Trying to walk home while slightly tipsy in an unfamiliar town wasn’t the smartest, but it seemed like a good idea about an hour ago. You were visiting people in a much more rural area than the bustling city you were used to, not to mention you didn’t fully recognize the signs and landmarks.

By the time you’d sobered up enough to have a sense of direction, you realized the road you thought led through the trees to the cabin you were staying at, in fact, did not. You were standing in the middle of the woods with no clue which direction you came from or where you’d deviated from the correct path.

As you came to your senses and began to panic, you heard rustling and twigs snapping behind you. You whirled around to see a wolf hunched over something. But it wasn’t a wolf. It stood on two legs, had human-like hands with razor sharp claws, and as it turned its head to you, the piercing red eyes you were met with cut through your soul.

The thudding of your heart echoed loudly in your ears as the werewolf stared at you. You felt frozen on the spot, unable to move under its fiery gaze. You braced yourself for it to lunge at you, accepting there was no chance of escape. But then, it turned sharply with a growl and vanished into the shadows of the trees. You heard sickly sounds of snapping and crunching, before it went silent. Then, soft footsteps emerged from the shadows to reveal a man. The werewolf.

Kieran stepped closer before stopping a few feet in front of you, watching cautiously like an animal ready to dart at the slightest aggression. “Don’t… be afraid,” he mumbled, his voice slow and hesitant, like each word was forced out. “Too dark… my den. Come. Safe.”

He extended a hand to you. Very uncertain, but no longer malicious or predatory. It was clear he didn’t expect you to accept it since he quickly dropped it and stared at the ground, before slowly walking away, glancing over his shoulder to see if you were following. “Follow… safe. I’ll keep safe.”