Chapter 2: The past of the hateful curse

It was a story from ten years ago.

Henry was then a 20-year-old student full of life and energy. During summer vacation he went with his group of friends to a forest to camp. Thought this would be a meaningful trip, but disaster suddenly struck on his second night of camping.

Henry remembers that at that time he was assigned to find more dry branches to light the fire. While working, he suddenly heard a strange sound coming. It was like someone was whispering. But it's also unlikely to be human noises.

Henry didn't give it much thought at first either. He decided to ignore it and continue his work. Partly because he was scared. In the middle of a forest, especially at night, when strange noises appear, who can't be afraid. But suddenly there was a muffled scream. It seemed to pierce through Henry's eardrum. At that moment he was sure it was a human sound. He frowned, hugged the pile of dry wood, and turned his back to follow where the scream came from. And what he didn't expect the most was a murder. Henry saw a murder scene that had just happened. A man lay in a pool of blood, eyes wide with resentment as he looked at the woman opposite. Henry saw her hand holding a bloody knife. He was so scared that he couldn't make a sound. He was afraid that if he was discovered, he would become the second victim. Although he was a man, the woman had a weapon in her hand anyway.

After a few seconds of regaining his composure, Henry gently turned around. He has to get out of here quickly and call the police. But Henry did not expect that woman to have an extremely sensitive ear. He just took a deep breath when she heard him. The woman immediately turned her back looked around and shouted:

"Who?"

Henry stood motionless, not daring to move. He prayed she wouldn't find him in this overgrown bush. The woman kept rolling her eyes and looking around. An ink-black color. But she seems to have found Henry. She walked slowly towards him. The hand was still clutching the knife. Her face was full of murderous intent, and her eyes were wicked and terrifying. Henry sensed danger approaching. He had no choice but to run away. He immediately ran straight ahead, regardless of whether he was on the right track or not. The dew-drenched foliage constantly rubbed against his skin, making him feel cold. Henry tried to keep his eyes wide open to see the way in the night. Breathing became quick. The sounds of insects chirping. He even heard the barbaric laugh of the woman ringing in his ears. This scared him.

Boom!

Suddenly, a ray of light appeared out of nowhere and hit Henry in the back.

"Aaah…"

Henry fell to his knees and groaned. An aching sensation ran through the body. He panicked and wanted to get up but didn't have the strength. However, he still tried to use his elbows to support. Wary eyes looked around. Don't let him wait too long, it only takes a few seconds for that woman's figure to appear. Only now did Henry get a see clearly at her. Her appearance is quite serious, but her face is extremely cruel. Especially the hand still clutching the bloody knife.

"W-what do you want?" Henry asked shivering.

"Hahaha, did you panic when you saw me killing people?"

The woman smiled coldly. Henry gritted his teeth at her, thinking in his heart that he had to quickly find a way to escape. But unexpectedly, the woman opened her mouth to recite a series of spells. Before Henry could dodge, a beam of light from her finger attacked him. Feeling the pain of death over and over again made him fall. The flesh turned terrifyingly black.

"P-please forgive me…"

Henry whispered. He didn't know who she was that could attack him with those rays. Is it a witch? Impossible.

Henry stretched and watched the woman's footsteps move. She is slowly approaching him. Bring a breath full of cruelty.

"Whist! It'll be gentle, I promise." After saying that, she raised her finger again towards Henry: "I curse you."

She shouted without mercy. A beam of magic shot toward Henry. He couldn't dodge. It was like an electric current ran through his body. He curled up in pain. The whole body heats up. The muscles of the body are contracting violently. Henry was in so much pain that he cried out:

"Aaaaah."

Henry felt his whole body change. Every inch of skin felt like it was pierced by something. Then he felt every tip of his fingers and toes being ripped apart. Sharp claws gradually emerge. Hairs began to appear, gradually covering Henry's body. His head ached like it was going to explode.

"Huh."

A groan sounded out. It's not Henry's. It belongs to that woman. She collapsed to the ground. Something suddenly leaped forward to attack her.

A wolf!

A very large wolf. A wolf with golden brown fur. Under the moonlight, it stands out even more.

"Dreadful. Since when do you worry about things that aren't yours, James?"

The woman holding her wound angrily spoke up. Her voice was tinged with pain. Her abdomen was badly injured by James' claws.

James bared his sharp teeth at the woman. His figure is big and strong. When he was about to rush forward again, the woman quickly left like the wind.

James watched her until her figure disappeared. Then he turned to look at Henry, who was writhing in agony. Henry's voice whispered inaudibly:

"S-save me… please save me…"

James narrowed his sharp eyes observing everything. Henry is slowly transforming into a wolf. The appearance looked extremely miserable and struggling. Then James approached lifted Henry on his back and dashed off into the darkness.

It took a few days for Henry to wake up. He found himself in an old wooden house. The surroundings are decorated in a simple and wild style. While Henry was still bewildered, a man appeared. He didn't seem too surprised to see Henry awake.

"Where am I?"

"I thought the first question you asked would be 'am I not dead yet? But no."

The man stood with his back to the opposite wall looking at Henry. Henry became confused and didn't know what to say.

"Just kidding. Are you all right?"

"I still feel a bit tired, but it's fine," Henry answered honestly.

"So you still calm enough to listen to me. Listen, I'm James, I brought you back here. You got a dark curse from Laura…" James paused, then continued: "It was the woman who attacked you in the woods."

"W-what? Curse?" Henry rolled his eyes in bewilderment.

"Yes, the werewolf curse. Laura is a witch. But I don't know why she attacked you."

Henry received a huge shock. He sat idly in place. It took almost a minute before he whispered:

"I saw her kill people. Then… then she went after me."

"As expected, as I thought. The dead man is a friend of mine…" James said with his eyes closed.

"My condolences to you. But… what is the curse that I have?"

"It's a sinister werewolf curse."

James sighed. Then he told Henry everything. That night James brought Henry here and asked Monica, a kind witch, to help him. She saved him from death, but the curse could not be lifted. It was a curse that made Henry become a werewolf at any moment without control. A curse is full of pain.

Henry could not accept this at first. He lived in depression and despair. Fortunately, thanks to James who was always by his side to encourage, Henry gradually calmed down. That curse would appear from time to time causing Henry pain and suffering. There was even a time when he did not dare to go to school for fear of being discovered by his friends.

A few months later, Henry was told many stories by James. James is a werewolf. He is a member of the Moonlight Pack, a werewolf community in New York. And Monica and Laura are witches of the Phantom Gang. Both gangs live quite harmoniously. Except for Laura, she is a person who always disparages and looks down on werewolves. That's also why she killed James's friend. But not long after that, she was avenged by the werewolves of another pack.

A year later, when Henry gets used to being entangled in a curse, he received an offer from James. That is, he should join the Moonlight Pack. And of course, Henry agreed.

Although at first he was always scorned by some other werewolves, but under the guidance of James, he always maintained one thing, which was to live in harmony. Whether it's with teammates in the pack or with hordes of Phantom Gang witches.