with sweet blossoms. Though I loved how fast I could run in my wolf form, there was nothing like the boosted speed I had with my human body and spring was the best time to enjoy it. I could feel the soft dew drops spread across my bare, hot skin. It felt good against the heat I radiated. My long, brunette hair was weightless as I weaved through the lower-hanging branches, grinning widely. What a fucking feeling.
My favorite place was here. I hit the open field of wildflowers at a faster sprint, if that was even possible. I was running so fast that I couldn’t focus on the butterflies and bumblebees as they became colored blurs against the splatters of pinks, purples, oranges, and blues. I guess I’ll enjoy them another time. I could hear the birds singing faintly. And the smell, that glorious scent was like honey. I love you, Spring!
My tanned skin seemed to faintly sparkle under the sunlight. I’ve never gotten sunburnt with my werewolf skin, but sometimes if I’m in the sun too long, my skin hurts and gets an weird yellow tint. When it first happened, my dad looked confused and then angry. My parents fought all the time, but that night was by far the worst. Their yelling and screaming kept me up and annoyed until I heard him slam the front door. I crawled to my bedroom window and watched his truck leave. He never came back.
I reached my secret lake. It was small, well hidden behind all the new forest growth. I kicked off my tennis shoes and stepped in. My body instantly relaxed as my breathing started to normalize. I was lightly sweating, another thing that made me stand out as it was not normal in our pack. Eyes closed, I let my head lay back a little, my face up to the cloud-covered sun. Breathe in. Breathe out. Opening my eyes, I could see that it was going to rain soon. Better hurry.
I walked all the way in, not bothering with my spandex shorts and sports bra. I dove forward, submerging my head and swam underwater, holding my breath as long as I could. I was almost out of breath and ready to surface when something wrapped around my waist. The scare caused me to suck in and I started choking on the lake water. Focus, Rachel. I wasn’t going down without a fight. I quickly started clawing and kicking everywhere, trying to find my attacker. But, it kept dragging me through the water at a heightened speed and I panicked. My body felt numb. Everything went black.
