It's been a bit, but here is a story for the weekly  Thursday_Prompt. The prompt this time was wire, and since it's the month of Halloween, I decided to write a story with something spooky in it, though still kind of comedic. In it, someone stumbles across their friend hanging out with a creature they are terrified to see. As usual, any feedback is appreciated, and I hope those who read this enjoy it!

Story icon by SkyBlueArts95 on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SkyBlueArts95)



The Werecat and the Wire
By: Rando Shywoulfe


It was late at night and Jayden had just finished his work shift at the local fast-food restaurant. He should’ve been done two hours ago, but right before he was to leave they’d gotten a rush of furs who wanted their fried food. Now he was trying to get home so he could enjoy an hour or two of relaxation before he had to go to bed. Walking home, no sounds greeted the beagle’s ears and while the night air was cool on his fur, he felt a sense of uneasiness about being out at this time.

As he was walking, the quiet of the night was broken by a scratching sound. It was faint at first, but as he continued walking, it got louder. After a few minutes, he found the source of the noise. At the house of his wolf friend Daniel, he was holding a thick metal wire that lay on the ground. He was moving it back and forth, the wire snaking along the ground and the scraping sound it made was what Jayden had heard. Daniel seemed to be focused on the wire as he continued moving it without noticing Jayden approach him.

“Hey, what are you-”

“Shhhh,” Daniel shushed him, keeping his eyes on the wire in his paws, “You’ll scare them away!”

“Scare who away?” Jayden asked, his eyes now looking at the other end of the wire.

Messing with the other end of the wire was a beast like he’d never seen before. It was as large as an SUV, with black fur that was unkempt and mangy-looking. Its fangs were jagged and looked ready to bite a fur’s head clean off. Its yellow eyes glowed like the moon in the sky, and its claws seemed as sharp as razor blades.

At the moment, it was staring at the other end of the wire, watching it as it moved along the ground. Its tail swished in time with the wire and its attention seemed to be locked onto it. Jayden was terrified and worried about what would happen when it realized there were two furs in front of it.

"Daniel, what the hell is that!?" Jayden exclaimed, his body freezing at the sight of the terrifying creature.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "A werecat. Duh!"

Even with his exceptional hearing, Jayden had to double-check to make sure he’d heard correctly. "I’m sorry, a what cat?"

"No, they're a werecat, not a whatcat," Daniel replied, smirking.

Jayden couldn't believe his friend was making jokes while a creature was close to them.

"Where did this werecat even come from? Also, why are you messing with it in the first place?"

"Oh, they were hanging out by the edge of the woods over there," Daniel used one paw to point towards a group of trees clustered a few feet away, "They were just wandering through there, hissing and snarling."

"That didn't seem like much fun, so I decided to test something. I grabbed this long metal wire," he held up the end of the wire in his paws, "and moved it into their line of sight. When they saw it, I started moving it around. It seemed to catch their attention, so I started walking back to my house and the werecat followed my wire. Now we're here, and are both enjoying ourselves."

The story sounded too crazy to believe, and if there wasn't a werecat at the other end of the wire, Jayden would've written the whole thing off to Daniel's imagination. Yet there was, so he knew it was true. That being said, he didn't like the fact that a creature known for its murderous tendencies was feet away from them.

"So what's gonna happen when you stop playing with the wire? How do you know that thing won't turn around and slash you into little bits? Did you do some sort of meet and greet with it, learn its name and what it likes to do for fun?"

Daniel scratched his head and laughed. "Don't be silly. Werecats can't speak. If you'd read about them, you'd know that they're just regular citizens who transform into more primal forms during full moons."

Jayden wasn't convinced though. "Okay, and if you read the stories about them, you'd also know that they're bloodthirsty killers who murder anyone and everyone in their sight! That one right there is liable to bite your face off in an instant!"

Shrugging, Daniel gave another grin. "Well, you can't believe everything you read now can you? Besides, if they bite my face off, I'll face the consequences then."

The conversation was starting to frustrate Jayden. He was trying to warn his friend of the impending danger he was in, and Daniel was brushing his concerns off like they meant nothing.

"How can you be so calm while that monster is over there!?"

His paws never stopping in their movements, Daniel looked over at the werecat staring at the wire. "Well, I know they're harmless, so I think I'm safe enough to crack a joke or two. Watch."

Daniel dropped the wire, letting it lay limp on the ground. The werecat chose this chance to leap on it, gnawing it with their teeth, the sound of scraping metal filling the night air. Their chewing stopped after snapping the end of the wire off, the piece falling to the ground with a clatter. Seeming satisfied that its prey was dead, it made its way over to the two friends, walking with a slow gait, its eyes never leaving them.

“Dude! We need to run!” Jayden cried out, ready to speed out of there and not stop until he was safe inside his house.

Daniel, however, refused to budge and stared at the werecat prowling towards them. “You’ll be fine. Trust me. They’re not going to hurt us.”

Jayden wasn’t so sure, as the saliva dripping from the werecat’s mouth suggested otherwise. Despite this though, he couldn’t leave his friend to die alone, so he decided to embrace the fate awaiting the two of them, positive they would become a late-night snack for the beast.

The werecat reached the two furs, its foul breath assaulting their nostrils. Cold terror caused Jayden’s body to shake, and his fur bristled with fear. It was like facing death in the face and there was nothing he could do to stop it from coming.

When he glanced over at Daniel, he was shocked to see his friend sticking his arm out towards the creature. If he wasn’t scared out of his mind, Jayden would’ve swatted Daniel’s arm down. At this point, Daniel might as well dip his arm in barbecue sauce and put it on a plate.

Yet to his surprise, when the werecat approached Daniel's arm, it didn't bite it off. Instead, it started sniffing the outstretched limb, seeming to try and figure out what it was.

Jayden then watched as Daniel did the unthinkable and started petting the werecat. He stroked their fur in slow movements, not going too fast or going any further than the head. The werecat stopped sniffing at this sudden movement, but soon, they settled into the petting, even purring in content! Jayden was flabbergasted. Here was a creature known for tearing furs into tiny pieces, acting like a kitten they'd been told feline furs evolved from.

Daniel must have seen Jayden's jaw hanging on the floor because he gave him a smug grin as he continued petting the werecat. "See? I told you there was nothing to be afraid of. Werecats aren't the bloodthirsty creatures we've been led to believe." To further prove his point, he started scratching the werecat under the chin, which they loved, purring so loud it sounded like a plane engine.

"But...furs have died to these creatures before. How do you explain that?" Jayden crossed his arms, wanting his friend to explain that.

Daniel shrugged. "They probably weren’t being very nice to them. It's like if you wanted to punch someone in the snout for how they acted towards you. With their more primal instincts, they can’t help but lash out at furs who provoke them."

Jayden wanted to argue against that, but as he thought about it, he realized that the few furs he’d heard had been killed had been known for being either jerks or foolhardy. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Stopping his petting, the werecat made their way over to Jayden and started sniffing him. Despite knowing they were harmless, he jumped a bit and gulped when he saw the fangs so close to his body.

“Go on. Pet ‘em,” Daniel encouraged him.

Jayden wasn’t sure he wanted to do that. He wasn’t positive he’d passed the werecat’s non-asshole test and feared he would be minus one arm if he tried touching them. However, looking into the werecat’s eyes, he saw an innocence to them that he hadn’t thought would be there. Something about those yes told him they were okay, so, reaching a shaky paw out, he laid it on top of their head. When the werecat didn’t bite it off, he moved his paw in the same motions he’d seen Daniel do. Sure enough, they started purring again and even rubbed against Jayden’s chest. The whole thing became funny and he couldn’t help but laugh at it. Glancing at Daniel, he saw his friend’s tail wagging in happiness, and Jayden felt more comfortable than he’d felt since seeing the werecat.

Just then, a faint meow sounded, and the werecat’s ears perked up upon hearing it. Giving a long ‘mooooooooowwwwwww’ in return, they gave a final look at the two furs before trotting back into the woods.

Watching them go, Jayden shook his head, though a smile graced his face.

“That was something,” he looked over at Daniel, “You know, I still can’t believe you did that. I can’t tell whether it was bravery or foolishness that made you do that.”

In response, Daniel turned to Jayden and raised an eyebrow. “So what you should be asking me is ‘wire you like this’ then?” He chuckled at his joke.

Jayden groaned and put his head in his paws. At this point, he was tempted to run after the werecat so he wouldn’t have to deal with his friend’s puns anymore.