Maybe it is because of my behaviour, maybe because of my deformed face, but it seems people avoid me. Just by walking within the roads in my village I see everyone turning their faces on me. I got into the world without anyone, no place to call home, no one to call family. My past is unknown. A kind hearted man took care of me when I was helpless. He was just as me, lonely, an outsider for the rest. His name was Henry, and it was him that teached me how to survive and control my skills. My name is Arthur, I’m sixteen, and I’m a werewolf. When I’m human, my blond hair is like the sunlight, gorgeous, and my big green eyes are as a summer field. I’m tall in comparison to the other teenagers from the village I grew up, sometimes they get scared when I appear, probably because of the big scar covering half of my face. They look at me as if I’m a kind of monster or mythological creature, an inhuman being. They are right. Although, when I’m in werewolf form, I’m about two and a half meters high, and my blond hair turns to deep black, my eyes become red like blood, and so much fur grows in my skin that I cannot even see it anymore. My smelling turns to be as great as a wolf sight, and my sharpened hearing can detect the most subtle sound kilometers away. No one know my secret besides Henry. Actually, it seems he knows more about me than I know about myself.

   Everything started on a Friday night, there was a celebration of the 5th birthday of the village’s chief son, and everyone was invited for the party. The sky was clean and the full moon looked like a big yellow cheese. Everything was lit with beautiful lamps, enlightening the whole field around our home. By 7 pm the guests arrived, and so me and Henry. As we entered in the big shack we could perceive how beautiful it was, the white tissue on the walls and the lampstands created a cozy atmosphere. Along the big red carpet the villagers were greeting the child, giving him presents and exchanging some words. As we walked along the rug I could notice my presence being noticed by the others: some people disguise it while talking to others, some others turned their faces when I looked back. Finally, it was our turn to greet the little boy. First came Henry:

"Happy birthday, Simon! Look how big you are!" - he said, while I kept seeing how everyone watched me. I watched Henry picking up that hideous thing he built for the child - "I made a toy for you, take it."
He hugged him and gave a small toy made up with straws. Right after it was my turn:

"Hey, boy. Err… Congratulations! I hope you enjoy our… "
As soon as he looked my deformed face he screamed:

"YYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"
His yell had deep despair and fear, his face was terrified, it seemed he saw a ghost, like I was the most horrendous thing he saw in his entire life. Now everyone on the party turned their attention to us. Aragon, the chief, calmed the child down:

"Hey, sweetie, it’s all right, don’t be afraid. Arthur is our friend."
Little Simon stopped crying, but still frightened. The party attendants forwarded us to our table. When I was seated, some boys from behind me whistled, calling my attention:

"Hey, aberration, come here. We gotta talk to you." - The oldest of them said.
I presumed they were talking to me, so I got up and walked towards them.

"So even the little boy knows you’re horrible! No doubt everyone sees you as a monster!" - He said
"Yeah, no one will accept you anywhere! You’re gonna die alone!" - Told the other bully.
I was starting getting furious, they didn’t know with who they were messing with.

"Please guys, stop with this! I know you don’t like me, and I don’t like you too, but leave me alone! Go take care of your own lifes!" - I said
At the moment I pronounced those words they got mad:

"Who do you think you are to talk to us like that?! You’re a bunch of dung!"
"Your useless dude! How dare you! Apologize right now or this deformation in your face will get even bigger!" -  said the smallest.
The four of them were looking down on me like furious dogs, they were snorting out of anger. The boys slowly started approaching. They were a few instants away from reaching me when, suddenly, Henry appeared:

"Hey, guys, what’s going on here? Is everything alright?"
"Yes, everything's fine!"- said one of the boys

I used this opportunity to return to my seat, sweating. I turned to Henry, with a fed up face, and he asked me:

"Wow, Arthur, what happened to you, my friend? You look tired! Go have some air outside." 
"Yeah, I’m gonna go there…"
I stood up from my seat and walked across the red carpet along the shack.

      Now, on the outside, the sky was cloudy, and there was a smooth breeze, I could hear it singing within the leaves. The peaceful environment was broken when, suddenly, the same petty boys from before appeared, smiling provocatively. They walked towards me.

"Now, let’s finish what we started, your Aberration!" - said the oldest guy
They got even closer. Their clenched fists and furious faces confirmed they wanted a fight. Some seconds later, with a fast movement, one of the boys pushed me back, and I fell on the cold soil.

"Now you’re gonna know your place, you little shit!" - he screamed
The aggressor got over me, punching my face repeatedly, while his friends were triumphantly shouting. I tried to cover my face, instinctively, but he was too strong, and the furiousness made his hand even heavier. Blood started running out of my face, and my eyes could barely open, but the boy didn’t stop attacking me. When I felt I would definitely pass out, the full moon came out of the clouds. It was huge! At that moment I stopped protecting myself, I didn’t feel the pain anymore. My whole attention was on that gorgeous astro, I just couldn’t turn my eyes to anything else besides that hypnotic shiny yellow light. My body got warmer and my blood pulsed faster, my hearing skills got sharpened, and deep black fur started growing through my body. The boy stopped punching me, his face was horrified.

"Oh, God! What’s that?! Somebody help me!!!" - He screamed
His friends were also frightened, they gave some steps back. The aggressor jumped out of my chest and ran panicking to inside the shack, yelling:

"Monster! Monster! There’s a monster outside! A werewolf!!!"
His friends also did the same, and I was there, laying on the ground, freezing. My body was still transforming, so I couldn’t move a single muscle, otherwise I would collapse. Henry was the first who I saw running out of the party. He slid by my side and helped me getting up. I noticed many screams inside the shack, some dark shades handling torches and pitchforks. At that moment, we realized that we could no longer stay there, in that village, they discovered my real identity. We had to get out of there!

      Now my transformation was complete, I was fully a werewolf. Henry looked at me, worried. I supposed he had a plan for an emergency like that.

"Arthur, dear, I need you to run to that rock on the top of the mountain, so I can meet you. Go by the woods, no one from the village will find you there. As soon as you arrive, wait for me and stay alert! Understood?"
I nodded my head in an affirmative sign.

"Okay, then, run as fast as you can! I’m going to our house to pick some important stuff. Don’t stray from the path! Go!!!" - He said
At the moment he pronounced those words, the villagers jumped out of the shack, armed with all sorts of sharp objects. They stared at me, fearless, with their predating eyes. Henry wasn’t by my side anymore, he disappeared before anyone noticed him. The dozens of villagers screamed bravely, running in my direction, like barbarians attacking their prey. I then ran as fast as I could, on fours. Seconds later they were far from me, I was too fast for them.

      The woods were dark and deep, If I wasn’t a werewolf I wouldn’t even see an inch ahead of me. As I went through the forest, I remembered that big rock Henry asked me to go, we used to camp there in the summer when I was younger. There, we stood the whole night looking at the clear sky and searching for shooting stars. My frantic rush was leaving me, and now I was getting exhausted. At least I was almost arriving on the top of the mountain.

      On the rock, everything in my surroundings was silent, the winds now were cold and strong. Winter was coming. From there, my illuminated village looked like a single star on the entire universe. I sheltered from the cold moving under the rock and stood alert, trying to perceive the most subtle sound, maybe an alert villager that could find my location, maybe a wild animal living nearby, looking for its prey. I stood there admiring the landscape for five minutes or so when, suddenly, I hear something snorting, an animal, his fast steps showed he was getting closer to the rock. I hid myself in a small hole, ready to attack. My front paws were flexionated, and my mouth was open to kill anyone threatening my life. The big animal with yellow eyes appeared, he stared at me and nodded his head, wagging his tail fancily. At that moment I noticed that this big animal, actually was another werewolf! I can’t imagine how my face was at the moment, probably a mix of surprise and doubt. He wasn’t too different from me, the only noticeable trait was that this other werewolf was much bigger than me. He had big yellowish teeths, his tall stature and dark fur were similar to mine, and his eyes were in a light and intense green tone, which were quite similar to Henry’s. That was when I realized: OH MY! IT’S HENRY! He was carrying some bags attached to his back, and I presumed that they were for the long and exhaustive journey that we were going to face.

      Henry nodded to me, showing that it was time to go, to leave that disgusting village behind. I looked at it for the last time in my life, remembering the moments I spent there. Such a memory showed me how the unpleasant moments overran the good ones. I knew in that moment I would never return to my homeland.

Then I turned towards Henry and we walked peacefully into the wilds, towards a new life.