Predators
Birdsong.
The sound of autumn wind rattling the branches of trees overhead.
The soft crunch of fallen leaves as I roll over and - wait.
Where am I? My eyes slowly blink open, my mind clearing as I shake off the last remnants of sleep. Terror starts to creep in when I realize I'm in the middle of the woods again, just like I was not too long ago...
I sit up quickly, scanning myself and my surroundings. There's dried blood flaking off of my hands, concentrated around my fingertips where I can only assume I had clawed at something. Droplets of the once scarlet liquid had splattered up my arms and, judging by the sticky and caked on feeling, also all over my face. My breath catches and I scramble to stand up, leaves sticking to my loose grey tank top and biker shorts that I had chosen to sleep in last night. Bile rises in my throat at the scent of the blood on me as my eyes dart around to see where it might have come from.
There's nothing. Nothing but claw marks in the bark of a nearby tree with more blood splattered against it.
No. No, no, no... What did I do?! The contents of my stomach are quickly emptied as I lean against the marked tree, trying hard to remember the events of how I got here... Though I'm not sure I want to remember.
I can hear the quiet murmur of the nearby creek, and I stumble my way through the trees towards it before I quickly throw myself into the water to wash the evidence of how monstrous I have become away from my skin. The water is frigid, punishing as it cleanses me, and I shiver even as it grounds me - the cold keeping my mind from spiraling out of control. I have to make it home. I have to call Kate.
A sickening thought slithers through my mind at the thought of my best friend, and I find myself hurrying back towards the only remaining evidence of whatever happened last night that I could find. I lean heavily against the tree, hoping against all hope as I close my eyes and take a sniff of the blood coating the gashes carved into its bark by strong claws. Tell me I didn't, please...
It's not hers. It's not Kate's blood. A part of me sighs in relief before I realize that it means I must have attacked some unsuspecting person I didn't even know. I don't even know if the person is alive or not... Whoever they are, wherever they are... I gag as more bile tries to climb its way up my throat at the thoughts racing through my mind.
Then, I'm running.
Always running. What is it with me and running? I'm running through the trees, freezing as the wind whips at my soaked night clothes, headed towards where I know my house resides. I can feel my bare feet being practically shredded by the sharp sticks and stones in my path, but I don't care as I'm single minded in my goal. If I can get home, then I can call Kate. If I can call Kate, maybe she's heard something about someone being attacked. Or another body being found...
It's going to be my body found next... Maybe I deserve to have the Hunters take me out. I'm dangerous.
I'm running alongside the road now, and I can see my house up ahead. I make it to the front door before remembering I don't have any of my things on me, including my key. Groaning, I throw myself off of the porch and run to the side of the house where my room is, hoping my window is open to my bedroom. It is. Taking a deep breath, I look around once to make sure I'm not being watched before getting a running start and launching myself up the side of the house, fingers catching at my windowsill. Quickly, I pull myself up the rest of the way and flop onto my bed for a second in relief at being back in my own bedroom. Then, the urgency returns.
I fall to the floor as I scramble to reach my phone that lies on the nightstand to my left, plugged in and charging. My fingers shake as I unlock it and tap on my contacts, finding Kate's name and dialing her almost instantly. The phone rings for a few seconds, it's early in the morning and Kate should be getting up soon to get ready for school if she isn't already. My breath is coming in shallow gasps as I try not to devolve into a panic when the call goes unanswered. Swiftly, I tap on the 'call' button again, redialing my best friend.
"Hello?" She answers sleepily after a couple of rings, and tears start trailing down my face at the sound of her familiar voice. "K-Katie... I think I did something b-bad." My voice wobbles as I speak, trying to keep it together. "What's wrong?" Kate is immediately wide awake at the sound of my distress, and I love her for it, even if I don't deserve it now that I've become such a monster. "I woke up in the woods again." I sniffle. "Kate, there was blood all over me, like I had attacked someone."
"Where are you now? Are you okay?!" Kate rushes out, and I can hear shuffling over the other end of the line like she's gotten out of bed and is struggling to get dressed quickly while remaining on the call with me. "I ran home, I'm in my room now." My lower lip trembles as I look around the comforting sight of my bedroom, my mind in utter chaos as I try to come to terms with whatever I must have done last night. "I'm on my way. Stay there, okay? Take a shower, get dressed. I'm coming, sweetie." Kate says with a sort of confidence and determination as I can hear doors slam and eventually the sound of her Jeep starting up, the familiar sound of the engine rumbling to life over the speaker. "Dianna, did you hear me? I'm coming, don't go anywhere." She breathes out again, and all I can do is nod as the tears start flowing more freely and the line goes dead.
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"So where exactly were you?" Kate asks. She showed up a little while ago, and both of us quickly decided that school was not an option today. We need to figure out what happened with me last night, and mentally I'm in no condition to play the role of a normal teenage girl at high school. "I was near the creek. Maybe a mile or two deep into the woods?"
"Okay so... Maybe we go back there. See if you missed anything." She says it slowly, head slightly tilted as she looks at me with wide but soft eyes. She's expecting me to freak at the thought of going back, I know she is. She's right. "No. No no no. Please, Katie, don't make me go back there!"
My lower lip wobbles a bit, having barely calmed down from the hysterics I was in when she first got here and seemingly about to go back into it. Kate sighs, placing her hands on either side of my face to get me to look her in the eye. "Dianna, listen to me. We need to know what happened, okay? And if there's nothing there where you woke up, then maybe..." She trails off, looking just over my shoulder for a second before looking back at me with determination. "Maybe we need to go to Steve. Maybe he can help you figure out what happened." My eyes widen in shock at her suggestion. "Katie, he'll kill me! I played in the game! We got him ARRESTED!"
"Dee, listen to me! He told you he would help you - you need help with this! We have to know!" Kate says louder, making sure I'm paying attention. She's right, of course. We have to know what happened last night, and the only person I know of that can help me remember and piece it together... is Steve fucking Rogers. I let out a deep and shaky exhale, praying to whatever gods will listen and hoping beyond hope that Steve doesn't hold grudges and want me dead, and I nod. "Fine, I'll go to him... But you're staying in the car, I don't want you ANYWHERE near him."
"What? No-"
"Kate! Nowhere. Near. Him." I enunciate each word clearly, looking into her bright hazel eyes. "If he wants me dead, it will ONLY be me that he kills. You stay the hell away from him, and run like hell if anything happens. Understand?" Kate sighs, but nods. Thank the fucking gods that she agreed, I do not want her hurt because of me. "Okay... Then I guess let's go. My probable death awaits." Kate gives me a look and smacks me upside the head as we stand from my bed and head down the stairs of my house to the front door, making our way to her Jeep so we can go to the only place we can think of Steve being at - the old burnt down house in the woods. He really is enjoying his creep factor as a werewolf, isn't he?
We hop into the Jeep and start driving, quiet the whole way there. I can't stop looking at my hands, fidgeting. It's like I can still feel the blood that was on them, and my nerves about who I'm about to pay a visit to aren't helping. My breaths are shaky when we eventually pull up in front of the ruins of the old Roger's House. Kate and I share a look, and I can tell she's about to beg to come with me. "Don't even think about it, Bishop." She sighs and nods, allowing me to climb out of the vehicle alone. "Lock the doors, keep the windows rolled up, and don't you dare turn the engine off. Keep it running, and the second something seems wrong, you get the fuck out of here." Kate nods, but before I even have a chance to turn around, there's a voice.
"Language."
Spinning around, I see Steve already standing across the clearing from me. He looks... not as pissed as I initially expected, honestly. His arms are crossed and he's eyeing me warily, a disappointed gleam in the depths of those baby blues. I slam the car door shut behind me with one last look at Kate, then face the music.
"Steve..." I gulp nervously, hands clenching the long sleeves of my oversized sweatshirt I had chosen to wear for comfort. "I need your help. Please..."
"Do you now? That's odd, considering I offered you my help and-"
Cutting him off, I take a step forward. "And I threw you to the wolves, I know." My head tilts in thought for a second. "No pun intended."
Steve chuckles slightly, looking me over. His brow seems to furrow at what he sees, and I can guess why. I may be cleaned up, but I still look a mess. My face pale and eyes wide, wild. I didn't bother to do much about my hair other than make sure it was clean of any blood and that all of the leaves and sticks were removed. The werewolf that threatened my life mere days ago seems to soften suddenly at the sight of me, and he sighs. "Who did you kill?"
My tears return and my shoulders drop some. "I don't know. I don't remember anything."
Slowly, Steve walks up to me. He hesitantly places his large hand on my shoulder, like an older brother would to a sibling. We make eye contact, and I can see that he really means no harm, that he just wants to be safe and keep his secret protected. Only now, it's my secret too, and I've done a pretty shit job at keeping it safe. I understand now why he said we were family, whether I liked it or not. Because he's stuck with me, too. Anything I do from now on... It falls on him, too. I breathe out shakily.
"Where?"
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Steve and I are walking through the woods, heading for the place I woke up this morning. Covered in blood...
I shake my head, trying to clear away those feelings again. We had opted to walk from his property all the way out here, since Kate's Jeep couldn't get to the place anyways, but it's pretty far and the sun is starting to go down now. Both of us are still able to see perfectly in the dim lighting, picking our way through the trees, which is another reason for Kate's absence. Although, the main reason I told Kate to go home was because Steve had said that if a werewolf did in fact kill somebody... Then the Hunters would be out searching. I do not want her dragged into anything pertaining to the Hunters whatsoever. Of course, Kate didn't go easily - only leaving after threatening Steve. Telling him that if anything happened to me, she would do... unspeakable things to certain parts of his.
I shudder at the memory of her threats to him, because even I had paled as she had gone into detail. So. Much. Detail.
Steve, unsurprisingly, had looked unphased but reassured her none the same. Secretly, I think the only reason he acknowledged the threats at all is because she was ballsy enough to make them. A human making a threat to a werewolf... Laughable, now that I am highly aware of just how dangerous I could be. Well, laughable unless that human happens to be a Hunter...
Twigs and dry leaves crackle under foot as the older werewolf and I come to the creek near the site I left this morning. I can't quite remember where it was, though - my memories hazy from the panic I had felt and how quickly I had fled. My eyes search the area, looking for any sign of the right direction to go in that will lead me to where I woke up this morning, my breathing picking up as a bit more of the panic sets in that I may have actually killed someone.
"Relax," Steve says suddenly, his blue eyes looking me over as he steps up beside the edge of the creek before peeking into it. "If you don't calm down, we won't find anything out."
"Relax? Easier said than done." I scoff at him, picking it the skin around my cuticles thanks to my nerves. Steve looks back at me with an exasperated sigh. "Hey, close your eyes and just breathe. Don't think about anything else except for the way the air feels in your lungs." He says calmly, rolling his eyes slightly when I give him an incredulous look. "Just do it."
So I do. I close my eyes and try to focus on the deep breaths I begin to take. It takes a second before my breathing evens out and the nerves subside. "Perfect. Now, focus on what you can hear." The sound of crickets filters into my mind. The soft swish of tree branches in the autumn wind. The leaves crackling under Steve's feet as he steps closer to me. "Now, what you can smell." My brows furrow, but I follow his instructions and take a deep breath in through my nose. The smell of wet earth and decaying leaves immediately fill me, and I focus on it. "Pick apart each scent in the area. Let it lead you back to where you were." He says, and I take another deep breath as I scent the air. There's still the smell of wet earth and decaying leaves, like before, but... The water in the creek, earthy but fresh. The spicy smell of sagebrush and the sweet notes of snowberry bushes growing. And underneath all of that... my own scent, stale but close.
"This way." My eyes snap open and I immediately start heading towards the spot I woke up in this morning. Steve walks beside me, his gaze flickering around us as night officially falls. It doesn't take very long at all for us to smell the lingering traces of blood, to see the scratches left on the tree... "This is it." When I turn to look at Steve, I can see that he's frowning and scenting the air. Immediately, I get nervous. "What is it? Hunters?"
"No..." He draws out the word. "What exactly happened when you woke up?" He asks as we get closer to the tree that had been scored by claws, blood smeared on it. He takes a sniff as I explain. "I woke up with blood covering my hands, where I assume I must have clawed someone. It had splattered up my arms and onto the rest of me as well. And then... my face..." I grimace, remembering the sticky and stiff feeling of the blood that coated my body this morning, the coppery tang of it in my mouth.
Steve hums, expression unreadable. My brow furrows as I watch him, because his entire demeanor seems to have changed. He seems almost... unsettled? For once. "What is it?" I ask carefully, stepping closer. His eyes lock with mine for a second before they dart away again, his posture tense. "Nothing." I raise an eyebrow at that, and at the slight uptilt of his voice. Why is he acting so weird all of a sudden?
"I don't think you killed anyone." He says slowly, and now both of my eyebrows rise damn near to my hair line. "How can you tell?"
"Well... The scent isn't human. It's another werewolf."
"Wait, seriously?!" My voice is high pitched and loud, and Steve glares at me for a second for it, causing me to wince before breathing out a sigh of relief. "That's great though, isn't it? I didn't kill anyone. At least... not anyone human..." I wince again. "I don't think you killed anyone. There's not enough evidence here to suggest that you made a killing blow." Steve's eyes roam over the scene, taking in the blood spattered claw marks and the broken branches on the ground nearby.
The older werewolf pauses for a second, as if hesitating to ask his next question. "What exactly happened the night you were bitten? Was there anything specific you could point out about the one who bit you?" He asks in an intense tone of voice, his eyes locked on the blood smeared on the tree.
Frowning, I shake my head. "Not really. It looked like a normal wolf almost, but just a little weirder. The limbs were longer and more spread out, I guess. It had red eyes that glowed. I don't really know, it was dark and I was scared." I pause. "Why?"
"Nothing." Steve says with a shake of his head, looking out towards the creek in thought. My eyes narrow at him, because I'm not stupid. He definitely didn't ask me that for 'nothing', especially not in that intense of a manner. "Steve? What's going on?" I ask carefully, my eyes studying him in the darkness. "Nothing." He says again, looking back at me. "Bullshit."
Steve sighs in exasperation. "Language." He mutters, giving me a chiding look, one that I scoff at. "I can tell you're not telling me something. What is it?" I say seriously, ignoring his 'language' comment.
"It's nothing," He starts, but quickly adds more on at the look on my face. It's clear that I'm not buying it and need more of an explanation than that. "Look, I think you and whoever bit you just had a little... spat, or something. Those who are bitten are connected to the ones who bit them. He's an Alpha, and you're his Beta, so when you were asleep he probably used that connection to lure you out. Probably wanted you to hunt with him." Steve's words are tense, clipped.
My brow furrows. "Alpha? Beta? I'm connected to him? What does that even all mean?!" He audibly groans at my words, one of his hands coming up to run through his short brown-ish blonde hair roughly. "And why do you keep saying 'him' like you know it was a guy?" Steve freezes, avoiding my gaze, and my eyes narrow.
"Steve... Answer me. Do you know who it was that bit me?!" I shout at him, my hands clenching into fists at my sides as I grit my teeth. "No!" He shouts back, gaze flickering to me before it darts away again as his expression becomes conflicted. "I don't know."
"You know something! What is it you're not telling me?!" I take a step closer, only about three feet separating us from each other, our voices getting louder. Steve growls and turns to face me head on again, towering over me with his jaw clenched tightly. "I don't know who bit you! None of this is making sense."
"None of this is making sense to you?" I scoff. "Try me. Why are you being so weird about this right now - what do you know?!" I growl back, feeling my eyes shift. Steve doesn't back down, his own eyes glowing a glacial blue as the wolf in him rises to the surface. "Listen to me! There's something else going on here-"
Steve's words are cut off as a shot rings out, the sound echoing through the trees. Our eyes go wide as the scent of blood suddenly fills the air around us, thick and cloying. Our voices were too loud, must have been acting as a beacon to lead them right to us. We knew they'd be out here, and we messed up.
It takes half a second for us to both realize what's happened, the coppery smell of blood in the air as one word goes through my mind. Hunters.