Sent To Fetch A Werewolf

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

Those hazel eyes are soft. Eyes that don’t belong to a killer. Maybe she hasn’t lost herself yet.

”Jodie?”

The werewolf’s ears twitch. But her stance doesn’t relax. I suspect she recognises the name. And I can hardly fault her being wary of a heavily armed stranger tracking her through the woods like this.

“Jodie, your father called me. Bill Bell. When you were young you called him ‘Bibbel’. He’s worried sick about you. Everyone is.”

Her ears are fully forward now. And she’s blinking a lot. Trying to remember, trying to reach past the fear and hunger.

“I know you’re scared. They’re scared too. We need to make sure you’re not a danger to them. But there are treatments. I have jerky here that will help you feel calm and think clearly.”

I slowly, smoothly move my left hand to my belt pouch. Keeping my right ready to draw my weapon. Just in case.

She isn’t shifting. Holding still. Watching closely.

I keep my voice low and gentle. Reassuring. “Now, it’s spicy and tastes a bit funky. Do you like goat cheese? The aftertaste is a bit like goat cheese. And at first it will make you feel sleepy.”

Her eyes narrow. Fair.

“Don’t worry, that wears off pretty quick and we can wait until it passes. I’ll wait right here with you and keep you safe. Once you’re feeling steady and your head’s clear we can go back to your father and figure out what to do.”

An uncertain whine bubbles from her throat. She wants to go home. Wandering the woods alone like this has left her pinched and ragged. And while the bite will have healed I suspect it still aches. That pain won’t fade until she achieves balance with her new second soul.

I lob a strip of jerky to her, and she sniffs it. The feral hunger she’s been fighting coming to the fore now there’s meat under its nose.

“This is what I use to keep myself balanced. With practice you won’t need it as much. But right now you’re scared. Both halves of you are. Neither of you knows what to do, so you’re both arguing.”

She whines agreement and tentatively licks the jerky. Only to recoil with a huff.

“Yeah, wolfsbane stings at first. You go numb after a while. These first few doses are gonna be hard to get down. I’m sorry. Once you’re home we can mix the doses into full meals, spread it out.”

Silence. She lifts those gentle hazel eyes to study me. I meet her gaze squarely, let her examine how my eyes are marbled brown and yellow.

Then she ducks her head and gulps the jerky.

“Well done, Jodie.” My lips split in a relieved grin, my souls singing. “First dose. Now, we wait and make sure you don’t feel sick. See if you need a second.”

I sink to a crouch and she slowly lies down.

“Let me tell you how I got bit…”

Prompt was the first two sentences.