Chapter 7

The words drove Sanji to grab my wrist and pulled me behind himself. His body was now a shield between me and the crazy bastard across from us. A scowl plastered Sanji's face in disgust at what the man across from us implied.

I didn't know if I should still call him grandpa or lord, but it was quickly helped as the man bowed with a mocking smile.

"Where are my manners. I should probably introduce myself." He said. "My name is Okami Erat. I am also known to be the first werewolf and soon to be alpha of all werewolves."

"Why have I been selected as your queen?" I asked one of the many questions that floated through my brain. I did wonder what me meant, how had I been selected.

Erat's smile widened unnaturally, fangs on full display. The only description I could give that look was unhinged. "But you survived the trail I had set for you."

Sanji still kept me hidden behind his tall frame. But it didn't do much as I leaned to the side to keep eye contact with Erat. But it allowed me to spew question after question from a safe distance. "What trail?"

"Don't you remember the villagers had gotten an tip from an unknown source. Well I was the source and the hunt was your trail. And you passed with flying colours." Erat said, uninterested. It sounded like he didn't care at all who won his little trail.

"And what do you want with me." I finally dared to ask as the puzzle pieces fell into place.

"But your womb of course." Erat said, smiling sickly sweet. "A werewolf queen with a powerful howl to halt all that moves must be strong enough to bare my offspring."

"You are mad." Sanji spat at Erat and pushed me to take another step back. I didn't protest his soft order. But I pulled Sanji back as well. I didn't trust Erat to not hurt him.

"Stop hiding!" Erat snapped at me in sudden anger. I could see in his eyes he did not like that Sanji was protecting me.

"Sanji," I whispered, "we should go. Now!"

Sanji didn't look my way, but nodded none the less. I could tell he didn't trust the man either, not with how on edge he was. His eyes never left the lunatic across from us.

I moved backwards, away from the scene. Away from the man.

Erat didn't have it and spoke; "Why are you leaving? I'm just getting started."

Sanji moved us back as black claws flung across empty air. A low growl followed in frustration.

Erat had attacked us.

I scrambled backwards I panic and tumbled over my own legs. Sanji noticed, jumping to intercept the next attack coming from Erat.

"SANJI!" I called out to the man, seeing his leg raised to block another clawed strike.

"Run." He called back to me. He tried his hardest to keep himself between my shaking form and the attacker.

"I can't leave you." I yelled back, moving to sit in a low crouch. In a split-second decision, and the unknown energy that ran below my skin, I decided to join the fight.

With a growl I jumped to my feet. But staggered a bit as an unnatural pain surged through my body. Almost as if I was under a full moon, but somehow less strong.

I noticed my surroundings were brighter and I could see the smallest details. Sounds were amplified and when I looked at my hands, the same black claws that decorated Erat Okami was now mine to command as well.

With a powerful jump I landed in a crouch in front of Sanji. Just in time to intercept a fatal strike that came for his chest. My clawed hand grabbed Erat's wrist.

Now it was two against one. And I felt like we could win this, but a little voice in my brain told me to not be cocky and still stay on high alert.

I shoved Erat backwards and he stumbled for a step, enough for Sanji to get a hit in to his head. It bought us precious seconds of relief that we used to back away from the man.

"We need to do something." I said below my breath.

Sanji stared at my claws for a while, unsure what had happened to me. But with a few snaps of my  he jumped back to the present. "What happened."

"Don't know, no time for it." I said with haste. "We need to do something about Erat. Either we lose him in the forest or try to knock him out to escape that way. I know we won't be able to defeat him."

"I know we should do something," Sanji agreed. "We should take him out now. That way he can't—Y/N!"

The world seemed to move in slow motion for a moment. Sanji's hand moved to my wrist, grabbing it to pull me behind him. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Erat running at us with teeth bared. Sanji's other arm raised to intercept the fangs. Sanji grunted under the pressure of the bite and blood welled up along the edges.

"Sanji!" I exclaimed at the sight. Erat only seemed to laugh as he unlatched his fangs and moved away towards the foliage. With that he disappeared from my sight, but I had other matters to attend to.

Sanji's breathing was laboured, as he had crumbled to the ground in pain. I knew the signs, I knew the fever that would follow. I had also gotten it with my first bite. The only troubled thought that passed through my mind. Would he survive?

"Stay awake," I murmured, as I sat by his side, combing through his hair to keep his attention on me. "Just whatever you do, don't close your eyes."

Sanji smiled and opened his mouth to say something. But I didn't let him, shushing him with a slight shake of my head. "Conserve your energy. You are going to need it."

I looked down at the wound that seemed to never stop bleeding. I shimmied out of my blouse, tearing the bottom to strips to try and bandage the wound. Sanji wanted to protest about the clothing, but I was faster. "I rather buy a new blouse than lose you."

Panic surged through me and I tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. I could see his breathing was getting more laboured by the minute. I placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, hoping it would keep him grounded and awake. But it was all in vain in the end, he did slip into unconscious and the only thing I could do was watch.

A howl so powerful and filled with pain rang across the forest, halting any living creature in the vicinity. But it doubled as a call for help. Help for the strength I needed to face the crew and bare the news of Sanji's wound and possibility of his death to them.

Through my tear stained vision I could see little yellow lights floating up from the ground. Fireflies illuminated the clearing. The pond looked ethereal, the grass swayed in the soft breeze. But for some reason I couldn't understand the little fireflies when they touched my skin gave me strength and courage.

It somehow even stopped the bleeding wound of Sanji as the improvised bandages were drenched. His breathing even seemed to ease.

With all that was happening my panic seemed to wain and I got to my feet. I lifted Sanji in my arms. Surprised he felt so light. The first step was hard and the next one as well, but the more I took the better and lighter the steps became. The pace I held was brisk and I knew that for now luck was on my side.

The fireflies swerved around us, keeping us encased in the timeless bubble. With a clear goal in mind and now that the pressure was lightened just a bit, I moved with confidant steps to the ship where I had met the man in my arms.

The ship came in to view and the fireflies had stopped at the edge off the forest. Now that they had left me, the journey was harder to keep up. But the sight of the ship was a sight for sore eyes.

A relieved sigh passed my lips. "We are almost there. Just hold on a bit longer." I whispered to Sanji. His breathing was laboured again and his body felt hot against my skin. The wound bled heavily again. All in all, it didn't look good.

I reached the ship and walked up the plank. "Please, anybody! Can you help him." I called the crew as they stared at me.

It was silent for a moment before they fell into motion. A big man with blue hair styled in a strange mohawk took Sanji over from me. A racoon like creature followed after him, yelling instructions and panicked sentences all the way until the kitchen door closed behind them and the sound was gone.

I fell to my knees in relief. Sanji was in good hands now. The adrenaline that kept me up and running had left me alone now. I was slightly glad for it as the tiredness fogged up my brain. It didn't care about the sword that pointed at my throat or the loud discussion in the background.

An orange haired woman took the lead and was the first to address me after she made the swordsman put his weapon away. "Who are you?"

"My name is L/N Y/N." I said as the world started to spin. My vision started to blur and I knew I had to tell them all I knew before I would pass out.

"What happened?"

"We were out on a date when we were attacked. I didn't mean to pull him into my problems, but it just happened." I said, the words tumbled from my lips and I didn't want to stop myself from telling them everything that had happened. They had the right to know. I just kept one thing hidden from them, the curse. I, and probably them, weren't ready for that.

I told them about the beginning when I snuck onboard this ship, hiding in the storage room. The moment Sanji found me in the kitchen looking for food. The meal he cooked for me. I even talked about our first date and the moment we spoke of our love for each other. I decided to end the story with how we were attacked.

Little spots danced across my eyes now. It was hard to not give in to the enticing darkness that loomed over me.

"And why did you sneak on board our ship?" The orange haired woman asked after the explanation I had given. "Why did you need to hide?"

"I fled from my own village, drifting endlessly on the sea. I landed on an island through sheer luck and their I found your ship after Sanji had helped with buying medical supplies for me. I saw him arguing with your swordsman over there."  I said, as I inclined my head towards the green haired man beside me. It looked more like my head fell to the side, and it probably was what happened, but it got the point across.

I tried to get my head lifted again, but my muscles didn't want to listen. I just added the last bit to my story before I couldn't. "I did plan to leave the next island you docked at. Not to be a bigger hindrance to any of you. It was never my intention to hold any of  back."

The boy with a straw-hat took a step forward, now he filled most of my barely remaining vision. "But you didn't. Why?"

His tone was curious and kind, but deep inside my body, my instincts yelled at me that he was more dangerous than he led on.

I smiled through the pain that build up inside my body. "I fell in love." I whispered as I couldn't keep myself awake any longer. My vision gone and the pain now drummed inside my head.

I could hear them around me, as well as hands that kept me from hitting the wooden deck. A bit of panic filled some of their voices, others were calm and calculated. But the end result was the same.

My body was lifted up from the ground and carried to somewhere, but I didn't get much else as my mind finally gave out and fell into its much needed rest.