Chapter eleven
1327 Words
About a week later.
The werewolf:
Like the vampire, the werewolf is one of the oldest occult creatures. Its power of persuasion is as strong as that of the vampire, but it alone can act on the nervous system and the fragile mind of man.
It is a living being capable of transforming into a wolf or whatever comes closest to it. Five species of werewolves are known (Garou): the homid, galbro, crinos, hispo and lupi (lupus in the singular). The homid is the one that comes closest to man, and lupus, the closest to a wolf.
We can often read that the werewolf goes through several phases of mutation, this is a mistake. It necessarily takes only one appearance, because this is one of the five species, it is a genetic law. It cannot be a crinos and lupus at the same time.
Whatever its transformation, in its human form, the werewolf is only recognizable by the excessive brightness of its eyes when it experiences an intense emotion. But the average person is not aware of it.
Contrary to many legends, the werewolf does not involuntarily transmute during a full moon. It chooses the moment of its mutation and the frequency of it. However, in some species of Werewolf, anger, rage or a simple emotional shock can cause them to transform, without their controlling it. This is usually when they are the most dangerous.
When in human form, the werewolf is endowed with exceptional strength that is only matched by that of vampires. Like them, it can move at a tremendous speed.
Even though the werewolf is an extraordinary creature, it is still mortal. A serious injury or an accident could be fatal. However, it does not contract any disease. This is why its life is often very long and it is not uncommon for it to exceed a hundred years.
Werewolves can mate with each other, even if they do not belong to the same species of werewolves. But it is improbable that such a union could give rise to offspring. If despite everything, a case was to exist, the child would be endowed with atrocious deformities and would probably have no chance of survival. However, it will be possible for werewolves to have Garou descendants with a companion of the same species.
It is conceivable that a werewolf could mate with a human being. If a child is born from this union, it might not be a werewolf. In this case, the half-breed child would have no possible Garou offspring, unless it mated with a werewolf.
Lupus:
Lupus is the most successful form of the werewolf. After its transformation, it's the one that comes closest to the common wolf form, even though it's two and a half times the size. It also has all the sensory attributes—olfactory and auditory. The acuity of its senses is, moreover, much higher than that of the other four forms of a werewolf.
The colour of its coat and its size differ depending on the individual. Its human spirit never leaves it. Even after its transformation, like hispo, lupus continues to think like a human being, which is not the case with the other three species. This makes it particularly dominant when encountering a pack of common wolves.
Whether in its human form or that of a wolf, lupus is always a being of great beauty. Its eyes are bright and can change colour to yellow when it becomes a wolf. If it wants, lupus can exert on human beings a power of seduction close to hypnosis. It can also control gestures and emotions...
I stopped there. It was too much. What a load of nonsense! I had been reading this damn book for over half an hour and I still couldn't understand how people could swallow all these stories. Gwen, Stephanie and the author seemed so convinced by the existence of werewolves, vampires and other monsters and wonders... It was appalling. What could make them swallow such nonsense? We had to feel alone in the world... and even if, today specifically, this was my case, I would never go to console myself behind incredulous beliefs. I almost felt sorry for them, the world we lived in was complicated enough without adding a layer to it.
Of course, I was wide awake. Instead of wasting my time, I should have gone to bed right away! I slammed the book closed and threw it on the floor. I seriously regretted not having bought The Perfume, as I had initially decided. Annoyed, I grabbed my smartphone to check my emails. Empty. I clicked on new message and started a spicy letter to Kaley.
Kaley,
Can I ask why you haven’t checked in yet? You haven't replied to any of my messages for several days! Where the hell are you?
No, I couldn't send that to her...
Kaley,
It's eleven o'clock, and I'm in a terrible mood. I would have liked to read your email, but presumably, you’ve deserted your pc! Again!
No, not that either...
Kaley,
I'm rusting... I swear, I'm rusting.
I haven't been out of this house for at least a week. I’m doomed to read nutty books on the monsters that haunt our countryside! (Yes, I only have that...) My parents and May came back from Helmsdale today and the whole time I had no car (Millie was in Inverness). They had a good idea to stay with my great aunt to eat freshly caught salmon. It's the season...
Pff... luckily I have this damn phone...
I can imagine you already laughing... I wish I could see you now! You have everything you want at hand, while I have nothing to do. And that's my luck, Jacob is still at Ross and Cromarty with his dad, and Gwen, the girl I met, isn't available most nights.
Argh... No, but you realize I'm going to be eighteen tomorrow and I’m stuck here? I'm pissed off, I wanted to party with you, and instead... Damn! I’ll stop talking about it, it annoys me too much.
Anyway... I'm worried about May. Before they left for Helmsdale, my dad and her had a big argument. He told her that he wanted her to move into a retirement home. She took it very badly, you can imagine. Suddenly, I got involved too, my father didn't like it. I glared at him, yelled at him that he had no right to act like a dictator. Imagine his face... Since then, back to normal... They have agreed to think about another solution. They refused mine. We'll see. I'm still willing to stay, even though I hate the damn place! (Yes, I know what you think about it, but it's about my grandmother.)
And just to end this email in style...
I’ve been hesitant to tell you something for a while, I’m afraid you’ll think I’m crazy... Never mind, I’ll go for it.
I saw Elgin Sutherland again.
Something very strange happened with him, which I still can’t understand... (Don’t you dare laugh, okay?)
We were both on top of a lighthouse (yes, May had decided that I had to go with her), and suddenly his eyes sparkled, like fireworks!
Alright, forget it... even I had a hard time believing it. I must be completely nuts.
There's at least one thing I'm pretty sure about. He likes me. And me? Well, obviously! But, I'm not sure I'll see him again. I don’t think I’m going back to that lighthouse, I'm not going to chase after him, anyway! It's not my style... I'm not used to it. You know, me and the boys, this makes two, unfortunately... And this one, he's so mysterious... He intrigues me.
I'm going to bed, I'm getting tired.
Good night,
Scarlett.
- Writer
