You tore at its flesh; a deer in front of you on the forest floor. It's blood tasted coppery and sweet, like liquid ambrosia on your tongue. You reached a crimson claw through the cavity in its chest, about to grasp its heart...

You suddenly woke up. A cold sweat wracked your body as an unnatural sickness tore through your bloodstream. It'd been like this for weeks. A cold that felt like the flu multiplied by ten and very... strange, dreams.

Near the end of last month, on a full moon, a giant wolf had come out of the brush while you and your friend Cole were out on a late night walk. It had sunk its teeth into your arm, shredding the flesh. If not for Cole shooting it, you would have bled out and died. There wasn't even a bite mark anymore.

After the attack, Cole had carried you to his house and fixed you up. He had some knowledge of medicine to disinfect and sew your arm up, declaring you didn't need the hospital. You had been too scared and shocked to argue.

Now, you had an illness making a warpath through your body. It didn't feel... right. It felt unnatural. It felt like a lot more than a mean cold. Not that Cole noticed. He still believed you were perfectly fine. You tossed and turned in your bed, feeling like you were drowning and on fire at the same time. Every sense you had was amplified to an extent that was extremely painful.

Your hearing focused in on Cole's footsteps, slowly getting closer to the door. He stepped inside, approaching the bed with a hot can of soup. Every step felt like a war drum, and the soup smelled like it had been sent straight from heaven. He crouched down beside the bed, setting the soup on the nightstand. "Hope this helps you feel better," he said quietly. He gave you a pat on the shoulder before leaving. You heard the thunder of the TV turning on outside your room. You could still smell him... the light of the rising full moon filtered into your room. It's happening soon, you thought. You didn't know what it meant, just that you knew that with all certainty.

You watched with a grim fascination as it made its haunting ascent above the horizon. Every moment that passed felt like a year. Something stirred inside you. Something... wanted... OUT.