"Kate, where are you going?"

My mum's stern voice stopped me in mid-step. I turned around to face her and saw that she was standing in the doorway, a hand on her hip, looking at me.

"I'm going for a walk," I replied simply. "I am twelve years old, you know. I'm old enough to go out for a walk on my own. Besides, I've got my wand with me!"

I didn't mean to sound rude, but it just came out that way. The pained expression on my mum's face made me regret the way I said it. "Well," she said, wiping her hands on her apron, "go ahead then. But be back soon!"

"Yes, Mum!" I turned around and continued on my way. Whenever I went out for a walk, my mother knew I usually went into the forest that was near our house. The forest had a unique sense of calmness to it.

As I walked deeper and deeper into the forest, the trees looked darker and somewhat evil. My limbs felt cold, even though it was a warm night. Something felt wrong; the forest didn't feel calm tonight. It felt... frightening. Ignoring my natural instinct, I continued walking.

Suddenly I heard a twig snap behind me. I turned around quickly, whipping out my wand. I was expecting a giant beast to be there, but I saw nothing. Must've been a rabbit, I told myself as I put my wand back in my pocket. Yet again I ignored my instincts, which were screaming at me to keep my wand out.

I smiled slightly as I reached the giant tree in the center of the forest. This tree was a sort of haven for me to come when I needed time to think, or simply wanted time alone. I sat down in the hollow in the wide trunk and sighed happily. It felt so peaceful here. I glanced up at the sky for no reason and noticed that it was a full moon tonight. Better watch out for werewolves, I joked to myself. Nah, there are none here. My mum had told me stories of werewolves, but she said that they usually didn't come around here. But then again, she also said that werewolves were solitary creatures who preferred to live alone. This forest would be a perfect place for one...

Snorting, I shook away the slight fear that had begun to build up inside of me. I'll be fine, I assured myself. I heard an owl hoot from a tree nearby. I closed my eyes and my ears became open to the sound of nature.

I opened my eyes quickly as I heard heavy footsteps. Straining my ears to hear, I could tell that whatever was moving was either really slow or trying to be stealthy. I figured the latter was more probable. As I was about to settle down against the inside of the hollow again, I heard a low growling noise. The only things in this forest that had heavy footprints were bears, but from experience, I knew for a fact that they didn't growl like that.

While I was trying to figure out what the thing was, I heard a long, loud howl that made my blood run cold. I was already shaking as I pulled out my wand and tried to go deeper into the hollow.

I now knew what that creature was.

It was a creature that nobody would want to face.

A creature that would make a brave man run.

The creature that was stalking me was a werewolf.

I mentally prepared myself for the werewolf to attack, trying to think of a good spell to defend myself if it should try and bite me. Thank Merlin, the werewolf had not yet seen me. It had been relying on its sense of smell to hunt me out. Good thing I wasn't bleeding or anything, or then it would surely find me.

I quietly tried to move into the corner of the hollow, trying to hide myself from view if the werewolf should pass in front of the hollow. In the process, I accidentally cut my arm on a piece of the bark that was sticking out. Oh no, I screamed mentally. Blood! Red blood was making its way down my arm slowly and dripping onto the ground. I could hear the werewolf walking around, looking for me. Although I couldn't see it, I had a vivid picture of the werewolf with its snout in the air, sniffing, trying to find the person who had been foolish enough to spill blood.

I whimpered almost inaudibly as the werewolf passed by the hollow in the tree. It hadn't noticed me. Not yet, at least. My heart was racing so fast that it felt like I was going to have a heart attack.

I clenched my fist as I heard the werewolf growl. It was starting to get irritated with its hunt for me. I couldn't stay in this hollow; if the werewolf were to come in here, I would have no way out. So then I decided that I would make a run for it.

I peeked out when I was sure the werewolf had gone around the other side of the huge tree. When I saw that the path to freedom was clear, I started running as fast as I could. Unfortunately, the dead leaves on the ground made a crunching noise as I ran. The werewolf, with its damned acute hearing, heard me. I looked back once when I was running and I saw the werewolf come out from behind the tree. It was a huge grey beast with large fangs that were dripping with saliva. The beast snarled and began to chase after me. Will I make it? I thought to myself as I ran. Will I ever see those I love ever again? My mum, my father, my little sister? Please let me get through this! The werewolf's paws were hitting the ground with such strong force. It was catching up to me. I braced myself as I ran, ready to be knocked down by the werewolf at any second.

My pace had already begun to slow down. I tried to go faster, but my legs were weak from running. I looked back again over my shoulder and saw that the werewolf was getting closer and closer to me, its prey. In two long strides with its long, powerful legs, I would be doomed.

The werewolf pounced on me and knocked me to the ground. I could feel its hot breath on the back of my neck. I could already hear death knocking on my door. I reached into my pocket while I was stuggling to get the werewolf off me. As I pulled out my wand, the werewolf swatted my arm and knocked my wand out of my hand. I cried out in despair as it fell to the ground feet away.

The werewolf cut my neck with its sharp claws as I tried to get it away from me. I actually managed to crawl out from under the werewolf, but it lunged itself at me again and trapped me. I was losing hope and energy.

Then it happened quickly. The werewolf bit me, right on my arm. I screamed in pain as the sharp teeth clamped onto my arm. I tried to shake its powerful jaws off, but the werewolf just sank its teeth deeper into my arm. Blood ran down my arm as I was starting to faint. The last thing I remember was watching the werewolf let go of me and let out a howl that made me shiver. And then I passed out.

I woke up to find myself in a hospital bed with a Healer leaning over me. His face showed obvious relief when he saw I was awake.

"Am I in St. Mungo's?" I asked him weakly, trying to lift my head off the pillow. I let my head fall back down when I realized that sitting up would be too painful.

He nodded his head slowly at me and answered, "Yes, Miss Greenburg. Are you feeling better?"

As much as I was hurting right now, I nodded at the Healer anyway. I looked down at my arm and saw that it was covered in bandages. So that's where I was bitten.

"My goodness, Kate!" I heard a woman yell as the door opened. My mum rushed up to me with tears in her eyes. "Mum!" I shouted, so happy to see her. I wanted to hug her, but I was too injured to even sit up.

My father and sister came into the room moments later. My father had a grim look on his face, but my sister, who was too young to know what was going on, simply looked glad to see me. As they rushed to my bedside, the Healer muttered something about leaving us to grieve as a family, and then left the room. Grieve? About what?

My mum and father were crying heavily. My sister looked up at them with her big blue eyes, wondering what could have upset them this much.

"Mum, dad, what's wrong?" I asked. Maybe there was something wrong with me. Maybe I'm going to die. Why were they crying?

My father held my mum as she cried. He looked into my eyes and said, "Kate, did you learn about werewolves at school yet?" He sighed as I shook my head. "Do you know anything about them besides the tales your mother has told you?" I shook my head again, not understanding where this conversation was going.

"When a werewolf bites a human," he said, tears welling up in his eyes, "the human becomes a werewolf every full moon, for the rest of their lives."

I felt a tear drip down my nose. This isn't right. Another tear ran down my cheek. I'm only twelve. Soon I was sobbing like there was no tomorrow. My father let go of my mum to hug me instead. My poor little sister was still looking confused. And then she started crying too.

My whole family hugged each other while we cried. We needed to realease out emotions. We needed to grieve for what I have become. I've become what man has feared for thousands of years. I've become what people shun before it comes time for full moon. I've become... a werewolf.

Be proud of who you are.

Those are the words my mum always told me before she died. I sighed as I remembered the good memories I had with my parents and my sister. We were such a happy family back then.

Before I became a werewolf.

When people found out what I was, they shunned my entire family. My father lost his job at the Ministry and we soon lost most of our money, living on scraps of bread and food that we could find anywhere. My family was ruined because of me.

Then one dark day, when I was fourteen years old, my father was murdered, just because of what I am. But even then my mum told me to be proud of who I was. But my sister, my once sweet sister, blamed me for his death and refused to talk to me ever again.

She too was killed a year later.

Even then my mum told me to be proud of who I am.

I looked out the window and clenched my fist as I saw the moon start to rise. I had less than three minutes until my transformation.

My mum died of an illness soon after my sister's death. On her deathbed, my mum once again told me to always be proud of who I am.

The moon was now up high in the sky, shining brightly. I felt my body starting to change. I was transforming into a werewolf.

The last thing I thought before I fully became a werewolf was, Be proud of who you are.

I felt a tear run down my cheek.

I am.