The Doe

Claire sat on the kitchen floor, staring at her reflection in Elias’s phone. Blue eyes. Bright skin. Brown hair. She looked like herself again. Only, healthier.

         “Elias,” she whispered. “What will change? Now that it’s all finished.”

         He smiled sympathetically at the young woman; instability had become her normal for too long. “You will be strong and fast. Your senses will get even stronger. And you will be able to use the same powers that I have, perhaps more.”

         She nodded. “What about blood?”

         His smile grew wider and brighter. “That is the best part, ma chérie. You will not need human blood anymore. Or blood at all, if you prefer. You can just eat raw meat.” He took out a large shape wrapped in bloodied butcher’s paper from the fridge. “I got you some different things to try. But to be honest with you, it would probably be best fresh.”

         As he said that, his brown eyes darkened with a smile. Claire stood up, mouth agape. “Are you saying...?”

         “Oui, ma chérie. I think you should go hunting.”

         Claire clapped and reached onto her tip-toes to kiss Elias’s cheek. She rushed off into her room, surprised by her own speed. Within a matter of minutes, she was out the door, running off into the woods.

         “We technically live on the Yew Coven’s territory, but we have a fair agreement. Anything you kill, you must leave the bones for them. There is a mile-wide neutral zone along their border with the local werewolf pack; do not even enter it,” Elias’s voice rang in her ears.

She jumped from tree to tree, barely letting her feet touch the ground. It was exhilarating. She could hear every sound, from the buzzing of little beetles on the forest floor to the steady heartbeat of the red-wing hawk circling the sky.

When Claire was a little girl, she used to climb up the tallest tree in the park and go up until the branches were too small to support her weight. She would sit in that tree and read sometimes, but mostly she would just close her eyes and pretend that she was a bird. As Claire bounded through the woods, she realized that as wonderful as her tree had been, it was nothing compared to the wild freedom she felt now.

         Suddenly, a breeze hit her nose, and she jumped down to the ground, crouched in a defensive position. There was a pregnant doe upwind with a few scratches on its long legs, bleeding slightly. Claire’s eyes flashed violet as she turned around, following the smell.

         The doe was on the edge of a small clearing, eat the regrowth of a fallen cherry tree. She grinned, baring her teeth as she approached silently. They were a few paces apart when the wind picked up again, alerting the deer of the predator only yards away. She froze for a moment too long, and Claire lunged at her.

         With surprising ease, Claire caught the deer’s hind leg with one arm as she dashed forward. It kicked back, braying frantically, and contacted Claire’s brow. She felt the bone shatter underneath the force, but she did not scream. Instead, an animalistic growl roared from her throat, surprising her with its power. With a single twist of her wrist, she snapped the doe’s limb, not reacting to her horrifying scream. She tried to run, and for a single, sadistic moment, Claire stood back, allowing the doe to hobble a few paces before making her final attack. She launched into the air, high above the deer, and landed on her back. There was a sickening crack as the spine fractured under Claire’s hand. The doe collapsed, paralyzed.

         Claire got up and stared into the dying deer’s eyes. She had never seen an animal die. People, yes. Many people. But never an animal. The deer screamed, scaring some birds away while attracting others. But she was not dying. Claire cocked her head, calm, violet eyes staring the deer’s crazed, brown eyes. “Why are you still trying to live?” she asked her.

         The deer panicked more as Claire entered her field of vision. Sighing, Claire snapped the doe’s neck and rubbed her velvety ears for a few minutes, mourning the death of the innocent animal. Finally, the bloodlust took over, and Claire ripped her teeth into the flesh, moaning as the warm sinews pulled apart in her mouth.

         She moved from one shoulder to a haunch, tasting the different cuts. Just as she was about to take a bite from the animal’s neck, a new smell hit her nose. It reminded her of a bonfire; warmth, safety, comfort. She wanted to get to it, the person producing that amazing aroma. Something deep in her stomach twisted, pulling her towards the smell. Something told her that if she found whoever was producing such an alluring scent, she would be whole.

         Claire froze, just as her prey had only minutes before. Without thinking, she rose, walking in the direction of the smell. It was coming closer to her, she realized excitedly. But as she moved towards it, she remembered what Elias had said, “Your senses will get stronger.”

         What if this is what humans smell like now? Claire panicked.

         She had just had a feeding frenzy, but her body was still on high alert, eagerly awaiting more. If a person came near her, she was not certain that she would be able to keep herself from attacking. And she was certain that if she attacked, she would not be able to stop.

         Though the person producing that amazing scent seemed to not make much noise, she knew that they were coming towards her at a rapid pace. She stood up and stared towards the source, but she saw nothing.

         I should go, she thought to herself. I should go before I get someone hurt.

         With that, she took off back to her home, leaving her uneaten meal behind.

         “Back so soon? Did you even chew your food?” Elias lightheartedly called as the front door opened. But when he saw the horrified look on Claire’s face, he rushed over to her. “What happened? Did you get hurt?”

         “I’m alright,” she whispered, letting him envelop her in a tight hug. His scent was comforting. Like the one in the forest.

         “You don’t sound alright, ma chérie,” he replied, stroking her head.

          “I was eating a deer, and I smelt someone, someone amazing.” Elias stiffened slightly, but she noticed. “It took me so long to be able to be around people again. I’m scared that I, maybe I’ve lost all the control I had.”

         “Where were you?”

         “I was still in the borders you set for me. But I know that the scent came from over the line.” She looked up at him, but he was staring off into space, deep in thought. “Elias? Did I do something wrong?”

         Immediately, he shook his head, smiling softly at the young woman. Kissing her forehead, he took a step back. “You did the right thing, ignoring it. Most would not have been as strong as you. But I need you to stay in the house until I sort this out.”

         “Sort what out?” Claire pressed.

         Elias pressed his lips into a thin line and furrowed his brows. It was his only warning look, and it meant that she should not ask any more questions. Claire looked away from his brown eyes and at her feet. She realized that she was covered in blood, dirt, and fur. “I’m going to go take a shower,” she murmured, defeated.

         “That’s a good idea. I have a few phone calls to make. Remember, do not leave the house. Not even the garden,” Elias called over his shoulder, already on his way to his office.

         Dejected, Claire nodded in agreement and made her way to her bedroom. There was something that he was not telling her. And nothing frightened her more than that.