The Word Cloud

'Oh you can't be serious.'

'I damn well am'

'He damn well is.' Alex agreed, sniggering. She seemed to be enjoying this.

'So... What? I was bitten by this... This werewolf and... What? I'm one too? Is that it?' I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

'Yup.' William replied. 'No cure, nuffin' anyone can do about it, you're one of us.'

'What? So you're werewolves too? All of you?'

'Yeah.' One side of William's face twitched up into a lopsided grin.

'Quick on the uptake this one isn't he?' Alex said, her mouth twitching up into a smile as well.

'So my family's dead.' This still sent a shudder through me, though I could remember nothing of any of them. 'And I am a monster, the same as the ones that killed them.'

'That's pretty much the long and short of it.' Marek said.

'So... What do I do? I mean, it's not like I have anywhere to go now, is it?'

'As I said, you're one of us. You stick with us and, with a bit o' luck, you'll be OK.'

'OK? How so?'

'Well I've heard o' this whole memory thing happening before. If the change comes as a shock, particularly at the time of a traumatic scene in one's life, ooman memories are permanently erased. There's nuffin' anyone can do about that neither. Sorry an' all. Oh and by the way, we torched your house. Easiest way to make it look like an accident, a simple 'ouse fire. Hope you don't mind-not much you can do about it if you do. I'm... Sorry, Geth. We should've stopped them sooner. It'll be alright though, don't worry.' The sadness in William's muddy-green eyes was heartbreaking.

'Don't worry, there was nothing you could have done.' Of course, I didn't know if there was anything they could have done, but as it had not really affected me very much-well, it had, obviously, with the memory loss and all. But I couldn't feel any sorrow for these people who I did not know. Already I was beginning to trust these three. But then, I smiled slightly, I had, after all, known them longer than I had known anyone else.

'So I am to live with you three?'

'If you so wish.' Alex replied, making a valiant attempt at civilised conversation. Presumably now that she knew I was to be living with her, the pretty werewolf had decided that she had little choice but to try and get along well with me.

'And I would suggest it, personally. I mean, you may not have a past, but a newly-made werewolf running about on his own doesn't have much of a future either. I mean, you will probably end up transforming and eating people if left to your own devices and there would be no one to teach you self-control. It would come in time, but not before you killed a few dozen humans.' She said this so casually it was shocking.

'So, if I am to live with you, where do I call home?'

'The forest. Anywhere with trees. We will soon be moving down to Cornwall. Judging from the pairs movements that is where they should be headed next. Isn't that right William?' Marek asked. William got up. His body unfolded into that of a very tall man, lean and tough-looking, dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a battered brown trench coat that reached to his ankles and flapped wildly when he moved. It made him look even taller. I hadn't really noticed his clothes when he was sitting down.

'Yeah, that's what I'm guessin' anyway. There's a good little place in Aberstal in Cornwall. Burdock woods, it's called. That's where they'll be headed next. Not much rush though, they never travel quickly.'

'Come on Geth, I'll show you our place.' Alex said, smiling brightly. She really was trying not to hate me now. I was quite impressed, considering the first impression she had given. She walked briskly through the trees, flicking branches out of the way. We jogged up a boulder-strewn hill and past a fox's earth, chicken and rabbit bones outside. Even if I had lost her it wouldn't matter, her smell would have been easy enough to follow. Light danced in freckles on the ground, occasionally hitting my face. Of course I was still a little stiff, but this lessened as I walked. All of this was hard to believe-that I was a werewolf, that my family, whoever they were, were dead, that my house had been burnt down. Such a bizarre chain of events all bringing me to this one point.

'Well, here it is!' Alex chirped. I had hardly noticed I was still walking. We were very deep into the woods now, certainly deeper than I had ever been, and this small clearing seemed no different from any other.

'There's the tree we all sleep under.' She pointed out, gesturing to a tree with very wide, protective branches that must have provided a good deal of shelter to the ground beneath.

'Do you sleep in tents or what?' I asked. She laughed as if this were a stupid question.

'No, we just find a dry bit of floor. I always prefer sleeping transformed, but the lads like sleeping human.' I was struck with a sudden interest.

'What do we look like, transformed, I mean.'

'Varies.' She answered, simply.

'Explain, please.'

'Well it depends on the person. I look pretty much like a normal wolf. A big one, but fairly ordinary. Marek's more traditional-most werewolves are quite similar to him. He's built more like a hyena and about the size of a lion, quite big around the shoulders. Bulky.'

'And William?'

'More human, he's big with very long arms, moves like a gorilla, but really fast, almost as quick as I am. He's nearly as tall as a bear and his muzzle's a little blunter as well, whereas me and Marek have pretty much bog-standard wolf heads.' She cocked her head to one side.

'Would you like to see?'

'Yeah,' I replied casually, though I was much more interested than I let on. 'Why not?'

'Wait here a minute.' She ordered. I got the feeling that she was enjoying this as well. She jogged away into the trees.

Several minutes later I was still waiting in the clearing. I was not impressed.

'Hey!' I yelled. 'Are you still out there? This isn't one of those jokes where you run off and leave me in the trees all night, is it?'

I heard a quiet noise behind me which suggested something running light-footedly and very fast. I turned, unsure of what to expect and was flung to the floor under the weight of a streak of golden brown. I felt huge paws on my chest. Something licked my face.

'Euurgh.' I grunted, trying to push Alex off-nothing else smelled like that, it had to be her-so that I could get back up. 'That was really not funny.' She backed off a little. She had been correct. She looked like a normal wolf, but sleek and golden-haired, as she had been as a human. She was also about three and a half feet at the shoulder, much bigger than any normal canine. If wolves could grin, this one would be grinning. It had the same blue, crystalline eyes as her human self. She growled sulkily and curled up like a puppy under the tree they slept under. I laughed. I felt very happy, for some reason. It was nice to be here, in the forest. As for as I was concerned, these people were my family. The closest thing I had, anyway. Alex was still sulking under the tree, looking at me pathetically. I realised that she wasn't just trying to accept me any more, but with a great display of adaptability, she already had. It was quite a heartwarming experience, in a way. The wolf put her head on my knee and I stroked behind her ear. Then she had her paws on me and I was flat on my back again.

'Oh that really isn't pleasant.' I said as she licked my face again. But in a strange, childish way it kind of was.

'Alex put 'im down.' Came William's voice from the trees. A few seconds later he and Marek stepped into the clearing. Marek gave me a friendly little wave. I was feeling inquisitive and something was bothering me.

'William, where's your accent from?'

'Manchester, land o' the pies.'

'Oh, I see.'

'Don't go there much now o' course but them were good days, them were.' Alex playfully butted him in the knee with her head a couple of times and I straightened up into a sitting position.

She loped over to me again and flopped down on the floor beside me.

'We can 'elp you find out some more about your past if you like.' William offered. It was then that I came to my first real decision.

'No.' I said. 'I do not wish to know anything of my past.' Marek raised his eyebrows. It's pointless me pretending to be the person I was. Whoever he was, he is no more. I mean, I'm not even the same species any more.'

'I don't think I've ever heard an argument so logical from someone so traumatised.' Marek commented. 'I agree though, you are who you are and this cannot be changed.'

'I conker.' William replied agreeably.

'Do you mean concur?' I asked.

'Yep. Me and Marek were goin' huntin'. Want to come?' I spotted the flaw in this immediately.

'I can't transform.' I pointed out.

'Very true, but we're only chasing bunnies today, you'll most likely be able to keep up.'

'Are you meaning to say that as a werewolf, I will be able to outrun various wild animals whilst human?'

'Yes. We're strong an' fast an' 'orrible.' He laughed. You'll be about twice as strong an' quick as you were before. You're quite stocky though, so you won't be much of a long-distance runner, I'm bettin'.'

'What will I look like when I transform? I was wondering if there's any way you can tell.' I asked. Whenever I said or heard the word transform, my heart beat a little faster in a molten mixture of excitement and terror. I wondered what it felt like to be a wolf. I wondered if I would enjoy taking down a rabbit, a deer.

'Nope, no idea what you'll look like. You'll most likely find out the day after tomorrow anyway.'

'Alright then. So what are we going to do about Dorian and Gregory?'

'We are going to tear them apart.' William replied, gravely. 'Before they hurt anyone else.'

'Fair enough.' I said, shrugging. 'Do you need a hand with that at all?'

'Thought you'd never ask.'

Firstly, a question about his family. If they're all dead, realistically (obviously you are allowed poetic license,) but could perhaps be a little more upset, however as he doesn't remember them (I like that concept) maybe he could get angry at the knowledge he has lost something forever, and the wolf could come out. He could lash out and break something perhaps.


You have the same concept as me, and possibly the same issue. My protagonist is new to her world as well, and so she ends up asking a hullovalot of questions, which I suspect can become tedious for the readers. However the way you've explained it is good, I have yet to find a solution to the issue though :P


'Do you mean concur?' I asked. LOL

I shall bear this in mind, thankyou for commenting :)