Moonlight filtered into the forest, filling it with an eerie silence.

Everywhere the creature looked, there were shadows darting about, scampering and hiding. Whispers were slowly pushing away the silence, but she couldn’t hear the words.

Fear was rushing through her now, making her jump at every slight sound. A forest at nighttime was no safe place for a human girl. Especially one who hadn’t Transformed yet.

She dropped to her knees, feeling the usually comforting pine needles underneath her. They did nothing to make her feel safe now.

Trying to make the Transformation come onto herself was never easy. It usually just came; whether she was ready or not. If she didn’t make the Change soon, she was dead. But she needed to calm herself down and gather her bearings. She was a werewolf in a supposedly deserted forest, with some unknown being chasing her. What was she going to do?

A twig snapped behind her. The pursuer was onto her hiding spot. I’m in trouble now, the werewolf thought.

"Come out, little one." The voice crackled through the air, startling the night creatures. Laelia’s back jerked tight, and she threw herself behind a tree. What does it want with me? she thought frantically.

"You know what I want." Downright terror stiffened her normally capable body—she stopped in her tracks. "Come to me." Against her will, Laelia took small, trembling steps in the direction of his voice. Then memory of her father’s words filled her: ‘Never follow something that your instincts warn you against.’ And her instincts were definitely warning her against this creature.

"No." It was only one word, but it filled her with momentary strength. Taking advantage of this strength, Laelia whirled around and, stumblingly at first, ran.

Laelia was fast—but her follower was faster. Arms were locking around her, lifting her. She shuddered out of his hold and fell to the ground. She let out a scream. It felt like knives were stabbing into her skin, and they were freezing cold . . .

The pine needles were turning into forks! They wanted to eat her alive! Laelia looked down. No they weren’t, she thought. It was just her imagination. Her senses were getting stronger now. She hoped that the Change would come before it was too late.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

"I’ll have a fortune off this one," the thing muttered to itself. Laelia now identified him as a man—albeit an intimidating one. She could have laughed, if her lungs hadn’t been so tight from breathlessness. Oh, so you only want to capture me for money! she thought. Well, I’ll show you . . .

"You forget that I can read minds," the man whispered into her ear. Laelia shivered, and in that instant pulled away from him. She struck his arm as she did so. The man let out a cry of pain, and Laelia focused her eyes on his. He saw something in them that frightened him—he stumbled backwards, his own eyes wide in shock.

I’ll show you, Laelia repeated inside her mind. "I will," she said aloud. Her eyes were glowing now, filled with the power of the moon. It had been covered by clouds before, and Laelia could not transform by reflections of moon rays. But now true moonlight shone on her form, and she let out a triumphant howl into the night.

The man was drawing away now, faster and faster, his breathing coming harshly. He sucked in air with a whoosh that any wolf’s ears could have heard from miles away.

But Laelia, standing a few feet away from him, could almost feel his fear inside of her. Her fingers itched as her nails grew out into claws, and fur began spreading about her body. She could smell his terror, and she smiled, baring her teeth, and reveled in it.

He was just as scared as she had been before, or even more so. Before Laelia could do anything about his vulnerability, a second ray of moonlight joined with the first, illuminating her on the spot.

The werewolf sank to her haunches, but this time not in defeat. Fur sprang onto her faster, covering her like a warm blanket, and she stopped shivering. A minute later, her sharpened nails turned into full-fledged claws, and her fangs glistened, long and pointy.

The Change was done. Breathing a sigh of relief mixed with a growl, Laelia’s new form took a step towards the man.

She was very much like a wolf—her senses were the same, but her looks weren’t quite. She was bigger, and taller, and hungrier, and more powerful. Most of all, she was more bloodthirsty. This man would pay for even attempting to frighten and capture her.

Evidently, he couldn’t read her wolf mind; he sat there, frozen like a statue, staring up at her. Laelia thought, It’s time to stop playing games. Dropping to her haunches again, to go faster, she snarled hungrily, making sure the meaning behind her growl was clear.

Her silvery fur bristled as she felt another thought radiate from his human skin. I must run, he was thinking, and she grinned delightfully. She always loved a good chase.

Almost before she realized it, the man was up and fleeing. Laelia howled a hunting cry, and all human thought and emotion fell from her mind. She was just another animal now, running purposefully in the night, hunting. And when werewolves hunt, they always get their prey.

*~*~*

The werewolf concealed itself in the shadows. Scanning her surroundings, she sniffed and cocked an ear. She could hear a heart pounding, and blood rushing through veins—the man’s. Taking a step out of the darkness, a quick movement was caught by the edge of her keen eyes.

He was attempting to scamper quietly away, but it wasn’t working. She was getting tired of following him. Suddenly she stopped. The man halted, too, seeming to sense something.

In that moment, the werewolf pounced. She was on top of him, clawing at him, before he even realized it. His face was bleeding and tears were mingling with the blood.

It was the tears that jolted her from her fervor. Her eyes widened as she gasped and realized what she was doing. Memories, such as the fact that she was no animal, and her name, came rushing back into her. She stopped and got up, dusting herself off with her rapidly shrinking nails. The man stood up slowly, his silhouette covering the light of the moon, which was trying to find its way onto Laelia’s body, to Change her again.

Ducking away from the light, Laelia hissed, "That’ll show you. Never rely on moonlight to catch a werewolf. You never know when the moonlight will turn on you."