Passion Play

   Only Samuel had teased and jeered at him as he excused himself early to go for a run. The kids had all been too bloated on party pies, junk food and birthday cake to want to come with him.
    And so here he stood, surrounded by the dark, towering trees, letting the peace and scents of the forest he had loved all his life seep into his soul, sooth his aching pride and emotions.
    Closing his eyes, he felt his form shimmer, felt the change begin to overtake him as the almost full moon rose above the horizon.
    Even though he could change at will, with or without his mistress the moon, something tonight compelled him to pay homage to her once more. Maybe it was because he knew he would have to pay homage on Sunday, when she was truly full, or maybe it was simply trying to not think of Mary, or the hacker. Whatever, he knew with a strange sense of innate intuition—he needed this run and needed to clear his head.