Red as Blood

"It's too late." the words leave my lips before I can stop myself.

I'm backed against a pine tree, stray branches digging into my back, Red angry trapping me beneath his warm body. The dusk is edging ever closer to the blood moon's rising. Closer to me revealing my secret. I need to get home, but there is little I can do when he has me backed against a tree, demanding why I must ignore him.

His brow furrows in confusion, and I shoot a panicked look at the setting sun. "What is too late Amaranth? Why won't you answer me?"

"Stay away from me." I warn. "It's dangerous. I have to get home."

"I'll protect you from the big bad wolf." He teases, losing a touch of his anger for a second. His grey green eyes meet my own openly solemn blue and he frowns again. "If it isn't the wolves you are afraid of, then what?"

"Hurting you." Once again I can't seem to stop the words from leaving my lips. "I don't want to kill you Red." I don't want you to kill me.

He laughs. It's cold and cruel and nothing like a laugh should be, but I can hear his mirth behind it. I can't bring myself to laugh with him. It's too dire. The sun's light is no longer visible, the twilight purple sky barely lights his face.

"You won't hurt me." I am shaking. Trying hard not to shift. I clench my jaw tightly. "Amaranth, are you alright?"

"Run." I whisper. He doesn't move. "Move your ass Red! Get away from me!" I yell.

He takes an involuntary step back as I try to push out of his grasp, using as little of my strength as possible. I can't hold it off much longer. My body feels like it is covered in sharp needles, white hot and filled with poison. I can feel my bones cracking and pulling, eager to change. My fangs have already pushed through, giving me a mouthful of fangs tearing into my cheeks as I try desperately to hide them from Red. I'm shaking uncontrollably. I can feel the blood drooling down my chin, pooled in my mouth. Salty, metallic, and sweet all at once.

"I won't leave until you tell me why you are ignoring me." He growls, slamming me back up against the tree.

The wolf in me snaps, feeling threatened, and urged on by the moon and taste of my blood. I can't stop from turning. I don't try to lessen the strength of my push, throwing him back as far as I can, as safely as I can, with my mind clouded by the moon's pull.

I feel my bones sliding and snapping into place, changing from human to wolf. I feel the fur sprout from my skin, the same shade of russet as my hair when I am in human form. I feel my muzzle grow, making room for the canines to stop tearing my human cheeks. I see the fear, shock, and betrayal in his eyes.

I feel like my blood is boiling.

I smell blood. Food. Predator. Prey. It's confusing. The human is backing away slowly, trying to say something. I can't understand it's words. Humans make such strange sounds. I'm so hungry.

I take a step towards the human. Urging it to run. I'm not going to eat it if it just stands there. It turns on it's feet and starts running. Fast. I give a howl of delight. I sit back on my haunches for a bit, waiting until I can no longer see or hear it, then run after it.

It's scent is beautiful. Sweet. Familiar. It smells almost like one of my kind. But it has to be human. It didn't change. The smell of the forest brook, the most and mist. It makes me feel warm.

My paws hit the dirt silently, and I growl after the human. Run along. Don't stop. This is too easy.

I catch it under my paws, pinning it to the ground. It pierces my paw with something sharp. I howl. I snarl at it. I don't understand. Wasn't it having fun? I can smell it's fear. The human smells beautiful when it's frightened too.

I am hungry. It's food. I bite it, tearing it's flesh with my teeth. It makes a weird shrill sound. I can smell pain. Despair. Anger. Hurt. Such complex feelings. It stops making the sounds. It stops moving. It's sleeping.

I can't kill it. I don't want to. It feels like my mate. Smells like my mate. Only it doesn't know yet. That's why it still smells human. That's why it doesn't smell like me.

I see another human. It smells like sour river. Like fish left to rot in the sun. I attack it. It doesn't taste as good as my mate. It tastes like mushroom and deer. I run toward the noise in the distance.

I eat until my belly is full, dragging a dead human for my mate when it wakes up. I lay beside my mate, dragging it's body against mine, so it will be warm, and I lay my head on my paws.

Why am I so tired?

My entire arm is stinging like it was pumped full of aconite. I peek open my eyes, snapping them closed with a groan. The sun is blinding. I'm lying on a bed of tree roots. There is something lying against me. Warm. I can smell blood. I feel like I've drunk too much wine.

I jerk awake as memories of the night flood back into my head. Red's is alive, the wound I'd given his arm wrapped in strips of cloth. I ease out from under him and unwrap it. The wound is gnarly. Like he was attacked by a wild animal. By me. I redress his wound, and he groans.

"Red?" I panic. What should I tell him? I bit him. He's going to die.

"Amaranth?" he questions.

"I am here." I grab his hand. The other hits my face. Blazing eyes meet mine. Not angry. Panicked.

"You bit me!" He yells. Huh? No filthy werewolf scum comment? "You fucking arse! Do you know what this means?"

"I am so sorry Red." I whisper. "I told you to run. I didn't want to kill you."

"No! You know what? I won't die." I go to point out that he is being ridiculous. He cuts me off with a growl. "I can't fucking die. I'm going to be cursed to be a filthy werewolf!"

"How do you know?" I ask, curiosity getting the best of me.

"Because, Amaranth, I am a half wolf." He glares. My world shatters.