Prologue- In the Light of the Full Moon


"This must be the place..."

The man checked his surroundings and looked at his map again. Attached to it was a print out of the mysterious E-mail he had received earlier that afternoon. He looked at his watch. 11:53PM. He had made it with plenty of time to spare. To pass the time, he read the E-mail once again.

WE NEED TO TALK.

MEET AT THE DESTINATION MARKED ON THE MAP AT MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.

COME ALONE.

The man ran his hand through his black wavy hair. He was wearing a fully buttoned white shirt with black jeans and blue sneakers. His name was Ben Carter, a reporter for The London Daily. A small scale local paper, it was nonetheless popular with commuters who wanted something a little different from the usual tabloids. Ben in particular had a huge interest in urban legends, and wrote most of his articles about them. These proved popular with readers, since he always wrote more about the stories behind the legends rather going into sensationalism with gossip and hearsay. Lately, he had been investigating a series of odd incidents that had been happening throughout the last six months. Attacks by strange animals, criminals running away screaming about wolves, and a supposed incident of vandalism at the Natural History Museum which turned out to be something far bigger. During his investigations, Ben had interviewed two of the attack victims, one of which had a friend who had been at the museum at the time. This friend mentioned the damage was in fact caused by two wolf like creatures who had been fighting each other. Ben wasn't entirely sure what to make of it all, but he had found evidence of claw marks in the area which couldn't have been caused by any normal animal. His investigation had now led him here, to a fairly small clearing with nothing but trees and rocks surrounding him. The sky and the full moon were also in perfect view, and there was an eerie silence. Ben had been asked to come here, and he couldn't help but wonder why. Was he finally going to get some answers? Or...

Suddenly, Ben's watch started beeping. He looked at it again. It said 00:00. Midnight. This was when his contact was supposed to show up... However, no one was around. Ben figured he must have been running late. Ten minutes later, Ben was still alone.

"Dammit, is he coming or not?"

Another five minutes passed, and still no one.

"Okay, that's it. I knew this was just a stupid prank. Wouldn't be the first time. I should just get going. This place gives me the creeps anyway..."

As Ben turned around and prepared to leave, he suddenly heard a very clear and vivid noise.

A howl.

A wolf's howl.

Ben quickly looked around. That howl was very close by. Suddenly, the sound of rustling leaves and branches echoed through the clearing. Ben continued to look around and suddenly caught a glimpse of a shadow. It vanished as quickly as it appeared. It then appeared on the other side of the clearing, only to disappear again. Someone- or something- was there. However, Ben's gut was telling him not to be afraid. Somehow, this presence wasn't as threatening as it seemed. And then... a voice. A deep, yet unquestionably feminine voice.

"I've been waiting for you, Ben Carter."

Ben was startled by the voice. He wasn't afraid, but it was clear that whoever was there was toying with him.

"Who are you?" He replied. "Where are you?"

"Look to your left."

Ben looked to his left and saw a figure drop down from the trees, landing on all fours.

"I know you've been searching for the truth." the figure continued. "You've been looking into all the wolf attacks that have been happening around London these last few months. I must commend you for your determination. But I wonder... Are you truly prepared to know everything?"

Ben could just about make out the figure in the darkness. It was female, and was clad in a red cloak and hood, the latter of which hid her face.

"So... My contact is Little Red Riding Hood?"

"Maybe." The woman chuckled. "Or maybe I'm the Big Bad Wolf. After all, I'm fairly big, especially in certain areas..."

The woman stood up and walked towards Ben, entering the moonlit clearing and lowering her hood. Ben couldn't quite believe what he saw. Her face was half covered in navy blue fur, the bottom half covered in a much lighter blue. She also had a large black nose at the end of a small canine muzzle. Her head was topped with beautiful long dark blue hair with light blue and white highlights, as well as two large pointy ears.

"... And I'm most certainly a wolf. I'm not bad, though. Two out of three ain't bad, right?"

Ben was still trying to comprehend this sight. Looking closer at her, he saw she was wearing a black corset under her cloak which pushed up a rather large and attractive pair of breasts, both covered in the same light blue fur as the lower half of her face. She was also wearing a short white skirt that only went down to her mid thighs, and black leggings that went up to her knees. She didn't seem to be wearing any shoes, instead the toe area of her leggings were cut away revealing a large pair of fluffy looking paws. Dangling behind her was a tail that was also covered in navy blue fur, with light blue fur on the tip. Finally, she wore long black gloves that went up to her forearms.

"A-are you for real?"

The woman nodded, removing her left glove.

"You can check if you like. Don't worry, I won't bite. Not unless you want me to." She said the last part with a wry smile.

Ben gently grabbed her arm, and ran his hand along her fur. It felt wonderfully soft and sleek to the touch. Taking hold of her hand, he saw leathery paw pads and long black claws which looked extremely sharp. He glanced at her chest and her vast cleavage, but quickly diverted his gaze to her head. He felt the back of her ears, which she swivelled so he could get a better feel. He then ran a finger along her muzzle before carefully lifting up her gums, revealing a scary looking row of teeth.

"So? What do you think?"

"If this is make up, it's more advanced than anything in the movies. I- I can't believe it. You're a real werewolf! But... You're nothing like the legends say..."

Indeed, in both the legends and in movies, werewolves were hideous, savage beasts that existed only for the kill. This one on the other hand... This one was actually very beautiful. Sexy, even. And while this one had proven to be rather playful, she didn't seem to have any malice in her stunning yellow eyes.

"Well, a lot of what you know is wrong. You ever watch QI? You know how that show debunks a lot of things we believe is common knowledge? The same goes for legends, too. Turns out there's a lot more to these stories than what we know. Some parts of them are true, others are wrong, and some a bit of both. Plenty of half truths. Mind you, I still know very little myself. About six months ago, I was just a normal human, completely oblivious to the hidden world around us. Even after becoming a werewolf, I still know so little. But I can say this: there is so much more to this world than what we see."

"So, uh... How did that happen? Becoming a werewolf, I mean. I also know how much the crime rate in London has been dropping recently. A lot of the criminals the police caught were babbling about a wolf. Are you the one responsible for that? And while I'm at it, what's your name?"

The wolf girl had to chuckle at all the questions.

"My name? You can call me Luna, though that's just a code name. If I'm going to tell you my story, I'll have to tell you my real name eventually. So... I'm Anna Tyler. I believe we've met before..."

Ben looked at her in surprise. Anna Tyler... She was the attack victim he had interviewed with the overly chatty friend who had been at the Natural History Museum during the alleged vandalism incident. So she had been a werewolf this whole time...

"Sorry I lied to you back when you interviewed me. But I had to keep my identity a secret, you know? Not entirely sure the world is ready for our kind just yet... Besides, I'd be a pretty rubbish superhero if I didn't keep my other life a secret. As for the crime rate dropping, it's not just me. There's a whole bunch of us- a pack of us, if you must- out there right now. They're on patrol as we speak. We've been doing this for about a month now, though I've been at it a little longer."

"A month? I always thought werewolves only appeared during the full moon? Or is that another part of the legend that's wrong?"

"Actually, that's one of the more interesting things about being a werewolf- once you know what you're doing, you can actually change whenever you want. Even when it isn't a full moon. Pretty handy, really."

"I never knew that. Interesting..."

"As I said, there's a lot you don't know. That's why I asked you to come here. So I can explain what I can."

"You're going to trust me just like that?"

"Yup. You seem to be an honest sort, and someone who can keep a secret. Maybe even someone who can help us."

Ben looked even more surprised than ever.

"Help you? What with?"

"First things first. I want to tell you my story. It's a pretty long one mind, so I hope you're comfortable. Before I begin, I must ask one thing- that you tell no one else about what you're about to hear. It could put all of us in danger. The less people who know, the better."

Ben thought about it for a moment. As much as this sounded like the scoop of the century, Anna did have a point. This kind of information was not to be taken lightly. Besides, just knowing the truth was enough for him right now.

"Alright. My lips are sealed."

"Good." Anna folded her arms and sighed. "Now, where do I even begin with a story as crazy as this one?"

"The beginning would be good."

"I'm not entirely sure where it really begins. So, tell you what. I'm going to start on New Years Eve last year. That sounds like a good starting point."

Ben sat down on a large rock. "I'm all ears. Please, tell me your story."

Anna smiled.

"Okey dokey then. Welcome to our world."