Steal the Moon Chapter Six

6

Erin followed Rob closely down Main Street, staring at the people out and about as she passed. She was noticing the smells; Aunt Sarah’s pasties, the fast food grease, and a hint of wine coming from the Madison’s’ house. She listened to the conversations of the people passing by, and the sounds of the birds chirping and dogs barking. They passed all the way down the town, passed Erin’s road, and kept going. She stared at her street, longingly; she had never really walked this far from the town before.
“Almost there.” Rob watched her nostalgically as she looked around the town. He could barely remember being like she was now, all the senses new and exciting. But what he could remember, oh how he wished he could have that back again! Being a fresh bitten werewolf was, at least at first, the best part of his life. Erin nodded at him as he day dreamed of the past, but she was still uneasy. This was a man she had just met, and he didn’t seem very trustworthy. But somehow, she knew he could protect her.
They finally came to a little uphill street. At the top of the hedge lined drive lay a trailer park. Not a shabby neighborhood, really. The homes did not have the essence of “redneck”, but more a close knit family of neighbors who just didn’t have enough money to afford a real house. Erin followed Rob to trailer number 13, it wasn’t as well kept as the others, but the grass was mowed and the bushes were tamed; which seemed to be enough. She almost hoped for some potted plants or colorful flowers, but perhaps that would be too ironic.
“Home sweet home.” Rob opened the door and held it for Erin to walk inside. She expected the smell of her grandmother’s house; mothballs and old people. But it smelled like cologne, a Glade air-freshener, and vacuumed carpet. Erin looked around, the walls had no photos, but they were plastered college-rock band posters. It all seemed rather juvenile, really.
“You live alone?” She looked at him, then sat onto the couch. It squished under her, obviously very very old.
“Yes.” Rob sat on the chair by the couch, and looked at her. She was a really pretty girl, and part of him was glad that they were in this situation. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel she didn’t deserve this. Not that being a werewolf was a bad thing, he had learned that. In fact, it had made his life much more interesting. His human childhood, from what he could remember, was too perfect.
“So, Rob.” She looked at him, uneasy. Her tears had stopped, but her face was swollen and red, and her eyes were puffy. Her voice was still weak, too. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.” He tilted his head. “I guess you really should know a little more about me, huh? My name is Robert Eugene Miller. I lived with my parents until I was eleven on the other side of the state. A werewolf bit me that summer. A girl, actually.” He smiled a little, nostalgically. Erin looked at him, in a different light, at this point. So he had been bitten, too? She really could talk to him about this, then; maybe he would understand. “Well anyway, I was terribly young and it was traumatic on my body. I passed out in the woods, and the wolf brought me to her home. She was young, only 16. Pretty, too. God, she was pretty.” He coughed a little, “But anyway, her pack, they didn’t know what to do with me. Naturally, they didn’t want to be involved with a missing child case. So they moved, all of them. Just up and left. I guess werewolves can just do that, somehow. They took me with them, and came here. Kept me on the down low for a while, until my parents thought I was dead. See, it’s easier for someone older to still live at home with their parents and be a werewolf because the control is easier to learn. And the changes are usually less noticeable. But I was a kid; that was too risky.” Erin listened, intently, to his story. “A child can’t control the change as easily. So, I had to leave my human life behind.” Rob looked down at his feet, then back at Erin. “I’m sorry, I’m talking too much. We should to talk about you.”
“I don’t mind. It’s nice to know that, well, you’ve been through this.” She was starting to believe it all, unfortunately. She was going to be a werewolf. Well, she already was. “What happened to the wolf that bit you?”
“Oh, her? She’s around. Not around here, but she’s around. I think she may have married and started her own pack, had kids.” His voice cracked, barely noticeably, but Erin heard it. Somehow there was pain in what he was talking about, she knew it.
“You loved her?” Erin smiled, weakly.
“What? Loved her? No, of course not. I was nine years old. I didn’t know what love was. I mean, as far as I was concerned, she ruined my life.” Rob was quick to dismiss Erin’s observation, but he did, at some point in knowing her, love her. That’s what made it hurt so much. Erin half-smiled, but something told her not to pry into this memory; it was something better left unrevealed.
“Well, Rob. I have to say, I’m feeling a little better about you.” She scooted over towards him. “I guess, knowing that you went through this to, it gives me a little comfort.” He could protect her.
“Yeah. Okay, well, uh. Hm. Where do I even start?” Rob shifted in his seat, trying to think about what he learned first. There were a lot of things he had to tell her, a lot of myths to be corrected, and a lot of truths to be revealed. He didn’t even know where to begin. Erin watched him strain; she had so many questions of her own.  
“How about shifting?” She perked up a little as she asked. That whole turning into a wolf thing was really intriguing for her.
“Hm, no, we’ve got some time to get to that. Alright, let’s talk about things that will affect you now.” Erin nodded, disappointed, as he took a deep breath. “Your senses, all of them, will strengthen greatly. Smells, you’ll learn to like them. I mean, unless you end up in a sewer, that could be horrible.” Erin snorted a laugh slightly, thinking about it. “Hearing, now that can get annoying. You’ll hear a lot of things that you didn’t before, and you might get headaches as you get used to it.” Erin nodded, and he continued “Taste will increase, you’ll notice your food more.”
“This morning, when I was eating, I started licking my plate. I don’t usually do that. But I couldn’t control myself. It was really weird, Rob!” She bit her lip after blurting out such an embarrassing moment in her life.
“Yeah, that can happen. You have to realize you essentially have a wolf living inside of you. Primal urges will happen.” Erin’s eyes got wider, and she blushed. She giggled as Rob suddenly turned red and looked flustered himself. “Well, that’s not what I meant, but yes, your sex drive will increase.” Erin nodded, and stood up; she was starting to feel some primal urges in her stomach right about now.
“How about some food?” She asked, and Rob stood with her. He moved the four feet into the kitchen, then sniffed the air instinctually.
“Alright, well,” He opened the fridge, but it was rather scarce. “Pizza? I can reheat it for you.” Erin nodded, and he moved to the microwave to heat the food. “Now, these wolf-like characteristics will get stronger and harder to control as you develop, unless you learn to train yourself. You have to keep control over your person, keep your person the dominant body.” The microwave dinged, and Rob grabbed the pizza and brought it to her, then sat again. Erin had been pacing, but quickly sat to scarf down her food.
“And how do I do that? How do I train?” Her mouth was so full the words were muffled and barely understandable, causing Rob to laugh light heartedly.
“Well, if you start now, it won’t be so hard. Condition your body to ignore you urges.”
“Which I’m not doing, obviously.” She had finished the pizza, quickly. There was grease all around her mouth, and she chuckled nervously.
“Well, that’s okay. You’ll learn. Just, try to use everything to your advantage. That way, you’ll tend to see this whole ordeal as a good thing, which will, in the long run, make it much easier.” He reached over to wipe some of the grease from her cheek, then licked his finger. Although he hadn’t intended it, the moment was very sensual for Erin and she purred under her breath a lttle.
“Last night wasn’t a full moon!” She pointed out, interrupting his lecture.
“What?”
“Last night, it wasn’t a full moon.”
“Yes, I’m aware. What is your point?”
“You bit me, you were a wolf. Well, sort of.”
“I was hunting. When you came and saw me, I had just finished.”
“But it wasn’t a full moon!” She growled, becoming increasingly frustrated that he had not picked up on what she was trying to ask.
“Oh, I see what you mean. Yeah, I can transform at will. I was bored last night, so I decided to go for a hunt, just for fun. Obviously, it was unsuccessful.” He growled, the rabbit he killed was not the most filling midnight snack. “Otherwise, you probably wouldn’t have been bit. You see, when you transform, it’s even harder to keep control of your wolf. Even for older wolves.” Erin nodded, it made sense to her, sort of.
“But wait, you weren’t a wolf, either. You were a man-wolf-thing.” Erin tilted her head.
“You’re just full of questions, huh?” He smiled, “Werewolves, at least those in control of themselves enough, can transform into two forms. A feral wolf, and an anthropomorphic wolf.”
“Anthro-what?” She strugled, trying to pronounce the word.
“That means a half form. An in between creature. An-thro-po-mor-phic.” Rob leaned back in the chair, he felt good about teaching her. This could turn out good for him, afterall. “A wolf-man, if you will.”
“Alright. Now, what about full moons? If you can transform at will, do you still-“
“Full moons are the evenings when involuntary change typically occurs, every werewolf will transform on this night. The local werewolves tend hunt as a pack, it’s almost like a family reunion night.”
“Wait, ‘typically occurs’? You mean you change without wanting to other times?” She groaned, and the couch beneath her echoed the sound as she leaned back in frusteration.
“Yes, times of heightened excitement can force a change. But only for someone who hasn’t quite learned to control their wolf, yet.” Rob put his hand on hers, and looked into her face. “Is this making sense to you?” Erin nodded, she had to admit, she was curious. She blushed brightly, then pulled her hand away from him. He grinned at her, then shook his head.
“So, I could decide to shift when I wanted to, too?” Erin’s eyes became wide, she thought of possibilities. This might actually be something that wouldn’t lead to a late-night suicide.
“With proper training, of course.” Rob leaned back in his chair again. “When do you want to start?” Erin perked up, she hadn’t thought of it.
“Well, uh, I don’t know. It’s summer vacation, so like, any time.”
“How about now?” Rob grinned a little.
“Er, I guess.”
“Okay, we’ve got two weeks until the full moon. I want you to be well trained by then. That will limit any problems, when you run with the pack.”
“What pack?”
“My pack. They live in the area. Small group, but I can’t let your first shift be away from a pack. That would just be asking for trouble.”
“Oh, okay. Well, I guess we can start now.” Erin looked down at her knees uneasily. This was getting even more real by the minute, and it was starting to scare her. “Hey, Rob, uhm,” he had begun to get up, but turned to look at her, she seemed concerned. “Is there an antidote?” He was expecting this question, but he hoped that he would be wrong about it and she wouldn’t ask. He heaved a sigh.
“No.”
“Oh, well, okay. Then let’s start.” Erin’s lip twitched a little, she bit it. So she was a werewolf, now and forever. Just out of high school, her life only beginning, and she somehow managed to screw it up. She wondered how normal her life will be able to be after this, and she wondered if she would ever get the chance to be with Aiden. But as quickly as the thought appeared, she shook her head to clear it away. This wasn’t the time to think about Aiden, she had to focus on survival… As a werewolf.