HOME | DD

Description
"Greg!" I gasped racing toward the café. No, not again, I thought. I couldn't stop myself from imagining what had happened to him. I nearly had myself in tears when I burst through the doors.

Several cops turned to stare at me along with Greg who was being questioned.
"Greg…" I squeaked. "I was afraid…" Relief washed over me along with the sickening realization that I'd made a fool of myself.
Greg gave me a crooked smile. "I'm fine Wren, can't say the same for Scott though."
"What happened?"
Greg looked at the officer who had been taking notes.  "We've got all we need." He answered allowing Greg to come to my side.
"It's the weirdest thing." He muttered. "Scott went out back to toss the trash and found some guy sleeping in the dumpster. He went to run him off and the guy jumped up and bit the crap out of his arm. They took him off in an ambulance just a little while ago. I didn't think a person could pull a hunk out of anybody like that."
My stomach twisted. "Will he be alright?"
Greg nodded. "Oh yeah, they are going to slap some stitches in him and he'll be back on his feet. It's probably the worst first day any of our employees has ever had."
"Have they caught the guy?"
He shook his head. "No, I just finished giving them a description, I only saw him for a second as he was running away though."
"Was he Asian with a tattoo?" I blurted out.
Greg frowned. "No, the guy I saw was more likely a runaway than Yakuza."
"Oh, right…" My voice nearly dropped off, so Hunter wasn't to blame. Why was he here then?
"So…" He started sounding a bit more upbeat suddenly. "What's the word?"
I took me a moment to remember why I had come to begin with. "Oh! Right. My dad gave me the okay."
A smile spread across his face. "Awesome!"
I smiled, but I'm sure Greg must have seen something else in my face.
"Something wrong?"
I shook my head quickly. "No, I just have to do something." I'd already made the mistake of running to Greg. If there were suspicions that I cared for him before… What had I been thinking? I had to see exactly what Hunter was up to.

I said a quick goodbye and retreated out the front door only to make a long loop around to the back. The police had already left leaving the tables and walkway empty. I found Hunter in the very back crouched near the dumpster. His back was to me as he examined something on the concrete. I stepped lightly, hoping to get the jump on him. Alas it wasn't to be.

"You're an idiot." He said calmly. I thought for a moment he might have been talking to himself, but he turned to look me in the eye. That look alone sent shivers through me and I found myself staring at the ground.
"And why do you say that?" I asked.
He sniffed as if to clear his nose. "When normal people see trouble they run the other way, but not you." He turned back to what he had been doing. "Not to mention you had the nerve to try and sneak up on me. Sloppily, I might add."
I frowned. "I wasn't trying to sneak up on you."
"Uhmhm." He grunted dismissively.
"Whatever." I snapped. "Just tell me what's going on here."
"Trouble that you'll stay out of if you have a single working brain cell."
I crossed my arms. "I thought you guys wanted my help."
"They do. I don't." There was certain disgust in his voice.
"If you hate them so much why are you here?"
"Because I have to be!" He snapped back.
Hired help they had called him. They had also called him a weapon. Then Greg's words came to mind. "Are you … Yakuza?"
"The Yakuza are Japanese." He muttered and then he looked back at me. "Do I look Japanese to you?"
I gave a curt shrug before I knew what I was doing.
He narrowed his dark eyes on me and I felt my heart beat faster. "My mother is Thai. You can stop making assumptions now. I know how much you people like to do that."
"You people?"
He snorted. "Magic people, you people."
I swallowed hard. "Look, I just want to know if this was some kind of warning or a coincidence. I just want to know if my family and friends are safe."
He took a deep breath and rubbed his head. "Werewolf. No one around here is safe. It's not out to get you anymore than anyone else though." Suddenly he looked up. "Family? You have family here?!"
I took a step back. "My father and brother."
"Is one of them a skin walker?!" He demanded and with his eyes burning into me the way they were I couldn't help but to answer.
"My brother trained in therianthropy, but his master died before he ever learned how to actually change-"
In an instant he was on his feet and in my face. "You live alone, you hear me? You have no family here, especially not one of those."
"Okay, okay…" I squeaked pulling away, never had I felt so small.
He let out a huff before stepping back. "Look, I don't like magic people. I never have. I can't say you've made a good impression on me either," he rubbed his forearm which was scabbed over like a much older wound than it was. "but while I dislike you, I hate them. Don't get involved with them. I don't wish you dead. Yet."
I held up my hands. "Fine I'll go."
He turned and crouched back over his work and I turned to leave. I only got a few steps before he spoke.
"Did you know the guy they took off?"
I glanced back at him. "No, I heard it was a new guy."
He nodded. "That's good."
I licked my lips. "Why is that good?"
He looked at me over his shoulder before holding up two fingers. They were bloody. "Your town has another werewolf."

Description
"Greg!" I gasped racing toward the café. No, not again, I thought. I couldn't stop myself from imagining what had happened to him. I nearly had myself in tears when I burst through the doors.

Several cops turned to stare at me along with Greg who was being questioned.
"Greg…" I squeaked. "I was afraid…" Relief washed over me along with the sickening realization that I'd made a fool of myself.
Greg gave me a crooked smile. "I'm fine Wren, can't say the same for Scott though."
"What happened?"
Greg looked at the officer who had been taking notes.  "We've got all we need." He answered allowing Greg to come to my side.
"It's the weirdest thing." He muttered. "Scott went out back to toss the trash and found some guy sleeping in the dumpster. He went to run him off and the guy jumped up and bit the crap out of his arm. They took him off in an ambulance just a little while ago. I didn't think a person could pull a hunk out of anybody like that."
My stomach twisted. "Will he be alright?"
Greg nodded. "Oh yeah, they are going to slap some stitches in him and he'll be back on his feet. It's probably the worst first day any of our employees has ever had."
"Have they caught the guy?"
He shook his head. "No, I just finished giving them a description, I only saw him for a second as he was running away though."
"Was he Asian with a tattoo?" I blurted out.
Greg frowned. "No, the guy I saw was more likely a runaway than Yakuza."
"Oh, right…" My voice nearly dropped off, so Hunter wasn't to blame. Why was he here then?
"So…" He started sounding a bit more upbeat suddenly. "What's the word?"
I took me a moment to remember why I had come to begin with. "Oh! Right. My dad gave me the okay."
A smile spread across his face. "Awesome!"
I smiled, but I'm sure Greg must have seen something else in my face.
"Something wrong?"
I shook my head quickly. "No, I just have to do something." I'd already made the mistake of running to Greg. If there were suspicions that I cared for him before… What had I been thinking? I had to see exactly what Hunter was up to.

I said a quick goodbye and retreated out the front door only to make a long loop around to the back. The police had already left leaving the tables and walkway empty. I found Hunter in the very back crouched near the dumpster. His back was to me as he examined something on the concrete. I stepped lightly, hoping to get the jump on him. Alas it wasn't to be.

"You're an idiot." He said calmly. I thought for a moment he might have been talking to himself, but he turned to look me in the eye. That look alone sent shivers through me and I found myself staring at the ground.
"And why do you say that?" I asked.
He sniffed as if to clear his nose. "When normal people see trouble they run the other way, but not you." He turned back to what he had been doing. "Not to mention you had the nerve to try and sneak up on me. Sloppily, I might add."
I frowned. "I wasn't trying to sneak up on you."
"Uhmhm." He grunted dismissively.
"Whatever." I snapped. "Just tell me what's going on here."
"Trouble that you'll stay out of if you have a single working brain cell."
I crossed my arms. "I thought you guys wanted my help."
"They do. I don't." There was certain disgust in his voice.
"If you hate them so much why are you here?"
"Because I have to be!" He snapped back.
Hired help they had called him. They had also called him a weapon. Then Greg's words came to mind. "Are you … Yakuza?"
"The Yakuza are Japanese." He muttered and then he looked back at me. "Do I look Japanese to you?"
I gave a curt shrug before I knew what I was doing.
He narrowed his dark eyes on me and I felt my heart beat faster. "My mother is Thai. You can stop making assumptions now. I know how much you people like to do that."
"You people?"
He snorted. "Magic people, you people."
I swallowed hard. "Look, I just want to know if this was some kind of warning or a coincidence. I just want to know if my family and friends are safe."
He took a deep breath and rubbed his head. "Werewolf. No one around here is safe. It's not out to get you anymore than anyone else though." Suddenly he looked up. "Family? You have family here?!"
I took a step back. "My father and brother."
"Is one of them a skin walker?!" He demanded and with his eyes burning into me the way they were I couldn't help but to answer.
"My brother trained in therianthropy, but his master died before he ever learned how to actually change-"
In an instant he was on his feet and in my face. "You live alone, you hear me? You have no family here, especially not one of those."
"Okay, okay…" I squeaked pulling away, never had I felt so small.
He let out a huff before stepping back. "Look, I don't like magic people. I never have. I can't say you've made a good impression on me either," he rubbed his forearm which was scabbed over like a much older wound than it was. "but while I dislike you, I hate them. Don't get involved with them. I don't wish you dead. Yet."
I held up my hands. "Fine I'll go."
He turned and crouched back over his work and I turned to leave. I only got a few steps before he spoke.
"Did you know the guy they took off?"
I glanced back at him. "No, I heard it was a new guy."
He nodded. "That's good."
I licked my lips. "Why is that good?"
He looked at me over his shoulder before holding up two fingers. They were bloody. "Your town has another werewolf."