The Werewolf and the Dryad

It began as many of my dreams do, outside, in an ever shifting mountainous landscape. In my mind, I felt that some sort of zombie apocalypse was occurring, but there was nary an undead in sight. I slowly turned a full circle on the side of the highway while looking up, and gathering in my surroundings, and spotted 'my' house, nestled far up on the side of the mountain. In any of these dreams, it was never in the same place, and while the appearance always varied, I never failed to recognize it as mine.

I'm unsure if I teleport, (I have teleported in dreams before, bamfing from place to place like Nightcrawler from X-Men, or using psychic equations to open a door in space/time like Harry Keogh from the Necroscope series) or if I just edit out the uneventful walk up the mountainside to the house. I always remember the act of teleportation, and it had gotten darker outside, so I was leaning towards the film cut variety mode of travel. Walking up to the building, it was somewhat shrouded in a light fog, and there were no lights on that I could see from the outside. It's always a big house, no matter the exterior visage, and another cut later, and I was inside. I never walk through a door entering or exiting a building in my dreams. Maybe I can just walk through walls... Who knows?

The house appeared to be unoccupied, but there was something in the air that was amiss... Whatever had caused the perceived disaster that I had felt on entering this dream, had somehow started here. There was a strong energy in the air that could not be denied. I began my search on the top floor, and worked my way down into a unfinished sub-basement. It was enormous and had uneven dirt floors that seemed to follow the slope of the mountain, progressively going deeper and darker as I looked.

As I was about to investigate further, my Mother appeared at my side out of nowhere. She went on to explain how my brother had turned on the taps in his bathtub, (which was exactly 3 floors up and ten feet from where we stood) and it had the unforeseen effect of tearing a rift in reality. Since the shutoff valves for the water on the copper pipes  were only ten feet away, I thought that I could simply walk over and end whatever catastrophe had afflicted earth, and that that would be that. My Mother had the same idea apparently, and began to stroll over to close the valves. I grabbed her arm, and told her to stay back... Something wasn't right.

No sooner had I thought that, when bright blue arcs of electricity crackled, seemingly emanating from the valves themselves, filling the air with slow floating, ghostlike lightning. Never actually touching either of us, it made it way through the air, following the downward slope, lighting the eerie darkness as it went. I watched the glow slowly dissipate, and then it was gone. As I turned, so was my Mother. I am unsure if she was somehow taken by the energy surge, or if she too can teleport.

I turned to my right, and looked towards a bathroom that was not there before. The light inside was shut off, but I could see my reflection in the mirror since the door was ajar. Beside that was another door. This was not any regular kind of door, mind you, simply a rectangular hole in space. Its inky blackness beckoned. I was hesitant to enter, but something, not quite a voice, so much as a feeling, insisted that I go through and see what lay on the other side.

Cautiously, I stepped past the threshold into nothingness. It was still completely pitch black, and although I couldn't feel any floor, I did not fall. Amazingly, despite the utter darkness, I could see my hands if I looked. The fact that my hands were now gnarled, and growing meathook claws didn't seem to phase me at all. I watched myself through my own eyes while outside of my body (a rather fourth dimensional moment)turn into a werewolf, completely unafraid. As soon as the transformation had begun,it was complete, and I found myself outside once again.

Galloping on all fours under the full moon along the sandy shores of an unknown lake, I soon found myself caught in one of the many sudden geographical shifts. The lake shore quickly got steeper and steeper, and I was having difficulty maintaining traction on the wet sand. With an extraordinary effort, I managed to make it to a treeline before the beach turned into a cliff. I made my way deeper into the undergrowth, keeping the lake in my peripheral to my right. I could see the glow of a fire off in the distance beyond a rise in the landscape, so I quietly skulked closer to investigate.

Perhaps 400 feet away, down a gentle slope, I could see a large group a men standing around a large bonfire on the beach. Crouching down, I listened to them talking amongst themselves about hunting down 'The Beast'. Something was responsible for the deaths of a few townsfolk in the area. Cocking my head to the side, I wondered if they meant me, and dismissed that idea. I had only recently turned, and the only thing that I had on my mind was simply enjoying running wild in my new form, not terrorizing and eating people.  However, when I heard the word 'werewolf' used, my concern grew again. I knew that if I was discovered, I would be shot on sight, regardless if I had mauled anyone or not.

I have no idea how they all knew that I was there in the trees watching them, but in an instant, dozens of bullets began raining down on my position. I had no choice but to run for my life, and run I did. For whatever reason, my seemingly magickal teleportation abilities did not want to work, and I went on for what seemed like hours, bounding effortlessly through the thick forest as daylight slowly approached. These men must have been superhuman in their own way, as they were never more than 400 feet away and gaining ground.

I entered a small clearing with a medium sized tree in the middle, and stopped for a moment to regain my senses. This was a critical mistake, as it allowed the men the opportunity to make up time in a fashion that was far too fast for my liking. Projectiles whizzed past me once again as the hunters were suddenly within 100 feet of where I stood. I quickly lept over towards the tree to put it between myself and death by screaming hot silver...

Leaves shot up from the forest floor in such great numbers that they obscured everything else from view. I thought at once that I was finished, having been caught in a camouflaged net set up by the hunters, but this was not the case... I could hear the men nearby, cursing at the early morning air at having lost their quarry, and searching the surrounding area. I kept as quiet as I could, when I felt a presence behind me. I turned my head to see a familiar face.

My friend Meg hovered in front of my eyes, and I stared in amazement. She appeared as a beautiful dryad, and smiled down upon my wolf form, an aura of relaxation permeating the air. Through a series of telepathic images and intuitions, it was explained that she knew who I was even behind the wolfskin, and she knew that I had not harmed anyone. Thus, as a guardian of this forest, she felt the need to protect me from the huntsman outside of the magickal barrier she had provided.

We engaged in the same kind of telepathic conversation for quite some time. I can't recall everything, but it was not a conversation of words, so any recollection of of it would left in feeling. Meg somehow made it possible for me to travel outside of myself,  and disembodied, I floated around outside of the barrier taking in the surroundings.

It was now morning, and the men were still there, joined by many others in combat fatigues and military dress. Another small group in white hazmat suits had dug up a device from the forest floor that was highly advanced, and possibly alien in nature. Upon looking at the device, I knew that it was the source of all the strangeness going on since I had entered this dreamscape. I said my goodbyes to Meg, and flew directly into the glowing blue energy ball encased in the glass center of the device.

At which point I woke up. I think I should have Pizza 73 more often before I go to bed.