Instincts...

So, by request, here is a quick write to do with an old character - if you have been following my blog since the beginning you may remember them, if not, you may decide to go right back to the beginning and hunt down some of my short stories and extracts.  I hope yo like it...

Footsteps echoed on the wrap around porch, disturbing the peaceful night around me, and I crouched low in the shadows where I was stood waiting.  The shadow fell across the doorway several minutes before the figure appeared, moving slowly, cautiously, as it rounded the side of the house and peered through the frosted glass of the door.  A torch hung by the figure's side, held loosely and switched off; there was something clearly not right here.  I didn’t need a sixth sense to figure that out.  The moon hung low in the sky and a lingering mist just above ground level created the perfect atmosphere for such a creepy situation.  I chuffed gently into the darkness, acknowledging the irony before rolling my eyes and standing up.  No longer would I hide in the shadows awaiting my fate.  I was the hunter now, I no longer had to be afraid, no longer had to cower in corners.  I was the predator, and I'd be damned if I let another predator trespass on my home like this. 

Testing the ground carefully, feeling the damp earth beneath my feet, I took a tentative step forwards, skulking low to the floor and keeping in the edge of the forest to stay hidden from view.  No noise came from my movement, I was much more careful like this, much more stealth like.  I continued to move forwards, closing the distance between the intruder and my hiding spot.  The torch flickered to life in the stranger's hand and I stilled, watching carefully, assessing the danger now that the circumstances had changed, however slight.  Deciding that there was no imminent danger, I continued with my approach, the leafy shrubs in the forest's edge bringing me almost to the edge of the wrap around porch.  As if testing my luck, I purposely moved too far, making the bushes rustle and several leaves flutter to the ground.  The torch beam swung around and I flattened myself to the ground, lying on my belly below the bush.  My breathing accelerated, my pulse quickened and I felt the adrenaline rush through my system; the thrill of the chase.  I realised then that I wanted the stranger to see me, I wanted him to run, wanted to have to chase him.  Shaking my head hard I chuffed again, as if giving myself a stern talking to; I had to be more careful than that.  It wasn't safe to go running around like that.

Shaking my head again to clear the longing for the chase, I waited patiently for the stranger to decide that it had just been a passing rabbit, before assessing the situation again.  I could make the jump from here, straight over the railing, onto the porch and put myself in front of the intruder.  But then what?  I didn’t know what to do next, I had never done this before.  But I had to do something.  This wasn't the first time I had watched someone come and scope out my home; word must have gotten out somehow, I wasn't safe here anymore.  I had to defend my territory, it was in my blood now.  So, I trusted my instincts, something I was slowly learning to do, crouched low into position and held myself there, coiled and ready to spring, sizing up the gap, the height of the railing.  Then without too much thought about strength or power, I let my body release, felt the tension disappear from my body as it leapt into the air, cutting through the distance and soaring over the porch railings with ease. 

The stranger turned right at the last second, and his eyes widened as he saw me soaring through the air towards him.  I let out a growl right at the last second before landing square on his chest.  He fell backwards, the torch flying from his hand and clattering to the wood before rolling out of his reach.  Landing flat on his back with me atop him, shock clearly took a hold of his body and I smelled the fear radiating from him in waves as he obviously tried to size up his options.  There weren't many.  He could try and fight me, but he knew he couldn’t win.  He could try and get away, but he wouldn’t get very far.  Or he could lay here and await my next move.  He chose the latter.  I bore down on him, another growl escaping my lips as he dared to meet my gaze.  I didn’t know the ethics, I didn’t know the protocol for a situation like this, but my body, and my instincts told me when something was wrong.  He shouldn’t have met my stare, he should know to look away, this was my territory, my home, and he was the one invading my space.  I realised then, all at once, that he knew what I was.  He knew who I was.  It was no accident that he was here, he was looking for me.

With the realisation came the need to protect myself, and my home, even more.  He had provided a challenge, and now it was time to meet it.  It was time to accept what I had become and to embrace the changes that it had brought to my life.  No more running.  I had chosen this.  I had wanted this; time to start living my life.  I was a werewolf now, and I would not let this man, or any other, threaten me.  Without thinking too much about it, I knew that I couldn’t let this man get up and walk away.  He had seen me like this; a hundred and fifty pound blonde wolf with eyes of dark brown; human eyes.  He knew exactly who I was and who I was hiding from.  I let the wolf take over.

Afterwards, I lay in the shadows on the wrap around porch, licking my paws, cleaning away any evidence of what I had just done.  I would not let anyone threaten my ever again.  This was my life now, and I would live it in peace, no matter how long it took me to get that peace.  The realisation that shuddered through me at the thought of what I had just done made my skin crawl, but I had to stop looking at it from a human perspective.  The wolf in me knew that I had done the right thing; I had followed my instincts.  It was time to live life trusting those instincts instead of fighting them. 

Louby xx