Wolves in the Woods [Carr]
Had anyone asked him what he liked best about his new home, Julian would not have talked about the inspiration room, with its custom stained glass wall. He wouldn't have mentioned the fireplace, or even the upstairs studio. The two-car garage wouldn't even have placed on the list, and the basement game room was added only as an afterthought.
No, his favorite thing about the house was the forest just beyond his backyard.
He'd already explored it, in each of his forms, but it was safer to travel as a human by day. At night, a black wolf in this dense wood was all but invisible. During the day, Julian was out and about, a botany textbook abandoned at his feet while he was photographing several different trees. His sketchbook lay beside the text, with detailed sketches of different angles of one particular tree.
There was plenty of cedar and black cherry around, but the hemlocks were few and far between. This one looked to have been around forever, the thick trunk pocked with scars and carvings, all faded over time. He was trying to photograph it in this light before he lost the shadows when he caught the scent of someone else. He heard the footsteps a moment later and stilled for a moment.
Another garou? He sniffed the air again and turned to take a look.