The Lunar Calling

Matt had always stood out. His lithe, ungainly build made him look different to others, which made him insecure and introverted. Puberty only exacerbated matters, with unusual hair growth being the more serious. By the time he was fifteen, he not only resembled a Goth some said he epitomised the gothic style. To top it off his deep, piercing eyes, with the steely blue eye colour, unsettled just about everyone.

Which was what he was sullenly pondering as his sullen gaze chanced upon her. My, but she was beautiful! As she sauntered in his direction, he realized he wasn't the only one captivated by her exotic looks; she was getting both male and female attention as, hips swaying seductively, she drew ever closer. He tried to smile and offer a greeting but he realized not only was his mouth dry but his heart was pounding and he was sweating. Finally he managed a quick, nervous smile as she slowed long enough to hand him a scrap of paper, before speeding up to enter the college doors.

He blinked a few times, confused, before reading the note. Quite simply it said, "Call me".

Having summoned the courage to call Lia, he had stumbled over his words as he attempted to arrange to see her. With a deep, rich laugh she purred seductvely that she would love to meet him on Friday at The Rock. A new and upcoming band were in town and, if he was lucky, she might let him take her for a burger and soda after. He was dizzy with excitment as he agreed and, ending the call, he beamed with excitement. It was after all his first real date!

Friday came and Matt, waiting anxiously outside The Rock, paced up and down. Where was she? From Inside he could hear the band, a loud and exuberant hard rock outfit, gaining momentum as they played their second song of their set. Any longer and he would have just gone in but he lit a cigarette as he leaned against the wall. If he left now he would miss his oppurtunity so see Lia. Beautiful, sexy alluing Lia!

What had really made an impression on him were her eyes! So black that they had hypnotised him, even though they had only briefly made eye contact. She was unique in her attactiveness but her eyes were intoxicating. Which is what he was thinking of as he felt a tug at his shoulder. 

"Hey!, she snapped. "We're missing the show. C'mon!!". He began to protest but she flashed a coy smile over shoulder, flicking her hair as she sped up to enter the club. He began to protest but thought better of it and chased after her. This was going to be fun!Amidst the haze of sweat, beer fumes, cigarette smoke mixed with pot and deafening roar of the crowd and amplifers, they joined the throng of revellers jumping around and singing along to The Lycanz. He had meant to ask her where they had got such a unique name from but in this noise trying to hold a conversation was impossible. So he conoled himself with the fact that at least he got to watch her dance. Which she now was, a heady, teasing dance, her curvacious frame snugly accentuated by her tight fitting jeans and top. Yet every time he got closer to her she seemed to realise and drifted further away. Lost in a cat and mouse game, he didn't realise their proximity to the lead singer and their knowing stare until Lia, now standing dead still, violently jumped as he walked into her, then turned on her heels and purposefully made for the exit.

Confused, and a little angry, he follwed after her, pushing against a crowd who wanted to get as close as possible to the stage. On exiting The Rock, he just about saw her sillhouette dart into the forest that bordered the town before he broke into a run himself.

The forest was old and dense but easy to navigate; at least during daylight. In the middle of the night, with a black clad person to follow, it was pretty easy to get lost. Which is exactly what happened as he made it to a clearing, out of breath and with no idea which way to go. After taking a couple of minutes to catch his breath, he decided to carry on in the direction he had been heading. Then he heard the cracking of a branch.

Startled, he turned in the direction of the noise when he heard another branch crack, this time behind him. Spinning round, and now panicking as well as confused, he turned once again in the direction of the noise when the beast leapt out from his left, jaws open and growling, and bit his neck. Almost as soon as it begun it was over. He thought he caught sight of its hind quarters as it charged back into the forest, then all was black as conciousness claimed him.

The poice questioned him, as did the doctors at the hospital, but his memory of that night was sketchy. Also he had had some disturbing dreams, seeing packs of large animals, lithe yet muscular and sleek, which had haunted his waking thoughts. Bears had been known to frequent the woods, but they were unommon ad besides they were not known for their lightning speed. It was concluded that Matt, no doubt shocked and traumatised by the attack, had inadvertently embllished some details. What mattered most was that he had survived, and was making a surprisingly good recovery. After a couple of days his wound seemed almost completely healed and blood work had come back negative for any signs of infection. His consultant was happy to let him return home after being assured that he would rest fully that weekend before returning to college.

Three weeks later Matt was eating a sandwich in the cafeteria when Lia approached him. Since that night she had not returned his calls and he had tried to attract her attention when he saw her but she had either looked through him or had quickly retreated as he approached.

"Hi! How's your shoulder?", she enquired, as she gracefully eased into her chair. "Yeah.....OK I guess", he responded before staring down at the remains on his plate. 

After an awkward silence, she spoke again. "Look, I'm really sorry about that night. It was meant to be a bit of fun but I took it too far and I feel really bad. I'd like to make it up to you. If you'll let me?". She paused, waiting for a reply but once again he had fallen deep into her eyes. After a moment she shook his hand and he suddenly seemed to awake, as if from a chance. "Ummm......OK, sure", he hesitated. "I really don't understand what happened that night", he said, frowning. "What did happen?", he enquired. Her eyes flickered momentarily before she shrugged. "I have no idea but I feel really bad about what happened. Look, there's a party on Saturday and I'd like you to be there. It's just a small gathering and I promise not to bolt on you."

Not this time...", she paused and a smile erupted on her face briefly before disappearing again. "So....how about it?". She had to shake his hand again, a little harder this time. "What? Oh, sure yeah I'll be there", he said. "You know, ever since that attack I've never felt so alive! Not that I didn't before but it's almost as if all my senses are much sharper. I use my glasses less, I can smell food from far away, even though my appetite has almost gone.......sorry I'm rambling", he stuttered as she looked down at the table. "I'm sure you don't want my entire medical history", he laughed, "but I'd really like to see you Saturday". She glanced up, smiling, and let out a breath. "Well I'm happy you feel better. Party starts at seven". Pulling out a pen and paper she said, "Here let me give you the address.

Late on Saurday afternoon, Matt finished dressing and headed out. It was late autumn, the golds, reds and browns mixing in sublimely with the last golden rays of the sun. He really was feeling a lot better, amost a month after the attack. He was only twenty and in his prime but he noticed that not only were all of his senses that much sharper but his physical strength had seemingly doubled overnight. It made his strides along the road all the more confident but he couldn't shake a growing, gnawing sense of unease. His appetite, usually healthy had been diminishing and the last couple of days he had been famished but unable to quite determine what he wanted to eat. It was something elusive that he craved. 

As he turned into the warehouse district he pulled out Lia's note and looked across the street. That was the venue but it was an unusual place for a party never mind the intimate one that Lia had promised. What was it with her? He thought himself a pretty good judge of character but Lia positively confused him! It might be love, he pondered, which was something he was new to. His final thought was that he had no idea what love was and then all was black again.

As he came to he gagged and coughed violently, the unmistakeable stench of chloroform stinging his throat and nose. His eyes watered too, so it took him a while to realise where he was before he saw Lia, but she wasn't alone.Confused, Matt realised the man she was holding was The Lycans' lead singer. They wer e both smiling but the menace in his eyes was palpable. "So what do you think?", she teased, a faint growl in her husky voice. His eyes flashed as he spoke, "Not bad for a convert!", the growl more pronounced in his voice. "Guys, what say you?". 

Matt spun round as he sat up before recognizing the rest of the band. They were now all openly leering at him, their menacing gazes all too apparent.

"So I suppose you want to know what's happening", Arden hissed in a theatrical whisper. He chuckled before continuing, 

"Our pack has always been six! Unfortunately we lost one of our number but Lia, it seems, has found the perfect replacement!". Staggering to his feet, Matt swallowed a few times to try and lubricate his dry throat and mouth before responding. 

"I think I know who you are", he stammered, "but why are we here?" And what do you mean replacement? For your band? I don't know what Lia told you but I'm not a musician. I mean, I play a little guitar but I'm no Hendrix! Jeez, if that's we're here you could have just called!". 

Arden threw his head back as he roared with laughter. The others joined in, a mocking laugh. 

"No, that's not why we're here", Arden teased, his grin widening menacingly. "You thought you were attacked by a bear! No, it was most certainly not a bear. Why it was the beautiful Lia!". 

Lia and Arden exchanged a knowing glance before they turned to Matt once more. "But.....but it couldn't have been", Matt rushed, his voice trembling as it rose. "Lia is human and I was attacked by.......". 

He stopped as Arden raised his hand. 

"A beast. Oh it most certainly was", said Arden, his voice taking on a sombre tone. " Yes, it was a beast but none that you have ever encountered". Raising his hand again as Matt began to remonstrate. He looked at the other band members before locking eyes with Lia. "Ladies first, I think, he cackled.