Page 2

Lilac’s fur stood on end as she processed the sobering information. Surely this had to be a mistake, a wrong identity, maybe a cruel prank. Lilac rubbed her tingling wrists where the cuffs had irritated her skin. She noticed a shade of pink rising to the surface under the thinner fur where the metal had dug into her.

     “I don’t- I think there’s been some kind of mistake.” She choked out an incredulous laugh, her heart jumping up into her throat. “I don’t remember how I got here, but I’m not a werewolf.”

     Teddy ignored the comment. “A university student saw you through your window and assumed you were having a seizure. Emergency services had to restrain and sedate you. MRI's and blood work showed nothing. There was significant rabies concern." Teddy pressed a finger to her lips in recollection, "When your convulsions persisted and the tests came back negative they had to resort to a spinal tap for Lycanthropic cerebrospinal cells. It came out positive.” Lilac became acutely aware of an uncomfortable ache at the base of her neck. "We were called shortly thereafter… several days ago. We are from the Werewolf Rehabilitation center."

      Henna sighed, “Up until, well, now it’s only been found in wolves. It's rare as is. We're just glad you made it.” Something solemn flitted over her amber eyes and Lilac felt her limbs grow cold at the implication, "The condition doesn't normally affect… breeds like you." Henna made an inch gesture with her large hand as if that would explain the conundrum.

     Lilac’s mind chased Henna's words in circles, her hands gripped the metal railing until she was certain her fingers were going numb. “You said it only affects purebred wolves?” She cast a look down at her own small frame draped in a hospital gown. ”I'm from Koinu. My mom and my brothers…we're all shibas.” Lilac said slowly. She hated this part. "I'm… only half-wolf… on my dad's side…”

     “Hell, I knew you were a wolf the moment you open your eyes. As for the rest of ya, well," Henna gestured vaguly in Lilac's direction before putting her fists on her hips; shaking her head in disbelief, "They have about as much in common as bones and beans. Guess that makes you…a weredog? Wereshibe?” Henna gave a hearty laugh that reverberated off the walls, shooting Teddy a glance. She did not share in her enthusiasm.

     Teddy placed a manila folder in Lilac's shaking grip. Lilac didn't miss the way Henna's laughter died in her throat as Teddy began to clarify, "It's a mutation, not unlike cancer or other diseases which disrupt cellular division." Both Lilac and Henna grimaced at the comparison. Undeterred, she continued. “Lycanthropy can manifest as spontaneous growth in your muscles and bones. For many, it triggers blackout periods of aggression and impulsivity.”

     The color drained from Lilac's face as she scanned its contents. Photos of a room that had been absolutely destroyed. Furniture and appliances were adorned with thick claw marks. Her clothes were strewn around the floor, some nothing more than scraps. Even the walls were gashed as though an axe had been taken to them. It was her dorm.

     Henna grimaced, and Teddy let out a soft sigh through her nose. As soon as she regained enough of her senses to speak, words started falling from her mouth. “This isn’t happening.” She shook her head violently, the hair on her arms stood on ends as the papers from from her grip and scattered along the floor. "I can't… I can't afford to fix this… I…" The shock stunned her in place. Despair plastered itself across her eyes, so tangible it felt like a slap to the face.

Henna held both arms out and brought them down slowly, gesturing for Lilac to stay calm.

     "Your School has already been altered to the situation," Henna placed a hand on her hip, shifting her weight. "You'll be put on medical leave and probably be able to return in the spring."

     Before Lilac could ruminate on the months of time between then and now, Henna mused aloud. "It’ll be interesting having a shiba patient, at least."

     “Wait, 'patient'?” Lilac mumbled quietly, gripping the sheets and swallowing the lump in her throat. "What do you mean?"

"Werewolves undergoing treatment are provided limited legal immunity and liability insurance coverages from their actions while shifted," Teddy recited, "should you decline, you will likely be charged with the property damage you inflicted, as well as public disturbance," She sighed through her nose as she continued, "Additionally, untreated werewolves present a unique societal risk akin to that of a feral case. If left untreated you may become a risk to yourself or others. While the decision is yours, I cannot recommend otherwise."

     Not much of a choice, Lilac thought solemly. Teddy's words were impassive and factual. There was no room for misinterpretation.

I don't know who's scarier between the two of them…

     An aggressive cough broke the uncomfortable silence that followed.

     "That's… right. Though I was trying to find a gentler way of putting it," Henna leveled a glare at her coworker, who seemed unphased by the attention. Even though there was no heat to the scowl, Lilac shifted uncomfortably in her hospital bed. Noticing the discomfort, Henna forced her gaze to soften as she spoke slowly. "It's our job to show you how to keep that beast under control. Look, kid, I know a whole building full of us wolves probably sounds scary, but we're all talk. And, like it or not… you're one of us now. We're gonna do everything we can to help you through this, okay?"

     Despite Henna's words, Lilac's attention was locked on the collie standing before her. “I apologize for my brashness. The value of commiseration is not lost on me." The border collie woman gracefully stepped forward in front of her disgruntled coworker. She moved to exchange the folder in Lilac's hands for a clipboard. Lilac felt warmth in her cheeks as she took the pen. "I will personally make sure you receive the best care we can provide.”

     With no other options, Lilac felt the pen crack slightly in her small hands. She signed her name on the dotted line. Teddy gave a softened smile as she took the paperwork back.

Suddenly stunned by a flare of pain, Lilac sat wide eyed at the edge of the bed. Lifting her arm felt like a war, bones and joints audibly creaking. Methodically, Teddy removed the IV in her arm, applying a band-aid. Distantly, someone muttered the word "wheelchair". Lilac fought to find the strength to respond, but her head was spinning so fast her ears were ringing.

     The bars along the bed were lowered and the second Lilac's feet touched linoleum, the pain swelled again. The two other women watched her knowingly. How many times had they been called to this room to give someone the worst news of their life?

     How many of those patients never left this room?

     “Clench your wrist for me, please.” Lilac couldn’t suppress her whimper, repeating the motion twice more. Teddy’s slender hands loosely gripped around Lilac's forearm, feeling the muscles as they flexed. Although Lilac was a couple inches shorter, her body was easily twice as thick. "It seems you're doing much better. The soreness should be gone in a day or so at this rate."

Better? Lilac wanted to scoff. She felt as though she'd been hit by a truck, and backed over for good measure. Surely the pain she felt couldn’t be considered an impressive recovery by any means. 

"To heal broken bones in three days is quite the biological feat. One of the few perks of lycanthropy is advanced healing and pain nullification." She placed a fresh pair of clothes in Lilac's hands before heading towards the door, languidly musing aloud. "Likely a biologic response to endure shifting. Otherwise the shock alone would have killed you."

     "B-bones? Which bones did I break?" That caught Lilac's attention.

    Teddy yawned behind her fist, "All of them."

      As Teddy and Henna left Lilac to change, the room fell quiet as the the heavy door clicked shut behind them. Only the faint electrical buzzing from the heavy monitors around her. Lilac let the silence wash over her, opting to stare down at her own hands. She watched her small claws glint in the light, some part of her wondered how they might've looked tearing into drywall. Her body looked the same, but something within her felt deeply disturbed, as though the floor was no longer level beneath her.

    Inevitably, she pushed herself up with gritted teeth. A plastic bag on the counter catching her attention. At a glance it was everything that had been in her pockets only a few short days ago. When everything was different. Wincing, she clambered over to it. Her wallet, a few pencils, a candy bar wrapper and her phone. Despite a sizeable crack down the center, her phone powered on. 4 missed calls from Mom, one from Arlo and two from Max. None from dad. She held the phone in her hands and watched the two percent charge on her phone fall to zero. The screen went back.

     The thought of her family quickly turned into another matter altogether. A voice in the back of her mind growled.

     What will they think? What will they say? Will they still love you?

     Her grip tightened around the phone as she stared vacantly forward. The metal bent slightly in her grip and the crack widened.

     You didn’t even know what to tell them before this.

     She shook her head roughly. She could already feel her hands shaking, and she needed to get dressed.

     Looking at the clothes Teddy had left made her nauseous. For a long moment, she just held them up and stared at them. She stole a glance at the discarded clothes the staff likely cut off her body sometime in her coma. A snapped bra. A shredded shirt, pants torn straight down the seam.

You're dangerous.

     She slid her arms through the sleeves, the fabric lightly catching on several bandages from where they had repeatedly sedated her. 

     It almost wasn’t enough.

     She slipped into the oversized gray sweats and a teal blue tee that sagged off her shoulders. They were probably preparing her for the inevitable. She’d never met a werewolf, but what she heard was never kind. They were people to be avoided, they were monsters to be feared. They were the reason you lock your doors at night.

     They don’t know why you're like this. 

     Her tears flowed freely, her gaze fixed on a blank spot on the wall. Her hands continued to move. Her thoughts continued to eat her alive.

     You could hurt someone.

     She clenched her jaw until it ached.

     You could kill someone.

     Her grip tightened until she felt claws digging into her arm. Her gaze held vacantly to the floor as she began to fold in on herself.

     You're a mons-

     The sounds of a knock at the door stole her focus, Teddy had arrived with a wheelchair. Her head tilted slightly at Lilac, silently asking if she was okay.

     Lilac blinked and ran a hand over her face, surprised to feel that she’d been crying. She grabbed for some sort of assurance to tell the other woman she was okay, but couldn’t find the words. She settled for a soft smile and a thumbs up.

     Lilac kicked at her feet as Teddy approached with the wheelchair, her sweats puddled at her feet. She glanced back to the large bed and metal cuffs that had sat loosely around her arms and the muzzle several sizes too big. She tried to keep the smile on her face as she gritted through asking,“You were here when I was first admitted? Right?" Teddy nodded once.

      "Was all of this… necessary?" She pulled at her oversized shirt as she as asked the question, but the truth was, she had seen the photographs. She knew the answer.

     Lilac could feel Teddy considering her response as she motioned for her to get in the wheelchair, offering an outstretched hand Lilac hesitantly took. Despite Teddy's thin frame, her grip was unwaveringly firm. Teddy was taller by a few inches, which made Lilac's baggy clothes look even more ridiculous on her by comparison.

     “While one of my jobs is to keep a meticulous record of the particular quirks of your situation, your patient files would provide the most apt recounting."

      "Will I at least know when it's about to happen?" Lilac frowned.

     "Likely," Teddy replied. rolling her wrist, searching for an explanation, "Most patients report some sensation before they shift. Reports vary greatly between individuals."

     Lilac released a sigh as she lowered her gaze. She looked back up when she felt a hand gently touching her shoulder.

     "Don't worry 'bout it, hon," Henna assured. "You'll know it when it happens." Her warm words offered little comfort.

     The heavy metal doors of the containment unit slammed shut behind them as they left. Henna pushed her wheelchair, and Teddy languidly walked along side her. Lilac turned her damaged phone over in her lap.

     "Do you have a call to make?" Henna asked from over her shoulder, her gruff voice dipped with concern, "You can use the hospital phone."

     Lilac whetted her lips, pausing to consider the offer. She tilted her head up in an attempt at a smile. "No. All good."

     As they continued their leave, It was impossible to miss the way the nurses and patients looked at Henna. It made something in Lilac’s chest twinge in recollection.

     The woman practically towered overhead, but out of the corner of her eye, Lilac could see Henna’s grip on the wheelchair was relaxed. Dogs of all types, hounds, workers, even some small breeds. But a wolf? One tall enough for her ears to graze the tops of the doorways?

     As they walked through the hospital a noxious silence trailed them, preceeded and followed by a clamor of hushed words of worry and whispers between passerbys. Some pointedly loud enough to reach them.

     It was like watching a moving game of telephones. Eventually, a frazzled nurse approached, a Dalmatian. Every visible part of her was covered in dark brown spots. Despite her nervousness, there was conviction in her eyes as she pointedly avoided looking at Henna and instead approached Teddy. “Ma’am, all patients in this wing must be wearing their muzzle and approved restraints! It’s protocol. Surely you are aware of this.”

     As she spoke, a hand held a muzzle to her face. She was keeping her distance.

     Lilac shrunk impossibly further into herself, shame made her limbs grow cold and tears prick at her eyes. Teddy made no move to respond.

     “Our patient is not contagious, as we’ve already explained.” From behind her, Lilac could hear Henna’s grip on the wheelchair grips tighten. “We are fully in control of this situation.”

     Although the nurse flinched as Henna spoke, she continued to look at Teddy, waiting for a response, her eyebrow arched

expectantly.

     Finally, Teddy spoke, “Ms. Kimberlite’s condition is stable. As her tamer I can confirm that restraints would be counter productive to her condition. Thank you for the concern, but we ask you allow us to pass.”

     Lilac’s ear perked up. She’s my what?

     The Dalmatian crossed her arms, looking Teddy up and down before giving a passive glance to Lilac and Henna, appraising the situation. Eventually she gave a dismissive hum before resigning back to her duties.

A taunting mantra crawled its way up her spine and whispered from the back of her mind.

     They know.

     Lilac felt a prickling in the fur on her arms and neck. Although she forced her gaze back down into her lap, the oppressive glares had eventually found their way to her.

     They know you’re a freak.

      By the time they had reached the automatic doors, Lilac’s teeth were gritted so tight she distantly wondered if she might break a tooth. But she couldn't stop thinking about their glares.

     They know you’re-

     "Your clothing will be provided, but do you want to swing through your place to pick anything up beforehand?" Henna asked, adjusting the rear view mirror.

     "No." She mumbled as they pulled away from the Hospital. She stared out at the entrance way to the Feral Unit before closing her eyes, wishing nothing more than for this all to have been a dream.

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