Big Bad Wolf

Sometimes it pays to be overly paranoid, at least in my case it did. I surveyed the area again carefully for any danger. Ever since I was little, I was obsessed with worlds other than my own. Far off planets and magical realms where mythical beasts roamed free. I never thought that one day those fantasies would actually come true.

I longed for a world where there were no rules except for the laws of the land and survival of the fittest was at the top of the list. A decade after the release of a virus, my daydreams had become a reality. From what I remember of the news reports blaring on all channels, scientists had finally broken the code to changing DNA in a living creature. I remember seeing a short clip about a mouse who had grown its own gills and scales… Like a fish, fully functional and able to swim and breath underwater.

It was only days after that when a breach in security caused an infected animal to escape. Unfortunately, one side effect of the virus was severe aggression or madness, and the half-bear, half-lion was no exception. It took military intervention before the animal was finally taken down, but not before it mauled at least a hundred people and killed another 45. The CDC managed to round up those who were infected, but it was too little too late, the damage was done and now human animal hybrids were the newest threat. All it took was for a person to come into contact with another animal for the virus to latch onto and add the new DNA to the host.

Needless to say the first beast-men were variations of dogs and cats as they were the most common household pets. Soon, the virus began to evolve itself, becoming airborne, and it was game over. Chaos ensued when people began killing animals and hybrids on a massive scale like some kind of mass cleansing. Of course this infuriated those who still loved their furry companions causing riots and protests to break out. Many people were hurt or killed and the pet population dwindled down to near nothing in a matter of months.

Some people were immune to the virus and they began to separate themselves from the infected. New cities popped up where the hybrids would be banned from or killed if found on site. The hybrids did the same and locked themselves behind huge walls in cities of their own, only allowing the most accepting of humans to live among them, ones that had been vouched for by another. I was one such human, my mother had been turned into a black cat humanoid, like something right out of a video game.

It only made sense since we had a pet black cat to thank for a DNA donation. I was about 16 at the time and still considered a minor, so we moved to one of the hybrid cities. The tenuous peace that followed only lasted for about a year before the humans decided to drop a nuclear bomb on one such city. A massive war began, now known as the beast wars, causing many people to die on both sides, none of the cities survived. To this day, they lay empty and crumbling.

It’s been nine years since the separate city idea had failed and what little of the human-hybrid populations still existed spread out to fend for themselves. There were still small towns and villages strewn about the country that were either made of one or the other and even a few where the population was a mix of both. Things had begun to calm down as humans and hybrids began to rely on each other for support in a post-apocalyptic world. I can’t really say how many people died. The last report made during a live broadcast said that only about 25 percent of the world’s population had managed to survive.

I was living alone in the forests of northern Oregon. Lost in my thoughts, I almost didn’t hear the twig snap behind me. I shrugged my rifle off my shoulder and swung around to point it in the direction I heard the noise. “Whoa! Easy there, I didn’t mean to scare you!” Called a voice that sounded halfway between a human and a dog.

It was a hybrid, of that I was sure, even though he’d hid behind a tree he held out one paw-like hand in a don’t shoot me kind of way. I could never be too paranoid out here, never too careful, since any number of creatures with mutations could be lurking nearby. Many of the new species had become docile as the virus continued to evolve, but that didn’t mean I was still safe from something looking for its next meal. “Come out with your paws where I can see ‘em.” I said, “Try anything and you can say bye bye brain-matter.”

The hybrid stepped out from behind the tree, surrendered with his arms raised halfheartedly, a shy grin on his wolf-like face. He was big, I mean really big. The guy could easily be six foot, six inches in height and he looked like one of those fitness trainers on the cover of magazines the way his muscles strained against his clothes. I swallowed the lump in my throat as I looked him over.

It looked like he was half-man, half-wolf, his head not much different in size and shape from that of a typical dog. Long snout, pointed ears, and covered head to toe in glorious black, silky fur. His eyes were the most striking feature being a deep emerald green that seemed to pull you in with their charm. Holy hell! The guy was hot… at least for a hybrid he was.

Shaking my head as if I could physically throw away that thought, I redoubled my efforts to interrogate him. “Why were you following me?”

He tilted his head in a cute puppy-dog kind of way and said, “Well I was trying to return something that belongs to you.” My hand immediately went to my neck where my locket should be but wasn’t since I’d lost it some while back when I ran from a pack of hungry hyena-lizard creatures.

However, that was days ago and by my look of confusion he answered my unspoken question, tapping one finger to his snout, “Not just for looks.” He said with a smug grin. Slowly reaching into his pocket he pulled out the small, silver, heart-shaped locket and dangled it from a delicate chain in front of me. It was the only thing I had left of my mother.

She’d given it to me the day she died when during an air raid she’d used her newly found catlike reflexes to push me out of the way just as a large chunk of falling rubble came crashing down. It had crushed her pelvis but hadn’t killed her, so as she lay there dying of massive internal bleeding she pulled me close and placed the necklace over my head. Telling me it was a wedding gift from my father to her made it even more precious since I never got the chance to meet him. He’d died only a week before I was born, from how my mother would speak of him, I could tell he was a good man.

Edging closer to the stranger I snatched the locket from his fingers and darted back a few paces trying to keep the distance between me and him. Palming it, I ran my thumb across its smooth, perfectly reflective surface. I clicked it open to make sure it hadn’t been tampered with. I let out a sigh as the same two faces of my parents smiled back at me.

“Ahem.” I hadn’t realized I’d been standing there, zoned out with my rifle still pointed at the poor guy until he’d cleared his throat.

Shutting the locket with an audible click, I lowered my weapon and slung it back over my shoulder. If this guy had meant me any harm, I was positive he could have done so long before I heard him. “So, I guess I should thank you for returning this to me,” I said as his ears pricked forward. “I guess you should,” He said crossing his arms defensively.

“Uh, thanks, I guess.” I was never any good with apologies or words of gratitude so that was as good as it was gonna get. Even still, with my half-assed thanks, just the ghost of a smile crossed his face and he nodded. Shit, I had to do better than that, the guy must have been tracking my scent for days just to find me. Looking away as if to be nonchalant, I jerked my thumb behind me and said, “So, uh… my cabin is just a little further would you want to come over for a bite?”

His grin grew bigger, yeah leave it to a man to get excited about food. “I only mean to thank you properly, that’s all.” I said, this time it was my turn to cross my arms in defense.

“Sure!” He replied.

It was a short hike up the hill to my cabin and it was spent in silence with nothing but the sound of crunching leaves and a canine panting to break up the monotony.

“Thank god.” I whispered to myself as the cabin came into view, I’d been out for at least two weeks making a supply run to the closest town which was a mix of both humans and beast-men. I’d have been home sooner if I hadn’t had to spend a night in a tree to keep away from those hyena-lizards. My back ached in response to that memory and I thought of being able to sleep in a real bed again. Looking behind me I called out, “I hope you’re housebroken.” That comment earned me a look of mock offense. Smiling, I reached for the door and quickly unlocked it. Stepping inside, I waved for the stranger to follow me in.

“So what’s your name friend? You’re not wearing a collar.” I grinned as I began to prep dinner.

“Ha ha very funny, name’s Luka. And yours?”

“Kira.” I said not missing a beat.

“Well Kira, I hope your cooking is good because I’m starving.” He smiled, showing off his large canines.

“Just so long as you don’t plan on eating me if it isn’t.” I retorted.

We sat enjoying a hearty meat stew with bread and cheese talking for hours, regaling each other of our travels and encounters with others. Before I knew it, we had stayed up all night until the faint light of dawn began to creep through the windows. Then another thought occurred to me so I asked, “So where are you from originally? From the looks of you I’d say you’re not local.”

Looking at his large hiker pack, he shook his head and said, “You’re right, I’m not. I’m just a wanderer looking for my own place in the world where I can just be me. Because of my mutation people see me as something scary so I don’t have to many friends to rely on anymore. Especially since I’m originally from Virginia.”

My eyes went wider than dinner plates, had he really walked that far? A deep sadness shadowed his face that really got to me. I offered him the guest room to use as long as he liked, provided he pull his weight around the house with chores. His ears perked up and I noticed his big bushy tail started to wag.

“Really? You mean it!?”

I nodded “Sure, why not invite the Big Bad Wolf to live in my house, what could possibly go wrong?” We both burst into a fit of laughter.