Lycanthropy
Chapter Sixty-Three

“Are you sure we can capture these Nightstalkers?” Amy whispered to me, when we were installing the nets at the centre of town.

“Nightstalkers?” I asked her.

“Yes, the humans call their ‘special forces’ with a weaponized helicopter, Nightstalkers, and because these creatures can maybe fly and attack at night, it seemed fitting.” She explained and I agreed to her reasoning.

I don’t know why or how she got to that information, or how she came to the idea of searching into that area at all, but there’s no time to think any further about it.

“Well I hope we can capture one alive, so we can see from up close what they are. Besides, I haven’t fought one yet, and I’m stronger ever since I have mated with Aron, so I’d like to see what these Nightstalkers are capable off.”

Amy grunted something, like that I’m the only one who could be excited for an attack of an unknown enemy. Which I am. I always love a good challenge, and it would be fun to see how much stronger I have become now.

Bjorn was defeated by me with ease, but that was only because he underestimated me, and I had used a lot of tricks. But this time I hopefully have to come up with a lot more strength and agility.

“You ready, love?” Aron asked me over the link, as he was with the wolves on the edges of the village.

“Yes, going to spill the blood in five minutes. And by the way, Amy named them Nightstalkers.” I replied.

“I’ll pass it on to the wolves.” I heard him say with a grin.

We had placed three separate net-guns at the centre, at which either Frida or me had control, and Amy stood by one as well, where one of the warriors had control. Amy didn’t want to ‘man’ the gun, as she doesn’t like guns. And together with loads of men and women to assist us with holding the nets down, or ready to shoot the tranquilizing rifles, or standing ready in their Lycan form, we were waiting to attack.

All the children and their caretakers were sheltered at the lowest levels of the houses, with also plenty of wolves to keep them safe.

After we had settled everything, and the five minutes had passed, I gave the signal to Frida and Amy to cut the blood-bags, that we took from the hospital, open.

They splattered the blood in between our guns, to lure the Nightstalkers right where we want them.

The first twenty minutes we just sat there, at our seats in the dark. Silently I had checked my gun, if everything was still in order, and I looked at my mobile phone for any movement that was able to be seen by the motion cameras. But so far, nothing had happened.

Another twenty minutes passed by, when my phone buzzed as an alarm for movement went off. I checked to see which camera it was, but either the camera was too slow to film it, or it must have been a mouse or a bird, because there was nothing to see.

Forty more minutes had passed where nothing happened, and no motion was detected. This was getting annoying, because by now, they would have at least tried to capture a wolf or two. Just as they did, the last few days.

“On your right!” Dakota said, and I strained my ears to that side. If she was catching up on something, before I did myself, I might as well listen to her.

I slowly turned my head to the right, and looked into the alley. There was something there, as the hairs on my arms stood up straight, giving me notice that something eerie was close now. I felt it in every fibre, but I couldn’t see or smell anything.

“They are here.” I mind-linked Aron.

“They haven’t passed us.”

“I believe you, but I can feel them. They are here.” I replied.

I skimmed the rooftops and the hills, looking for any sign of them, until in the corner of my left eye, I saw something flash. But I didn’t turn my head fast, because if I would have, they would have known that I had seen it. So I slowly turned my head, to let them believe I was keeping attention to everything. And then in the corner of my right eye, I saw a flash again.

This time it was closer, but I still didn’t turn my head quickly, to keep them unaware of me knowing that they were here.

But what bothered me, is that they are so fast. Those flashes were either caused by their speed, or from something else. I’m not sure, but I am starting to doubt that they can fly.

Another flash came on the left side, and now Amy had spotted it too. Unfortunately she did flinch her head to the sight of it, and because she did that, suddenly the creature stood right behind her. I could only see a shadow, so I still didn’t know what they looked like. But so far as I can conclude, they look humanoid.

Amy turned her body, as she felt some presence behind her, but the Nightstalker vanished before she could see anything. I saw a little flash, but Amy wasn’t aware of it.

She then turned towards me and scrunched her brows in confusion. I had to stay still though. They mustn’t know that I’m capable of seeing them… teleport? I don’t know what it is they could do, but it wasn’t flying.

So far I had only spotted one, as there were no multiple flashes at the same time, and I was wondering if the capturing was all done by just one of those creatures. I looked at Frida, and she was still focused on her surroundings, but she couldn’t detect the flashes either.

Another flash appeared in the shadow behind Frida, but she wasn’t aware of its presence. It was scouting all the people that were here, while we were waiting for them to attack. The creature was getting arrogant, as he thought that no one could see him or her, and made the mistake to flash even more often.

Then suddenly, I felt the slightest tingle behind me, making the tiniest hairs on my back stand up, notifying me of something behind me.

It was this creature, I’m sure of it.

It came even a little closer, and I could swear that I heard its nose inhale my scent. Probably not the scent of my wolf, but of my blood.

The creature stalked its way even closer, as if my blood was the most delicate thing he had ever tasted. And that was its final mistake. Not only did male wolves underestimate me, but this creature did too.

With the speed of light, I turned myself around, elongated my claws and pinned the creature to the stone wall behind it.

It tried to get away, and it even tried to teleport away as I could see hints of the flashing that it had used before. But I guess it needs to have a clear passage to get away, as its neck is now lodged stuck against the wall and it didn’t leave. Good to know.

The Nightstalker’s skin felt cold to the touch and it felt almost like paper, because it was so dry and brittle, as if I could rip it apart with just a little more friction of my hand. But as we stood in the shadows, I still couldn’t see what it looked like.

It grabbed my arm, trying to get out of my hold, and it was difficult to keep it stuck, but so far I was stronger than this filth. But even though it couldn’t get loose, it never let out a scream, grunt, or a word, to let me know how it felt. I couldn’t detect agony, anger or some arrogance as reaction of me capturing it.

There were still no other flashes to be seen around me, so I dragged the creature out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

“I have captured one.” I said to Aron, and he replied to get to me soon.

Everyone around us gasped, but I told all of them to stay back and stay focused. I still don’t know what this creature is capable off, as I only had seen it teleport and nothing else. Besides, there could be still plenty of others roaming around and I don’t want our warriors to get all distracted now.

This creature, with features I have never seen before was vile to say the least.

He, as I assume it to be a male, had his ears stuck to his head, making his head rounder than usual. His thin dark hair stuck on the top of his skull, as grease from the skin of his head had submerged his hair in it. The rest of his skin, if you can call it that, was indeed dry, and was cracked around his eyes and mouth. But no blood was coming out of any of his ‘wounds’, in fact it just seemed as if there was more dry skin underneath the ruptures.

Furthermore, his eyes were gleaming red, as the moonlight reflected his irises towards me. It was as if you take a picture when using the wrong lighting, people’s eyes then turn red on the developed photo. But I doubt this redness has anything to do with the wrong lighting, I’m guessing that his body needs blood, for it to not have cracks and being able to speak.

Yet, the most vile feeling I got from this creature, were from his teeth.

Each and every single tooth of his, was sharpened into a point. So it wasn’t like any of us humans where we have several nice rows of molars, no, his teeth were all like our canines. His mouth was filled with dangerous sharp fangs that could have ripped my skin open with ease. And if he weren’t to stumble upon an Alpha, it could have easily eaten someone’s flesh.

I looked disgusted at the creatures face, but there was still something off. His teeth wouldn’t have matched the puncture wounds on the wrists of those warriors who got attacked. They would have left a row of punctures, and not just the solid two that I have seen.

And what’s more strange, is that I was capable to capture one of these Nightstalkers. I know I’m stronger than our warriors, but this creature was too weak to stand a challenge against one of them. Why was I the first to capture it? I couldn’t be that much stronger, right? No, it dawned on me, just a second too late, right before Amy screamed her lungs out.

This one is just a decoy.