Familiar: A Werewolf by Night Story

Shadow Running

"Someone get the hunters!"

"WITCH!"

Sabina backed up, nausea rising in her throat. It was possible that the community members and monster hunters and who-knows-else who were yelling such things at Sabina – pointing at her fiercely now, and moving in a flood in her direction – didn't know what they were talking about and were just captured in the hysteria of a mob, just like their predecessors had been in the 1600s.

Or, it was possible that they knew something that Sabina had taken pains to ensure that no one knew.

Either way, Sabina was getting the hell out of their way before the truth of it all became deadly relevant.

Something behind her swished and cracked. When she whirled around, hands up to combat whatever was out there in the darkness, Jack Russell dropped down from a tree next to the sidewalk. He landed smoothly next to her, brushed off his black suit, then looked down at her hands with wide eyes. "Oh."

Sabina followed his gaze and realized with horror that she the shock of Jack's appearance had unveiled what her hands looked like in attack mode: inch-long, thick, curved nails sticking from beneath the regular human nails, outstretched and ready to shred the enemy. With the mob behind her closing in and Jack Russell standing so close now, Sabina had no time to reconceal the talons. Throwing caution to the wind, she let her normal teeth – elongated canines – and catlike eyes flash at him in a battle pose. Sarcastically, she spat, "So, monster hunter, what weapons do you have on you for killing a witch today?"

Unexpectedly, Jack reached forward, smoothly closed his hand around hers – talons and all – and took off running in the opposite direction of the mob. "COME ON!" He called, somewhat unnecessarily. "WE NEED TO LOSE THEM!"

Barely understanding what was going on, Sabina was yanked along behind Jack down the sidewalk and into the overlapping shadows of the trees on either side of the street. Behind her she heard indistinct yells, now filled with sinister energy. The thought occurred to her that Jack could be leading her to another group of monster hunters. Yet somehow there were other things that made Sabina trust him and keep running. The main thing – as they bolted through the night, he looked over his shoulder every few steps, his deep brown eyes furrowed in concentration and locked on her. And he hadn't flinched at the sight of her witch features. Jack wasn't scared of her, and Sabina couldn't bring herself to fear him, either. All the same, she broke his hold on her hand.

They fell into stride side-by-side, pumping arms in sync as their legs ate up the space between the outskirts of Salem and the more populated central area. Over the whoosh of air past her ears, Sabina told Jack, "Hang a right! I can't go back downtown! Did you see the number of other hunters there?"

"But the village –" Jack waved at Sabina's dress, indicating her workplace, "I saw a very powerful protective relic in the merchant's house exhibit today. If we can get inside the hedge and to the house, no one else should be able to pick up your trail. It can shield you just long enough!"

Sabina knew exactly the artifact – which was indeed a functioning relic – and grudgingly agreed with Jack's logic. As they sped through the beginning of downtown Salem's back alleyways, she asked, "How did you do it? How did you pick up my trail?"

Jack's grin and the white slashes on his cheekbones shone as they ran beneath a bright orange street light. "What, how did I know you were a –"

"Don't say it out loud!" Sabina yelped, panic sending the talons back beneath her nails and her eyes and teeth back to their human shape. "People in this town get triggered by that word!"

"All right, all right." Jack laughed easily, his breath seemingly unaffected by their extended sprint away from the mob. "You had an unnatural sort of shape."