#c:alan

As her nights often ended, Anita found herself walking home to her secluded mansion on the edge of The Pines and Seven Peaks late in the evening - or was it very early in the morning? - after being out at one of her favorite local bars until closing. Well, this wasn’t how her nights often ended, given that she was walking home alone and not with someone she had picked up at the bar. She didn’t mind the solitude every now and then, though. Especially at this time of year when the spring was thawing nature out of its prolonged winter freeze. 

Unsurprisingly given her chosen profession and academic pursuits, being surrounded by nature put Anita at ease. While the mountainous and often cold landscape of New England varied immensely from the deserts she was raised in, the area was slowly beginning to feel like home. Especially given the amount of supernatural people, places, and things that were always about. That’s why when she heard the smallest bleat of what sounded like a lamb, she decided to investigate with reasonable caution. 

As she rounded a grouping of trees, Anita saw something she had only read about before - a vegetable lamb. In her rather intoxicated state, however, she wasn’t sure if she fully believed her eyes. So she got closer, so entranced that she hardly even noticed the sound of footsteps nearby. 

Alan usually wandered further into the woods on those nights. It was safer for him. It was safer for everyone. The taste of copper was one he’d gotten used to over the years,and he had stopped blaming himself for the damage he caused. Most of the time, he supposed it must have been animals. Deers, moose, maybe a boar, a hare… And if people were going to go camp in the woods on a full moon… Well, some people were better at surviving than others and that was all there was to think about here. If only he had been able to think at all tonight. 

The damn full moon. A bloodthirst that simply couldn’t be quenched, and one that he struggled, every month to contain anyway. 

The frail bleating of a lamb had lured the wolf out of the woods, to the edge of the forest. Near the ground, the hunter advanced, huddled on his velvet paws, his gray coat blending in with the dim light of daybreak.

But while a thin and tall silhouette approached its prey with an unsteady step, the wolf, rather than changing its target, got it into his head that the latter wanted to steal his meal. His chops curled, Alan groaned in annoyance, huffing through his nostrils as he walked around the lamb and the one in his path, making the fallen leaves rustle and crackle with each step he took.

Almost instinctively as Anita saw the impeccably large wolf rush across the space in front of her she looked up into the sky. Of course it was a full moon. Without giving it much thought, she rolled her eyes in light annoyance. Sure, part of her pitied werewolves for the fact that they were so controlled by the lunar phase. But mostly she thought it was another bit of proof of Lamia superiority. 

It appeared from the wolf’s movements that he didn’t want Anita getting to the lamb but it took her a few moments to figure out the likely reason why. “You’re gonna eat that poor little guy, aren’t you? I mean… come on dude. Look at it!” She gestured enthusiastically at the tiny creature behind him. “Like, go find a stupid human to eat or something. Doesn’t that sound more appetizing?” 

The lamb bleat again. Alan's claws curled against the damp floor, leaves and dirt crumpling under the wolf's massive paws. A low growl, guttural, coming from deep within replied to the poor vegetable lamb. That woman really was going to stop a wolf from eating the proverbial lamb? Even as a human, he loved a damn lamb chop, Easter’s roasted lamb leg, which his mother prepared better than anyone else. 

If she wasn’t going to move, he was going to make her. With a bark, a short yelp, Alan took another step forward. It’s just a fucking lamb, move. He wouldn’t have dreamed of slaughtering such an innocent little thing as a human, but as a wolf, Alan didn’t feel so disgusted about ripping a man’s head off or feasting off of his organs. Funny how that worked. Hairs raised on his back, the werewolf growled again, baring his teeth in final warning. Yeah, if she wasn’t gonna move, he was going to go ahead and eat them both. 

Clearly logic and reason were not going to get her anywhere with the dense wolf. While she never minded resorting to violence Anita did prefer to use her intellect over brute strength. Not that she lacked in either category, though. “Okay, okay, big guy… give me a second here.” Gently, Anita tossed her purse off to the side of her and then began to take off her faux leather jacket. “I mean, we’re in a forest. You have plenty of other snacks about.” 

After discarding the jacket in the general direction of her purse, Anita shook her shoulders out in an over-the-top dramatic fashion. “Last chance to walk away,” though she didn’t give much of a chance admittedly and immediately began to shift into her lamia form. The rough green, brown, and yellow scales of the mojave danced along her body and within seconds she was towering over the wolf. “Back off, furball,” she hissed. 

Eyes trained on the woman, Alan’s head tilted to the side as she tossed her bag, and then her jacket to the side. That was dramatic. He’d have liked her a lot in different circumstances. Of course, he didn’t really understand why she was doing all this. Getting naked in the forest was the sort of activity you expected from nudists and shifters. Nudists didn’t particularly strike him as the type to chill in front of an angry werewolf. 

A tawny owl’s shriek distracted him for just a split second, long enough for him to miss part of her transformation into a gigantic beast. Alan only had himself to blame as he realized a bit too late that a normal fucking woman would have ran away in the sight of him even one who had had, like her, one too many drinks at the bar. Fuck. Even standing on his hind legs, the wolf only reached the snake’s height now. In her back, the lamb’s bleating had resumed, and angry eyes remained set on their objective. 

And yet, in the far distance, by the horizon, fate was pushing forward in favor of the innocent bleating plant. It would be minutes only before the moon released the hold it had on the realtor, one long minute, during which the lamb’s fate would remain uncertain, during which his hunger would listen to no other logic than the law of nature. 

Being in her true lamia form always made Anita feel more powerful and centered. The restrictions on her human senses stripped away and the world opened up before her - she could see the hot and cold patches of the world and with a quick flip of her tongue she was inundated with a melody of scents. It was soiled only by the wet dog smell before her. 

Anita avoided fighting with her fellow shifters when she could - and she had no intention to cause any real harm to the wolf - but she didn’t mind some friendly combat when it presented itself. She was not bound by any natural cycle in her transformations and admittedly was never quite sure how deep into the morning wolves maintained their power. None of that mattered to her, however. 

Pushing forward slightly and closing the distance between them,  her focus remained locked on the lycan. The lamb was behind her and unless her foe could get past her scales and fangs, it would surely remain unharmed that evening. Maybe Anita would have paid closer attention to her surroundings if not for the drinks that were still coursing through her cold bloodstream. She seemingly forgot that in a town like Wicked’s Rest, danger always lurked in every inch of the forest. 

Baring his teeth again as she darted toward him, Alan stepped back from the nightmarish creature, and as wolves did, threw his head back and howled to the moon. Some wolves far in the distance, some undoubtedly closer to them joined his plea. Guided by seemingly feral instincts, the werewolf growled low, barking, yet keeping his distance. He had seen those fangs, and he could only imagine what they’d do to him, but he had one objective and he was willing to take a shot at it.

The more the sun approached the horizon, the more he’d be able to regain a sense of consciousness but for now the wolf’s padded paws carried him quietly around the mismatched pair, leaving a trail of pheromones that could have betrayed his current mood. He was upset. He should have sensed that she wasn’t human. Was the idea of a meal so important to his stomach that it completely disconnected his brain? He was upset, frustrated, but not willing to let go of what he wanted without putting up a fight. Eyes shifting between her and the lamb, the wolf first darted to her left, before going back on all fours to try a new approach on her right, sprinting through the fallen leaves. 

The cry of the wolves echoed loudly in Anita’s head. Typically a pack creature, she wondered if those who cried out in response to him would come join in his potential skirmish. It was sort of funny, seeing the wolf preparing to attack. Was he aware of how quickly Anita could end this if she wanted to? Did he have any idea how potent the venom within her was? Probably not. Nor would he find out, not anytime soon anyway. In the hierarchy of life, the wolf did sit above the vegetable lamb. Both of which were above humans, and all of which were below lamia. That meant that if she had to pick between letting the lamb die and killing the wolf, the sacrifice was clear. 

As she worked to anticipate how the attack would come Anita let her tail do its thing and emit a gentle rattle, gradually getting louder. It served as one final warning. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t head the warning. Initially, following his own movement, the snake moved to her left prepared to address the anticipated attack. She was less prepared for an attack from the right, but not unprepared. Her tail was ready to thwart off the attack, whipping around and making contact with the side of her opponent. 

The wolf might have been mighty in the forest, the gigantic snake, though it didn’t seem to fit right in the septentrional woods, must have been royalty in another ecosystem. Alan’s flank was brutally hit by her tail. He knew already that he would bruise there, bruises that would certainly cause wincing and grimacing in the days to come. Still, he didn’t like to stoop down, accept defeat or back down. When he had something in mind, Alan didn’t stop until he had it. 

The wolf might have yelped in pain seconds before, it was back on its front legs now, examining the snake’s movements. She moved faster than he had anticipated, and those fangs looked like they could tear right through him as if he were made of butter but he was confident he could move faster yet. He had legs. Clearly that must have given him an advantage, right? 

The rattling of her tail could become an advantage if he paid more attention to it. He just had to dart to the right again, remain quick on his feet, keep on moving and then leap claws out, toward the bleating small thing, to drag it into the depths of the woods with him. A growl carried through his first steps toward the scaly creature, dying out as he picked up speed and executed his plan. 

There was some twisted joy that rushed through Anita when she heard the wolf cry out, even if the pain she inflicted didn’t seem to slow him down at all. It had been a little while since she had been in an all-out brawl like this before and her adrenaline was spiking. That plus the alcohol coursing through her prevented the cold breeze of the nighttime from bothering her. 

Working as strategically as she could muster, Anita tried to fend off the hairy beast. While her size compared to the wolf was certainly an asset it also made her a bigger target. Normally she would make herself a smaller target by looping her tail around herself and above her head, but it wasn’t just her own wellbeing she was selflessly defending - she had to keep the lamb safe. It was that thought that made her realize that something in the air had shifted, a new smell wafting her way and a small but present heat signature from her peripheral. Distracted, her guard was down for just long enough to allow the wolf to land a swift attack. Her tail rattled louder and faster, as she felt her focus being torn between the known threat in front of her and the concern over what was approaching their battle ground. She wasn’t willing, however, to take her eyes off of the wolf. She wasn’t willing to lose a fight to a wolf. Even if that meant losing the lamb. 

Todd was an idiot. Chad had just proven it. 

This was the perfect addition to the hazing process but no. Todd insisted that it was too dangerous to send freshmen in the woods on a full moon. And yet, Chad had just spent one complete night in here, and was now walking out without even a scratch. Aside from a couple of owls, deers, one moose and the distant howl of wolves, far, far inside The Pines, he hadn’t really seen much action tonight. The sun was rising now, and he was about to walk back to the frat house triumphant, with evidence of his prowess. Chad : 1 Spineless Todd : 0 

“Fucking moron,” with a scoff, the business student reached in his pocket for cigarettes. 

The wolves howled again. Were they getting closer? That was close, right? Heh, if he took a picture of one, he’d surely show this moron just how much of a cheeto-dick asshole he was. 

Quietly, he approached the sound, getting his phone out of his pocket, his cigarette hanging precariously from his lips. This would be a triumph. 

Alan was quick on his feet, but the snake was neither backing down nor showing any signs of tiredness. God fucking damnit. He had to try a different approach. The cold blooded animal really wasn’t his first choice when it came to getting a nice snack and he had his eyes set on that lamb. Sure it was a bit small but the snake was way too big and again, he didn't like the taste of these. 

He tried again, from the right, the left, running low, baring his teeth, but nothing seemed to get past her radar, until… 

Alan might have had less control of himself on full moons, he had enough to keep himself alive. When the largest predator paused to look at the bushes, you didn't keep on attacking. 

Standing on his hind legs, the werewolf's neck craned, hoping to catch a glimpse of their company. Perhaps it was another wolf, who smelled of Takis, blue Gatorade, cigarette smoke and dirt cheap aftershave. Alright, no wolf would have accepted carrying that scent around. 

No… that scent could only come from a goddamn human. 

As the human approached, because it practically had to be a human with that heat signature and stench, Anita’s presumption was that it was a hunter. Had their fight gotten so loud that it really drew that much attention or had they just been so unlucky that a hunter was passing through at the exact wrong time? There was too much to focus on - the wolf, the lamb, the man. Despite her desire to both beat the wolf and keep the lamb out of harm's way, Anita knew that self preservation needed to be her priority. It didn’t much matter what else happened that night, the snake just needed to make it back home in one piece. 

Maybe the human could be a common enemy and the two of them could stop fighting each other for a moment and take care of this interloper first. Her eyes scanned the wolf’s face trying to determine if he was having a similar thought. Anita shot her tail into the general direction of the presumed hunter. They were too far away for it to hit but her intention was simply to signal to the wolf that they weren’t alone. 

“On my signal?” Anita asked quietly, hoping the wolf understood. Without letting him out of her line of sight she began to slowly slither backwards closer towards the approaching person. The plan was to set herself up to make a quick attack against the human before returning to the wolf in the event that he wasn’t interested in taking care of the threat together. Though if it was a hunter there was a chance that Anita’s venom would do nothing more than irritate the man. She’d much rather attack together. 

Ears pulled back, the wolf’s eyes fixated on the intruder. He had seen his fair share of hunters in the past, none of them foolish enough to let the entire forest know they were there through scent alone. One of the defining traits of a good hunter, Alan found, was their ability to make themselves invisible through any mean available. They were remarkably quiet, they often left not a single track behind them, they tried to remain unseen and they did their best not to get spotted with their odor. 

The werewolf narrowed his eyes, lowering himself onto four legs as he examined the man standing before them. He seemed speechless, which wasn’t necessarily a synonym for quiet. 

The snake’s tail hit the ground, lifting dried leaves into the air. Alan looked at her, and something akin to a whimper came as a reply to her question. The human didn’t seem frightened at all. Phone in front of him, as if it were a shield, he seemed blissfully unaware of what awaited him. 

While she took care of the front side of that foolish man, the wolf darted out of the clearing, leaving the bleating lamb there. The sun was starting to break through the leaves, coloring the scenery with hues of pale gold, but though the harness of the moon had now been removed from the wolf, he moved to the side, ready to block any attempt the young man would make at running for his life. 

Anita was never sure if the pure ignorance to present and apparent danger was a learned human deficiency or if it was simply further proof of Darwin’s theories of survival of the fittest. Because, after all, humans were certainly not the fittest creatures and this man was not the fittest in the forest that evening. Expectedly, that meant his chances of surviving the night were not great. 

In sync with her former opponent, Anita began to circle around the opposite direction away from the lamb and around towards their joint prey. She was not sure what the wolf’s plan of action was but it was her intention to not give this man any opportunity to escape his pending fate. Allowing herself to get down low to the ground, her body moved swiftly along the forest as she allowed the gentle shadows created by the moonlight hitting the trees above to conceal a fair amount of her movements. As she closed the gap between herself and this human, who was so clearly at this point not a hunter, Anita prepared her attack. 

Not bothering with her usual methodology of injecting a potent dose of her natural toxin into her victim’s blood stream, Anita quickly lifted her torso up from the ground so that she was suddenly towering over the human. Then, in one swift movement, she opened her mouth as wide as it could and came down upon the man and clamped her fangs down around his lower waist, as she spotted the wolf with his teeth already clamped down on the man’s lower half. She hoped this meal would satisfy his craving and that he would not turn his attention back to the lamb once this feast was completed. 

If he had been fully in control of his psyche, Alan would have been absolutely terrified right then. The snake blended in well in this environment, and the morning sun did a number on his perception of her movements. If he could have been mesmerized by it, what came next was horrifying.

No matter how much shit he had been exposed to through these last years, nothing prepared you to see a man getting nearly swallowed whole by a gigantic snake. But his werewolf had taken over, and Alan could only decide on what leg he would sink his teeth in, on where he would drag his half of the man to, but certainly not on whether he wanted to do that. No. Tonight, he once again had not been in control of the what. Only of the how. 

Undisturbed by the shattering of bones, the spilling viscera, the wolf growled low as he raised onto his back limbs, the intruder's ankle in his jaw and the rest of his legs dangling to the side. Blood stained his grey coat of fur as he confronted the snake one last time. His gaze was drawn to the lamb again, but the taste of blood on his tongue seemed more enticing than that little tender thing there. 

His prize secure, he retreated out of the clearing, leaving the snake behind him. 

So engrossed in her meal, which had quite a strange aftertaste that she didn’t quite enjoy, Anita had almost missed the fact that the wolf retreated out of the area and into the shadows and anonymity of the woods surrounding them. She looked back towards where the lamb had been and felt content in knowing that it would survive another day. Would it survive longer than that? Well, that wasn’t her concern anymore. 

Her attention darted between her jacket and purse that she had discarded near the lamb and the treeline where the wolf had disappeared into. Glancing up, she noted that the moon was nearly gone as the dawn had nearly replaced the dusk. Anita wondered how immediate the reverse transformation happened once the lunar influence disappeared.