Lycan - First Blood

Chapter 1: Welcome to the Yukon

"Johnny! Johnny! Wake up man! Can you hear me! I think he's dead Marvin!"

"It's just a bruise, he'll be fine Aaron. Just help me get him out of the snow." My eyes fluttered open to the icy Northern winds and frosted land. My head was screaming in agony, but my skin was so numb, I barely felt the pain. I tried to prop myself up against a maple tree next to me, but my bones ached. I slumped back into the snow, my winter jacket damp with chilly Yukon water.

"You all right man? That was a hell of a nasty fall", my childhood friend Aaron questioned.

"What, what happened", I murmured, all the energy drained from my body. I reached my moist gloves to my head and felt for any major damage.

"We have no clue. Marvin and I were on the other side of the cabin tending to the dogs, and then we heard you scream, and then a few crunching sounds. And then we found you here, lying unconscious in a pile of snow. We thought you were still sleeping", explained Aaron.

"So did I. Anyway, can I get some help please", I reached for Aaron's arm as he leaned forwards. He hauled me out of the snow, and helped me to my feet. "I feel horrible, I must have smashed my head. Do you see blood?"

"There's no blood, but it's definitely bruised. Your lucky man, my great uncle Ricky died just outside of Dawson back in '98", Aaron gestured to the South, past the large thicket of trees surrounding our cabin. The bright morning sun reflected across the Yukon snow, illuminating the clearing with bright light.

"What time is it?", I questioned as Marvin and Aaron helped me the few meters to the cabin's crooked oak door. 

"Around 7 am Johnny, day 17 of our expedition" reported Marvin. I motioned for the two to let me go. My knees buckled, but I managed to keep my footing.

"I... I think I'll rest for a while. That was, was... quite...", my vision began to blur and the world started to spin,"peculiar", I began to fall, crashing through the thick layer of snow. The last thing I could remember was my head hitting the ground, and then everything went black.

I awoke to the sound of a fire crackling. I was resting under the covers of a familiar bunk bed. I took in my surroundings, fire danced across the oak wood walls of our cabin. Judging by the color of the sky outside, I guessed the time to be around midnight. Cold air creeped through the cracks in the windows, chilling me to the bones. Marvin and Aaron were no where to be seen; I guessed they were probably scouting the area ahead while I rested. My forehead was numb, and my body still ached all over. For a 16 year old, I felt much older, my bones brittle, my skin wrinkled. The Yukon did things like that to people, it was a cruel, dark place. Less than three weeks into what was supposed to be a year long trip, and we might have to head back to Dawson and then home, Montreal.

I raked my brain for anything I could remember about the events leading to  my injury. All I could remember was sleeping the night before, only kept up by the howls of a pack of wolves. Wait! That's it, I went to check outside, to make sure the others were safe. And then I heard another howl, from deep within the woods. I must have gone to explore, but what happened after, I could not remeber.

As these thoughts plagued my mind, I let my head touch the pillow. I would need rest if I was to live through the expedition, or even through the next few days. It was not long before my mind had drifted off into a maze of dreams.