One cool day of Autumn, a woman decided to go and explore the deep woods around her hometown. This town was situated between a dark, eerie forest and a bright, energetic plateau. This contrast lead to a quite complex system of operations within the town, but nevertheless, the townspeople prospered. This woman from the town was exceptionally beautiful, and she stood out in every way. She had flowing fire-red hair and a personality that glowed like the stars in the darkness of the night sky.

On this day however, she was curious about the ends of the forest and the myths surrounding it. Every month, when the moon was in its fullest position, there would be howls and barks from deep within the dense underbrush of the trees. She did not believe in the tales that her fellow townsfolk told her about demon or angry spirits, but her curiosity peaked, and so, on the day of the full moon, she set off into the woods to find the source of all the noise caused in the night. She walked through the forest for hours until suddenly, in a small clearing, she spotted a tiny shack.

This shack was run down, but obviously well looked after. She crept up to the lone window on the wall opposite the doorway and peered inside. The shack, besides some assorted supplies, was empty. Some form of creature had been living in there, and it had items that could be used for trapping, she spotted rope, hooks, a chair, and narcotics. She was curious as to what the person who lived in this small home would do with these items, but as she was about to head out to look for them she heard a noise coming toward the hut from the edge of the clearing.

She hid in a small hedge on the side of the tiny shack and waited. A small man, timid and frail looking rounded the corner and before entering the small home, looked around quickly, as if checking for others or animals. This man spent a great deal of time organizing his small abode, and once he was done he stopped suddenly, peering over the moon slowly starting to peek over the horizon.

A scared look crossed his face, and he began to furiously scour his belongings for something. He brought out an old, handmade calendar and gasped quickly upon gazing at it. He then turned back to the items he possessed and began grabbing some of the items she had seen in the home minutes prior. He then began trying strong knots that she had only seen used by villagers who wanted strong bundles of wood or stone that wouldn't slip. She was curious as to why this was. It took roughly an hour, and by this time the moon had risen over the horizon all but partially, but the man had successfully tied himself to the chair in the corner of the room, only being able to move his hands but slightly.

He had used more rope after spotting that he was dreadfully low on the narcotics that he had taken before doing this. The man then cried out in pure agony, seeming to shudder under heavy stress. This was when she started to notice small things, his arms were getting bigger, along with his legs, he was growing a large amount of hair in a very small amount of time, and his eyes turned a coal black, glossed over fully. The woman gasped, seeing now what caused the noises every month during the complete moon.

The man had transformed into a beast, a shadowy figure no longer bound tightly to the chair. The changes did not seem to be over as the creature began mumbling frantically, trying to find a way to tie himself down again. Having heard the gasp from the woman earlier however, this did not last long as he looked out the doorway trying to find the source of the noise.

That was when she heard his voice call out to her and say a single sentence.

"Run far from me."

The woman, however, refused to abide by his wishes and instead revealed herself to the creature. Coming out of the hedge from which she had been hiding in moments before. She ran to the man and began trying to ask how she could help him, but he was too shocked to reply, she had ran to him, not away, even after seeing what he had become. She was such a kind soul, but he could not stop the horrific change, and soon she would be gone.

Then he suddenly felt her arms around him, as if knowing his thoughts, and enveloping him in a tight hug. He then began to cry, wishing that fate could change to allow this woman to live, and he wondered if it could. The woman, sensing his grief acted upon her thoughts one final time and kissed him. This was an unexpected turn for the man, but he accepted it as it was, and continued to weep.

They sat together like this for a short while before he realized that he had not lost his consciousness and turned into the feral creature he tried so hard to shield the world from. He had kept his sanity and not ran off into the woods to hunt for prey, only to return in the morning exhausted and covered in blood.

She had kept him sane, and for that, he would never be able to repay her. He thanked her with all the sincerity he could and begged her to stay with him to save others from his curse, to which she accepted, hoping that somehow, she could prevent this beast from consuming him entirely.