A Somali Werewolf in Ottawa

Time after time, the lupine creature roamed the darkness. For as soon as night fell, it could feel its guise shedding. In the movies and poorly written horror and science fiction novels, its kind were monsters. Supposedly, a human being was cursed to become one of them every time the moon rose. If it could have laughed, it would have mocked that very concept. For, as usual, the humans had it all wrong. Humans weren't cursed to become werewolves. The Fates cursed werewolves by turning them human in the daylight hours. In the eyes of the world, this Grey Wolf was just another human. Come nightfall, it would be so much more.

When night fell that Thursday, the Grey Wolf was already far from the City. In anticipation of the transformation, Muhammad Khaled, its human alter ego isolated itself from its fellow humans. For the human could only interpret his transformation into a wolf-like creature every full moon as a curse. Fearing that he might slaughter someone he cared about, or perhaps a total stranger, the twenty-year-old Somali immigrant came up with a neat little schedule. Every full moon, he went to the wooded areas outside the Canadian Capital. To hide from civilization while nature ran its course. Tonight, he left his dormitory at the Carleton University campus and took the bus to the Village of Casselman, outside the City of Ottawa, Ontario.

There were lots of wooded areas surrounding the Village of Casselman. It was in rural Ontario after all. Lots of woods and not a lot of people. Plenty of space for the beast within him to roam. Muhammad Khaled had chosen well. The young Somali said a quick prayer to Allah, and let the inevitable happen once he was sure he was alone, having walked several miles into the woods. This precaution suited the Grey Wolf just fine. It didn't care much for the City anyway. Too many humans walking around. And even though it had no affinity for their meat, it didn't care for their presence in the least. Being in the woods at the time of its return to its natural state suited it just fine.

Standing atop the hill, miles from the nearest human being, the Grey Wolf stretched its massive jaws...and howled. It felt more alive than ever. For the woods were its dominion. It could sense a thousand life-forms nearby. Deer, rabbits, and the odd coyote. The Grey Wolf snarled upon smelling the coyote. While it felt like hunting deer tonight, or at least catching a juicy little rabbit, it would put that on hold. The presence of coyotes in its domain triggered something akin to rage inside the normally supernaturally serene creature. It leapt from the hill, and began running. Tonight, it would hunt coyote. There was a small pack of them just a few miles away. Moving with the wind at its back, all but undetectable to the coyotes sharp senses, the Grey Wolf ran. The coyote pack had brought down a female deer, and were ready to feat. Suddenly, the alpha female coyote's ears pricked up. The four males and two females which made up the pack also tensed, for they too sensed their leader's apprehension. And its source. The animals sniffed the air, and gazed at one another. Their hearts thundered in their chests. They snarled, and got ready to defend their kill.

The oversized Grey Wolf leapt out of the shadows and into the clearing. It walked toward the coyote pack. It didn't trot or charge. It simply walked toward them, absolutely sure of its own power. Ordinary gray wolves were only slightly bigger than coyotes and no gray wolf, no matter how bold, would challenge an entire pack of coyotes for their kill. Well, this was no ordinary gray wolf. This Grey Wolf was much bigger than any modern wolf had any right to be. It was twelve feet long and easily weighed three hundred kilograms. Six hundred and sixty pounds. This was a beast larger than a modern day Siberian Tiger. It could take down an African Lion. The Grey Wolf bared its fangs, and let out a roar that would make a Grizzly Bear cower.

The coyotes hesitated. The alpha female leapt toward the oversized wolf, fully determined to defend her prey from this new challenger. The Grey Wolf charged. And tore the alpha female coyote's head off its shoulders with a single swipe of its massive paws. The pack swarmed the giant predator, and for a moment, it seemed they might overwhelm it. A coyote leapt on its back, another bit its left front paw while another attacked it from behind. The rest came at it from its flank. The Grey Wolf shrugged off its attackers, and tore them to pieces. Six minutes after it came into the clearing, there were seven dead coyotes on the forest floor. It ignored them after making sure they were dead. Then it feasted on the remains of the deer. Deer meat tasted much better than the carcasses of freshly killed coyotes.

For the remainder of the night, the Grey Wolf ran through the woods. Reveling in its power. It marked its territory to ward off any potential challengers. And while it did so, it became aware of another presence. It sniffed the air, wondering if there were more coyotes around. No, not coyotes. Its eyes widened in surprise when it smelled a disturbingly familiar scent....another one like itself. The familiar scent filled the Grey Wolf with rage. The presence of another of its kind meant only one thing. Its territory, its livelihood, all that mattered to it were endangered. Fueled by the meat it had consumed and the thrill it felt after slaughtering the pack of coyotes, it raced through the darkness. To kill the only member of its brethren it had ever become aware of.

Saleemah Loudahi was having a really bad day. Nothing had gone right. First, she did really poorly in her French-language Philosophy exam at the University of Ottawa. The young Algerian woman grew up speaking Arabic, Farsi and French but after living in North London, England, for eleven years, she lost most of her French. Yet she had to find a way to recapture it otherwise she would lose her scholarship at U of O and get sent back to England. After living in the Province of Ontario for a year, the foreign exchange student had fallen in love with Canada. The students at the University of Ottawa were far friendlier to her as a Middle-Easterner than the North Londoners she grew up with would ever be. Canadians weren't as nice as she thought they would be but they were infinitely more welcoming than the British, who saw Middle-Easterners, East Indians and Africans as a threat to Western Civilization, whatever that happened.

Saleemah had been so preoccupied with her schoolwork that she almost forgot that the Change was coming. The curse she'd lived with for ages and could never escape. Time after time she prayed to Allah to banish the beast within but like the night, it always came back. When Saleemah's friend Christine Lalonde invited her to spend the weekend with her French-Canadian family in the Village of Casselman, far from Ottawa, it seemed like a fun thing to do. Now Saleemah wondered how she would ever explain to her best friend why she vanished during the night, shortly before the full moon rose....

Saleemah was barely a mile from Casselman when the Change came. Immediately, the five-foot-nine, slender young Persian woman with long Black hair and dark bronze skin was transformed into an oversized Wolf. One with shiny Black coat. The Black Wolf ran through the woods, and Saleemah was no more. Sensing the presence of coyotes nearby, the Black Wolf ran toward them. Slaughtering coyotes was a pleasure for wolves everywhere. And yet, when it got close enough, it knew the coyotes were dead. It could smell their freshly killed carcasses. The Black Wolf sniffed the air. What could have done this? It barely had time to ponder that question before it smelled something....familiar. Its fur bristled. It smelled another one of its kind. And got ready to fight.

The Grey Wolf raced through the dark woods, sensing its challenger dead ahead. It leapt into another clearing, and stopped forty feet from the other one. The Other was much larger than the Grey Wolf thought it would be. And....oh. The Grey Wolf sniffed the air and cocked its ears. The Other was....female. The Black Wolf leapt at the intruder in its domain. The Grey Wolf tensed, ready for battle. The Black Wolf fell upon it, and planted its fangs on its back. The Grey Wolf cried out in pain, but did nothing to defend itself. Instead of fighting, it sniffed the Other's coat....and lowered its eyes. The Black Wolf eyed the Grey Wolf suspiciously....and watched as it sat on its haunches. Clearly it did not want to fight. Instead, it moved away and waited a few meters from the Black Wolf, beckoning for it to follow.

The Black Wolf followed the Stranger into the darkness, not fully trusting it. It roared, letting the other know that it was ready to kill it at the first sign of treachery. The Grey Wolf raced through the darkness, seemingly at random. Then it vanished from the Black Wolf's view. Using its sharp senses and inhuman tracking skills, the Black Wolf found the Stranger again. This time, the Grey Wolf was clutching something in its massive jaws. Something alive. A rabbit. The Grey Wolf trotted up to the Black Wolf, and dropped the rabbit at its feet. It gently but firmly put its paw on the rabbit without crushing it. The rabbit squirmed, frightened beyond terror. Stuck between two apex predators, the small, frightened creature awaited certain death. The Black Wolf looked from the Grey Wolf to the rabbit, and finally took the rabbit in its jaws. Without crushing it. It tossed the rabbit into the bushes. The tiny creature scampered away. The Grey Wolf barked in surprise. This was....unusual. The Black Wolf read confusion in the Stranger's eyes. It walked up to the Stranger, and playfully nuzzled against it. The Grey Wolf relaxed, and the two of them fought playfully. Ignoring everything else around them, the two apex predators frolicked in the darkness....

When dawn came, it found Muhammad Khaled naked. The young Somali jerked awake with a start, suddenly wondering where he was. He was cold, and sky was still pink. He immediately recalled the events of the previous night....he had definitely transformed. Damn. Would he ever be rid of the curse? He got up. Suddenly, he sensed he wasn't alone. There was someone else in the clearing. A tall young woman clad in an oversized coat and boots. She looked at him intently. Muhammad stood up, his hands clasped before his genitals. He smiled sheepishly as he thought of a hundred excuses to explain why he was naked in the woods at dawn. The young woman shot him an amused look, and asked him if he was new to the club. Muhammad froze. What club? The gal smiled, and told him she'd seen him do his thing.

Muhammad scratched his head. She had seen him transform. By Allah, she knew what he was! His life was over! All kinds of scenarios flashed through his head. She would surely tell everybody about him. He'd end up on the cover of the Ottawa Sun Newspaper. One of the top international students at Carleton University was a freak of nature. The Canadian government would get their hands on him for sure. He'd be experimented on, imprisoned and eventually destroyed. The young woman held up her hand and told him to relax. In a firm, clear voice, she told him, 'we are the same'. Muhammad stared at her, stunned. The gal smiled and introduced herself. Saleemah Loudahi. When he tried to shake her hand, she hesitated. Muhammad grimaced. He knew that hesitation. She was Arab, and definitely Muslim. Islam forbade unrelated men and women from touching each other. He should have remembered that, since he was Muslim too. Even though he had agnostic tendencies and hadn't been to a mosque in three years....A Muslim woman who shared the same freakish condition he had. What were the odds?

Saleemah took her hijab out of her coat pocket and put it on, then she tossed the coat to Muhammad. He took it, and amazingly, it fit. The oversized unisex coat fit him well. Having composed himself, Muhammad thanked his benefactor. Saleemah nodded graciously, then told him they had to get out of there. Carrion birds were drawn to the scene of the carnage the Grey Wolf had wrought, and humans would soon come check what the fuss was about. Saleemah and Muhammad walked together in silence. He had so many questions. She was like him. A werewolf. How long had she been like this? Saleemah told him she was like him, yes, and she could empathize with what he was going through. However, she didn't want to be B.F.F.s. They walked through the woods, and made their way toward the nearest bus stop. Saleemah handed Muhammad twenty dollars, and told him to get home safe. Asalam Alaikum, she said, smiled and waved him off. He looked at the coming bus, and waved to get the driver's attention. When he looked back, Saleemah was gone.

When Muhammad made his way back to Carleton University, it was six in the morning. Friday at last. He didn't think about the hard stares and puzzled looks he got on the bus for being dirty, disheveled and barefoot. He went home, took a shower and went back to his life. At eight, he went to get breakfast in the dining room of his Residence. The whole time, he thought about his mysterious benefactor. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He felt a fierce joy deep inside. There was somebody else like him out there. And she was Muslim! The poor lad from Mogadishu couldn't believe his luck. He'd come to Carleton University sponsored by a Canadian program helping talented students from Third World countries escape poverty through education. Just like the guys and gals mentioned by that White lady in the award-winning book Citizens of Nowhere.

Muhammad went to his classes as usual, and then went to hang out with his buddy David Lee, a young Chinese-Canadian guy from Toronto, Ontario. David was dating Selene Jacobson, a Jamaican gal from the University of Ottawa and they dropped by to see her. Muhammad sat in the relaxing area of the engineering building of the University of Ottawa, feeling bored out of his mind as David and Selene said sweet-nothings to each other. Muhammad was happy for his friend but he hated feeling like the fifth wheel. Something caught his attention. A blonde-haired young woman came through the double doors, accompanied by a tall, dark-haired young woman. The two young ladies were giggling as young ladies everywhere are wont to do. But that's not why Muhammad stared....

One of the young women looked disturbingly familiar. Muhammad got up and walked up to them. The dark-haired young woman saw him coming, and tensed. Muhammad smiled, and greeted her. Asalam Alaikum, he said graciously. Saleemah's eyes widened in surprise when she saw him. Saleemah's blonde friend looked Muhammad up and down. She nudged Saleemah, and asked to be introduced to him. Muhammad smiled, and introduced himself. I'm Christine Lalonde, the blonde girl said. Muhammad smiled. Saleemah looked at him nervously. Muhammad smiled at her discomfort, and thanked her for helping him out earlier. Saleemah smiled. Muhammad winked at her, and told Christine he'd see them around. Christine asked him if he was an Ottawa University student. Muhammad shook his head, and proudly stated his allegiance to Carleton University. Christine nudged Saleemah with her elbow, urging her to relax and asked Muhammad what he was studying. Business administration, Muhammad said proudly. What a nice coincidence! Christine said. So is Saleemah!

Saleemah stared coldly at Muhammad. He smiled and told her he wanted to be friends. For the second time that day, he held his hand out. Christine watched them both, sensing something odd was going on. She'd ask Saleemah about it later. Muhammad's buddy David and his girlfriend Selene had stopped making out and now watched the exchange between Muhammad and Saleemah. Saleemah sighed, smiled shyly and shook Muhammad's hand. Stay out of trouble, she told him sternly. Muhammad nodded. Christine looked at them, smiled, and asked Muhammad if he was coming to the Game. Apparently, Carleton University was playing Ottawa University in women's basketball. Tonight. Muhammad smiled warmly at both Saleemah and Christine, and assured them he'd be there. Then he went back to his table. The two young women walked away.

Muhammad sat back in his seat, smiling. His buddy David shot him a look. Who are these two? David asked. Muhammad smiled, and told David he had the Arab girl in his sights. We're the same kind, underneath it all, Muhammad said confidently. Selene looked at Muhammad, rolled her eyes and said she was glad she didn't date Muslim guys. Muhammad smiled at her and told her he didn't date Infidel women. David smiled, looked at his best friend and his girlfriend and told them both to relax. Muhammad stood up, patted David on the shoulder, and told him he had to get back to Carleton. Lots to do, he said as he took off.

Once they were back in her dorm, Saleemah shot a murderous look at Christine Lalonde. The eternally perky blonde girl was obviously to what she had done. Not for the first time, the Algerian gal wanted to smack her best friend. For real. Muslim guys were trouble, especially tall, dark and handsome guys like Muhammad. They were all cocky and overly sure of themselves. It was their way or the highway. Saleemah bristled as she thought of the scene between her, Christine and Muhammad. All while Muhammad's friends watched. He was a guy, first of all, and he was a Wolf. All the more reason to stay away from him. All Saleemah wanted to do was study peacefully, enjoy a nice quiet life and manage her 'problem'. Clearly Muhammad had a different view of things. He wasn't careful, for one. Also, he seemed to revel in his power of as a Wolf. He could slip up, get caught and expose their kind to the world. She would have to do something about him. By Allah, why did he have to be so damn cute?

Christine Lalonde stared at Saleemah Loudahi, grinning. You like that guy, Christine said. It wasn't a question. Saleemah groaned, and rolled her eyes. Christine sighed. She didn't get what Saleemah's problem was. The gal had a habit of disappearing at night. Last night she did it again. Christine knew, but didn't bring it up. Also, Saleemah kept to herself. She wasn't interested in guys. Or girls, for that matter. Christine briefly thought Saleemah was a lesbian but the French-Canadian gal's gaydar didn't pick any vibes from her. Christine sighed, thinking Saleemah just might be asexual. And she believed it, until she saw the way Saleemah reacted to Muhammad back in the engineering building's rec room. The Algerian ice queen definitely had the hots for the Somali dude. Christine smiled at the thought of them together. They weren't a bad match. Christine was dating a Somali gal named Fatuma, and they kept their relationship discreet because lesbianism and Islam didn't mix. Still, Fatuma and Christine were happy together. And Christine wanted to see Saleemah happy too. After all, Saleemah was her best friend and the first person she'd come out to. The Algerian gal had been surprisingly accepting of Christine's sexuality, while Christine's liberal French-Canadian parents thought of all queers are weirdoes. Life was funny that way.

Christine logged onto Facebook, and decided to look up Muhammad Khaled. There were ten guys by that name on Facebook, but only one of them was Black. She clicked on the profile. There was Muhammad, looking real good in a red silk shirt and blue jeans. Nice. He was cute. Christine turned around, and saw Saleemah staring off into space. Christine snapped her fingers, and Saleemah gasped in surprise. Christine laughed. Saleemah came to her, clacking her on the shoulder roughly for interrupting her brooding process. Saleemah paused when she saw Muhammad's picture. She rolled her eyes, and told Christine she wasn't interested in him. Christine laughed, and told Saleemah she wasn't buying it. Then she sent Muhammad a friend request. Saleemah shrugged. Christine grinned, and mischievously pointed out that Saleemah had forgotten to log off Facebook earlier. So, for all intents and purposes, SHE had sent Muhammad the friend request, not Christine. Saleemah cried out, and tried to take the mouse from Christine. Laughing, Christine batted her hand away and logged off. What's done is done, Christine said proudly. Saleemah looked heavenward....is it wrong to think about killing your only friend?