Shades of Gray. Chapter One.
Shades of Gray
Chapter One
By Roofles
Not to be confused with the other shades of gray, just one with the same title. A sub-verse of the Bump in the Night universe.
In a dark alleyway, behind a small bookstore, a mugging was taking place. A not so ordinary mugging. Involving far too many claws and fangs, far too much mangy black fur and beady red eyes. The full moon was out this night, and thus the wolves came out to play.
Or wolf, singular this time.
The lone werewolf, also known as Brad... the werewolf. Had enough playing around. Stalking this prey all throughout the month until the full moon finally came around and he could let his, not metaphorical, beast run wild. All this month he'd been coming to this tacky little bookstore; just to talk it up with the man who ran the place. Days turned into weeks that finally reached its peke as the moon came out.
Some sort of family business, this small bookstore, Brad hadn't really cared. He just smiled and nodded along as the man answered the questions he bombarded him with. The cashier had been kind enough to answer but seemed reluctant too. As if he hadn't been interested! Which wouldn't make sense. That only boiled his blood further, making him drool at the endless teasing. He loved when they were hard to get.
Brad was a handsome, if a bit rough around the edges, kind of guy. Built like an athletic, dripping with male "awesome sauce" and even had a killer scruffy beard. What wasn't to love? He was the definition of scruff. So what if he wore spiky black leather wrist bands and a jacket? It only added to his bad boy look. Still, why didn't he like him?
That thought haunted the would be werewolf. Every night plaguing him like tiny horned demons.
Ok, maybe it had something to do with the whole mugging thing still taking place. Or the whole rape vibe Brad was giving off. It wasn't his fault this cashier had piqued his interest, though he wasn't sure as to why. It was his own fault! Catching the eye of a wolf was bad enough, let alone for what Brad had become.
It had really been just an accident! A common stroll through the city when he passed by this little book store. And sure enough, there he was. Donnie Madison, hipster extreme. The tight pants, the cool name brand shirts. He even wore glasses and had an earring! It was almost too much. And yet, Brad found himself coming by every day since to pay his favorite cashier a visit. You know, before mugging him that is.
"Don't do anything stupid, now." Brad warned with a growl. He was drooling profusely and he tried to hide his oversized fangs but they just jutted out even more and outwards at every angle. His muzzle couldn't possible keep them hidden. "I'm not going to hurt you." And it came out as a vicious snarl.
Donnie adjusted his glasses, having been pushed to the ground. He looked up at the werewolf standing over him. "You attack me," Donnie just needed to clarify with a frown. "And then tell me you aren't going to hurt me?"
Brad's ear twitched at that. The large pointed, triangular ear fluttered once more in annoyance. "Uh..." Brad replied, not making eye contact. "I tripped. It was an accident."
"Brilliant." Donnie groaned a bit, dusting his front off. "Just my luck." Brad wagged his tail at that, claws extending a bit as his muzzle opened slightly wider, finally glad this man was beginning to take him serious after a month of teasing.
"Don't worry," Brad swallowed loudly, unsure why he was drooling so much as he stared with fixated eyes at the man in front of him. Maybe it was the helplessness of him or the scowl Donnie was giving Brad. "Everything going to be fine now." Brad panted, open mouth, tongue drooling out as he took a half step forward. Looming over the fallen human, unable to figure out why Donnie wasn't just screaming his head for fear of bloody murder.
"You really shouldn't." Donnie did warn him as Brad reached out with a gnarled, clawed hand.
Brad ignored him, reaching out to grab a hold of his hair. The werewolf quickly yelped and withdrew his hand, looking down at the cut on it in confusion before up at the human. Then Brad jaw dropped, eyes widening.
"I did warn you," Donnie grumbled now, standing up slowly. The werewolf withdrew a step.
"Dude, you got...like a horn on your head." Brad pointed out, licking the blood from his palm as he stared.
"No shit, Sherlock. You're bloody Einstein." Donnie flushed a bit, trying to hide the spiral horn sticking out of his forehead with his hair. "I told you before not to mess around with me. I'm not an ordinary guy."
"I thought you were being sarcastic." Brad frowned now, folding his ears and still staring, transfixed by the horn.
"Don't be facetious." Donnie grumbled as he got up. The whole alleyway seemed to have gotten brighter as if the rays of the full moon had finally reached inside. "I'm a Myth as well. A unicorn, obviously." And Donnie jabbed a finger at the horn.
"Dude." Brad said finally looking away from the horn and down into his face. "I thought, like, unicorns weren't real."
Donnie wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Says the talking werewolf." He pointed out. Donnie shook his head though. "Look, let's forget about this and I won't report you or anything for attacking me."
Brad snorted. "What to the police?"
"To the council, dumbass." Donnie replied flatly. Brad tilted his head to one side. "You know, the people responsible for keeping peace amongst the various haunts and ghouls and monsters?" Donnie sighed, his shoulders sagging a bit. "Look, just nevermind. Forget about this and I will too."
"Whoa wait, I got like so many question. And I might still eat you." Brad said honestly.
"Right." Donnie snorted a bit, a very horse-ish snort at that. "I'd like to see you try." Brad only grinned at the challenge. "Wait, what's that!" Donnie pointed over Brad's shoulder.
"Like I'd fall for that." Brad laughed at him, putting his hands on his hips and lifting one eyebrow.
"True," Donnie just shrugged. "It's only the full moon."
"What?" Brad did turn at that, stopping in half-motion to facing upwards at the moon. "Wait, obviously it's the-," he stopped as he turned back around to see that Donnie had vanished.
The werewolf head quickly snapped upwards and he saw the flicker of a pale gold tail escape up over the nearby apartment building of the city.
"You little." The werewolf cursed jumping up onto one side of the building, kicking off to land on the roof of the book store then to jump up from there on to the fire escape and quickly scaled up onto the roof. Far more clumsily than the unicorn had made it seem.
Donnie was on the other side. His feet had turned into black hooves and white fur legs could barely be seen just above them and under his pants. A long flowing pale gold tail stuck out of his rear and he still had the silver spiral horn on his forehead.
"Quick little bastard." Brad growled at him, clawing his way up over the edge of the building and onto the roof.
"Why didn't you just use the ladder?" Donnie smiled at that, giving another shrug and turned to face him. "What can I say. Unicorns are very elusive creatures. We make leprechauns appear slow." And with that, gave a wink, and jumped off the building backwards.
The werewolf yelped once more and quickly chased after him on all fours, stopping at the edge of the building to look over it. He saw a flash of white and then followed it as a large horse ran over the roof tops. In the moonlight, the horse's white fur seemed to sparkle like diamonds.
"Dude," Brad said watching him. "Unicorns are sort of gay." And with that the werewolf gave chase.
Throughout the night Brad attempted to catch the elusive horse that was always seemingly one step ahead of him. Just out of arms reach before escaping once more. Even after, once, he trapped Donnie in a dead end the horse managed to get away. Bounding off the walls of a nearby convenience store and soaring through the air up and over a fence and continued to flee. Brad wasn't sure if Unicorns could fly but Donnie was making it seem that way.
Something very pervy and wrong turned into something rather... fun, for the two. As the wolf gave chase and the horse fled. Giving a mocking whinnie as he reached a top of a building and looking down on the werewolf still far below. It would've put wile e coyote to shame.
Over trashcans, down dark alleys, through empty streets and soon enough running in people's backyards; Donnie ran with a werewolf in hot pursuit. Brad was panty quickly, his lungs were burning and yet he never felt more alive as he chased the flash of white he kept seeing in the very corner of his eye. Only to turn and see the end of Donnie's tail escape around a corner. Just a glimpse of the magnificent creature sent shivers up the werewolf's spine an drool running down his chin.
Time and time again, until the moon began to set and Donnie was sure the werewolf had given up.
Donnie stopped in one of the parks, taking a long drink from the pond there. Unaware at first of the werewolf, crouched down on his belly, slowly making his way towards him through the flowers and tall grass. Wiggling his butt up high in the air, licking his chops and eyes glowering with delight. Then Brad pounced.
The unicorn cried out and jumped into, or rather onto, the pond and moved away in time for the wolf to plummet straight into the freezing cold water.
"Bastard!" Brad howled as he broke free of the water and looked at the horse standing on it as if it were solid ground. "H-how are y-you doing that?" Brad asked, shivering and doggie paddled over to the edge. Soaking wet, Brad shook himself off. He was still shivering as he glared over at the mythical Equidae.
"I'm like all sorts of awesome." Donnie replied with a snort, trotting after the wolf who was crouching down at the edge of the pond. Donnie didn't point out how Brad looked like a drowned rat. Ratty, messy fur that was soaking wet and clung to his body as well as stuck out in every which angle.
The horse did feel bad, after teasing the werewolf all night long with the chase. It was in the nature of a unicorn, much like say... a leprechaun. To never be caught. Those who were didn't live long to tell the tale after all. And it was a rule to grant a gift or wish to those who did capture them, to secure their safety.
Still, feeling bad, Donnie trotted over and pushed his snout down against the werewolf's soaking wet cheek.
Almost instantly Brad felt warm inside, tingling all over and wasn't even consciously aware that he was still soaking wet. And for those few seconds, Brad felt utterly at peace... with the world. Himself and he didn't even feel that unsatisfiable bloodlust that normally plagued him so during these full moon nights.
The whole pond seemed to be glowing faintly as the unicorn stood on it. The cold night didn't feel so cold and the wind felt as if they were in the middle of summer. Everything smelled cleaner, fresher and somehow with a hint of lavender to it. The world didn't seem so large, so overwhelming. There wasn't any fears or need for food or water. There was no need for anything. Just this overwhelming bliss that filled Brad's whole body from the very tip of his pointed black ear, down to his stubby tail.
Then Donnie withdrew his nose and all the cold and worries, the darkness and hungers and pains returned in fold. Brad shivered as everything hit him once more and he actually coughed a few times as he remembered what it was he had been originally planning to do to Donnie.
Those desires? Those wants? Hungers? Needs?
All of them seemed to have been taken away and he felt none of them. Even the cut on his hand seemed to have been healed. Not even a scar was left behind. Brad turned to look at the unicorn with large golden eyes, the deep red having faded from them.
"You didn't exactly catch me, but it's a gift none the less." Donnie said turning away and slowly walking back out onto the pond. "It's not your fault." Donnie turned his head, his golden uncut mane swaying with the motion like some shampoo commercial. "Everyone wants my body." And the unicorn snorted at that and with that bound off to the other side of the park.
The werewolf could've sworn that as the horse leap through the air, there was a trail of butterfly's behind him. Like a white rainbow left in its wake.
Brad watched him go, seeing the faint glow of the horse's body illuminate the dark night. A body that seemed far too healthy to be real. With fur so white that it sparkled like diamonds in the moonlight. With a mane so gold that it put one of the most valuable minerals to shame. Each strand of hair was like silken braids of gold itself as if weaved from a spinning wheel from straw. And even though Donnie had walked acrossed the grass, not a single flower had been trampled. Not even a single blade of grass had been bent. And instead, it looked as if every step he took was healthier than it had been before.
"So unfair." Brad growled at that, looking around him. The very shadows seemed to gather around the wolf, making the world a darker place to be in. They were polar opposites. And maybe that was why Brad was so attracted to the unicorn still dancing before his eyes, nothing more than memories now.
Donnie stopped only after he had distanced himself from the park, making sure this time he had lost the werewolf's trail. The horse landed on his front two legs in front of a staircase, leading down to a pub. His body shifted, turning and light itself was bent to create the illusion of the man once more standing there. Donnie adjusted his glasses before walking down the steps, hands in his pocket, and went inside the pub.
"Hey Big Mac," Donnie gave a wave to the bartender.
The large bartender gave a nod at seeing him and came over to greet him. With a grunt and very little else.
"Is that any way to greet a fellow horse." Donnie chuckled a bit, giving a smile that seemed to brighten the whole room, literally.
"Not a horse." Mac just grunted back.
"Right," Donnie shrugged and patted the bartender's rock hard chest with a hand and moved past him. "Bull? Horse? Same thing right," and Donnie spun around to face him once more with a smile. "Why don't you ever show your true colors?"
"Won't fit." Mac just replied with another grunt. He pointed a finger upwards. "Would break the ceiling."
"Too bad. I've always enjoyed seeing, reminds me of home." And Donnie gave a soft, sad smile at that. Going silent.
"Fine." Mac rolled his eyes and made sure Donnie was a few more steps away. It wasn't like anyone else was here so early in the morning.
Mac body grew several feet, his bronze skin turning into a bronze leather hide with matching fur. His face stretched, horns growing from his head and soon enough a massive bull was standing, crouched over, in the middle of the room. Mac bent down on one knee, his horns still scratching the ceiling of the pub and nearly knocking over one of the hanging lights.
"See. You look great." Donnie said with another smile.
Mac only grunted.
"I'll take the usual then, thank you Mac." And Donnie headed to one of the side tables. The flowers growing in the windows stood up and their pedals opening, even though the sun hadn't come out yet, as he took a seat.
If there were creatures that lurked in the shadows, that fed on the entrails of the dead and were the spooks of the night? Then there were surely those that could make the sun rise, could brighten any room and warm the hearts of even the dead. And Donnie? Was such a creature. And Donnie hated it.
For instance, he wasn't even sure how they managed too, but several butterflies were fluttering around his head. One even landed on the back of one of his hands. Just perching there and showed no sign of moving. He seriously hated it. The worst part was? There was not a single part of him that wished injury for something so small and insignificant as a butterfly. And could never bring himself to shoo the things away.
Donnie just lifted the hand up, pointing a finger out and watched as the butterfly slowly crawled to the edge then flew away. Only to circle back and join the others flying overhead.
"Donnie!" A voice called and Tony, a hippogryph walked over to greet him. The bird lion had come from the back door and was heading over with several bags. "Up early aren't you."
"I could say the same for you, my friend." Donnie just shrugged and offered Tony the seat across from him.
"Early bird," Tony laughed giving a shrug himself. "And all that jazz. You seem a little frazzled though." Tony pointed at Donnie's hair.
There were twigs, dirt and somehow flowers in it. Donnie wiped them off and just let them fall to the ground.
"It happens." Donnie sighed, shaking his head. "Got chased."
"Again?" Tony asked with wide eyes. He ordered a drink as Mac came over with some tea for Donnie. The bull stopped at that, listening in for a bit.
"Yeah. Just the usual, you know? People see me and are like oh my god. I must touch his face!" Donnie shuddered at that. "It's fricking creepy!"
"What's creepy?" Buck, a Pegasus, soon asked joining them. The horse motioned over but Donnie had already scooted over for his best friend. While Tony was a tan sandy fur brown and Donnie a opalescent white. Buck was a dark blue Pegasus with wings to match.
"People stalking Donnie again." Tony just told him.
"Fuckers! Tell me who they are and I'll." Buck made a strangle motion with both his hands. "Then drop them from above!" And the horse stomped a hoof on the ground with a laugh. "Maybe fifteen feet up. Hell! Let's just do fifty feet! Hundred! Five hundred!"
"Seems like an overkill. Thanks, though." Donnie smiled at that. Glad his friends could at least be here for him. "Might have to get another job though because of this."
"Again?" Buck grounded his teeth. "That's messed up!"
"I really liked it there, too." Donnie said sadly, and as he spoke there was a flash of lighting and it began to rain. The flowers nearby closed their pedals and the whole room grew gloomy.
"Well, don't have too you know!" Buck said, hoping to cheer up the overly magical being sitting next to him. Buck was just a Pegasus! He could fight like no other and had wings but not much else going for him. Donnie was on a whole other level when it came to the whole razzle dazzle.
Tony was in the same boat. "Agreed. If there is only one person who knows. We can just get rid of them for you. Spirit them away. Dust them under the rug." And the hippogryph gave a wink at that. "We won't physically harm them." And he laughed at that, an evil grin spreading over his face.
Spiriting someone away was a nice way of saying kidnap. Kidnapping helpless mortals that happened to spy them or figure them out. Bring them over to their world, leave them for the cave trolls to munch on without getting their own hands dirty.
"So who is it? Your manager? The assistant girl? She always vexed me." Buck clenched his hands a bit. "Thinking she so much smarter than me."
"Not exactly hard to do." Tony laughed at his friends blight.
"Nah, it's not a normie." Donnie waved that off. He adjusted his glasses once more. "Some werewolf took an interest." The other two stopped at that, and once more Big Mac seemed to be listening in. "Been coming by all month. Thought he was just another normie that was a bit too attuned to the supernatural. Then tonight? Jumped me."
Buck stood up at that, fuming. Literally snorting from his nostrils as he held onto the table with shaking hands.
"I easily gave him the slip. He chased me all around town though." And Donnie laughed a bit at that and once more the room seemed to grow brighter as if someone was turning up the dimmer switch. "It was kind of fun, really. Been ages since anyone could keep up."
"And he didn't hurt you, did he?" Buck asked after a moment slowly taking a seat once more. He had folded his arms and was tapping his hoof on the ground quickly.
"Nah, man. He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, if you catch my drift. Just some random haunt is all." Donnie blushed a bit, smiling softly. "I ended up giving him a favor anyways."
"You did what?" Buck asked wide eyed. "You never even gave me one! Dude, the fuck?" How quickly anger turned to envy.
"What the hell you guys talking about." Tony asked looking between the two, utterly confused. He was the newest member of the group and as such was left out.
"When you catch... certain Myths like our one horn challenged friend here," Buck grasped Donnie's shoulder and shook it. "When you catch them, they are honor bound to give you a... reward for doing so. And you are suppose to let them free after. We call these favors. An this ass hasn't given me one yet!" And Buck shook his shoulder some more.
"Ok, ok. Sheesh! It's not my fault!" Donnie rubbed his shoulder. "I don't get to choose who I do and don't give such things for. It sort of just... comes to me, is all. Besides all I did was give the werewolf a moment of happiness. Inner peace and all that crap."
Tony lifted an eyebrow up, thinking far too dirty thoughts on that one. "You sure that's a... good idea? What if he becomes an addict for them or something?"
"What's the worse thing that could happen?" Donnie chuckled, thanking Big Mac as he returned with his favorite. A fruit bowl filled with juicy berries of all kinds.
Elsewhere, still at the pond. Brad was washing his face off, most of his body as well and trying to look somewhat decent. He still felt cold. Hollow inside, as if a piece of himself was missing. Giving such a beautiful thing as true happiness, only for it to be taken away was a cruel thing. It wasn't a high. It didn't fill him with ecstasy. It just left him with a sense of... peace, for everything.
The werewolf swatted the water with a hand, cursing as he stared into his blurry reflecting. Then his golden eyes widen and he looked up at his forehead, where a single white strand of fur fell down over the side of his muzzle.
"The fuck!" Brad cursed.
Donnie headed home soon after, having stayed up all night. Buck headed with him most the way but eventually to part ways. Donnie took the long way around and eventually found himself home. Then stopped, looking at the werewolf (now in human form) standing with his arms crossed in front his apartment door. Apparently no one had buzzed him inside, thankfully at least.
"You!" Brad growled, looking up to see Donnie who had stopped a few feet away. Brad was more than happy to close the distance between the two before he was shoving his face into the other mans. "You cursed me!"
"Well, technically, you're already cursed." Donnie felt the need to point out once more. "I might be all sorts of awesome, but even my awesomeness can't fix that. Sorry." And he meant it. Which only seemed to annoy the werewolf more.
"Like I'd want to get rid of that!" Brad cursed under his breath, stomping his feet as he through a hissy fit. "You gave me streaks!" And Brad pulled his hoodie back, showing off his dark brown hair and shaggy face. As well as the single white strand of hair.
"Oh," Donnie said blinking a few times. "You didn't always have that?"
"Hell no!" Brad cursed louder now, startling the mailman who had walked by. "I cut it off and it grows back! Like fifty times and each time it does. Longer, thicker and more... white! The hell, man. The hell?"
"Well, you did try to catch and eat me." Donnie just shrugged his shoulder. "I honestly didn't think that'd happen though." And he tried to keep from laughing. "It looks... good, though."
"I'm going to rip that smile off your face." Brad snarled, showing off one hand that had turned very wolf.
"I am sorry. There isn't anything I can do though. Things just sort of... happen, around me. I don't mean too. They just do." Donnie frowned a bit now. "I didn't ask for this."
"Well I did." Brad kept growling, grumbling to himself mostly now. "And the others are going to have a laughing fit when they see me." Brad shuddered, thinking of his pack when they found out about his new look.
"Look, if I could." Donnie stopped then as the two watched a blue bird fly through the air and land on Donnie's shoulder. Just standing there as if it didn't have a care in the world. Brad just stared at it. "If I could do something," Donnie continued as if nothing had happened. "If there's anything else I could do-,"
"Whoa," Brad stopped him there. "We are not ignoring the fact a fricking bird just landed on your fucking shoulder! How can you possibly ignore that?"
"It happens. Like, a lot. Everyday. Of my life." Donnie just frowned back. "If that's all," and he once more had to use one finger to get the bird off of him.
"Hey, we're not done here!" Brad moved to stop him. Apparently this pissed the blue bird off who kamikazed his face the next second, scratching and pecking at the werewolf's face several times as it chirped loudly with a fevor bloodlust that had never been seen before in the animal kingdom.
"Oh, and they get really mad when you try to get them off too." Donnie said as the bird flew away, still chirping angrily.
"What are they? You're little henchman?" Brad growled, looking up at him with a glare.
At approximately the same time, a swarm of birds (led by the bluebird) swarmed over the wolfman like a hive of angry bees. Pecking, scratching and screeching in his ears as Brad tried to get rid of them. Eventually Brad ended up just howling in rage and spun around several times like the tasmanian devil, clawing and biting at anything in range. He only got a mouthful of feathers as the birds finally departed, leaving him an utter mess.
"Don't you dare laugh." Brad only warned, spitting feathers from his mouth. Brad was cut up, scratched, bruised and was covered with molted feathers.
Donnie rolled his eyes, then took a step closer. The sudden movement threw Brad's brain into overdrive until a fuse was blown and he stood there dumbly as Donnie kissed his nose.
"There. All better." Donnie just said, moving back and looking at the wolfman. His face wasn't bleeding or bruised or scratched up and he appeared perfectly healthy before a gang of birds attacked him.
"We never speak of this again..." Brad only growled, looking away.
"Whatever makes you happy," Donnie shrugged and began to head up to his apartment. "And no, I'm not inviting you in."
Brad stopped at that. "What do you think I am? A vampire?"
"More like a drowned rat." Donnie just teased.
Brad growled loudly at that. Getting flustered, angry, frustrated and overall conflicted over this man who was driving him insane.
And with that, Donnie bid him farewell and headed inside his apartment.
Brad was about to say something but every cut and scratch he had gotten from the bird had been miraculously healed. And his nose felt tingling, in a good way.
"Oh, this is so not over yet."
"What?" Donnie stopped at that, sighing and looking back at him with a tired face. "I'm tired, I need to sleep. Someone kept me up all night, chasing after my tail." And he snickered at that.
"Hah, hah. All I wanted was a good piece of you."
"You want my man meat?" Donnie countered with a raised eyebrow and another snort. "And I thought unicorns were gay."
Brad flushed, growling loudly and taking a step up towards him. "Watch it bitch!"
"Bitch?" Donnie laughed at that. "And here I thought, you wanted to be my mare."
It took Brad a few seconds before he figured out what he meant. "What? No! You'd be my bitch. Not the other way around."
"I don't mind doing it the other way around." Donnie just replied frankly, giving him a tease of a smile. It only made Brad angrier, getting him flustered and embarrassed.
"Why i ought to..." Brad warned.
"Look. Let's do this another night. I'm exhausted." Donnie cut him off.
Brad frowned at that, unable to resist the urge to sleep himself. "Fine. When?"
"When?" Donnie stopped at the front door and looked over his shoulder. "Why of course the next full moon!" And with that he gave him a wave and headed into his place.