Young Writers Society

"It's not important," she said curtly. "Whether I'm human or not is largely irrelevant. Unless it's detectable it doesn't change anything." This, of course, was complete and utter bull, but she didn't want to speak of the cold, hard truth. The truth that she hated what she was as much as she hated what the wers back home had done so long ago. The fact that maybe, if she lived as human long enough, it would somehow go away.

But it didn't.

James blinked, and he looked over at her with a set stare.

"You... really are a werewolf, then?"

"Yes, I'm a werewolf!" she affirmed, the agitation in her voice unmistakable. "Satisfied?"

He blinked again, honestly not expecting yes to be her answer. He looked over to Amy as if for an explanation, but Amy just made a face - raising her brows and doing an exaggerated frown - as she shrugged.

Amy scooted a little closer to Ari. "I mean, it's nice to hear you actually say it. I'm just really wonderin' how I didn't smell it 'til now. Like, I feel like I would've known back at the inn if you were."

"A charm made from the wood of this jungle tree called a mirage tree," she said, still gazing at the ground. "It's how the hunters didn't figure me out, and how none of the other wers did, yourself included."

Ari's eyes widened a little as Tasha affirmed her identity, but he remained silent, recognizing the delicacy of the situation and deciding it wasn't the time.

Amy stared at Tasha with her eyes wide. "There are charms for that?!?!"

"Yeah, if you want to fight your way through a jungle full of monsters to get to it," Tasha grunted. "It's not like you can just get one. I found out about it because my...mentor, Kolvar told me about it. He was a monster and bounty hunter, of sorts."

"Was... was Kovlar a werewolf too?" Amy asked, softening her tone a bit.

"Nope, human as you get," she said, the edge to her voice more guarded and emotionless than usual.

Amy bit her lip, looking over to James. James only raised his brows.

She took in a deep breath. "But you're... a monster hunter."

"Yeah, no kidding. Ironic, isn't it?" she said with a wry smile. She paused for several moments, looking back down at her hands and trying to keep the conflict off her face, though she knew she was ultimately failing at it. "I've seen first hand the kind of power we wield, for good or for evil. Unfortunately...instinct runs strong," she said, her voice getting progressively softer. "In the end, that's really all it comes down to...can you resist it or not?"

Amy stared at Tasha carefully and tilted her head to the side.

"How are you defining instinct?"

She shook her head slowly. "I don't know...I know it's different with all of us, but I know that all of us are capable of it because I've seen it. It's that...predator that's so visceral but still so distinctive, somewhere behind all the thought and the higher parts of our minds, for better or for worse. But by now...I think it's done more harm than much else."

Amy frowned slightly. "Harm like... in your life you mean? Or in general?"

She looked down, shrugging somewhat sheepishly. "Most places, really."