It was a fine summer morning that year.

Birds chirping away as the warm heat of the sun basked them with its warmness. The plants had full leaves with a couple of dead leaves on the ground like brown papers. The forest near the village of Sidve was pleasant and nice, perfect for an early morning stroll. As the hour went on, the wildlife became more active as they set out to find food among the dense trees, and hunt for those who seek the taste of meat. One finished its morning hunt. It was a black-furred wolf.

The wolf was twice the size of a regular wolf and it just had its breakfast supper: a dead red fox stripped out of its fiery red coat and was nothing more than bones at that point. The wolf ate it raw and did not left anything to rot. However, it did not let the picked clean bones be strewn across the forest floor. Instead, it made a small grave and put the bones in it before burying it.

Yes, despite the appearance, this wolf was not really a wolf. Rather, it was something else: A werewolf. It stood on two legs and it had prominent claws that could rend flesh. The claws were its hands, and it carried the hunt for the day: a couple of foxes, rabbits, and wild, edible berries from the forest. It may sound stand and some might ask: why a werewolf ate berries. There was a reason why they were called werewolves and that was because of their other, more human form, one that it used to blend in among wary villagers who did not trust a werewolf’s control of their bestial nature.

The black-furred werewolf got through the forest’s clearing and towards a wooden house nearby. A woman with short, black hair and blue eyes was sitting by the porch, relaxing as she sipped her cup of tea while enjoying a good morning supper that consisted of bread and some fruits. She noticed the werewolf, but she was not surprised, nor panicked. In fact, she seemed glad when she saw what the werewolf had on him.

“Hans,” she said with a smile. “You’re up early.”

“Can’t get decent meat without being an early riser, now, can’t we?” said Hans, the werewolf. “And, oh, wait a mo. Let me change back to something more presentable to the villagers.”

And so, he did. It was not a painful process, especially when the werewolf in question was already trained to transform at will. The woman was ready with his human-sized clothes as he slowly turned back into a human, his wolf visage gone. After he did so, he took the clothes and wore them.

The woman noticed something in Hans and said, “You sneaked a fox during the hunt, didn’t you?”

Hans chuckled. “Can’t fool that nose, huh, Lily?”

“Can’t fool anyone with nose as sharp as a Lycan, Hans.”

“I guess you’re right, sis.”

Hans proceeded to skin the animals he caught before he put them in the cold storage in their home. Hans and Lilac Rezmirn were Lycan siblings living in Sidve, one of many villages in that region with many of their kind and co-existed peacefully. The humans of Sidve, however, were intimidated by the Lycans’ bestial form, but it was not that much of a problem since both of them could turn into humans and they had assured the villagers that they could control their transformation and bestial instincts. It was an open secret that half of the village’s population were werewolves, but no one really mind.

The Rezmirns once considered farming instead of hunting and fur trading. However, the village already had a central farm to supply their market. Some of the villagers chose to work in bigger towns by day and came home after they finished, which was a sign for modernization along with technologies from the neighboring regions helped change their lifestyles. Both Lilac and Hans did not grow up with this technology and was fascinated when the post office offered telegram services three years ago, which was advertised to be much faster than sending letters. Still, they did not really use the service, given that they did not know many people outside their village.

Aside from hunting, Hans worked at the farm while Lilac helped clean his hunt and cook for lunch and dinner. She also worked in the local tavern at night, but usually avoided it during the full moon because she, like Hans, could not control their transformation during that period. It did not mean they turn feral, however. Bestial instinct was always the first thing Lycan parents taught their children to control, long before they could control their transformation. In fact, controlling transformation was optional and Lilac once read about Lycans in towns and big cities chose to ‘be true to themselves’ and stayed in their werewolf form, which was similar in proportion with human, only covered in fur and with lupine characteristics.

With the foxes and rabbits that Hans hunted, Lilac considered making a stew, so she told Hans to get some radishes and carrots from the farm after he finished working. Lilac was quickly reminded by her brother that it was not harvesting season yet.

“The market might sell some,” said Hans. “I can go take a look.”

“Please do,” said Lilac. “I’ll go to the tavern to see if they need some extra work.”

And thus, they got around the village, helping and conversing with the people they met. Both Lilac and Hans usually had no hobbies that involved a big group since they were quite reserved. The village had a chess club and a comedy club they sometimes enjoyed. Most of the time, however, they were more preoccupied with themselves when there was nothing to do.

That day, however, would be different for them both, as Hans had something he wanted to share. Something very important.

The day went on without complications until it was time for dinner. The stew was ready and they ate, as usual. However, Lilac noticed something different on Hans’ face. He hesitated to say something and seemed to be contemplating on his decision. Lilac knew it would not be good for her when he said it, but she wanted him to at least lift the burden in his chest.

“I know that face, Hans,” said Lilac. “You have bad news.”

“No, not bad news,” said Hans. “Hesitation, more like.”

“Hesitating for what?”

“I’ve been thinking about that poster near the tavern about the mission to the unknown lands,” said Hans. “I wonder. Is there a world beyond Ternor out there? Like, beyond the horizon where we saw the blue sea apparently ends? I want to know about it.”

“And a posting in the tavern inspired you to do that? Do you know how expensive it is to travel? We can barely travel beyond Wayfer with our own money!”

“They are hiring sailors.”

“And you claimed to be one?”

“They did not expect skill, just strong heart and a taste of adventure. I’m paraphrasing what’s written.”

“Hans, listen to me. You don’t need to do this to prove yourself,” said Lilac as she held Hans’ hands. “No one asks you to do this.”

“I am…well, you’re right. I am trying to prove something. I want the humans to know that Lycans can be themselves and still mingle with society without suspicions. We are not animals, Lilac. We are our own kind.”

“I know what you mean, Hans, but consider your sister, too. You’re the only one I have left and I…I can’t bear to be the only Rezmirn around.”

Lilac tried to act strong, but in the end, she could not keep her emotions. She stifled as tears fell down her face, which caught Hans’ attention. Hans realized and started considering that he might be a bit too overambitious. Just as he started to have second thoughts, Lilac shook her head and wiped her tears.

She chuckled. “Funny. Why am I thinking so much about this? I’m a bloody adult. I can take care of myself.”

“Li…”

“It’s fine. Do what you need to do,” she said. “Just promise me one thing. Don’t forget your home. Don’t forget Sidve. You started your story here. You cannot let the glory of your success clouded you from your past.”

“Will you be alright, though?”

“I have known that you like adventures. I remembered you liked to race with me through the forest as werewolves and we both got lost. You kept calm and howled until the villagers found us while I cried myself to sleep. You still like it, and I know I can’t stop you.”

Hans was still unsure. Good thing it wasn’t really a rush, and he let Lilac know about it.

“They plan to leave in about two weeks,” he said. “There’s an expedition team that will escort us to the ship when the time comes. They are mostly Tragorians, so I might not feel out of place. During that time, I think I’ll consider learning how to swim.”

“You can’t swim? Even in human form?” said Lilac, surprised.

“I lived my whole life on land. Swimming is the last of my concern,” said Hans.

Lilac sighed. “Do what must do, then. Remember your promise.”

“Hey. I’m still here, you know.”

“Just keep that promise in mind.”

Hans smiled, silently assuring Lilac that he would keep his promise. Lilac herself had a more realistic expectation, knowing that he might not return until at least one year had passed. So, even if Hans did not return, she could at least know the fate of the expedition, and that’s what she did, first by knowing the ship that Hans would use as his travel.

The two weeks before his departure felt slow and dragged on. Part of Lilac did not want to see Hans leave, but it must happen. Hans did not change his mind when he packed his bags on the fateful night and went to the tavern to meet the expedition team.

“Remember your promise,” said Lilac as Hans readied himself for a long journey to the harbor.

“I will,” replied Hans. The expedition team told him that it was time, so he got to the carriage and closed the door. He turned back to see Lilac, who put two of her fingers on her nose, then her mouth, then her chest. Hans did so, too. It was a silent gesture of promise, one that she made so both of them would always be honest with each other.

“He’ll be safe,” she murmured, hands clasped together.

***

Several days had passed since Lilac started living alone in her wooden home. It felt weird not seeing Hans come out of the forest in his werewolf form every morning, as she usually did. But she kept reminding herself that Hans went on a journey and he would return. She counted at least three days since that night, and all she did during that time was spending her time in the local tavern, mostly working as the bartender. She tried her best to stave off her boredom by talking with the villagers, who mostly knew that Hans was gone in his journey.

On the third day, she realized that it would be full moon that night, so she decided to go home early, just before sunset. Back home, she took a refreshing bath before she relaxed herself. She knew that being tense would only cause more pain during the involuntary transformation, so she took a deep breath and exhaled, relaxing her body as she started to feel the pain of her involuntary transformation.

She noticed herself slowly morphing from a human to wolf. She did not like seeing this part of her since looking at herself transforming made it look even more painful than it should, so she calmed herself down as she felt her bones reshaped themselves. She tried her best to keep her bestial instinct in check, crucial since the involuntary transformation took a lot of her control just to numb the pain.

“I should’ve learned how to control the transformation,” she thought to herself. She was already used to the transformation and the pains associated with it, but part of her wished that she could at least transform under her own control. She did not have time to learn about it while growing up and she certainly had other things to be worried about as she grew up.

As she tried her best to relax and bear the pain, she was suddenly surprised by the moment the pain was gone. She slowly opened her eyes to see her reflection in the nearby mirror, now covered in fair black fur and with a wolf’s head and tail. Her light blue eyes, already very prominent, made even more striking as it took the form of a wolf’s eyes.

She sighed, knowing that her transformation might last through the night and she would be very exhausted the next morning. Still, she did not want to stay home and read while a werewolf. She wanted to stroll through the forest at night. Normally, it would be very dangerous because of the nocturnal wild animals, but while she was a werewolf, she would not be bothered.

Like Hans, she could hunt by herself, especially in her werewolf form. However, she still had a lot of food supplies and might consider hunting for meat next week. As time went on, she started to realize that without Hans, she needed to change her habits and her life. Her brother usually did half of the job, but right now, she needed to start planning about what to do.

“I know I told him that I’ll be alright,” she thought. “But I think I got over my head with this one.”

She thought of what she would do for a couple of days from now when she stumbled upon a clearing in the forest. Realizing that she was walking too deep into the forest while she was thinking, she started turning around and walk back home when her paw hit something soft. She looked down and saw what looked like a sleeping wild animal at first, until she noticed that the body was humanoid in proportion. She stumbled upon a werewolf.

“Oh, sorry,” said Lilac. “I didn’t know you’re…”

As she moved the body, she gasped as she noticed the injuries and the fact that the Lycan she found was still alive. The Lycan was shirtless and dirty, with his black fur covered in mud and dried blood from his wounds. She needed to help him, but she realized that it’s so late that the village doctor already closed her clinic.

Fortunately, Lilac knew a bit about treating wounds. Hans always got injured while hunting late at night so Lilac usually tended to his wounds. The Lycan’s wounds were not as severe, so all she gotta do was help him walk back to her home. But, considering that he was unconscious, it would take a considerable effort for her.

She just hoped that she did not injure herself during her walk back home.