{picture - pyper america as petra
the chapters will start to get longer i promise!}

Grey had been in that cabin for two days, reading and rereading the book on lycanthropy as much as she could, thanks to the countless amounts of google translate from her phone. She finally left the safety of her temporary home to go get something to eat at the diner, the book still in her hand along with a new one she'd picked up on the way there. At the diner, she found a lonely little booth back in the corner, still not hidden from the curious eyes of the locals. Her nose was buried in the book as she sat against a window, sipping on her coffee and occasionally nibbling on the pastry on her plate.

"Lycanthropy?" A voice spoke across from her, causing Grey to squeak and drop her book. It bounced off the table and into her lap with a thud, barely missing her coffee. Thank god the coffee survived. She looked up at the girl with wide eyes who smirked. "Interesting choice for a girl like you."

"Excuse you?" Grey glared at the girl now sat across from her as she squeezed the book tight against her legs.

"That's a dangerous subject, girl." The girl's slender fingers started to reach for the pastry Grey had been nibbling on and she slapped her hand away. She arched a brow at her actions, that smirk still on her face. "If you're not careful it'll take you somewhere you don't want to go."

"It's not real." Grey stated, not sure if she was trying to convince herself or this odd girl.

The girl shrugged and they fell into a silence as her big eyes looked out the window. She changed the topic. "Everyone's talking about you, you know?"

"What?" She frowned and she slowly grabbed the book from her lap and closed it, setting it on the table. The girls eyes found it.

She hummed. "A new girl comes to town, pretty face, long legs, gorgeous eyes, everyone already talks about the very - and I mean very - few tourists our town gets but when someone who actually doesn't look like a ved'ma comes in, we'll definitely talk."

"Look like a what?"

She kept talking. "I mean, especially with that fancy camera that had to cost more than every belonging in this town. And then, you were carrying it through the forest - which, might I warn you, is very stupid of you." The girl rambled on, leaving Grey absolutely confused. "But honestly you're not like the other tourists I've seen. You're different. You don't try to explore the town and instead explore the trees, and you don't talk to any of the natives."

"I didn't think anyone knew English. . ."

"The elders don't, but some of the younger generation is forced to learn it." The girl shrugged and flicked her yellow hair over her shoulder. "I'm Petra by the way."

"Grey."

She scanned her up and down before quirking an eyebrow. "Suits you."

Grey frowned and moved her tongue to press against the side of her mouth with a scoff like noise. But she ignored her comment, mind still on her past words. "Wait, why was going into the forest stupid?" She wasn't dumb, she knew it was idiotic to return to those trees but she thought maybe this girl had the answer to her questions.

Petra leaned back in the seat, arms folding as she perked up a single brow at Grey - that seemed to be her look. "When I was little, my grandmother used to tell me bedtime stories about this forest. There were so many different ones, I've lost track. About the trees, the original wolves, all that lovely stuff, but the one that every single elder has told each new generation was the one about the khishchnik , the predator. It scared every one of us when we were little, it was a legend of course but we were naive. It made me fear the forest."

"What was it about?"

Petra's brow ticked up and a smirk took place upon her lips as she shrugged. "I couldn't tell 'ya. You see, I don't remember it; I haven't heard it since I was little."

"Oh."

"But. . ." She leaned forward, too close for Grey's liking and smiled so that her sharp incisors were on display. Those aren't normal. "I'm sure my grandmother would gladly tell you if you're interested." Grey perked up at her words.

"Would she really?"

"Tomorrow night come to my house and I'll get her to tell you." Said Petra. "Go down the west road, last house on the left."

And with that, Petra stood and she began to walk out, but not before leaving Grey with parting words.

"If I were you Grey, I'd stay far away from the forest and it's stories. See you tomorrow."

And she was walking away with one last smirk sent Grey's way, who was left at the booth absolutely stunned at that girl and if it wasn't for the feeling deep in her gut, she would've forgotten those directions to the yellow-haired girl's home but it seemed her mind wouldn't erase it no matter how hard she tried.

With a shake of her head, Grey grabbed her books, put some money of the table and left the diner; Petra nowhere in sight.

• • •

That night, the howls returned with blankets of falling snow. Outside, a blizzard raged through northern Russia and inside, Grey was huddling beneath layers upon layers of blankets in front of a fire, trying to keep her body from shivering.

The book was gripped tight beneath her pink fingers, shaking ever so slightly as she tried to read the pages. The further into the book on lycanthropy she got, the more everything seemed to click yet fall out of place. What she'd seen in the forest was called a "lycan" which was a mystical being that was not supposed to exist but she - of all people - had proof of it on camera. Stories in the book told the species was very secluded, they kept to their own kind and didn't dare to venture too close to human, fearing the risk of exposure; for if they were exposed, Grey had no doubt the government would be capturing them for testing and people would be hunting them down.

The more she read, the more she felt as if the world she'd grown up and had learned to live in was slowly fading away and being replaced by this new world full of things she didn't even know about. She felt as if she was in the dark her entire life and now it seemed as if every past memory was just a dream and this was the harsh reality of life. Nothing was real anymore but that which was told to be mythical. It couldn't be real; but no matter what she told herself, she knew it was true.

Groaning she closed the book and ran her fingers through her tangled hair. Grey felt like she was going insane - no she was going insane. Believing in fairytales and bedtime stories. Searching for proof of a man who could take the shape of a wolf. Finding truths in what she had always been told were make believe. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Grey quickly stood to her feet, scurrying to her room where she changed into warmer clothes and slid on sturdy boots and a thick coat before she stuffed all her hair into up and underneath a beanie. With a flashlight and her camera in hand, she opened the front door and walked directly into the storm.

• • •

The wind was brutal as it whipped around, sending little shards of ice pelting against Grey's exposed skin. Despite all her layers of clothing, the cold still found its way to her skin and caused her body to shiver. The flashlight in her hands did little to create a view through the viciously falling snow and it only seemed to make her surroundings harder to see. She stopped moving, not knowing where she was in the forest yet again and leaned against a thick tree. After a moment of catching her breath and calling herself stupid, she decided to reach for her camera in hopes that maybe she'd capture something in this storm on that.

Grey took a few photos of her surroundings but found nothing as she looked around and with a sigh she continued trekking deeper into forest until the only sound was that of the howling wind and the snow crunching beneath her weight. Pausing again, she watched as the wind slowed down the slightest and the thick snowflakes became little specs of ice falling from the thick treetops that provided a canopy to shelter her from the storm. While she could still hear the wind howling from a distance, it's violent breeze didn't reach how far she was in the forest. At this point, deep in the trees, the world seemed almost magical.

A chill ran down Grey's spine and she shuddered beneath her layers of clothes. The hair on the back of her neck rose to attention and she hesitantly reached for her camera and pulled it up to her face. Unable to see anything she flicked up the flash and clicked, the light from the camera illuminating the forest around her. A shadow appeared between two trees and Grey gasped. She stumbled back as the shadow sauntered forward and a growl echoed through the trees.

What left Grey's lips could be considered somewhat of a terrified shriek as she tripped over her own feet and found herself buried beneath snow. The shadowed creature's snort was muffled by all the snow covering Grey, which she was quickly digging through. When she resurfaced, her beanie had come off and her hair was a wild mess dotted with delicate snowflakes, her eyes wide as she looked at the creature that was now visible under the tiniest bit of moonlight that peeked through the thick leaves.

With its lip pulled back to reveal sharp canines dripping with saliva, it took a step forward once more, muscles rippling beneath it's auburn fur. The wolf was massive, legs long and thick like it's body, with huge paws that showed off its sharp claws. It's ears were drawn back to it's head and calculating eyes were on her; the prey.

This wolf was the predator and she was merely it's helpless, weak prey that stood no chance against it's large, razor sharp teeth.

It began to take another step but froze, ears perked up as it's head tilted to the side curiously. The snarl was lost and the growling subsided to what sounded like a little whine. It's eyes were a shimmering blue, watching Grey. Then, all of the sudden, the wolf was gone and Grey was left shivering in the snow.