The Wereing
The Werewolf Chronicles, Book Three
Rodman Philbrick and Lynn Harnett
For Kurt Johnson
RULES OF THE WEREING
1. A werewolf is created by birth or bite.
2. The wereing is the change from human to beast and lasts for the three nights of the full moon.
3. The first wereing of a werewolf child occurs in the twelfth year.
4. If the werewolf child makes a kill in the three nights of the full moon, it shall have all the powers of a full-blooded werewolf and remain a monster forever.
5. A full-blooded werewolf can change into human form at any time, but must become a werewolf when the moon is full.
6. A werewolf cannot cross water.
7. A werewolf cannot tolerate anything silver.
Chapter 1
I am a monster.
For the three nights of the full moon I crouch in the foul swamp outside the peaceful town of Fox Hollow. Seeking the darkness. But there is no escape from the full moon. It turns me into a monster. A hideous, howling beast with thick fur, sharp claws, and dripping fangs.
Each night as the moon rises I am transformed into a werewolf. I prowl through the swamp on all fours, my nostrils filled with the scent of terrified creatures.
It is me they fear.
By day I am a human boy, an ordinary twelve-year-old who goes to school. But for the three nights of the full moon I become a horrible night creature who hungers for blood.
Werewolves bite and kill, that is their nature. But I keep resisting the evil inside me. I have to fight it because—
CRASH! A deer bursts out of the thicket, catches a glimpse of me, and flees in panic. Every fiber of my being yearns to chase that terrified deer. My muscles tense—and then I clamp my powerful jaws shut and force the hunger down, swallowing hard.
Yes, I have to fight the monster in me. If I kill just once, I will be a werewolf forever and the people of Fox Hollow will be overrun by the pack of evil creatures who stalk the shadows of night, eyes gleaming like red fire. Werewolves who crave human flesh, especially the blood of children.
I will never be one of them! Never!
The people of Fox Hollow don’t know my secret.
Oh, they know that I was raised by wolves—real, magnificent wolves, not the foul creatures of the night.
But if they knew the real truth—that I’d become a werewolf—my new human friends would drive me away, back into the swamp where Wolfmother had found me abandoned as a baby. It was she who raised me with her own cubs, and taught me the ways of the forest. It was she who had tried to protect me from the evil werewolves, and failed.
I could no longer be a wolf. More than anything I want to be human. But whenever the moon waxes full, the wereing begins, and I am a monster again.
I throw back my head and howl in loneliness.
“AAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.”
My mournful cry echoes through the swamp, terrifying the other creatures of the forest. Squirrels cower in the tree branches. Owls screech in panic.
Suddenly a bright light catches my eye. Unlike the silvery cool light of the moon, this light is a golden warmth. The light seems to call, beckoning me to come closer.
I shouldn’t go. It is too dangerous—for myself and for the humans of Fox Hollow. But the light fills me with longing.
I run toward the light, unable to resist.
Chapter 2
The wind ruffled my fur as I ran toward the glowing light. My strong lungs filled with sweet, woodsy air. I cleared mossy bogs in a graceful bound and sailed over fallen trees and half-rotten logs. The night was clear as day to my keen eyes and my body sang with the power of the werewolf.
At moments like this I forgot I was a monster. I felt beautiful and wild and free.
Then I reached the edge of the swamp where the trees stopped and the new town of Fox Hollow began. The light glowed softly, drawing me in. But this was as close as I dared to go.
Flicking my tail, I hid among the trees, looking longingly into the light. It was the light from Paul Parker’s bedroom. The Parkers were my new human family. They had taken me into their home the day the hunters carried me out of the swamp, away from my wolf family.
These good humans thought I was in my room right now, sleeping. After supper I’d told everybody I didn’t feel well and was going to bed early. Mrs. Parker looked concerned. But she thought it was due to the terrifying adventures we’d all had on our school field trip the first night of the full moon.
I hated lying to my new family, but I had no choice.
Paul’s window was open to the night air and music from his boom box drifted out to me. I crept closer and watched him squirm and jump around in his chair as he played a computer game. Just like Paul! He was my age and already he was like a brother to me.
As I watched from the darkness, Paul’s bedroom door opened and his sister Kim entered. Kim was a year younger. She was pretty good at taking care of herself but I felt protective toward her, just like I had toward the wolf cubs.
There was something about her—I couldn’t help it. Maybe it was because the other werewolves, the awful night creatures, seemed to take a special interest in Kim.
I watched Kim and Paul laughing together and wished they could be out here with me. I wished we could all romp together in the woods. Then I shuddered. They’d have to be werewolves to be with me now. That was a fate I wouldn’t wish on anybody.
Still, my body tingled with energy. I felt so strong and beautiful I wanted Kim to see how magnificent I was. Surely Kim would see
