Undercover Panther

Chapter 3. Pounce

Thankfully Gabriel didn't call on me before I made it out if school, so I slowed my pace to a steady walk. Since I had no real money to speak of, or any valid paper work (I knew a guy) I settled for an abandoned cottage in the woods that a few miles out. You'd think that sounded creepy but it was really quite lovely.

It was a little run down and the wood was starting to rot but the fireplace was warm and there were no drafts, so it was handy for winter. There was a shallow river a few paces away so I could wash, and there was an abundance of wildlife for me to eat.

I walked up the the front door, a task made nearly impossible with the overgrowth if weeds, I reminded myself to clear them.

The inside was bare, no furniture, No family photos and no family. It was lonely but it felt great being free from the past. Family meant nothing to me. The building was made up of only one floor, and the only bedroom was the attic which was pretty cool since it was hidden. I pulled down the attic stairs and climbed them. I didn't have a bed to speak of, but I did manage to secure a few large sofa pillows, along with mountains if smaller cushions and warm blankets. And it was more cosier than any bed I've ever slept in. I put my bag to one side and collapsed onto my makeshift bed. My stomach growled fiercely from the long walk but I wasn't able to hunt with the sun still up, so I bared it until it was dark.

With the moon high above me, I stepped out of the cottage, making sure to leave no lights on in case anybody happened to stumble upon it. Once I felt the door click shut, I shifted into my more favoured form; a panther. I loved how I looked like one in human form, and how the cat moved so gracefully, unlike the tiger or lion who tended to be a little more heavy footed. Don't get me wrong, cheetahs, leopards and jaguars are swell but I don't do spots.

I kept along the tree line, careful not to scare the game away. Animals there didn't usually look for huge wild cats, which makes it easier to hunt them. The shadows worked in my favour as I weaved in between them, slowly prowling along the ground. I kept close to the river, since it was the only one around for miles and deer usually flocked to it. Keeping the water in my perpetual view, I scanned the rest of the open distance.

Right in front of me stood a white-tailed deer, completely oblivious to me as it faced away eating the vegetation. Cautiously stepping forward, I stepped over broken branches and stray leaves that sat haphazardly on the floor, almost taunting me, teasing me to trip over them. I was within pouncing distance when it's head shot up, noise in the near distance making it look around, so I sunk back into the cover of darkness. The ruckus grew nearer, so near that I could tell it was a pack if wolves. They howled and ran in glee, their paws smacking loudly on the dry earth. Before the deer could bolt away, one wolf jumped into it's back and wrestled it down, with the help of others tugging at it's legs. In an instant I recognized them to be werewolves, they were slightly larger in size and the muzzle along with their ears were shaped a little differently.

Any person would think they had discovered a new breed in wolf. In total there were eleven wolves, the exact number I counted earlier at school. As I sat there watching them, I grew increasingly mad at the pack. They had taken my kill and I would bet ten bucks that they had plenty of food in their homes. But I didn't voice my opinion, they could easily take me down, no forgiveness being handed out for trespassers, even though I wasn't of the same species. A low growl slipped from me, but none of them noticed as they were too busy eating my food. Although one did look up, it was a dark brown wolf with those browny gold eyes. I guessed it was Gabriel, since all the others were grey or a lighter shade of brown and the pelts tended to be the same colour as the hair. He dismissed me and began to dig in. The pig!

Once they had finished, they leapt up and resumed their frolicking in the woods. Not wanting to let the carcass go to waste, I decided to see what was left. One deer feeding eleven wolves wasn't going to leave a lot for me, but they did manage to miss a few strands on the legs and I ate it greedily. Returning home, I felt put off from going hunting again, especially since there were wolves about. I climbed to my room and shifted a pair of light cotton pyjamas and lay on top of my pillows, letting the night air from the open window cool me down until my eyes grew heavy and I drifted off to sleep.