Werecat Choice

– Cassius? Maybe you mean Viator? – did not understand Marianne. – I did not kill anyone! Didn’t kill! – He was shaking. – Better tell me where to find your friends. I will bring them, they will call doctors, rescuers. They will help you!

The man shook his head.

– Its end. And I managed to move here. In such cases… There is no one here. Even wild animals bypass these places… Here is my payback. And this damned Wolf Mountain is very close. So that she was wrong!

The man was confused in his thoughts, but the words about grief abandoned in agony alerted Marianne.

– Do you know where Wolf Mountain? – blurted out Marianne. – Are there people there? Can they help?

– Wolf Mountain? I saw her from afar. What kind of people are there! Inhumans! That’s who is there. A strange place. Damn anyone. No, people don’t live there. They look like you and me, but they are not. Even animals feel them and are afraid. Nobody knows how many there are and where they came from…

The man exhaled and closed his eyes.

– Oren Hadley. That’s my name. Tell people if you get out of here that I am dead. Tell me where it happened.

– Why don’t you tell me where to look for help? Marianne asked, not noticing that he was shouting. Now he was sure that this was one of yesterday’s robbers. – Where are your friends? They are close? I will call them…

Oren shook his head and croaked:

– Maybe before I die I will do at least one good deed. I will save you. And my soul will be sent to heaven. But my heart is still heavy…

Marianne did not know what to say to this.

– You have to leave these places. Go east. Oren tried to nod in the right direction. – Sooner or later you will go out on the road. On it you will come to the city.

Marianne shook his head. Tears ran down his cheeks.

– Only to the east! Do you hear? To the East!

Oren fell silent, closed his eyes. It seemed that he had already departed into another world, but his chest was still faintly heaving.

“Stay away from anyone you meet…” Oren said in a very weak voice. – There are different types here. Trust no one and…

The chest froze. Oren’s lips never moved.

Oren Headley.

Marianne slowly climbed off the blood-soaked body. He looked at his bloody palms. He felt very sorry for Oren, he was impressed by the death of this stranger. To distract himself from his worries, he began to wipe his hands on the snow, not noticing the cold.

A familiar sound sounded somewhere. Motorcycle motor.

The roar of the engine grew louder. Marianne stood up. Someone was riding a snowmobile on the ice of the lake. Another appeared after him. Marianne wanted to wave her hands and scream. But Oren can no longer be helped.

“What if they are yesterday’s robbers?”

They will be glad if Marianne falls into their hands. He was afraid of any person in these places. If he’s already figured out anything, it’s that he must stay away from everyone in this forest.

Marianne hastened to retreat from the open area, then rushed to his camp. They may not have noticed him yet. The sound has become quite loud. Marianne bent down by the tree and looked at the lake.

On the snowmobiles there were people dressed in white overalls – winter camouflage. They raced across the ice of the lake and were in full view. Having approached closer, we slowed down and parted in different directions. Then one, the one that was closer to the dead body, screamed. People on snowmobiles drove up and rushed to Oren.

Marianne heard the words of one of them:

– Who was that? Who attacked you? Was it a werewolf? Speak! Have you seen a werewolf here?

“He’s already dead, don’t you get it?”

– Yes, I just gave up the spirit. Did our werewolf do the job?

– Ha, this is too cool for a sucker!

And they both burst out laughing. In their hands, the people were holding some kind of short shotguns wrapped in white cloth. The first poked his weapon at the snow nearby.

– Look. What is it? It looks like scales. Aha! So the trail goes on the ice. Saber-toothed fish!

– There are still traces.

Two men in camouflage stood with their backs to Marianne and, bending over, looked at the find.

Marianne rushed to his camp, seeking cover.

He jumped to a hole dug in the snow – a hole in which he slept at night, and rushed into it. He began to quickly dig deep into the snow. One second, one more. Time is too short. Marianne hit the roof of the hole. She crumbled, covering him with lumps of snow.

The young man listened.

The snow was thin, and the light of the setting sun filtered through it.

Marianne was afraid that his hiding place was not enough for him and people in camouflage would notice him. And the snow could crumble unevenly, somewhere stronger, could bare legs or shoulder and give Marianne.

The footsteps came very close. And then he heard something that overtook even more fear, if he had not been scared half to death.

Loud frequent puffing. This man was sniffing the air. The wheeze grew louder. Marianne held her breath. He was smelled. A small lump of snow in front of my eyes shifted, opening a small hole outward. Marianne saw the shoes of a man who had approached.

– You are not looking there, Ersus! His breed should be looked for in the trees, not under them. Look, the branches over there were jammed. It was as if someone was climbing on it.

Footsteps rang out a little further. The boots trampled in place.

– Nobody. Ugh. Zero again!

– Look, there are traces too. Let’s see there?

– Wait, I’m behind the snowmobile.

There was silence for a minute. The boots were out of sight, and Marianne hoped they were finally gone. But he was afraid to get out of the snowdrift. The warm breath melted the snow, and the hole in the snowdrift became larger. Marianne huddled all over his jacket.

The second of the people started the engine and drove up to the first.

The boots appeared again.

– Well, what did you find?

– There is no one there!

– I’ll inspect that site now! – The end of the phrase was drowned in the roar of the engine. For a minute, a roar was heard in the area, now moving away, now approaching. The man who was near Marianne moved to a nearby tree.

There was a radio click and characteristic noises. Then a new voice came from her, like a growl:

– How are you? Get on the guy’s trail? No?

– He seemed to have sunk into the water.

– Well, well, – the man from the radio grinned. – And I can’t get better. I caught Junia Claire!

Junia Clare! Parallel class girl! And what is she doing here?”

Marianne could not believe his ears.

– Wow! You are clever. And where is she … – But the voice from the radio interrupted the man in camouflage.

– Which of you was torn to pieces by howling during the day? You are giving yourself away! Show your presence!

– I could not resist. There will be a great moon tonight. I can already feel it.

– Come here, to me. I need your help. She bites like a street cat! And without howling! – The crackling in the radio was gone.

– Ersus, did you hear? – Shouted the first from afar. – Let’s go. It’s clean here!

– I could say to the radio, – grunted the displeased Ersus. The footsteps hurried away. There was the rumble of snowmobiles. Then he began to move away.

Chapter 7. Who’s here?

“Junia!” Marianne snapped something inside. Fear of new robbers faded into the background. Thoughts were now only about the girl.

“Is Junia here? Why? Where from? Was she grabbed by one of these men in white camouflage?”

Marianne the director’s words about the secret order “Olburgskiy Tribunal”.

“These are people from the Order! They’ve caught Junia, they’re hunting the likes of Marianne. These are the Hunters. So Junia is also a werewolf?”

Previously, Marianne was sure that the circumstances were unfavorable only for him. He had to run and hide in the ice forest. But it turns out that Junia also left school, and now she is even worse than him. It is not known what she experienced and what awaits her. The tone of the unknown hunter’s voice, coming from the radio, did not bode well and did not like Marianne. Junia is the only person who was dear to him now. And she was in trouble.

Marianne climbed out of his den and looked after the figures on snowmobiles disappearing into the darkness, heard the invariably fading sound of engines. Now this is the only thread leading to Juniya.

Marianne’s appearance was rather intimidating and shabby. It seemed that he had climbed the mountains for several weeks and lived in the forest. All the clothes were torn and dirty. The face is smeared with blood. He got dirty as he wiped away his tears. In addition, he dropped one of the snowshoes somewhere.

It was impossible to hesitate, and Marianne rushed after him. I had to throw off the second snowshoe, otherwise it was inconvenient to run.

Dusk was gathering over the forest. The sun shone with a red glow behind the distant trees, and the moon was not yet there. The next hour was expected to be dark. It was easier to run along the track of a fresh track, and it was not difficult to see the tracks from snowmobile tracks. It was lighter on the ice of the lake than under the trees in the forest.

Marianne fled into the unknown. He had no idea how he would look for hunters in the dark forest.

“They talked about the moon. She would rather ascend.”

Far ahead, two beams of yellow light loomed. The people on the snowmobiles turned on their headlights. Another minute, and these rays of hope disappeared from sight. They seemed to turn right. Marianne raced as fast as he could. With every minute the hope of tracking down the hunters in camouflage faded away.

The snowmobile trail crossed the entire lake from west to east. Soon Marianne passed the middle of the lake, turned ashore and headed up the slope. Here the snow was deeper. Marianne slowed down and walked, breathing heavily. He needed a little respite. It looks like the hunters in this place also had to slow down. This was evident in the tracks. There was still a chance to catch up with them. “Am I not going into their hands myself?”

Now, if the howling resounded over the trees again, Marianne would have known that these people were not so far away, but there was a silent silence in the forest.

The moon appeared in the sky. The whole world seemed to bloom with a pale blue and silver light. Marianne perked up.

A fabulous landscape opened up before him. Large trees with crooked rhizomes protruding from the snow rose high up. The moonlight penetrated the interweaving branches of the crown of blue snow, casting spider webs, fantastic laces of soft shadows at Marianne’s feet. Cold snowflakes shimmered like diamonds. An owl hooted overhead. There was a faint rustle of wings, and a shadow slipped between the trees. Marianne lifted his head, but could not see the bird. But I saw the moon. It lit up his face. Its light penetrated into the eyes and spread through the veins.

Marianne felt heat all over her body. It stabbed my fingers. Marianne began rubbing his palms, then thrust his fingers into the snowdrift. The pain disappeared, melted away with warmth. It seemed that now the hands were numb, something squeezed his fingers. The snow eased this sensation. Marianne wiggled his fingers, checking the sensitivity. It became easier and even pleasant. The pain and tingling sensation disappeared. Then Marianne tried to dig the snow with his hands. He liked it and found it funny. It was ticklish. There was no more heat in my hands. The snow must have cooled them.

But in the rest of the body, there was still a bursting pressure. Marianne took a deep breath of the frosty air, took his hands out of the snow, looked them over and gasped in amazement. Long, slightly curved claws protruded through the mittens. Suddenly, it also hurt in my eyes. Marianne closed his eyes and pressed his knuckles against his eyelids. The pain was gone. He slowly opened his eyes. Nothing has changed around, the vision has remained the same. But what happened to the fingers?

Now Marianne sat down carefully in the snow and wiggled his toes. Feelings were common, except that the shoes were a little stinging and tight. Probably, there were no claws on the legs. At least, if they grew up there, they were not as long as on their arms.

Marianne was excited and very interested in the transformation in her own body. How will he live with such nails? It is impossible to write notes with them. And generally hold a ballpoint pen.

Hoping that this transformation will not last long, because he is a werewolf, Marianne felt lightness throughout his body in a minute. He stood up, felt a surge of strength and energy. The state of health was excellent. I wanted to jump and run. Marianne looked curiously at the nearest tree. He was drawn to do something. Marianne jumped as high as possible and grabbed the trunk. The claws on the fingers firmly and confidently held on to the bark. He climbed up. He liked it too. Lips spread into a smile. He figured out how stupid it looked from the outside.

Marianne quickly climbed to the very top.

– Blink, can you see that? I have grown claws!

He looked at the hand. A fluffy little ball slid over it.

– They are delightful! – concluded the mouse. – Just like mine. Only humanly large.

“Yeah,” said Marianne.

Mignis ran to the other hand. Probably, make sure that there, too, with claws, everything is amazing.

“Look,” Mignis said quietly. – There’s fire.

Marianne froze and stared at the faint, tiny speck of light that trembled between the branches of the trees.

Mignis always feels fire. Even if you can’t see it. And here she, of course, was right.

– Bonfire?

– It’s a big flame. Bonfire, Mignis said. Marianne was thrilled by this discovery. All is not yet lost. He will find Junia Claire.

– It’s probably a kilometer and a half before him?

– No, further. – Mignis climbed on Marianne’s head.

– Well. Marianne’s voice was full of determination. The nose could smell burnt wood and scorched meat. He seemed to make out the haze of a fire in the air.

He climbed down from the tree. The descent turned out to be even easier than it seemed. The young man again began to run on the tracks from the snowmobiles towards the fire. The moon has energized Marianne. The muscles, tired after a long run, stopped whining and started working with renewed zeal.

When the fire flashed between the trees, Marianne slowed down, began to step more cautiously and listened to the reigning nocturnal sounds. Besides, I had to calm my own breathing. As he ran, he puffed like a steam locomotive.

In the shadows that appeared around the fire, Marian could see people. At some distance from them there was a large shed, under which there were snowmobiles and some other things. Marianne decided to approach from the side of the canopy, to leave with line of sight. The canopy was an excellent cover. The awning was stretched between four large trees. Here the snow was trampled down, which means that Marianne will not leave traces. In case of danger, you can take refuge in the trees.

Three hunters in white camouflage were sitting by the fire. Marianne learned their names from the overheard conversation. The largest and most sedentary was called Ersus. He spoke very little. Nero was short and thin. Pontius is the tallest.

– Do you feel it? Pontius exclaimed suddenly. At these words, Marianne’s soul sank into her heels.

– Yes! The voice answered enthusiastically.

“I’m hungry,” said a third voice, very quiet.

Marianne cautiously crawled back, afraid to betray his presence not only by the smell, but also by the crunch of snow.

– Ersus, buddy, look at the sky! Nero said enthusiastically. – The moon! And you mean food! How can you even think about anything else now?

Marianne huddled against a nearby tree. The voices fell silent. The sounds of fussing, puffing and grunting were heard. Marianne peered out cautiously.

Something strange began to happen around the fire. Something unnatural, frightening and even devilish. Shadows in the snow twisted and trembled in unnatural curves. Even the flames of the fire turned red and roared. The three hunters trembled, leaned towards the snow, rose and then fell again. It was over in a minute. The figures were half-sitting-half-lying in the snow and did not move. Marianne stood up.

– Oh! A rough voice bellowed, and one of the bodies stirred. Marianne dropped to the trunk of a tree, but continued to follow the people around the fire. Now it was impossible to call them just people. Although, one might say, they were not even before that.

– How long I have been waiting for this moment!

The hunter who said this stretched out and squared his shoulders. Marianne saw his face in horror. It looked like a wolf’s face. An elongated nose, protruding teeth and large eyes. And everywhere on the face there is wool!

The largest of the three coughed. And it sounded like a muffled bark. Then he crawled to the fire.

– The meat is not ready yet! – Nero shouted at him.

The answer was a drawn-out growl.

– Not ready? Asked Pontius. – Now just something to chew. Teeth itch. No urine to wait!

– You will scratch soon! Nero grinned. – I would have killed this girl myself, if not for the agreement.

Marianne stared at the painting by the fire in mute daze. Hunters in white camouflage appeared before him in a new guise. Werewolves. The loose clothing did not give a complete picture of their bodies, but Marian could see the claws on their hands. Judging by the changed voices, the metamorphosis affected the throat, and therefore the entire body. At the same time, the mind of the werewolves was not affected, as well as the memory. Instincts Marianne could only guess, but it seems they have become wolf. Otherwise, why are these words about teeth?

“Look,” Pontius said with a cheerful tone. – Our kitty seems to be scared.

“Yeah,” Nero agreed. He walked away from the fire and disappeared from sight.

Footsteps were heard, then a metallic clang. Nero returned to Marianne’s line of sight, but was still alone.

– Everything is good. Kisa will not run free. And now, maybe, the desire will diminish.

Various terrible thoughts swarmed in Marianne’s head. Others made my heart groan in pain. He tried to see where Junia was.

He began to make his way to the place where Nero had gone. The problem is that there were fresh traces. It was necessary to seize the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Nero. But the risk of being noticed is too great. Marianne made up his mind. He will retire twenty steps from the fire and only then will he come to the place where Junia is.

The young man began to slowly walk around the werewolves, all the while remaining in the shade of the trees and trying to make out the girl. She must be very close, or Nero would not have returned so soon. Marianne looked closely. Snow, trees, snow again…

There was something else between the trees.

Meanwhile, a lively conversation was resumed, word by word, by the fire. Nero enthusiastically recounted:

– I chose an observation post by the lake. Everything is visible at a glance. All I did was glance into the thermal imager. I look, there is something warm on the ice. I drove to the goal. And there is. Here are the footprints in the snow. And here is Miss Claire herself!

Marianne held his breath.

“He’s talking about Juniya!”

– In short, you sat and did nothing! And we chased with Pontius all over the area!

– Why nothing? I caught the girl! You have to move your brains, Ersus. I noticed a good spot and waited in ambush, “I shouted rudely at my friend Nero and stirred the meat on the fire.

– Wait? Lying in the snow and taking time off from searches. And he sent us to “these screams”.

Pontius looked towards Marianne.

– Okay, things got off the ground, and that’s good.

– I want to eat! How much longer? – howled almost plaintively Ersus.

– Wait. Just a little bit left. – Nero examined the pieces of food on the spit and waved away the smoke.

– You, of course, caught her with a net? Pontius asked Nero. – The girl.

– Yes, with a net. She darted on the ice in different directions. A cat is a cat. One accurate shot from the gun and the kitty is caught.

– Great! – exclaimed Pontius.

“Anyone can do that on a snowmobile, Nero. Just try to keep up on foot, “said Pontius. – The main thing is the snowmobile. And you, frankly, were lucky that you even looked into the thermal imager.

– No. The main thing here is to wait for the moment. – Nero missed the reproach in his address. He liked to talk about his hunting merits. Now he turned to Ersus. – If you miss, there will be no second chance, no. I have everything thought out. I come in from the left side. The girl shies aside like a rabbit. I taxied and squeezed on the right side. And I’m already taking aim. I know where. And, of course, she again sharply to the side.

Then I shoot. I even slowed down and released the steering wheel. In order not to miss the mark, I hold the shooter with both hands.

Ersus took something out of his bag and began to chew, glancing towards the fire. The story did not interest him. Then he said:

– I can not wait any more. It is very tasty and raw!

He reached out to the spit and cast a sidelong glance at Nero. He looked at the meat, swallowed and said:

– Damn you. Let me myself! And then again you chop off the biggest piece for yourself!

And the werewolves were moving around the fire, feeding themselves food.

Marianne took advantage of this moment and walked quite close to the shapeless dark spot. There were only ten steps between them.

By the tree sat, curled up, a figure barely visible in the shadows. She seemed small and thin against the background of this stately old forest and completely defenseless next to these rude men.

Junia. She was tied to a tree, her hands tied. From under the jacket of the school hood, a pair of eyes looked at Marianne. The girl was scared and trembling. A black chain could be seen at her feet and then on the tree trunk.

Junia shuddered and sighed softly. She saw Marianne. This faint exclamation was heard by the fire, because Nero loudly and rudely shouted in their direction:

– Sit still! I’ll bite your neck myself if you’re going to arrange a circus here!

Marianne stepped back behind the tree and in time. Approaching footsteps were heard. Then there was silence, only the crackle of branches in the fire. Marianne bent down to the ground. Will they notice him or not? Narrow shadows slid past the tree behind which Marianne stood. Then a satisfied “Hehe” flew to the ears! Marianne peered out cautiously, trying to gauge his chances of being discovered. Nero shone his flashlight on Juniya.

He seemed to admire his prey. A thin girl tied to a tree.

– Sit-sit. And don’t rock the boat! – Nero spoke deliberately affectionately.

– What are you missing there? – shouted one of the hunters around the fire.

Nero turned reluctantly, but did not have time to answer. A wolf howl sounded over the trees. He walked from afar. Nero hurried to the fire, froze at the very flame and, raising his head, listened. His friends also listened to the howl, but it was repeated only once.

– Not early? – Nero worried and looked at his watch.

“The moon has already risen,” Pontius said. – Maybe someone decided to clear his throat and that’s all?

Howl answered another, who came a little closer.

Nero dropped the flashlight and took out his radio.

– Welcome, says “Invisible Five.” Will the big hunt start at seven? Answer!

Pontius opened a folded sheet of paper and peered at it carefully. Meanwhile, the howl was repeated.

“We’re in the Four Di’s. Ta-a-ak. Howl was from here and somewhere here.

– Welcome, this is “Invisible Five.” We’re in the Four Di’s. Will the big hunt start at seven? We’ve heard the callsigns.

Nobody answered him.

“It all fits,” Pontius said, turning the map to Nero. “You see, they moved north. Everything was as agreed.

But Nero did not glance at the map Pontius held out.

“The hunt has begun,” Pontius repeated, shaking his map.

– I see, and earlier for two whole hours! Idiots! – said Nero.

– You are always dissatisfied with everything. Relax and let’s enjoy the Hunt. Put the radio aside. Now she is not needed. Nobody will answer. Now everything is offline.