Sam, like all the other University students, was stressing about midterms and everything else that was going on around campus. So stressed that he had not been keeping track of the moon. He had felt it coming, but he was sure he had another day. He was wrong though. As the sun began descending a pain gripped his stomach, that's where it all started. He was changing and he hadn't even taken his wolf's bane potion yet. "Fuck," he got up scrambling from his desk and looked frantically for his potions he had stored away. He knocked almost everything off his desk with no luck and began searching with shaking hands through the rest of his room. Clothes, CDs, and everything else were flung around the room as he frantically searched.

By the time he found what he was looking for, it was too late. The change had already started. He needed to get outside before he lost control. Running like a mad man, he left his door completely open. With the blue potion still clenched in his hand tightly he hit the parking lot and ran straight for the woods, shedding his shirt as he ran.

He dropped to the ground, writhing in pain as another jolt ripped through him. His bones were changing, his body was turning on him. His spine curved painfully and he howled in pain, gripping at the ground, dirt grinding in his nails. The painful transformation was almost over. Fangs sprouted out of his gums, fur grew all over his body. One last howl and he shook his wolf body. It was over now but he was let loose without anything to hold him back.

The wolf trotted through the woods, sniffing out for something to eat. That was he thing when he turned, he couldn't eat enough. Prancing along the path he caught sent of a rabbit and chased it down. He spent a good while hunting the rabbit, playing, almost teasing it before he grew tired of the chase. He had been in the middle of enjoying the tasty rabbit when something else caught his nose, something much more interesting. With fresh blood still smattering the fur around his face he got up and followed the path of the scent until he saw the girl sitting on a rock.

The wolf watched her for a while before brazenly stepping out of the dark shadows and looking at her hungrily. His yellow eyes gleamed in the light of the full moon and he licked his lips.

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Tatum was doing anything but paying any real attention. She was pretty used to the woods, even the deeper parts that Apple had shown her, and she was pretty confident that she smoke break wasn't going to be interrupted. Once you got a good reliable spot, you could pretty much use it over and over, so long as no one caught onto you. Having the watch teams trudging around the woods was making her more nervous, like people could pop up at any moment, but she was pretty sure no one was on patrol tonight.

She was distracted with fixing a run in the side of the joint, licking the tip of her finger and dampening the edge of the paper, completely focused on the task at hand. It was only after a few moments that she snapped out of it and noticed the wolf stepping out toward her. "W-Whoa," she gasped automatically, taking in just the size of the thing. It was huge beside her, and she was immediately feeling uncomfortable at the look it was giving her.

Normally an animal person, and still trying to stay calm in face of peril, the redhead swallowed thickly. "Good wolf, uhm.. n-nice wolf," she got out, though she was slowly pushing herself to stand up from the rock. Her joint was crushed out between her thumb and finger, before she stuffed it into the pocket of her parka. She would find somewhere else to smoke, this was weird. Wolves weren't supposed to be so forward, totally unprovoked, and anything acting out of normal was never a good sign.

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He was totally untame. Without his poppa wolf around to keep him in line he was volatile and everything was a meal.

A deep growl erupted from the wolf as he started padding toward the girl, baring his teeth. He was huge, much bigger than any typical wolf. He jumped on the rock and snapped at the girl. It would be fun to toy with her, let her run a little before really digging in.

He started circling her slowly, blooding dripping from the fur around his snout.

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Tatum was still unsure with her movements, but she had just barely gotten off of the rock before the wolf was advancing on her and snarling and snapping, getting a little shriek out of her as she stumbled back. She was never really great on her feet, always feeling sort of awkward and slouchy, and she was definitely far from in shape, but this was more or less a run or be eaten situation. Without much choice, she started running, mostly blind.

There were branches and things whipping against her face, but she just squinted her eyes shut and booked it, hoping not to trip over anything. If she tripped, it was probably over. She was just going to be the next school tragedy, maybe they would have a vigil or something. That was a thought, a hall full of strangers bawling and crying over her grotesque death, and asking their friends 'who was this girl again?' when no one was looking. It was enough to keep her running.

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The wolf thrived on her terror, almost drinking it in. He followed behind her, snapping at her heels just to keep her going and growling. He let out a loud, vicious howl, tearing apart the peace of the night. He could hear her terrified breathing, the way she barreled through the forest in panic. He had her just where he wanted her but he would keep up the chase for just a bit longer, riding out the hunger for a little longer. He knew the terrain well enough, it was familiar to him even with his wolf eyes.

He snapped at her jeans, catching a little of the fabric in his teeth this time and tearing the fabric. He was just that much closer.

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She normally spent a fair bit of time in the woods, but tonight, it might as well have been a minefield. She hit her toes painfully on a rock or something as she was practically jumping over it, just barely ducking a branch that ended up scratching across her cheek anyway. She could feel the wolf just behind her, hearing the heavy feet padding just a pace short of reaching her.

Feeling the catch of teeth on her jeans was enough to send her into even more of a blind panic, another little scream escaping her. She tried to move faster, but she just felt more clumsy, like this was it. She had to be coming to the edge of the trees soon, but it still felt like forever away. There was no way she was going to make it without getting devoured before then.

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His heart was pounding hard, he could smell blood on the air and the playing was over. He needed to catch her soon before he lost his meal. When he had snapped at her, it had been too early. The panic set in, somehow driving them faster through the woods. He didn't know if he would be able to catch her before they got out of the trees but at that point it didn't matter. In the woods or in the open, she was marked.

The trees were becoming more sparsely spread apart and the ground was more even as if they were on well tread terrain. It almost gave him a boost in energy, causing him to let out a terrifying howl in his own excitement.

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This was it, she decided promptly. She was going to die, probably within the next thirty to forty seconds. Any second, she was sure that she would feel teeth sinking into her neck. When she burst through the edge of the trees, it was like a breath of fresh air as she was freed from the oppressive cover of the forest, and the ground was better for running, but the parking lot still seemed like it was way too far off. That was if there was even anyone in the parking lot, and if there was, it was only any good if they even decided to help her. How many people were going to jump in between her and a monster like that? She was toast.

She could run for her life all the way there, and then just have it deserted anyway, another possibility. There was no way she was making it all of the way back inside of university house unscathed, but she could try. Just the sound of the howl was enough to make her shiver, but she just kept trying to keep going, ignoring the painful stitch developing in her side and the way that it felt like her lungs were going to burst from lack of oxygen. She wasn't cut out for all of this dashing in terror stuff, it was why hiding was her usual default position.

Reaching the edge of the asphalt, she felt a bit better as her sneakers slapped against the hard ground instead of slipping through the grass and frost like they had been doing, but she knew that the wolf was still just as close, practically breathing down her neck. Which probably looked quite delicious.

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The wolf knew he was loosing her and he just wouldn't have it. He lunged forward once his paws hit the asphalt, rocketing into her legs at full speed and knocking her clear to the ground. He stood over her for a moment in triumph. It was as if he were gloating. He padded forward slowly until his bared teeth could reach his neck. He bent down to sniff his catch, grazing her skin with his sharp teeth. He lifted his head skyward and howled.

His swung his face down, ready to bite and rip.

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Leland had been staying late in the crafting lab to study and practice a few techniques with melding wood and metals. It was dangerous and not to mention hard to study at the apartment with Eddie running around and throwing Legos at him so when midterms were so close he made sure to spend more time on campus. It had been a long night and he just wanted to get home so finally he turned in for the night and headed for the parking lot. With his backpack full and some scrap metal in his pockets he walked toward the car. It was kind of spooky out, a little dark, a little to quiet until something ripped through the air. Screaming, then howling, then more screaming. It was getting closer.

Most people on campus would run for the aurors office or try to call for help but there was something in Leland that was dedicated to chivalry so he dropped his backpack and ran as fast as he could toward the source of the screaming to see a giant wolf tackling Tatum. "What the fuck?!" he hollered.

The wolf howled up at the sky and started to lunge. Leland knew he needed to get it off the girl so he lunged, a piece of the scrap metal in his hand. He aimed for the face and neck, cutting the wolf deeply. It yelped and backed away. The silver in Leland's hand was steaming. "The fuuuck," he stood over Tatum protectively, shoving the knife at the slowly retreating wolf. "Get the fuck outta here!" he hollered.

The wolf backed off slowly then disappeared into the woods. Leland sighed in relief then turned back to the redhead on the ground. "You okay?" he asked holding his hand to help her up.

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Once she was down on the ground, most of the fight went out of her. She tried to put her hands up to cover her face, trying in vain to protect herself, but the wolf was just too heavy and too strong. She could barely move, and she was sure that it was over, she could smell the blood on it's breath, and it was surely going to just take one big chomp and take her whole head off..

But then all of a sudden, she could get air again, the wolf wasn't on top of her anymore. She gasped for breath, feeling better with the weight literally lifted off of her, and the sharp rows of teeth out of her face. Hearing it yelp, she finally opened her eyes up to see what was going on around her, just in time to see the animal retreating reluctantly back toward the way they had come. When Leland yelled, she jumped, and felt her eyes beginning to well up with tears.

She was terrified, but she was alive, it was something.

In all honesty, she had been planning her last wishes, her last thoughts. She had been trying to think about Mack, about Sera and her parents, trying to remember all of their faces before she left the mortal coil. But now that she was okay, she was just plain shaken. She stared up at Leland's offered hand, only just realizing who it was. "U-Uh huh.. I mean, I g-guess so," she managed to get out, sounding choked up as she reluctantly accepted his hand finally.

They didn't normally get along so well, he frankly scared the crap out of her, but he was Mack's friend.. and he did save her life. She would be a bloody mess on the pavement right now if he hadn't come along, and she owed him her thanks, even if she was intimidated just by standing beside him. She searched for words, but all that came out was some surprisingly high-pitched crying.

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Leland stared at her dumbfounded for a while and clapped her on the shoulder. "Come on now, yer all right," he said awkwardly. "Just... come on, I'll walk you home er... to Mack's." Yeah. Mack. Mack would know what to do. He adjusted his baseball cap and fumbled for the right thing to say.

"Come on nerd, just... take a deep breath," he was still holding her shoulders awkwardly.

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Tatum almost stumbled a little again when he clapped her on the shoulder, he probably hadn't meant for it to be so heavy but her legs were shaking and she was already normally so weak. She peered up helplessly at him, trying to keep her lower lip from trembling. "P-Please," she agreed weakly. "Mack's, I wanna go to M-Mack."

She didn't even flinch when he called her a nerd, something that usually made her face flush like a tomato because it usually got Hunter laughing too if she was around, but just turned her head away a little instead. "What was.. w-what was that? Is it g-gonna die? I mean did y-you.."

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He winced when she stumbled, perhaps he had been a little too rough on her. There was something unnerving about the whole thing, aside from the attack. Seeing girls crying, especially a girl like Tatum, was just... he couldn't deal with it. He nodded and gently started guiding her toward University house, his arm around her waist for support.

"It was a big damn wolf," he said, looking down at the silver still in his hand. Had it really been smoking earlier? He couldn't even imagine that there was a werewolf on campus, not with everything else that was happening. "I put a hurtin' on him but he aint gonna die. Not tonight anyways," he said darkly. "What the hell were you doing out here alone?" he asked suddenly.

"I mean... I don't wanna be hearing Mack blubber like a little bitch when you get hurt," he said trying to quickly cover up anything that could be taken for a soft side.

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"T-That's what I thought," Tatum whimpered back, feeling a chill. There was nothing normal about that wolf, it definitely wasn't some run of the mill wolf just hanging out in the forest. It had been out for blood, but it didn't seem rabid. Almost calculated, like it was.. messing with her. But that couldn't be. Or she at least didn't want to think that it was.

She was slightly rigid against the arm around her, but she did feel a bit reassured. Taking a nervous glance behind them, as if she expected to see that they were being followed, she turned back around and looked away before she answered him. "Uhm," she murmured slowly. "J-Just smoking, I.. I always go back there. L-Like every day, I never-- that n-never happened before," she tried to explain, trailing off. Getting it all out wasn't easy. This was, really, the most that she had ever talked to Leland one-on-one. She felt stupid explaining anyway, since she knew she should have known better. School wasn't safe anymore, that was why they had the watch groups she was so upset about after all.

"S-She probably would blubber," Tatum sighed finally, trying to crack a smile but not quite getting there. She sniffled a little. More than anything, she just wanted to see the older girl. "Don't t-tell her I said so though."

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"Mighta been something wrong with it," he said looking forward. "Did it bite you? Scratch you?" he asked gently. "Fuck, I never seen one that big before," he shook his head. He just hoped there wasn't more of them out in the woods. That would be a nightmare.

"Well next time come out with someone, aight?" he asked trying to keep his voice cool like he didn't give a damn. "Just 'bout anyone round here would be willing to smoke with you if you just asked. No need to put yourself at risk..." That's when he looked up at the sky and noticed the moon. "Fuck..." It had to be full or close to it.

Leland cracked a little grin. "I wont' even tell her you were stupid enough to go out in the woods by yourself," he said putting his finger to his lips.

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"Yeah.. m-maybe it was sick," Tatum offered back weakly, hoping it was true though she generally never wished any harm on any woodland critters. It being sick was better than it just being.. awful. If it was sick, it wasn't really the wolf's fault. Or so she reasoned.

"Uhm, n-not really.. I'm k-kinda sore, but I don't think it like.. actually got me," she explained. She felt like a train had hit her, her clothes were sort of ruined, and there were twigs and junk tangled in her hair, but there didn't seem to be any mass amounts of blood or anything. Just a few cuts on her face from high-tailing it through the underbrush in the forest.

"W-Who's gonna smoke with me? I-- well, I guess.. other nerds," she trailed off again, following Leland's eyes up to the moon and feeling a shiver traveling down her spine. It was still totally full, illuminating the grounds in a light glow. "C-Crazy moon," she commented softly, "You d-don't think it was a.. well, y'know, l-like a werewolf. R-Right? That's silly.."

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"You're fuckin' lucky kid," he said gruffly, giving her a once over to make sure there was no blood she wasn't seeing. He was pleased with his findings. "Yeah, yer prolly gonna be feelin' like hell in the mornin'. That damn thing pinned you good. You hit your head when you fell?" he asked, consciously trying to keep the gruff tone in his voice. "We can prolly clean you up no problem once we get to Mack."

"Fuck kid, I'll smoke with you so long as I don't have to deal with a weepy as Mack if your ass gets killed," he smiled over at her teasingly.

Her comment about the moon had him tensing up a bit. It had been exactly what he had been thinking but he couldn't admit it. "Don't be silly girl," he said darkly. "Aint no weres here," though he wasn't sure if he believed it or not. "Just... you gotta watch out for yourself a little better."

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"Just a little bit.. I m-mean, I kind of got a headache, but I think I'm fine," Tatum replied slowly, feeling better as they were getting closer and closer to the university dormitories. She wished that she had never left there in the first place, just staying in and studying like she was meant to do would have prevented the entire ordeal. "Y-Yeah, Mack'll know what to do.. or s-she'll get Kia, I dunno."

She felt sort of awkward about having to go to Kia to be fixed up, but it was her or doing it herself. Visiting Doctor Lisi would probably involve explaining why she had wandered out into the woods, alone, when there were known dangers lurking in the shadows. She had done this to herself. "I'll keep that in m-mind.. but she weeps how she weeps, I d-don't try to make her weepy," she laughed weakly back.

Feeling reassured once he shot down her worries, she nodded solemnly. "You're r-right, that is silly.. if there were like, w-werewolves, we'd probably know. They have to t-tell you that stuff, right?" she murmured. "Looking after myself was n-never my strong point. I think I'm uhm, like a s-sucker for punishment sometimes."

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"At least take some Advil er somethin'" he shrugged a bit. He wanted to get her inside quick, there was no telling what else was out there or if that giant fucking wolf would come back with reinforcements. He just couldn't let himself believe that there was more than one of them. "Get some ice on it too," he added.

He snorted even though he had been trying to fight it. "It'd be like watchin' a grown ass man weep," he laughed gently.

"Yeah, Sato would be crazy not to tell us about that shit," he nodded. "He's all about the safety or whatever. I'll just... report this to him tomorrow. He probably don't even know about it," he nodded, more reassured than before. "I think we're all kinda suckers for punishment sometimes," he admitted grinning.

"You know... for a nerd, you aint so bad."

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"Y-Yeah, I probably h-have some.. uhm, m-might as well smoke a j-joint too. Me, y-you and the lady? I mean, it.. b-basically fixes every a-ailment," she replied quietly, looking down a little as they walked closer to the dormitory still. "Ice'd be nice, I h-hide an icepack right under my hat," she suggested, cracking a little smile.

Her smile only widened a bit at the thought of Mack crying, even if she felt it would be an awful thing to see. Just the idea of the girl letting down her walls enough to weep was laughable, so she just had to, shaking her head slowly. "Yeah, a g-giant man baby," she murmured.

"Sato w-would definitely tell us. Right? I m-mean that's.. I dunno. He'd h-handle it however. It had to be s-something unregistered, or.. I d-dunno. Someone should j-just do something. Without, uhm, hurting it.. I guess. It's n-not really his fault.. or uhm, her, I guess. I don't know."

When Leland said she wasn't so bad, she froze a bit, searching his face quickly for some kind of sarcasm. Deciding he looked genuine, she managed a relieved smile. "Uh, t-thanks. I guess. F-For like, saving me and.. stuff, too."

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