The Wolf's Prayer

         The evening was warm and clear as the sun set over distant trees. A soft glow of firelight cast shadows across a simple log cabin, clean and well-maintained. A wooden chair, carved from the stump of an old oak, was the sole furniture on the porch, a paperback novel laying open on the seat. Nearby the cabin was the source of the flickering light, a small stone pit filled with glowing coals and smouldering logs. A man knelt in front of the fire, garbed only in torn cotton trousers, a wooden crucifix held between hands clasped in prayer. He spoke slowly, his voice soft as he prayed.
         “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” He said, as the sun dropped just below the horizon, the last light of day fading. In the distance, the first pale glow of moonlight began to rise into the night as the song of cicadas reached a fevered pitch.
         “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” He continued, as the first tremors began to wrack his body. His muscles rippled under skin pulled taut, sweat gleaming in the firelight.
         “Give us this day, our daily bread.” Now he groaned in pain as the moon came fully into sight, round and full. The cicadas fell silent as his sounds of pain grew louder.
         “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” He choked out, nearly growling as his voice cracked and his body succumbed to the tremors. He fell to the ground, howling in agony as his bones shifted and grew, tearing through skin and muscle. His form bent and twisted as limbs lengthened and fur began to burst from thickened hide. As the moon shone high on the horizon, a deep howl echoed through the forest, primal and hungry.
         No longer a man, but a fearsome wolf, he let loose another howl as he rose to his feet. Standing tall on his hind legs, he raised clawed forelegs to the sky with each wild bellow. Satisfied with announcing himself to the world, the wolf took a deep breath, drawing in the scent of the forest in search of prey. A direction chosen, he dropped onto four legs and ran deep into the night. Tonight he would feast on whatever he could catch. The night was long, and there would be time for regrets in the morning, when he would awaken near the cabin with the remains of whatever he had caught. He would pick up the crucifix where it had fallen on the ground, and finish his prayer.
         “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.”