Chapter 8: The Animal

*Lucas*

Ripping through the underbrush off the thick trees, I snapped at the paws of Galen. I was gaining on him, my speed was out matched. Galen took a sharp left, and his hind legs stumbled out from under him, causing him to tumble into a thicket of branches and vines. For the second time today, I pounced on him, pinning him to the ground. My teeth clamped down on his shoulder, biting through fur and flesh, he howled, the sound pierced my ears. There was a good chance that I was going to be deaf by the end of the night. My command to submit wasn't working, I was about to slip back into human form and drag him to the feet of my father, when a mass of solid flesh hit me.

I flew in the air rolling head over tail for about thirty yards. Fiora stalked towards, drool dripping from gnarled lips, her coward of a husband crawled up behind her, letting Fiora be the one to lead the fight. Fiora lunged, taking advantage of my disorientation. Her claws grazed under my ribs, breaking skin. I bucked her off me in time for Galen to come charging forward, my claws caught his under belly, and we were both flung into swampy water. Galen came up thrashing his limbs not able to tread water. I was trained to swim and dive in both forms and was able to keep my composure.

I saw Titus back in human form hold Fiora by the elbows with her hands behind her back. Galen got his bearings and paddled to me, snapping wildly and clawing into my back. I dove into the waters knowing Galen wasn't experienced enough to follow me down, shifting back into human form I burst back up to the surface, now positioned behind Galen I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed. He barked, surprised by my attack, water pooled in waves over our heads. I held my breath over the crashing water as Galen fought for his life.

"Gator!" Titus screamed, stopping me dead.

I let go of Galen and hurriedly swam to the bank, not wanting to get into a wrestling match with an alligator. I might have been supernatural, but I sure wasn't stupid. A gator could rip me to shreds in human and wolf form. It probably wouldn't kill me, but it would hurt like hell.

Galen wasn't so smart though, he stayed, whipping water all around. The twelve-foot gator glided with grace in the water, more predatory than me. In a second, a heavy snapping sound clamped down on Galen's arm, in all the panic he had shifted back. The gator's tail lifted, and it began its death roll. Circling around and around, dunking Galen until he lost consciousness. In a singular motion, the gator ripped Galen's head away from his body and dragged it down to the depths of the water.

I stood corrected; a gator could kill us.

Fiora whimpered all the way to the house in mourning for her lost husband. Blood and water from my back and ribs trailed from the swap to the driveway, making it easy for the others to follow the scent back to where Galen had died.

By the time we made it to the house, my father, the local Sheriff, Jack Ricci, the Binetti's and several other pack members had arrived. Titus handed Fiora to my father, who in turn, gave her to Jack. "You might want to check on the Taylor kids, I injured two pretty badly, and they all scurried away after I broke one of their arms." Titus told Jack.

Jack stepped away to call out something on the radio and came back to talk to my dad. "What do you want me to do with her, Tony?"

"Lock her up for the night. Lucas and I will be back tomorrow to go over everything," he said.

"Ten four," Jack called and loaded Fiora in the back of the patrol car. "See y'all tomorrow."

"You alright son?" Dad asked me, "You smell like a swamp?" He sniffed in my direction.

I sighed, "you'll find Galen's body in the swamp, gator got to him."

Dad nodded once, scanning me over, with a hint of pride behind worried eyes.

"I am fine," I told him, easing any fear, "but can we talk about this tomorrow? I have something to do first?"

A slow grin spread over his face, "I knew you'd come around."

***

*Kennedy*

Knocking at the front door broke our focus from the ghostly figure popping out from behind the main character of the movie on my computer screen.

"What time is it?" Hannah asked.

I glanced at the time on my computer screen, "It's almost ten. Maybe it's the neighbor?"

"Or maybe it's someone to come murder us." Hannah said with a straight face.

"Don't be ridiculous. Nobody knows us, who would want us dead?" I got up from the couch to get the door.

"Exactly! It's the perfect crime."

I reached for the door but stopped, running to the kitchen. I took a kitchen knife from the drawer and hid it behind my back. Armed to open the door now, I twisted and pulled back on the handle.

A massive man stood in the doorway. Thick, bulky shoulders filled the width of the door. His ruggedly handsome face was covered with a beard, perfectly straight teeth, dark murky eyes that were almost black, and hair that was the same color as mine. "Titus?"

"Hey." He said, lulling the word.

I scanned his eyes looking for signs of exhaustion but saw a deep gash that ran from the corner of his right eye to his temple. Small droplets of blood beaded down the cut, a yellow greenish bruise had formed on his cheek.

"Titus, you're bleeding!" I took his hand and drug him inside, "Come on, let's take care of this."

He dug in his heels, "You don't need to do that, it will…"

I shushed him, "Don't be ridiculous, we will get you cleaned up." I tugged him again. He had over a hundred pounds on me, I knew that if he didn't want to move, I wouldn't be able to force him. He relented and shuffled inside.

I placed the knife down on the kitchen table as I directed him to the couch. He shrugged an eyebrow at me. "Got to be prepared for a murderer at all times."

He barked out a chortle, "You are something else."

I smiled and pointed to our small three-person couch, "Sit" I demanded. Hannah shifted up and moved to stand on shaky legs.

"You don't need to do that, I can stand." He told her, being polite, but I was sure it had something to do with her noticeably pale skin and frail body.

She rolled her eyes, "I am sick, not incapable." Hannah put her hands on Titus's shoulders, her height coming to her advantage, and forced him down. He sat with an humpfh, his huge body taking half the space and long legs sat high on the short furniture.

I retrieved our large and extensive first aid kit, that was there for when Hannah was at her worst from under the kitchen sink and sat in front of Titus on the coffee table, moving aside the laptop.

He glanced over at the screen, "Horror movie?" he questioned.

I moved his jaw to the side with my thumb and started blotting up the blood. Hannah nodded, "It's our favorite genre, well that and thrillers, and Ken loves science fiction."

"No romance?" He asked again. "Everyone likes romance."

"I don't mind them, but Ken would rather be jammed in the rips with a hot poker than watch or even read romance."

"Not a romantic?" Titus flinched when I touched some peroxide to the open wound.

"I'm a realist, and romance isn't real." I said while applying some disinfecting ointment.

"Horror and science fiction are more realistic than romance?" He questioned.

"Now Titus," Hannah tisked at him, "you're starting to make sense. Kennedy will argue to the death on this topic, it is a hill she is willing to die on."

"Why are we even talking about this? What happened to you Titus and what are you doing here?"

"Fight." He said shortly, "and the boss wanted me to drop you off your car keys."

"What?" Crinkling my forehead, "why would Lucas give me a car?" Was it some type of sympathy car? Did he feel better firing me if he gave the pathetic broke girl a car?

"It's your company car."

"Company car? He fired me, he told me to get out of the house."

Titus sighed, "He definitely didn't fire you. One thing you should know about Lucas is that he has a bit of an angry streak. He expects a lot from people, and when they don't follow through, he gets upset. He wasn't mad at you, but the situation. He probably told you to leave because he didn't want you to see him get angry."

"Oh, so I never was fired?" I asked while putting some glue on his skin, he didn't strike me as a band aid guy, especially one that was rainbow sparkles. I was beyond thrilled that I was still employed, and that Lucas wasn't mad at me. Although his behavior was less than favorable, my body tingled with the thought of seeing him again.

"No, and I am sure he will apologize tomorrow, but for now he wants me to give you the keys to your company car." He took a black key fob out of his back jeans pocket.

"I don't think I can take it," Holding up my hands. I didn't want to get special treatment or take a car because he felt sorry for my old junk machine. "Do you have one?"

"Yeeesss…" He replied, drawing out the words slowly. I eyed him suspiciously, "Fine no, but if you take the car, I might get a company car out of him also."

Hannah swapped places with me and gingerly placed an ice pack on Titus's cheek, while I got up to put the kit back.

"I'll take it as long as you get one too," I said. I took a beer from the fridge, popped open the lid and plated two slices of pizza.

"I am beginning to like this friendship." He smiled, placing the key on the coffee table, "I parked the car out front." He tried to stand but I shoved the beer and pizza in his hands.

"Stay and eat," I demanded, "finish the movie with us."

Titus looked down at the pizza, back up at me, and down at the pizza again. His stomach rumbled loudly, making his decision for him.

Hannah sat on one side of him, while I sat on the other, shifting the laptop to the center of the table, I threw a large blanket over all of us and pressed play. Titus leaned back against the couch and took a sip of beer, jumping along with Hannah at the sound of the screaming actor.