Masonic Werewolves

towards camp, slapping Jacob on the back. Jacob had released the rabbit long ago, back into the wild. One of the guys looked like they were going to chase it when they were directed to walk back. They all dressed in casual clothes and stood laughing around the fireplace. They chewed on bags of jerky and passed around beers. Their telescopes continued not to be used, leaned up against trees.
Brandon walked over to Jacob, handing him some trail mix. “I know you have a lot of questions still, which I’ll help you with. Just no more scratching, please.” Brandon lifted his shirt, showing a series of scratches. They looked like red cat scratches, but Jacob knew he had given those to Brandon in the forest.
“One other thing,” Brandon looked around the circle and said, “we have rules that others don’t. We’ve survived so long because of secrecy and being extra good citizens. No one suspects us, and we like keeping things that way. In addition, when we smell a potential werewolf, we do our best to convince them to join us Moon Moaners. It doesn’t always work, but we at least give them some guidelines on where and when to change. Important stuff that only comes from experience. So, what questions can I help you with first?”
Jacob did indeed have questions, but one thought kept flowing in and out of his mind. What would happen now, if he stumbled on that jerk that stole his dog? Would he scare him or walk away? Maybe he would hunt that jerk down. The thought continued through his mind, and he couldn't help but smile the rest of the night.

 
 
 
 
 
CHAPTER FIVE
 
 
Several days later, Jacob was grabbing the leash for ‘Sir Licks-A-Lot’, ready to take him out for a walk. His friend, Robert, was playing video games on this couch. He paused the game and asked, “You want me to go out there with you? It’s pretty dark out there.”
Jacob shook his head, “No, no. I should be fine.”
Robert raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you sure? You’ve been acting a little weird since you went to that cult thingy.”
Jacob gave him a flat look, "It's not a cult. It's the Masons. You can leave whenever you want and most of their…" Jacob made quote signs with his hands, "secrets... are just speeches they give each other. It is more of a speech class with dinner afterward than anything."
Robert shrugged, “If you say so. Just don’t give away all your worldly possessions.” Robert pointed at the TV and winked. “I am still on the second arc of this game. You can’t join the commune until I beat the game, okay?”
Jacob shook his head, "You aren't going to finish it. You get to the part where it becomes tedious and start another game."
Robert un-paused his game and continued playing. "Not my fault if they confuse rewards and quests. I don't care if I have a stronger sword. I want a sword that fits the situation."
Jacob smiled and said he would be back in a little bit. He went outside and decided to walk his dog at the nearby park. That’s where all the trees he liked to mark would be. Jacob didn’t discuss his urge to re-mark all the spots his dog had marked. He had changed, but he kept those changes secret to all but the moon moaners.
He was about to go home when he saw a familiar face in the park. The face brought out a twitch of fear and made him want to run away. It was Zan, the guy who stole his dog. He seemed angry and was yelling into a phone. Jacob conquered his instinct to run away and came up with a plan. It would be helpful and make him feel powerful. He would pop out of the woods, growl for a bit, and watch this guy run off into the distance. He looked down at his dog and realized that he needed to bring “Sir Licks-a-Lot” back home.
He did so, not saying a word to Robert when he left again. Robert was cussing at the TV anyways and probably would not have noticed him. Jacob walked back to the park to see Zan also yelling. Instead, he was yelling at a dog that looked remarkably like his dog. Out of frustration, Zan quickly tried to tie up his dog, but a text message beeped on his phone. Jacob watched him with human eyes, ready to shift to his wolf form and scare the bully half dead.
He then saw the dog twist weird against the tree and bolt away. Zan was engrossed in texting something and looked angry. The dog ran the other direction. Jacob was reminded of the rabbit in the woods. He couldn't help it; he shifted into his wolf form and began to chase the dog.
The dog felt the wolf hunting him and began to run as if its life depended on it. The dog zipped through playground tunnels and under walking bridges in the park. Jacob plotted along, looking to reach the dog and grab it. He knew it would be the sweetest revenge to steal the jerk's dog for a while. He would give the dog back, but it would be so beautiful to have the tables turned.
He was about to burst out from a bike trail when he saw a woman, texting. The dog jumped up and she caught the creature. Jacob stopped and skidded into a tree, causing a thump.
"Hello? Hello? Who's there?"
Jacob shifted back to his human form and began to run away. He hoped the tree gave him enough cover that the woman didn’t see anything. He was unfortunately wrong. Not only did she see him naked, but she saw him change from wolf to human.
What made it worse is that she lifted her phone while it was on video recording mode.