Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Jaina watched him, "It's small, which is good. Cities aren't really my thing." She sighed a bit, "Everyone has fear. It's just a matter of what they fear. It turned white when I was a child." She didn't offer any more explanation than that. When the hand was offered, she perked a brow at it before gripping it firmly with her own hand, her too-big silver ring visible as she did so, "Jaina Smith. Nomad." Yale? One of those Ivy League schools. That meant he either was intelligent or had money.

Jon nodded, and shrugged, "I suppose so. And, well, I guess that is fair enough. A pleasure to meet you, Jaina" He nodded, returning the handshake. Nomad? Guess that means the same as 'homeless'. He smirked, stating, "And yes, Yale, my family was rich, although I didn't just need them. I am quite capable on my on."

Jaina flashed a toothy, wolfish grin, "My family was rich, as well." And now she was rich, being the last of her line. She had inherited everything of her father's, since he had cut her brothers from his will, obvious reasons. "Money makes this world go 'round, you know." When she drew her hand back, she began fiddling with the ring, as if to just make certain it was still there.

Jon laughed, "That it does." Jonathon was still rich. He just refused to use it. What was the point in using his parents money? He'd even managed to get academic scholarships and relatively fair loans for school rather than having them pay for it. He would not be beholden, to anyone. Least of all his parents.

Jaina stuck her hands in her pockets. It was that awkward moment, now. They'd introduced themselves, made small talk. Little further than she'd wanted to discuss with the human, but she'd be polite. She glanced up at the sky and halfway smiled as she noted the sun beginning to set. The full moon would be rising soon. It was her favorite time of the month, when she and her wolf could run together under the bright moon's light. "Well, Jon, I'll see you around, possibly. I have some business I need to attend to." Her icy eyes flicked down to him, her expression changed to a smirk. Her wolf had begun to stir at the thought of running free.

Jon nodded, "Have fun with that. Hopefully I'll see you again." He nodded at her politely before turning heel and wandering off. She was pretty. Not the type he'd want a serious relationship with, but a fling? Sure! He actually did mean it when he said he hoped; just means more of a chance to start something. After all, he might be in town for awhile. Though his intention was to just pass through, it seemed the place was more interesting than he originally thought. Might as well enjoy it.

Jaina gave a slight nod in reply. She watched him a moment before glancing around. Picking a direction, she headed towards the outskirts of the town. She just needed to make it to the treeline. It didn't take her too long to reach it. Once there, she knelt down, grimacing a little as her body began to change. Fur began to sprout, her jaw to elongate, the teeth to grow and sharpen, a tail to form. She could feel every bone in her body breaking and reforming into the canine build. Yes, it always hurt. Always. But it hurt less each time. The first time had been excruciating.
She shook out, her white fur catching the light of the now rising moon. Her icy eyes took in everything with improved vision. The wolf in her was free. She took off at a run, bounding gracefully through the forest. Over roots, under branches, weaving between trees. She was happy.
As her energy began to wind down a bit, she slowed. A scent caught her attention. Another wolf like herself. Her ears perked a bit and her head tilted, sniffing out the trail of this wolf. Catching it, she began to follow. Another wolf on the full moon could prove dangerous.

Jon walked through town, actually passing Melissa at one point, but not noticing.  She was heading home.  He...Well, he'd figure that out later.  Just a nice, evening walk for now.  He looked around, noticing the small buildings, well-kept hedges and lawns, and on the outskirts, the forest.  Eventually, he found himself following his feet towards there.  The dark boughs drew ever closer, but, he felt no fear.  He wasn't even sure why he was heading that way.  Like a typical guy his age, he was on his smart phone, messing around in various apps and the internet.  Until he heard a branch crack.  He looked around; still just following the edge.  Probably just a squirrel. A deep seated, low, thrumming growl crushed that theory. A freakishly huge squirrel or a dog, probably... Still, he picked up the pace, turning back to town.  Worst mistake he could make at the time, as a dark shape took the opportunity to break from the rest of the shadows of the forest, and stalk him.  But not far.  Somehow, the shadow knew that town was bad; and so it struck him.  The beast tackled the man, driving him to the ground, leaving deep scratches across his back and arm.  Jon screamed, and the wolf, for that's what it was, bit down, hard.  Blood flowed, gushed, and Jon screamed louder.  Part of him was missing.  It was an odd feeling, because it didn't feel missing, but he could see where it should have been, but wasn't.

Jaina continued to follow the scent. Oh, if it was a Bitten, that could be dangerous. Most Bittens had some plan to keep from being able to attack people. A scream sounded and her attention shot in that direction. Great, probably an attack she could be blamed for. She bolted in the direction, pausing briefly as she saw the other wolf. It was a darker male, a tad larger than she was. She let out a low warning growl and a snarl, her teeth bared. She could see the human from before. He was bleeding. 'Oh, please just let that be from claws...' When the wolf didn't seem phased, she charged it, knocking it from the human. It turned on her, leaping, knocking her back. She hadn't really wanted to fight this wolf, but if it wanted a fight, it would get one. Her teeth sunk into it's neck, as it attempted to claw her stomach. The two rolled around a little as they fought.

Jon yelped as the weight of the wolf suddenly vanished, and he managed to remain coherent enough to catch a glimpse of his rescuer. Oh, great, another wolf... Though, oddly enough, this one had pure white fur.  It reminded him of Jaina, which was certainly a pleasant thought.  He held onto it, letting it be his anchor to stay conscious.  Still, Jon lay there, bleeding, watching the fight, as his eyes began to glass over.  He hoped he died before one of the wolves began eating him.  He managed to maneuver his body enough to see the wound.  The beast left a hideous bite mark, but he could, well, probably would survive it.  But, either way, he was sure that one of the wolves would finish the deed.

Jaina tore into the other wolf, deciding there was no reason to hold back. She let her inner wolf have fun with it. By the time the wolf died, she'd torn it open, shredded it. Her white muzzle and paws were stained with the red blood. Her own blood matted a spot on her underbelly and front ankle. Panting, she turned her attention to the human. Awesome, he was dying. She could let him? Not have to worry about another Bitten on the lose? Looking at him, she could see the bite, now. Ugh, she should just leave him. But she supposed that wasn't her way. She shifted forms, the blood still visible dripping down her chin, on her hands, a bite on her wrist, blood soaking through the front of her shirt. She didn't speak, merely hefted the boy up with surprising strength, supported his weight. She kept him up as they headed towards her motel room.

Jonathon felt his body being lifted, was aware of the shift, but couldn't summon the mental capacity to realize what it meant. He also did not catch a glimpse of the human, and wouldn't have recognized her in his state even if he had. His limbs were heavy, and his mind foggy, as if in a dream. Maybe it was a dream? He made no move except to bleed on Jaina a bit as she carried him, though he was most certainly alive. As he regained his mental faculties, he struggled weakly, and stupidly, but with no gain or reason. It seemed he was at the mercy of this person.

She made it back to her room and opened the door with one hand, supporting him with the other arm. Closing the door behind her, she rather ungraceful released him to where he would collapse onto the bed. She sighed, studying his wounds, ripping his shirt open to see them better. It would have been so much easier to have just let him bleed out. But then she couldn't be certain he'd died. He could end up in a hospital and then he'd have a bad time coping with the wolf. She rummaged through her bag, producing a needle and thread. It was a special kind of thread, the kind used to stitch animals. It would dissolve in a couple of weeks, after healing the wound. No need for removal. She pulled over a chair and sat beside the bed stitching his wounds, keeping him down. She'd need to stitch her own, and wash off. Her tongue ran over the blood on her lips, for a moment, reminding her that she hadn't gone hunting, that night.

Jon was in and out of consciousness, looking at the girl. And it was the girl...Jaina. He must be dreaming. There's no....Werewolves. And...she should've still been here, not out there. He managed to not move much when she was stitching him, only occasionally flailing against her touch and the bite of the needle.

She finished her stitching and gave a sigh. Standing, she grabbed a cloth and wet it before heading back and dabbing a little blood away. 'Eh, good enough.' With that thought, she turned and headed into the bathroom with a new needle and some thread, as well as grabbing some sweatpants and a tank top. She shut the door, setting the items down on the counter and yanking off her shirt. The shirt pulled a bit at the sticky wound. There it was, claw marks on her stomach. Always fun. She threaded the needle and began to stitch. he worked quickly, with skilled hands. She'd stitched herself up plenty of times before, this was nothing new. She tied off the thread and dabbed at the blood on her face and hands, as well as around her wounds. The bite mark she just wrapped a gauze bandage around before changing clothing.

Jon slept. He barely stirred on the bed, and the bleeding had stopped. His dreams consisted of wolves, skin-changers, and wolfmen. And death. A lot of death. The full moon was nearly ever present in the river of blood that was his sleep that night. He was soaked in sweat shortly, but, he was recovering.

{Fuck it, time skip}

Jaina didn't sleep that night. It was the full moon, she was wide awake. Her wolf was restless, pacing in her brain. So, she'd gone for a run and a brief hunt. She'd returned before dawn, however, and found him still on her bed. Before going to wash the animal blood from her skin, she checked his wounds. They were healing, he was a wolf now. She plopped a chunk of bloody, raw deer meat beside him, on the bed. He'd be disgusted, like any human, but he would most likely need the meat. If not, she'd just eat it, herself.
She grabbed a loose-fitting, off-shoulder shirt and a pair of jeans. With those in hand, careful to not get blood on them, she headed into the bathroom. She set them down and stepped into the shower, just letting the blood matting her hair and staining her skin wash away, the hot water making her grin.

Jon stirred.  Slowly.  He was vaguely aware of someone in the room, but he was not cognizant enough to recognize the events happening around him.  He felt something hit the bed, and heard the shower start.  The shower brought him back to reality, though with a splitting headache.  God damn...I thought hangovers were bad... Jon managed to move into a sitting position, and looked around.  Hotel room.  Looked similar to his, so probably the same hotel, but, it definitely was not his room.  As he glanced around, he finally saw the meat on the bed.  Part of his consciousness recoiled, disgusted by the sight, but he simply stared at it.  The red, soaking juices and unctuous smell actually made him hungry.  As Jon reached a hand out to it, he stopped himself, and sighed.   What the hell is wrong with me? He forced himself to stop, and the headache managed to get worse.  His mind was a complete blank as he moved to the opposite edge, standing.  He walked towards the bathroom, simply as a reflex of years of his morning routine.  Upon crossing what seemed like an eternity of distance, he found the door unlocked, and barged into the room.  Then he remembered a small fact. Oh shit, shower! It was too late now.  The person was hidden by some foggy glass, but he could certainly make out a lot.  Enough to tell the person was female, and had very light hair, almost like... Oh shit! He backed out of the bathroom, slamming the door.  Well, good way to start the morning...

Jaina turned her head as the door opened. She honestly didn't care if he could see her through the glass. It was doubtful he'd never seen a naked female before. Then again, she was just used to it. Some wolves preferred not to wear clothes, at all. Nudist werewolves. She'd met a few of those, it didn't bother her. Giving a sigh, she finished her shower quickly, stepping out and shaking off, much like a dog would, before grabbing a towel and drying further. She grabbed the clothing, pulling it on. The shirt hung off her shoulders, making her bra straps visible. Yet another thing that didn't bother her. She ran her fingers through her damp, white hair and stepped out of the bathroom, looking at the male, "I see you've woken, then. I'm sure you'd like an explanation."

Jon looked at her, surprised at her choice of clothes.  It certainly didn't bother him, but, the shirt was very revealing.  He wasn't about to bring up the shower incident, so he simply said, "Yes, yes I would.  First, what the fucking hell happened last night? Second, why is there...Meat on I am assuming your bed?". He counted off his fingers as he listed the two, then visibly thought for a moment if there was a third.  He was a little curious about his chances with this girl, as she was quite stunning, but, he wasn't about to ask.  His arm hurt a lot less, and he suspected she'd attended to him, but he was not about to look.  He wasn't always good with blood, especially his own.  He could often deal with  it, but the sight of his own usually perturbed him, and with what he remembered of the previous night, he wasn't about to risk it in front of this girl.

Jaina crossed her arms, leaning back against a wall, "The meat is for you to eat. You're going to find the idea repulsive, but as Simba learned with Timon and Pumbaa, not everything that sounds repulsive actually is. Welcome to your new diet. Meat, fresh is most preferred. Then again, you're a Bitten, not a Born, you're going to lean more towards some that has been cooked a bit." She gave a sigh, watching him. She was studying him for any hint of knowing what had happened. "As for your first question, you were attacked. By a wolf. On the full moon. If you can't piece that together, you're probably a lost cause." She smiled at him politely, though with a hint of mockery. It was clear she wasn't to pleased about being around a Bitten.

Jon raised an eyebrow, and glanced between her and the meat, "Well, I can piece that together, except for one thing; This is fucking insane! I was attacked by a wolf, but....Nothing more. Werewolves are not real. I'm not about to eat raw cow because some incredibly crazy yet kinda hot girl tells me to, okay? This is insane. I appreciate you taking care of me, but....Lady, you've got the wrong guy." Jon stood, still staring longingly at the meat. He clenched a fist, forcing himself to look back to Jaina, "How did you help me, anyways? After the attack I was really out of it. I saw another wolf come and fight the first, but I figured whichever won would uh...Eat me. How'd you stop 'em?" The question was more to distract himself and ease some attention as he looked for the quickest way out, and for alternatives if he had to fight his way out from her. She may have saved him, but...Bitten? Born? She was taking about werewolves, most likely, but those didn't exist.

Jaina rolled her eyes, "That's not cow, that's deer. A doe, to be exact. Maybe aged three years. She was quite healthy. Just... not fast enough." Incredibly crazy and kind of hot? Well, she'd ignore that comment. She held up her wrist, which held a bite mark from the other wolf, "I fought the damned wolf off in the hope it hadn't bitten you. Well, I was too late to keep from the bite. The one that attacked you is dead. I made certain of that."

Jon looked at her wrist, brow crinkled, mouth slightly agape.  His expression would actually be rather amusing.  "Well....Thank you, I guess.  So I guess it wasn't just a dream, then?" He made no mention of the meat, simply because he was trying to distract himself enough to not think about it.  Even thinking about not thinking about it made him long for it.  It was at this point that Jon realized that this was when his life would probably change forever.  He remembered the barely cognizant vision he had of the pure white wolf fighting the wolf that had attacked him.  The pure white wolf, with fur the color of this girl's hair, and who was bitten on the leg, in the same proportional spot Jaina had a bite mark of proportional size.  The more he thought about it, the more he realized...It had all happened.  Including her transformation.  What she was telling him, was true.  He sighed, "So what now, then? I did the mental gymnastics.  I guess I believe you, though I'd like proof.  But what now? Some secret society? Something like that?  Vampires and werewolves duke it out a la Underworld?"

Jaina let out one of her barking laughs, "Vampires? Now you can't honestly believe those exist. No 'Underworld'. No silver bullets. No only transforming on the full moon. Some wolves have packs, some don't. I used to, now I don't. I'd like to keep it that way. You'll be able to transform at any time, but since you are a Bitten, I recommend either getting a cage or making sure you are far away from towns on the full moon. Bittens tend to go a tad feral during that time." Her head tilted at him, "Your wolf wants the meat. Let it have it. You won't be able to understand the transformations for a bit. Also, they are incredibly painful, especially for new-bloods. You'll get used to the pain, eventually." As a demonstration, she moved to hop onto the bed, her body changing as she did so, sprouting white fur and becoming lupine in form. She ignored the pain, as she always did. After all, she'd been shifting since she was 6.