The stench of sweat and liquor filled the bar's smoky atmosphere. Saturday nights were always crowded with every loser in Corentine slums. It was Kay's duty to prevent any fist fights from happening aside from being bartender. He was currently cleaning a small wineglass with "Roog's" embedded into its surface. While several more had to be cleaned, there were more customers that needed tending to. Across the room was the usual rowdy group who were currently playing a game of poker. The jukebox in the corner could hardly be heard over all the noise. An old man handed Kay his glass, asking for some more brandy. He was a common customer, always wearing the same clothes and expression. Apparently, alcohol was the only thing he could afford or spend his money on. Being a bum didn't give him a whole lot of options. As long as everyone acted accordingly to the rules, Kay didn't care who was customer.
As he swept the counter down, Kay noticed how quickly the day had passed by after glancing at the nearest window. Another hour, and he would head for home. Just as he was about to serve another customer, someone's mug went flying past him, shattering the glasses on the wall. The laughter at the poker table had stopped. Kay looked towards the two guys standing, ready to rip each other apart. It appeared that one of them was bad mouthing their opponent throughout the game, causing the guy to snap. This kind of stuff always happened on Saturdays, so it was to be expected. Kay rolled up his sleeves and went over to them. When they began to slug at each other, the rest just gathered around to root for them. Cards and bits of glass were scattered all around the table on the cement floor. The guy who started the fight was chunkier and shorter than his opponent. He reached for the nearest chair, ready to break it over the man's back. Kay shouted for them to stop, pushing into the center of the commotion. Being slightly taller and broader than both men, he was noticed right away.
Roughly taking the chair from the man's hand, Kay placed it back on the floor, glaring at the two troublemakers. "I want both of you to get out of here. We don't tolerate with this sort of behavior." They scowled at each other for a few seconds before getting their stuff together. Everyone went back to whatever it was they were doing as Kay followed the two to the door. Afterwards, the room wasn't as rowdy, but the noise wouldn't completely quiet down. Kay ran a hand through his thick black hair as he surveyed the mess that was left for him to clean.
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Saturday night was cold and cloudy with no moon in the sky. Amanda just finished grocery shopping for her mother and was loading everything into her jeep. Closing the lid, she paused for a brief moment to take in the atmosphere. Over in the corner of the shopping square was a few clothing stores and a pizza place which were closed. The parking lot was barely lit up and few people were present. Amanda knew it was foolish to stand in a half-empty parking lot alone at night, so she returned to her car. Waiting for a few pedestrians to get out of her way, she drove onto the road and headed towards home.
Instead of taking the usual way, Amanda tried out one of the back-roads behind the park where the crime scene from the other day took place. She had been looking up all sorts of things relating to the incident online earlier in the morning. Just the idea of being alone in that place past nine o'clock sent her chills. There were other unsolved cases that took place in the very same parts, such as disappearances. The whole park stretched from the slums all the way to the edge of the middle-class area. Further in led to the nearby mountains bordering the northern wall.
The road that Amanda drove on was a little bumpy from lack of re-pavement. To the right was a school and some decent housing complexes. The path was covered with trees on either sides, making it hard to see the park. Just as Amanda reached over to turn the radio on, someone walked out in the middle of the road, followed by a leaping shadow. It all happened to fast when she jerked the steering wheel too far to the left. Her jeep crashed into the iron fence aligning the park, causing Amanda's head to hit the side window. The last thing she remembered were two glowing green eyes and the sound of her vehicle flickering on and off.
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After Kay had left the bar, he reached into the pocket of his leather jacket for his cellphone. There were two missed calls from Reiger, his roommate. The messages he left behind were about the news and the killings in the park. Kay had listened to it earlier, unsure of what to think. If it was what he thought it was, then it would be bad news for Corentine. Slipping into his jacket, he snuck around to the back of Roog's. It was extremely dark there with nobody around except for a dumpster. Across the ways was the park, also quite empty at night.
Kay leaned against the brick wall, popping a quick cigarette through his lips. The faint sound of traffic could be heard from the busier streets some blocks away. Puffing his last smoke, he flicked the cigarette into the garbage can. Narrowing his eyes, he glanced around again to see if there was anyone watching him. Once he was convinced he was alone, Kay took a deep breath. Crouching to the concrete like an animal, he clutched both fists to his chest. Hair began to grow longer throughout his skin as his figure began to take the shape of a four-legged animal. His clothes slipped from his body once the transformation was complete. Now standing in his place was no longer a human, but a wolf covered in black fur. His eyes were vividly green and a long tail protruded from above his rear.
Taking a few casual steps, Kay gathered his clothes between his newly sharp teeth and swung it over his neck. After a few more careful glances, he bounded into the park. It was his faster way of reaching home when he didn't use his motorcycle. Although it was risky to being caught, Kay knew how to avoid human eyes by using bushes and trees to his advantage. As he neared the road where he would have to cross, Kay noticed two headlights approaching. In the road stood a human with the scent of his own kind, mindlessly staggering and also unaware of the approaching vehicle. If the man didn't move anytime soon, he would get hit. Acting rashly, Kay leaped onto the pavement and dashed into the stranger, knocking them both to the sidewalk. The vehicle had crashed badly into the fence, glass shattered everywhere. Kay took that time to transform back into a human, dressing his body as quick as possible. The stranger was on the ground and Kay could smell the alcohol emitting from his clothes.
"Not very smart of you." He frowned at him. Walking over to the crashed jeep, Kay opened the door to see if the driver was alright. It was a young woman with long blond hair dressed in sweatpants and a camouflage top. A trail of blood leaked from her pale forehead where her head had hit the window. Kay felt her wrist to see if there was any signs of life. Sure enough, there was a small pulse. He didn't ask the drunk for any help and began to dial for an ambulance.






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