The Maiden and the Wolf
#3 of Lycans and Zombies
I was the only certified doctor at our base. Sure, we had some others that qualified as nurses, but none that had a license, none that many would trust with their life. Lucky for that, since it would fall on me to take care of wolfman, since I already knew what he was and that his temperature ran absurdly hot.
I couldn't keep him in bed for long, though, as the next day he was up and itching to get out. I couldn't let him out, since it would seem strange to other camp patrons that a man we had dragged in the night before, bloody and torn, is walking around as if nothing had happened. I had also sworn Marco, Will and Alan to secrecy over what he was. At least until I could get answers for myself.
"Dinner time, Wolfman," I said as I lifted the tent flap, bringing in a heaping plate of venison. Lucky thing about living where we did- plenty of wildlife to go around since the zombies tended to steer clear of animals. The nickname made him chuckle.
"Cute, but that is not my name." He said.
"Then what is your name?" I ask, setting the plate in his lap. He dug right into it without bothering to use utensils.
"Caleb," he said around a mouthful of meat.
"Caleb? Well that's a little ironic. It means 'dog' in Hebrew," I laughed. He chuckled alongside me.
"Yes, my parents had a humorous nature. My elder brother was named Wulfe," he said, sobering almost instantly when he mentioned his brother. I became silent as well, watching him warily.
"What happened to him?" I asked quietly.
"He was killed by the same type of bullet that almost took my life. I cannot tell you how thankful I am, as it is a coward's death to be gunned down from behind." I sat beside him. I didn't touch him, but I could feel the heat radiating from him. It was an inviting kind of warmth.
"I'm sorry," I said. My own family had been killed by the virus. Well, no, they were killed by the fear of the virus. My father and mother decided it would be best if they took arsenic capsules and died before they would because one of the undead. I had nobody left, since I was an only child and my aunts and uncles had all passed away, along with grandparents. It was one of the reasons I got into my studies so much, so I could focus on helping others rather than moping.
"Do not be. If not for you, I would be a dead wolf. And since I am the last of my clan, that would be bad indeed," he said, looking at me with those unusual eyes. They weren't as vibrant as they had been when he first changed, but still a honey gold color. I drank in his features, the square cut of his jaw, his perfectly straight nose, his unruly black hair. He even had dark stubble streaking across his lower jaw line. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hopelessly attracted to him. Because I was. Very much so, in fact.
"How do you become a werewolf anyway?" I ask, changing the subject.
"I am not a werewolf, but actually a Lycanthrope," he stated rather matter-of-factly.
"Oh...? And what's the difference between the two?" I was genuinely confused.
"Werewolves are made, not born like Lycans. They also don't get a choice in the change. Once they feel the moon's pull, they change for about a week. It has a lot to do with the same stuff that affects the tides. Lycans can change whenever they wish and they retain their human minds. Werewolves are pretty much heartless killers. Oh, and another major difference is that while Lycans are bipedal, werewolves remain quadrupeds. It's all fascinating, really." I had to admit that he was right, it was quite intriguing.
"With you being the last, is there any hope for your clan?"
"Aye, I would have to mate with a willing female." His blunt statement brought a blush to my face, and I hated that I felt like such a girl in that moment. I could feel his heat shift closer and I nearly jumped out of my skin when I turned towards him and his face was right in front of mine. He had an intense look in his eyes, and then he closed them. There was a sound emanating from his chest that sounded somewhat like a growl as he inhaled.
"Can I help you with something? Not much for personal space are you?" I asked nervously. He chuckled darkly and pulled away, and instantly my heart ached at the space between us.
"You know, you would be considered a willing female," he said. The flame in my face burned even more and I decided at that point that I should probably leave. He chuckled again and went back to his meal.
"Okay then, well, I'll just leave you to that. Tomorrow I'm going to let you out for a bit. It's not healthy for you to be cooped up. The only thing I ask is that you don't go all wolfman in front of everyone. It'll freak them out a little too much, and then we'll have more than zombies to deal with. Understood?"
"I understand, M'lady. I shall behave," he said with a flirtatious smile. I rescued myself by leaving his tent and going back to my own. On the way, I saw Willa and she took her chance to attack me with questions.
"So, how was wolfboy? Why is your face so flushed? Oh, my, did something happen between you two? You were in there for quite awhile!" Her nagging only made my face more red and I couldn't help but smile.
"No, nothing happened. We just talked a little bit," I said nonchalantly.
"Oh? About what?"
"Well, I figured out his name's Caleb and that he's the only surviving member of his clan. Oh, and he's not a werewolf, he's a Lycanthropian, so you owe me twenty bucks." I had already guessed that he was different than a werewolf, but I was completely wrong in my assumptions. I had the horror movie stereotypes of werewolves stuck in my head, but I guessed those were Lycan spinoffs in reality. Willa fished out her wallet and handed me a wad of paper.
"Willa, monopoly money doesn't count, and you know it!" I said, throwing it back at her while she laughed.
"Hey! What good is money when you can't spend it?" She had a point. We were at my tent by then, a tiny one person sleeper that held me and the minimal equipment I had.
"Goodnight, Willa. I'll see you at dawn. I'm going to bring Caleb out and introduce him to everyone."
"Sounds fun, I can't wait to see him all cleaned up. Even covered in blood, dirt, and zombie drool, he looked pretty hot," she said.
"Willa, need I remind you that you're married?" I said, laughing.
"Well, a girl can still look!" Willa wandered off in the direction of our designated latrines. I debated on following her, since it was a rule to travel in pairs or more, but I figured she could handle herself since I could see various weapons on her person.
Note: Again, this isn't in any way supposed to seem like professional writing....the picture this time doesn't really have anything to do with the chapter. Has anyone spotted a recurring theme in them though?