Page 56 of War Games

One big, inhuman hand appeared in the light as the monster slowly moved into view. Its head was that of a wolf’s, large fangs visible as it snarled. Covered in fur, the name of the creature was already known to me.

Werewolf.

I was shaking as I tried to get up, my legs weak from running from the giant cat. I had no idea if I could outrun this beast.

It sank low, stalking closer to me on all fours, its ears back.

Turning, I started running again, knowing I was in no condition for this fight. Last Change werewolves were dangerous. There was one thing that could fight the werewolf, though.

I have to get back to that cat. It can handle this.

I followed my own trail in the snow, hearing the snarling werewolf chase after me, closing the distance fast. I used trees to try blocking its view of me, but it didn’t let up. Hair rose on the back of my neck, and I dove to the right, getting behind a fallen log as the werewolf jumped and soared over where I had once been. It regained its feet before I could, and as I scrambled away, it sank its teeth into my calf.

Screaming, I tried to grab anything I could to hit it with as it started to drag me across the forest floor. I kicked with my free leg until it was grabbed by one of those inhuman hands with claws instead of fingernails. Those claws dug into my flesh, and the grip alone threatened to break my bones.

Its teeth released my leg, and something hit my back, forcing me harder into the dirt. Claws sank into my shoulder, telling me it was the other hand. Snarling over me, I felt drool hit the back of my neck.

I could only look at my hands, scraping across the ground as I hopelessly tried to find purchase. I was in so much pain.

Something feral in me didn’t want to die. I wasn’t sure if it was me screaming or something in me or someone who sounded like me a hundred miles away.

The cat showed up and jumped onto the werewolf, knocking it off me but at the expense of my back and leg. Claws torn from my back left me wailing. My leg felt broken.

As the fight became a vicious brawl, I crawled, pulling myself away from the fighting as fast as I could, struggling for every inch I could claim. I couldn’t silence the whimpers of pain as I crawled under bushes to keep moving, trying to escape the fightbetween the monsters that were running around these woods. A tree creaked as one of the large monsters slammed into it. I wrapped my head, hoping it didn’t come down on me. It missed me by a few feet, a blessing in the middle of the hellish night I was living.

I needed help, but there was no one. No one to help pick me up and carry me to safety. No one to protect me.

I crawled until I found a stump and tried to lift myself up, staggering as I realized neither of my legs wanted to hold any weight at all. The right was a bit studier, and I winced in pain as I forced myself to stand on it just to help myself onto the stump. My left leg was broken, with bruising and bleeding where it had been grabbed, but thankfully it was a simple fracture. The bones weren’t sticking out, and I could work with that. While not broken, my right leg was bleeding terribly from the bite. I needed to clean it and wrap it up.

A roar, though, told me I didn’t have enough time to treat my injuries. With no time to treat them, I tried to find a branch that would be sturdy enough to walk with.

I fell and tried walking on my knees as I grabbed branches off the forest floor until I found one. All the while, the vicious brawl continued.

Using it, I forced myself to my feet, or really my foot since I couldn’t put any weight on my left.

“What did I do to deserve this? Where the hell is my family? I shouldn’t be out here dealing with this sort of werewolf alone.” I knew that, but thinking of Gwen, she wasn’t going to be out here helping. There was another sister.

“Zuri would know what to do,” I whispered, finally remembering my new family. “Hell, I would even take Mischa right now.”

I forced myself to limp as quickly as I could, perhaps too fast for the injuries I was dealing with.

“Once I find somewhere to hide, I’ll splint the broken one.” With desperate resolve, I forged deeper into the woods, fighting to make more distance between myself and the werewolf and werecat.

Werecat.

Moon Cursed.

“Fuck… what is wrong with me?” I whispered, realizing I was forgetting important things. “Oh, fuck.I’ma werecat… Why can’t I Change? I can heal if I Change.”

But as I struggled to walk, it felt like there was a big mental wall stopping me from reaching for the curse, letting that transition take over and make me a predator myself.

Eventually, I found a cave, too small for the other moon cursed in the woods. Before hiding inside, I knew I needed to gather what I needed. I used my free hand to gather several sticks. I had no rope, but I was willing to tear my clothing to make a splint if I had to. I crawled in and found a good spot that would block their sight and be out of reach of their claws.

“Deep breath, Jacky,” I said to myself as I prepared to do something that could backfire. I had no other options.

I forced my leg bones as straight as I could get them, howling in pain as I did.

I didn’t get to splint them. The pain knocked me out when I tried to do it a second time.

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