Chapter 6: A Startling Discovery
381words
"What was that?"
"Nothing that concerns you," he said quickly, his body tensing.
Another groan, louder this time, followed by what sounded like furniture scraping across the floor.
I stood up, wincing as I put weight on my injured ankle. "Someone's in pain. I can help—"
"Sit down," he ordered, his voice taking on a strange quality I'd heard in the forest. "You can't help with this."
But I was already hobbling toward the door, my instinct to help overriding my better judgment. "I have medical training as part of my fieldwork certification. At least let me—"
I pushed the door open before he could stop me, and froze at the threshold.
A young man lay on a bed, his body contorted in obvious agony. But what made my breath catch wasn't his pain—it was what was happening to his body. Before my eyes, patches of thick, dark fur were appearing and disappearing on his skin, his fingers elongating into claws before retracting again, his features shifting between human and... something else.
"Oh my God," I whispered, my scientific mind struggling to process what I was seeing.
Forest Man grabbed my arm, pulling me back. When I looked up at him, his eyes had changed again—brilliant gold, wild and dangerous.
"I told you to stay away," he growled, and there was something inhuman in his voice.
But instead of fear, I felt a surge of fascination. "He's transforming," I said, my voice steady despite my racing heart. "Like a werewolf."
The word hung in the air between us. His grip on my arm tightened, then relaxed as he saw I wasn't panicking.
"You should be screaming by now," he said, studying my face with confusion. "Running away."
I looked back at the young man on the bed, then at the herbs Forest Man had been preparing. My mind made connections rapidly, years of scientific training clicking into place.
"The herbs—they're to ease the transformation, aren't they? That's why you're using aconite derivatives. They're affecting his nervous system somehow." I turned back to him, excitement overriding fear. "You're treating his symptoms, but not very effectively. I might be able to help."
