Howl

Content Warning

This page describes or alludes to topics that may be uncomfortable or upsetting to readers. Please avoid this page if you are sensitive to these topics.

*Dedicated to all my fandom friends. I have missed you so, so much in my absence, and I am glad to be back, even if only for a few seconds at a time.*

# Preface

A chorus of eerie howls cascaded through the peaceful forest. Slicing through the silence like a knife to butter.

It was a ghostly hole, ripping through the world.

Far, far away, in a bustling little town, a girl’s ears perked up…

“*Awoooooooooo!*” she howled in response.

But nobody could hear her. She was a lone wolf.

# I  - Not Alone

“Gah!” Alex woke up with a start. That…was a very strange dream. Had she been *howling*? Who might have heard her…

What if they caught her? She looked at her clock.

6:31. She hazed through a shower and brushed her teeth, then threw on some clothes, and slipped on her mismatched socks and matching shoes and hat.

Nobody would ever see her furry tail or ears. She was unnoticeable, under the radar.

She was undetectable, unregistered. Wearing a grey t-shirt, ripped blue jeans, and a black sweatshirt.

A hybrid on the loose.

Even Mother didn’t know that Alex was a hybrid.

The town despised hybrids, and wanted them eradicated. Mother hated them even more than the rest.

Alex was cursed to hide for the rest of her life. She would never be herself. She ran to the bus stop, where the huge yellow monstrosity was pulling away.

“WAIT!” she screamed.

Too late. She would have to walk. Once she got to her school she trudged through the building and forged a tardy note. She handed it to her teacher.

Each second was an hour. Finally, lunch came around. When Alex got to the cafeteria, she saw a girl surrounded by bigger kids. She thought they were just having fun until the first punch was thrown. She raced forward.

“Who do you think you are?” she demanded. “Pick on someone your own size!”

“I think I’ll just pick on you,” said one of the bullies.

Alex seethed. “Fine.” The boy threw himself forward. She stepped aside at the last moment and let him hit the floor.

“You will pay for that,” he snarled.

“Jack, stop,” warned one of his friends.

Jack threw himself at her again, and she stepped to the side, but he was expecting that. He stopped and punched her in the face.

She yelped. “Oh no you didn’t,” she snapped. She lunged for his hands, but he caught her by the wrists. She smiled and twisted her hands and had *him* by the wrists. His expression was one of shock.

His friend pulled him away, and the group of bullies left, revealing the petite girl who was trapped between them. She was short and had a small build. She wore a bubblegum pink hoodie with dark blue jeans and high-top shoes.

Alex ran from the girl, who was staring at her in shock.

Because Alex had helped her. And Alex could tell by the way she carried herself that she was a hybrid. Always shoulders close together, always looking at the ground, trying to seem smaller.

Harmless.

She ran to her next class with an eccentric teacher called Ms. Sallow.

“What is 24893 +75106?”

Alex raised her hand, something she rarely did to not call attention to herself.

“Alexine?” Ms. Sallow asked.

“It’s Alex,” Alex growled quietly. She hated being called by her full name. Then she added, “99999.”

“Correct!” Ms. Sallow yelled excitedly.

After school let out, Alex followed the girl to the park.

“Hey!” she yelled. The girl spun around. Her eyes were wide and fearful.

Alex held up her hands. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Alexine. But don’t *ever* call me that. Alex. Call me Alex.”

The girl drew in a shaky breath. “I’m Violet.”

“And you’re a wolf-human hybrid?” Alex verified.

“Yes. Why does it matter?” Violet snapped.

“Because I’m one too.” Alex removed her black sports cap to reveal her ears. She let her nails become claws-one of the only things she could conveniently hide with magic. Then things started to go wrong. She lost control.

She became a wolf, entirely. She was in control of her mind. But her body was something else.

Then Violet yelled something, and Alex popped back into human form.

“Did anyone see?” she asked.

“No,” Violet said. “But if you hide it…are you unregistered?”

“Yeah,” Alex said. “Nobody knows. Well, except you and me.”

Violet smiled, and Alex knew her secret would be safe.