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Hello Everyone! Sorry for the delay, but without further delay, the winner of January's writing completion is the piece "Photographing Werewolves" by Mark-Ethan-Syron A very well written piece which played off the original prompt very nicely, I suggest giving it a read if you haven't already!!

I will have next month's competition hopefully out by February 1st if people are interested. Until then happy writings!

~Moonlit
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Rub-Awoo-Dub"Skylar only gets three more cookies today, and that's not til after dinner. And you'll be sure to put her to bed by eight," Rita rattled off. Sammy could smell the anxiety oozing from her pores. Rita was the spitting image of her twin sister Ruth, also known as Night Sky, Alpha Female of Argo--but she lacked her sister's self-assured, commanding aura.Sammy glanced back over his shoulder, at the four-year old singing along with Elmo on TV. Skylar was the cutest little werewolf Sammy had ever seen. Her big hazel eyes sucked in his attention. Her cornrow hair was bunched in a poofball on each side of her head. She ran around in pink tutus, which her mother kept several on hand and switched them out wherever Skylar got them too dirty. And her petite white fangs glistened as she sang, impressively on-key for someone her age. She probably had her keen werewolf ears to thank for that.Of course, Rita was challenged enough as a single mother, let alone a single mother to a werewolf child. The Rougaroo of New Orleans were spread out farther and were far less formal in their pack structure than Argo, a pack headquartered just outside of Cedar City, Montana and with most of its members living in that town. Argo was one big extended family of fourteen werewolves and assorted human family members, all of whom made regular appearances at Ruth and her husband Nicholas's House. Sammy had been living with them in the House as their foster child for almost two years. Rita, on the other hand, had only her parents to count on, and a brother with a family of his own. Thus Ruth had insisted that she and Skylar come up to Montana for a couple of weeks to visit.Coming out into Argo's ranch had done the little girl a world of wonders. Rita had to be very careful with her, since by lycanthropic standards she was a very early bloomer. Most born werewolf children started showing the first signs of transformation around 6 or 7. They'd get hairier, their noses would blur into their lips in a rudimentary muzzle, their claws would emerge... little traits which would become fully pronounced by the time puberty enabled them to produce the hormone that triggered the change in larger amounts. Skylar had first accessed her wolfside at the age of 4. She looked more like one of those old movie werewolves than a real one, flat-faced and flat-footed, but she was unmistakably a werewolf. And since she couldn't control when she changed or even will herself back to humanside when it happened, it meant--sadly--she couldn't get out much. Sammy turned his gaze back to Rita and opened his mouth to agree to Rita's to-do list, but Ruth already had a hand on her sister's shoulder. "He'll be fine," she said in a tone of voice that suggested it was more of an order for him than a reassurance for her. "This isn't his first time babysitting, he's watched Jenny a few times now.""Not for a whole six hours though," Sammy blurted out. He then winced at his own honesty even before Ruth shot him a wide-eyed "shut up" look over Rita's shoulder.Rita stared at him, and then turned around to her sister. "Are you sure I can trust my baby with a couple teenagers? I know Elizabeth couldn't help being called in to work, but I'd rather wait til she can do it. She's a nurse, after all.""I'll be turnin' eighteen in four months," Sammy volunteered, then winced again. Lately it seemed like his mouth was taking on a life of its own.Ruth locked eyes with her sister. "Sammy is a very responsible young man. And so is Liam when the situation calls for it. Now come on, Sister. You deserve a night out. Don't make me pull rank on you."Rita scoffed. "You're not my alpha."Ruth smirked. "Yeah, but you've never been able to stop me from getting my way, have you?"Sammy watched the door closed, and listened to the sound of their diminishing footsteps. The car doors opened. The car doors shut. The car hummed to life. The tires crunched over gravel. And when the sounds died down and it was absolutely certain Rita wasn't going to turn the car around and come back, Sammy finally locked the door, ran into the kitchen to prepare a couple cups of chocolate almond milk. Born werewolves could handle chocolate just fine, but lactose intolerance was a common issue, and not a welcome one in a group with enhanced senses of smell.Sammy returned to the living room with a glass in each hand, but there was no Skylar. He felt a chill run down his spine, but then noticed the curtains over the back window wafting with a draft. The breeze carried the sounds of little-girl giggling."Oh no."He set down the glasses and rushed outside, but it was too late. His feet only carried him as far as the back porch before he froze in terror. Last night had brought ample rain. Rain which they had needed, to be sure. Needed for the grasslands that the pack's cattle grazed upon. Not so necessary for a four-year-old who liked to play in the mud. It was in her fur. In her hair. Her tutu flopped around her waist, sagged down by the weight of its filth. Skylar giggled innocently as she launched herself into yet another wallow of mud, sending thick, goopy splashes right up to the edge of the porch."Oh, he- heck no," Sammy groaned. He took off his hoodie and T-shirt and threw them onto a table inside. He knew he was in for a battle."Skylar? You had your fun now, let's go inside and get you a clea-" And she was gone, leaving a trail of muddy foot- and handprints around the corner."Liam!" he called inside. "Can you get a bath going?""You know I prefer showers, man," came a voice from the second floor window."Yes, you're very funny, haha."He didn't need superior werewolf senses of smell or hearing to track her. The sound of her laughter was enough. He didn't find anything laughable about the situation, really. Sammy had barely been watching the kid for five minutes and already she was filthy.Skylar was on her knees, flinging mud into the air like confetti when she saw him. She froze. He tensed. Both knew what was coming. The question was who would make the first move. A chill breeze whistled around them. Skylar's hackles were too weighted down to rise. Sammy, though humanside, felt his arm- and chest- hairs stand to attention.Skylar flinched. Sammy pounced. She tried to get away, but slipped in the mud. He lauded over her and scooped her up--or tried too. A squirming child was one thing, but a slippery, muddy child went flying out of his arms, leaving him with a cold brown streak across his chest. Skylar screamed, not in terror, but in gleeful defiance. Sammy had no choice but to launch himself after her. Thankfully, his legs were longer than her entire body, so he caught up with her in seconds, scooped her up, and turned to run back for the house."Noooo!" she squealed. Sammy burst through the back door and ran up the stairs as fast as he could, grappling with the squirrely pup. It seemed to take forever to make it to the master bathroom, where Liam had indeed filled the tub with hot water and had mixed in some bubble bath for his cousin. He even had, in keeping with his perverse sense of humor, lit a couple of Ruth's scented candles by the sink.Not that it would make much difference. Sammy used Skylar's squirming to his advantage to unpeel the clothing from her struggling form and then all but dropped her into the water, which splashed mud and suds all over the walls and onto the floor.She instantly started splashing, flinging more water and earth everywhere. Sammy glanced back and winced at the brown splotches on the towels. Drying her off was gonna be tricky. The candles had been snuffed out in the deluge, too."Oh man, oh shit," Liam's voice rounded the corner. "Dude, you got muddy tracks all over the floor! My mom's gonna kill us!"Liam's panic was justified. Just because the House was home and headquarters to a large werewolf pack, Ruth often said, was no excuse for slovenliness. Or perhaps her dedication to cleanliness was in spite of the fact that they were werewolves. No one was allowed to be wolfside in the common areas except for special occasions, and even in those rare cases no one was allowed to sit on the furniture. You couldn't blame fur on the couch on the cat if your coat wasn't even the same color."Then clean them up!" Leo snapped back over his shoulder, as he kept Skylar in the tub with one hand and tried to get a washcloth sudsed up with a bar of soap with the other hand. "She's your cousin!""Okay, okay!" Liam shouted from the first floor, clearly already on his way to the cleaning supplies in the kitchen. "But only because you got the harder job!"Sammy couldn't come up with a good comeback with Skylar still trying to break free. She nearly slipped past him and he had to place his hands on her shoulders and push her back down into the tub. "Geez, kid, even real dogs don't put up this much fight," he lamented."I wasn't done!" she shouted. "Why couldn't I have played in the mud longer?""Because-" Sammy started, but he didn't really have an answer. The damage had been done. He could have bathed her later, and Rita would have been none the wiser. He had just panicked. But, well... they were past the point of no return now."Well?" she demanded, refusing to let it go with a bulldog's tenacity."Look, Skylar, why can't we just have an evening of nice indoor fun?" he pleaded. Maybe bargaining would work. "We could have a tea party." "Werewolves don't have tea parties!" Skylar exclaimed."That's not true. Liam's other cousin Madison loves tea parties.""Then Madison is lame!"Sammy rolled his eyes. "Okay, well, how about we get you nice and clean, put on a fresh tutu, have a nice hot dinner, and then whatcha wanna do?""I wanna play in the mud!" she screamed.So if bargaining didn't work, then maybe Sammy needed to try brute force authority. He grabbed the washcloth again and reached for her arm. "Look, kid. I'm in charge tonight, and I say-"Skylar bit his hand. She actually bit him. She leaned over and sank her teeth into his flesh. Sammy yelped, and jerked his hand back, but her jaws had a firm grip."LIAM!" Sammy screamed at the top of his lungs, but the noise was enough to startle her and let him go. His blood had dripped down the little girl's chin, and some of it had made it into the bathwater. He reeled himself back and gripped his hand.And Sammy had a bright idea. An awful, bright idea. He dug his other hand's fingers into the wound, slowing down the healing and also increasing the pain. Blood dripped, making his fingers sticky. The pain made it easy to summon tears.He was sobbing by the time Liam's sock-padded footsteps rounded the corner to the bathroom door. And Skylar was bawling loudly, perhaps in shame from what she had just done."What happened?" Liam demanded."Skylar bit me!" Sammy wailed even louder, holding up his hand for Liam to "see." "It hurts so bad, Liam. I'm gonna have to tell her mom about this!"Skylar's crying stopped mid-wail. She stared at him, her brown eyes bugging out like a chihuahua's. "No, no please don't tell Mommy!" she begged. She sank lower into the dirty water. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it was an accident!"Sammy sucked in a shaking breath and wiped his tears on an unmuddied patch of his forearm. He could feel Liam's smirk behind him but pointedly ignored it. "Well... I'll make a deal with you," he said. "You let me finish this bath, you stay inside the rest of the night, and I won't tell."She nodded her head all too keenly. If bargaining didn't work, and browbeating didn't work, then maybe blackmail would. Skylar might come out of this with a traumatic memory, but at least she'd be clean.Liam clapped his hands. "I'll just go get those pizzas my mom prepped in the oven, then."Sammy stood up, washed his hands, and drained the bathwater out of the tub. Skylar stayed perfectly still within. By the time he had refilled the tub with fresh, clean bathwater, his hand had healed without so much as a scar. It took less than fifteen minutes to get Skylar properly bathed, dried, and dressed in her pajamas and of course, a fresh tutu.He took her by the hand and walked with her down to the kitchen, stopping along the way to grab a coloring book and crayons. "Thank you, Skylar," he said. "Now, Liam's gonna watch you while I go get myself cleaned up real quick, okay?""Okay!" she said, climbing onto one of the stools. She flashed him a toothy smile as if the bite had never occurred."Heh." Liam piped up. "Get bit, talk shi-" "Shhh!" Sammy leapt forward and placed his hand over Liam's mouth."I know the word shit." Skylar said, not looking up from her coloring book.Sammy just slumped and retreated upstairs for his own shower. The timer on the oven beeped just as he finished putting on clean sweats, so he dashed back downstairs. Two pizzas didn't last very long between three juvenile werewolves. Sammy and Liam tag-teamed entertainment duties for the next few hours, until it was Skylar's bed time. They got her in bed promptly at eight and actually asleep by nine. Sammy collapsed onto the couch, completely spent. No late-night forest run for him tonight, that was for sure.It was just past ten when the familiar hum of Ruth's Prius returned. Sammy snorted and wiped some drool off his cheek. Had he fallen asleep? Gravel crunched, brakes engaged, doors opened and shut. Ruth and Rita strolled in, laughing at some private twin-sister joke. Ruth carried herself as impeccably as ever, but Rita looked actually relaxed for the first time that Sammy had ever seen."Everything go all right, boys?" Ruth asked."Oh yeah!" Liam answered, flashing a thumbs up. "Great night."Sammy just nodded in affirmation."Well, I thank you both so much," Rita said, coming over to hug Sammy and then give her nephew a kiss on the forehead. "I'm gonna go check on my baby and then go to bed myself. Goodnight, everyone!""Night, Sis," Ruth said, though she followed her up the stairs.Sammy eased back into the couch and heaved a sigh of relief. It was finally over. Mission accomplished."SAMSON PHOENIX WHAT IN GOD'S NAME DID YOU DO TO MY BATHROOM?"
Phoenix's Sexy Funtime OrgyBored out of his fuzzy mind, Phoenix decided to bring up a dating app on his phone. He hadn’t gotten his rocks off with an actual person in god only knows how long. Phoenix, the six foot two, rather muscular dire wolf, surprisingly never really did all that much with anyone. No one could ever really peg who or what he preferred. Some thought he was single and liked it that way, others assumed he was straight, a few thought he might be closeted, and a few others thought was secretly a group of hamsters in a wolf costume. Whatever the reality of his situation was, he did actually have his preferences, and wasn’t a stranger to looking in to new things. One such thing he had on occasion wondered about was orgies. Whenever he’d watch videos of them, he’d actually kinda just sit there, maybe half-chub, thinking about the logistics of how some people managed to get their body’s to move in new and interesting ways, sometimes in ways that seemed physically impossible or that would require Neil DeGrasse Tyson to explain. Phoenix himself was rather flexible given how much martial arts he practiced regularly. He browsed an app called “Pointr”, whose tagline was “We’ll point you to your new mate!” Going to the search feature, he put in the different things he wanted to include and exclude. “Not too old, not too young that it makes things awkward and no one that I need either a forklift to get out of my house, or a bulldozer to knock down a wall so they can walk in (in other words, hippos and giraffes). Not that Phoenix wasn’t into the heavyset or tall peeps, he just didn’t want to worry about the house coming down due to “load bearing constraints”. Scrolling through the results, he mulled over the selection. “Eh, too pointy…looks like he doesn’t bathe regularly…what does he do with that tongue in his off time?...hm, he looks fun…fine rack on her…lives in Australia, can’t risk them bringing spiders…how the fuck can she do that without breaking her whole body?...” Eventually he settled on a good lot and fired off messages. Surprisingly it didn’t take long to get responses. All but a small few were game. Phoenix grinned and his tail wagged a bit. He got them all into a group chat and confirmed a time and place; his house, this Friday at 8, no questions asked, no restrictions on who does what to whom. A few personal pictures fluttered through the chat, mostly dong and boob pics. Things were already getting heated.“Who’s bringing the whipped cream?”“Can I bring Twister? Ya know, the game?”“Damn gurl, what cup you wear?”“Foot long sausage, hot n ready ;)”“Hey I think I’ve seen you at my gym…”“I’m allergic to nuts, jk!”“What kinda lube y’all use?”“Don’t worry if I scream, keep going.”“What’s the safe word going to be?”“Can I invite a few friends? They’re cool!”“Y’all smoke?” By the end of the week, Phoenix had gotten his place ready. He moved some furniture in the living room but made sure the other rooms were ready to just in case. It was Friday evening and getting close to 8 PM, the time was drawing near and the fun was going to start soon. A knock came at the door...( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLSAPRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS APRIL FOOLS( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)( ͡❛ ͜ʖ͡❛)...

Mature Content

Book Covers, Illustrations
Lost in the Shadows by KitWulf
SWS Book cover by KitWulf

Mature Content

Why So Shy? by JZLobo
Runningwolf Mirari pag77 by RUNNINGWOLF-MIRARI
Fanfiction
Keeping You Close.*We are treated to a flashback scene, we see Shadow standing still, his body slowly being consumed by the metal virus* *He looks up at the sky, tears fall from his eyes, he manages to put a slight smile on his face* Shadow: Good luck, Kylie.. *We then hear what sounds like cries of desperation, we then see Rouge in the air, holding Kylie in her arms as she desperately to break out of the bat's grasp* Kylie: Rouge get off me! Please let me go!! Rouge: K-Kylie stop, you can't do anything! Kylie: No..! Let go of me! Shadow! SHADOW!! OH NO!! *Kylie tries with all her might to break free, still hoping she could save her brother, but Rouge just kept tightening her grip on the distressed brunette* *She screams in pain and devastation* Kylie: Shadow! Shadow!! Oh gosh..!! *She chokes up, but manages to let out one last desperate plea* Kylie: SHADOW!!! *Everything suddenly fades to black* *We see Kylie's eyes shoot open, before instantly sitting up* Kylie: Shadow!! *She breathes heavily as she looks around to see that she's back in her bedroom* *She sighs in relief, realizing that it was just a nightmare* Kylie: It was just a dream.., I'm not back in that event..! *She then turns to her nightstand, where we see a picture of Kylie with Sonic, Shadow, and Silver* *Kylie grabs the photo and gazes at it, or more specifically.. Shadow* Kylie: *groans* *That night, at Shadow's house* *We see a werehog Shadow sleeping in his bed* *Everything seems to be peaceful and quiet, when suddenly, there was a knock at the door* *Shadow's right ear twitches* *The knocking continues, it doesn't seem like it's gonna stop anytime soon* *Shadow groans before opening his eyes* *The sleepy werehog sits up, and gets out of his bed* *Shadow makes his way to the front door, as the knocking continues* Shadow: Alright alright, I'm coming! *Shadow growls in frustration before grabbing the doorknob, and opening the front door* Shadow: What is i- *Shadow's immediately stops his rant when he sees a somber looking Kylie, standing outside in the rain* Shadow: Kylie..? Kylie: Hey Shadow.. Shadow: Wh-What're you doing here..? It's three in the morning.. *He then looks outside, and his expression changes from confused to concerned when he sees the weather* Shadow: And it's pouring outside! Are you insane!? *Kylie chuckles a little* *Shadow groans before gently grabbing the girl's hand* Shadow: Get inside, you'll catch hypothermia out here! *Shadow leads Kylie into the house, Kylie closes the door behind her* Shadow: Running out in the middle of a rainstorm, with no rain coat.. Wait here..! *Shadow walks away* Kylie: Sorry, I was in a hurry, and I forgot it. *Shadow comes back with a towel, and hands it to the soaked brunette* Kylie: Thank you.. Shadow: No problem.. *She wipes herself off with the towel, before putting it on her shoulders like a cloak* Kylie: Listen, I didn't mean to bother you- Shadow: You didn't bother me..sure you woke me up, but I'll give you a pass.. Kylie: Alright.. *Shadow notices a saddened tone in Kylie's voice, which causes him to become concerned* Shadow: Are you ok..? *The saddened brunette doesn't respond at first, she just kinda stares at the floor* Shadow: Kylie, you can tell me anything, you know that.. *Kylie sighs before looking at the concerned werehog* Kylie: I just.. I just had a nightmare, and.. I just really wanted to be around you.. Shadow: Why..? *Kylie walks into the living room, and sits down on the couch, Shadow soon joins her as she goes into detail about what happened* Kylie: I... I know you don't like being reminded of this event..no one does... but... I had a dream where I was reliving the events of the metal virus epidemic, specifically..the moment when...when.. Shadow: When what..? Kylie: *sniffles* Th-The moment you turned into a zombot.. *Shadow's expression changes from a look of concern, to a look of worry* Kylie: I--It was all crystal clear.. I saw you crying.. you smiled at me, and..those words..those last words you spoke to me in that moment.. *Tears well up in Kylie's eyes, as she's forced to relive the memory she dreaded dearly* Kylie: I-I was screaming, begging, pleading Rouge to let me go..b-but she wouldn't.. *sniffles* she flippin' wouldn't..! I felt so..hurt.. defeated.. useless.. worthless... powerless..! *Shadow whines in sadness, he knew Kylie had been wounded by the events of the epidemic, but he didn't realize how badly she was wounded by it* Kylie: I-I couldn't do anything.. I couldn't do anything to help... I--I couldn't even save my own brother..! *Shadow then put his hand on her face, he didn't wish for his sister figure to suffer any longer* Kylie: H-Huh..? Shadow: Kylie.. what happened wasn't in your control, it wasn't your fault that that happened, there was no way you could've known that the zombots were gonna ambush us, don't you dare blame yourself for that..! Kylie: Sh-Shado- Shadow: I wanted you to have a chance to survive, to live on, to be the hero that I couldn't be during that time, in that moment..all I cared about was making sure that you were ok.. *The young heroine looks away, sorta taken aback by Shadow's response* Shadow: And look at you now.. you managed to pull through, you were able to bring peace back to the people of Mobius, and save everyone.. *A slight smile appears on Kylie's face, feeling touched by her brother's words* Kylie: Well.. *She turns to Shadow* Kylie: I did try my best to help.. *Shadow smiles at her* Shadow: And you did very well.. *Kylie smiles at Shadow, before leaning forward and hugging him* *Although taken aback at first, Shadow soon smiles and hugs her back* Shadow: I promise, everything is going to be ok, the zombots can't hurt you anymore, you're safe... *He suddenly hears what sounds like.. snoring?* Shadow: Huh? *Shadow looks to find that Kylie has fallen asleep in his arms, seeing that she snuggled up against his chest fur* *Shadow chuckles a little, seeing as he's not gonna be able to move at this point* *He then closes his eyes, and soon drifts off to sleep* (The End.) Shadow The Hedgehog belongs to ©SEGA. The Metal Virus saga belongs to ©IDW. Sonicverse Kylie Dear belongs to Me. @NoLivezMatter @SL00X39 @Silverbroc @ArtRemaker4000 @TrendyStaMacigian @seanbutler397 @alexeigribanov @MonsterIsland1969 @xXThatOneDisnerdXx @MagicUniverse4ever @Godzilla2137 @K2-Black-Panther @AudreaLynnette @mariaedcatgirls @RedKnight33
Sonic Dark Shadows Chapter 9.*At Shadolene's lair* *We see Kylie Dear laying on the ground, unconscious, she has a bruise on her forehead from the fall she took when she passed out* Shadolene: Finally... Finally... *She sighs in relief* It's been too long..but now... *Shadolene walks towards Kylie, and gently places her hands on her face* Shadolene: I finally have you back... *A sinister smile appears on Shadolene's face, her body start to emit a purplish aura, when suddenly, a loud screeching sound is heard* *The aura around Shadolene fades, and she turns towards the source of the screeching* *She sees one of the Dark Gaia Spawn rushing towards her* Shadolene: *She growls in frustration* What is it!? Can't you see I'm busy!? *The minion points to the left* *They see that the cage that was containing Tails, Amy, and Blaze is open and empty* *A look of shock and anger appears on Shadolene's face* Shadolene: What?.... There is no way that...! *She starts breathing heavily* *Shadolene screams in rage, a dark aura surrounds her* Shadolene: Perfect!! Now those imbeciles are gonna tell those mutts and their friends where our location is!! *The minion cowers in fear* *Shadolene growls in rage, but she suddenly calms down, her aura starts to fade* Shadolene: Wait... *The minion looks up at Shadolene* *Shadolene suddenly smiles, and giggles sinisterly* Shadolene: Let them come.. *The minion screeches in shock, and starts screeching in protest* Shadolene: Zip it you fool! Those morons won't stand a chance against us, with my army of Dark Gaia Spawn, all that'll be left of them is dirt and ashes..! *The minion reluctantly nods at her* *Suddenly, the sound of growling is heard* *A bunch of hot pink, glowing eyes appear* Shadolene: We will not go out so easily...! *Shadolene chuckles sinisterly* Shadolene: Oh, and one more thing, my dear brothers.. *The Dark Gaia Spawn screech questioningly* Shadolene: Save the black werehog for me... I've got a score to settle with him.. *She smirks a little* *We see what looks like a tunnel* *Shadolene walks out of the tunnel* *We see the tunnel appears to be located somewhere In the park* *Shadolene walks past some street lamps and holds her hands out* *One by one, the street lamps radiate with Dark Gaia energy, and the lamps shatter as she walks by* *A sinister smirk appears on the shadow demon's face, as a sinister chuckle escapes her lips* *Meanwhile, In Another Part Of The City* *We see Tails, Amy, and Blaze running around frantically, hoping they're not too late in stopping Shadolene* *They suddenly stop and stare in horror* *We see the fountain area in Metro Square, only instead of looking peaceful like it usually does, it's clear that there was a struggle there* *The first thing that stands out is that Kylie's frying pan is on the ground* *Amy gasps in horror at the sight of the ownerless frying pan* Amy: Oh no, we're too late! *Blaze walks towards the frying pan, and picks it up* *Blaze sighs in guilt and shame, feeling somewhat responsible for her friend's disappearance* Blaze: We were supposed to protect her.. *Tails looks down for a minute, but he quickly changes his attitude* Tails: Hey, don't think like that, we can still fix things, Shadolene was defeated before, she can be defeated again! Blaze: Tails, as much as I appreciate your faith in us, we don't know how long she's had her, she could be possessed by now. Tails: Well if she is, we can always free her again, have a little bit of faith guys.. *Amy perks up a little* Amy: Tails is right! Why are we standing around feeling sorry for ourselves, when we could be tearing that shadow demon a new one!? *While Amy is having a little rant, Blaze spots something out of the corner of her eye* *There appears to be white specs on the ground* *Blaze walks towards the specs, only to quickly find out the specs are actually scraps of fabric* Blaze: Huh? Amy: And when I'm done with her, I'm gonna clobber her into the ground! Blaze: Guys, look at this! *Tails and Amy turn their attention to Blaze, and walks towards her* *They see the scraps of fabric in her hands* Blaze: I think someone else was here.. *Suddenly, a distant sound is heard, it sounds like... growling?* *The three turn their attention to the sound, they spot a pair of golden, glowing eyes in the darkness* *The three stare in horror, not knowing whether to fight or flee* Amy: Wh-What's that..? *Blaze conjures up a flame in her hand* Blaze: Show yourself! *The creature yelps in fright, not expecting such a suddenly outburst* Blaze: You better show yourself this instant, if you don't wanna get scorched! Amy: Isn't that a bit harsh..? *She whispers to Tails* Tails: Let's not question it.. *He whispers back* Blaze: Now! *The creature looks down in shame* *After a moment of contemplation, the creature walks into the light, revealing itself to be Silver, except he's been transformed into a werehog* *Blaze gasps in shock and extinguishes her flame, Tails and Amy, who're both equally as shocked as Blaze, gasp as well* Blaze: S--Silver..? *The ashamed werehog looks at the shocked cat, and gives a nervous chuckle* Silver: Hey Blaze.. Amy: What happened to you, wh-when did this happen to you!? *Blaze rushes towards Silver, and gently places her hands on Silver's face* Blaze: Silver... *Silver looks down, feeling too ashamed to look Blaze in the eyes, feeling like he failed her somehow* Silver: I'm sorry.. I did the best I could, b-but she struck me before I could stop her! Tails: So..it was- Silver: Shadolene..yes.. *Amy growls in frustration and rage, not only had Shadolene imprisoned her and her friends, and kidnapped Kylie, but she has cursed Silver as well* Amy: That tyrant! I swear to Gaia, when I get my hammer back, I'm gonna whack her into next year! *Tails places his hand on Amy's shoulder* Tails: Save your energy, Amy. *Amy crosses her arms and pouts* Silver: I'm so sorry, Blaze.. I failed you.. *Blaze strokes Silver's cheek* Blaze: You didn't fail me, you were caught off guard, it wasn't your fault.. *Silver whines softly* Blaze: It's ok..we can still fix things, I promise.. *Silver looks at Blaze with a hopeful gleam in his eye* Silver: You promise..? *Blaze nods slowly* Blaze: You have my word.. *Silver smiles at Blaze, and gently hugs her* *Blaze blushes, she chuckles nervously, not expecting to get caught in a bear hug..or should we say were-hug?* Blaze: *So Amy was right after all* *Meanwhile, In Another Part Of The City* *Rouge, Knuckles, and Omega are seen walking around* *Knuckles growls in frustration* Knuckles: This is hopeless! We've searched almost the entire city, and the only thing we've found is each other! Omega: Knuckles is right, it appears that our search quest has been in vain. Rouge: Come on guys, we can't give up, we don't have time to give up! Knuckles: What do you want from us, Rouge!? We tried, we haven't seen a single one of them, not even a footprint! *Rouge stares at Knuckles in disbelief, she can't believe he's even considering giving up on the people he cares for* Rouge: Knuckles.. *Knuckles looks away, not wanting to see the look of devastation and disbelief on Rouge's face* Rouge: You can't be serious... would any of them have given up on you if things weren't going their way!? *Knuckles ponders for a moment, but his stubborn expression quickly changes* *He sighs* Knuckles: No.. Rouge: So why would you give up on them..? *The area is silent for a moment, but Omega finally speaks up* Omega: I am willing to continue the search, Rouge. *Rouge smiles at Omega, feeling glad that she can count on her robot companion* *She turns her attention to Knuckles, who still isn't facing them* Rouge: Knuckles.. *Knuckles takes a deep breath* Knuckles: I- *Before Knuckles can finish his sentence, a screeching sound is heard* *Knuckles and Rouge's blood runs cold, Omega's would too if he had blood* *Dark Gaia essence emerges on the ground, and before you can say sassafras, several Dark Gaia Spawn emerge from the essence* Rouge: Omega, get ready for battle! *Omega switches into battle mode, now armed with a machine gun for an arm* Omega: Affirmative. *Knuckles clenches his hands into fists, his eyes filled with rage* Knuckles: Alright you shadow crawling creeps, you're gonna pay for what you did to my friends! *Knuckles screams in anger as he rushes towards the Dark Gaia Spawn* *He throws punch after punch at them, fueled by pure rage* *Omega starts shooting at the Dark Gaia Spawn, many dropped dead, while others were only injured* *Rouge takes her anger out on them as well, throwing one punch and one kick after another* *Knuckles grabs one of the Dark Gaia Spawn, and bashes it's head against the road* *The creature screeches in pain* Knuckles: That's for Amy! *Several Dark Gaia Spawn rush at Omega, but Omega blasts them into ash with one of his weapons* Omega: That is for Tails. *Rouge kick one of the creatures to the ground, and stomps on it's stomach* *The creature coughs up Dark Gaia essence* Rouge: That's for Blaze! *Knuckles and Rouge run behind Omega, and he prepares to blast the Dark Gaia Spawn into oblivion* Knuckles, Rouge, and Omega: And this is for Shadow and Kylie!! *They say in unison* *Omega blast a powerful laser at the Dark Gaia Spawn, seemingly eliminating them* *When the blast is done, the three look to see a big puddle of Dark Gaia essence on the ground* *The three cheer in unison, feeling triumphant for taking out their enemies* Knuckles: That takes care of them! Rouge: Yeah, that felt pretty good. Knuckles: That's what you get! *The two continue to cheer* *Suddenly, during their moment of triumph, the essence starts bubbling* Omega: Threat detected, I would not celebrate so soon. Knuckles and Rouge: Huh? *The two turn their attention to the ground, and their faces go pale at the horror their witnessing* *Something starts to form from the essence, something...big* Knuckles: Y-You can't do that.. that's not fair! *A Dark Gaia titan forms from the essence, fueled by rage and hatred* *The titan roars at the trio* Knuckles: Oh that does it! *Knuckles rushes towards the creature* Rouge: Knuckles no! *Knuckles goes to attack the titan, but it whacks him with his large hand before he can even land a punch* *Knuckles grunts in pain, as he hits the cold, unforgiving asphalt of the road* Rouge: Knuckles!! *The titan roars at Rouge and Omega* *A look of pure rage appears on Rouge's face* Rouge: Omega, destroy it! *Omega points his arm at the titan* Omega: Affirmative. *Omega starts rapidly shooting at the creature* *The titan roars in pain* *Rouge turns her attention to Knuckles and flies towards him* Rouge: Knuckles! *Rouge kneels down by Knuckles, she has a devastated look on her face* Rouge: Knuckles please say something! *Knuckles mumbles a little* Rouge: What what? What're you saying? *Knuckles opens his eyes a little* Knuckles: That really hurt.. *Although Omega's bullets prove to be effective, the titan soon retaliates by grabbing Omega, and throwing him to the ground* Knuckles and Rouge: Omega! *Omega turns to them* Omega: Objective failed... I am so sorry.. *Rouge looks up to see that the titan is about to deliver one, final, punch* *Tears well up in Rouge's eyes* Rouge: No..No! *Before the titan can deliver the blow, a familiar voice is heard* ???: Chaos slash! *A flaming purple claw mark appears on the titan, who roars in pain and agony* *The trio's eyes go wide in shock, they turn their heads to see Shadow standing behind the titan* *Shadow's claws are ignited in a purple flame, the flame proceeds to go out, as Shadow prepares his next attack* Shadow: Now Sonic! *Sonic rushes towards the titan, and stretches his arm towards the titan's shoulder* *Sonic pulls himself towards the titan, stretching out his other arm, he uses them to hold the titan's arms behind it's back* *The titan tries to break free, Sonic uses all his strength to hold back the creature* Sonic: H--Hurry up Shadow! *Shadow holds up his hand, and clenches it into a fist* Shadow: Chaos punch! *A flaming, purple aura emanates from his hand* *Shadow shouts in rage, as he stretches his arm out, and punches the titan in the stomach* *The titan roars in pain* *The strike from the punch causes the titan to evaporate into Dark Gaia energy* *Sonic lands on his feet, and dusts himself off* Sonic: Phew! Glad we got here in time. *Shadow chuckles a little* Rouge: Shadow..? *Shadow's smile immediately fades, and he turns around to see Rouge staring in disbelief, while Omega helps Knuckles to his feet* *Shadow's ears droop down* Omega: It would appear that Shadow has the same curse as Sonic. Knuckles: Wait a minute... *Knuckles thinks back to the picture that Rouge showed, before they started their search, the police report from chief, and the timeline of appearance of the "beast* *Knuckles' eyes shoot open, and he let's out a loud gasp* Knuckles: "You're" the mysterious beast!? *Shadow growls at him* Shadow: Don't call me that..! *He says in an annoyed tone* *Rouge walks towards Shadow* *Rouge has a look of sadness, and disbelief in her eyes* Rouge: Y--You're a werehog... *Shadow looks down in shame, and slowly nods his head* Shadow: I'm sorry for hiding this from you.. *Tears well up in Rouge's eyes, and she suddenly hugs Shadow tightly* Rouge: I don't care! I'm just glad you're ok... *Shadow has a shocked expression on his face, he wasn't expecting a response like this* Rouge: You're my best friend.. I'd rather have you like this than as a stain on the road.. *Shadow's expression changes from a look of shock to a look of concern, he gently hugs Rouge* *Sonic puts his hand on Shadow's shoulder* Sonic: You did good, Shadow. *Shadow gives Sonic a slight smile* Shadow: Thanks.. *Suddenly, a familiar voice is heard in the distance* Tails: Sonic! *Sonic's left ear twitches* Sonic: Tails? *Sonic turns around, the rest of the group, who had also heard Tails' voice turned as well* Amy: Sonic! Blaze: Over here! *Everyone's eyes go wide, and big smiles appear on their faces, even Shadow smiles at the situation* Sonic: Tails, Amy! Rouge: It's them, it's really them! *We see Tails, Amy, Silver and Blaze running towards the group* Amy: Sonic! *Amy jumps at Sonic, and hugs him tightly* Amy: I missed you so much! *Sonic chuckles a little, and hugs her back* Sonic: It's good to see you too, Ames. Tails: Sonic! *Tails hugs Sonic as well, feeling happy to finally see his brother again* Sonic: Tails! *Sonic takes one of his arms, and pulls Tails into the hug* Sonic: It's good to have you back! *Rouge hugs Blaze* Rouge: Thank Gaia you're all safe! Blaze: I'm glad we are as well. *Silver goes to hug Knuckles and Omega, but is instead greeted with a stunned look from Knuckles* Knuckles: Uh... apparently we have TWO new werehogs. Silver: Hey! I didn't do this to myself! *Silver turns to see Sonic and Shadow looking at him* Sonic and Shadow: You too huh? *They say in unison* *Silver nods at them* Silver: Shadolene did this to me.. Sonic and Shadow: Shadolene!? Sonic: Where is she!? Shadow: When did you see her last!? Silver: I saw her attacking Kylie, I tried to stop her, but she hit me with this beam of energy, and when I woke up... This is what I found.. *Silver hands Shadow the frying pan* *Shadow looks down in horror at the frying pan, as the realization hits him like a truck* Shadow: No..! Sonic: No! No not again! Blaze: We were too late to stop her.. *Shadow growls in rage* Shadow: We gotta go after her! *Shadow goes to walk away, but Sonic grabs his arm* Sonic: Shadow wait! Shadow: Let go of me, Sonic..! *He says in an angry tone* Sonic: I appreciate the determination, but you can't just go rushing in there! Shadow: She has Kylie! Sonic: I know this! Shadow: We need to get there now- *Shadow pulls his arm out of Sonic's grasp* Shadow: Or we'll lose her forever! Rouge: Shadow don't talk like that, we won't let that happen! Sonic: Shadow we can't jus- Shadow: I can't lose her!! *Sonic's eyes go wide in shock* *tears well up in Shadow's eyes* Shadow: I just can't Sonic..! *The girls look at each other in concern* Shadow: I already lost Maria and Molly... I can't lose anyone else... I just can't... *A single tear falls from Shadow's left eye* Sonic: Hey hey hey.. *Sonic puts his hand on Shadow's shoulder* Sonic: I've dealt with Shadolene before, if I know one thing about her, it's that she's too full of herself to truly pull things off, we will defeat her, and no matter what it takes, we will get Kylie back. *Shadow wipes the tears from his eyes* Silver: I hate to interrupt this moment, but do we even know where she is? Blaze: We do. *Everyone turns to Tails, Amy and Blaze* Blaze: There's a secret tunnel in the park, she's been hiding out there all this time. Amy: She kept us in a cage in her lair, where we had to listen to her endless rambling! *She scoffs* Tails: She mentioned how with her newfound power, she plans to plunge the world into darkness, and take control of everything. Sonic: H-How is that possible!? She wasn't that powerful before! Tails: She told us that too... Apparently when you cracked her gem, you ended up breaking her ties to Dark Gaia, making Shadolene her own separate entity, she only had a limited amount of power when she was only a mere fragment of Dark Gaia, but now that's she's her own, separate being, her power grew stronger, and allowed her to do things she couldn't before. Amy: But luckily, we have a powerful team on our side. *Rouge takes out her communicator and talks into it* Rouge: This is Agent Rouge speaking, I need every solider to arrive at the park, there's a secret tunnel where Shadolene is hiding out, make sure to alert Chief of this as well! ???: Roger that, Rouge. *Rouge ends the call* Rouge: Lead the way, Tails! Tails: Alright! *Tails runs away* *Everyone follows him, except for Amy and Omega* *Omega walks towards Amy holding her hammer in his hand* Omega: I believe this belongs to you. *Amy gasps in excitement* Amy: My hammer! *She takes the hammer, and squeals in delight* Amy: Thanks Omega! *Amy follows the rest of the group, Omega soon joins her* *At The Park* *The gang arrive at the park, to see that it's surrounded by police cars, and G.U.N. vehicles* Amy: Wow, looks like the police got here first. *Rouge walks in front, the others follow her lead* *They see a bunch of cops and gun soldiers surrounding one area* *As they get closer, they see the dark tunnel that matches Blaze's description* Silver: Is that it? *Blaze nods her head* Blaze: She kept trapped here, hoping to use us as bait.. I guess she found Kylie before she could even use us.. *Amy tightens her grip on her hammer* Amy: I'm really gonna enjoy the taste of payback! *The group makes their way towards the tunnel, Rouge having to talk to a few soldiers along way* *They manage to make it to the front, where they see Chief talking to some of the cops* Chief: Don't fire until I say so! That means you Jed.. *The group walks towards Chief* *Chief turns towards them* Chief: Well, looks the gang's back together. Rouge: Has anything happened yet? Chief: Not yet, it's been unusually quiet. *Chief looks at the rest of the group, he immediately turns his attention to Shadow* *Shadow looks at him in confusion* *Chief hesitates for a moment, but he finally speaks up* Chief: Shadow? *Shadow looks down* Shadow: Hey Chief.. *Chief's eyes go wide* Chief: I knew it! I knew that it was you, the moment I saw you fighting the nightcrawler! Shadow: Yeah..Sorry for scaring you.. Chief: Hey, no hard feelin's, you really helped a lot. *Shadow gives Chief a slight smile* *A screeching sound echoes from the tunnel* *The cops and soldiers point their guns at the tunnel* *Sonic and Shadow growl at the tunnel* *A voice echoes from the tunnel* Shadolene: You've been testing my patience for too long, mutt..! I'm giving you all one, last, chance to turn back..! *Shadow glares at the tunnel* Shadow: We're not leaving without Kylie..! *He says in an angered tone* *The streetlights radiate with Dark Gaia energy, and the light shatter* Shadolene: Then come and get her! *Suddenly, a loud screeching sound is heard, and before you can say sassafras again, a horde of Dark Gaia Spawn rush towards the group* Chief: Fire now! *The cops and soldiers start shooting at the creatures* Rouge: Omega, fire at will! Omega: Affirmative. *Omega switches into battle mode, and starts shooting at the Dark Gaia Spawn* *Amy swings at the Dark Gaia Spawn with her hammer, while Knuckles and Rouge work side by side, punching and kicking them one by one* *Blaze starts burning the Dark Gaia Spawn one by one* *Unaware of what's going on behind her, a Dark Gaia creature rushes towards Blaze, and jumps at her* Silver: Blaze! Blaze: Huh?! *Blaze goes to turn around, but Silver rushes behind her, and slashes at the creature* *The creature falls to the ground and evaporates into Dark Gaia energy* *Silver's eyes go wide in shock* *He stares at his hand, not knowing whether to be shocked or amazed at his newfound strength* Blaze: Thanks. Silver: Y-You're welcome. *Sonic takes on the enemies in front of him, while Tails takes on the ones behind Sonic* *Chief shoots at the Dark Gaia Spawn, unaware that a Dark Gaia creature is rushing towards him* *Chief hears the running footsteps of the creature, and turns his attention to it* *The creature screeches at Chief, before jumping at him* Chief: HOLY MOTHER OF- *Suddenly, something grabs the creature, and swiftly pulls it away, the creature screeches in shock and fear* Chief: Huh!? *He looks to see Shadow holding the scared creature in his hand, before bashing the creature onto the ground* *The creature evaporates into Dark Gaia energy* Chief: Whoa, I really owe ya one. Rouge: Shadow! *Shadow turns his attention to Rouge, who is seen fighting some of the Dark Gaia Spawn alongside Knuckles* Rouge: There's too many, you need to go after Shadolene! Shadow: What!? I'm not gonna leave you in the middle of battle! Rouge: Someone has to do it! *Knuckles is seen holding back one of the Dark Gaia Spawn* Knuckles: Do you want Kylie to get possessed again!? *Shadow looks down* Sonic: Don't worry about us, just go! *Shadow looks at Sonic and nods* *He then turns towards the tunnel, and runs into it* *As Shadow gets deeper into the tunnel, all he sees is darkness, until he spots a dark purple glow in the distance* Shadow: Huh..? *As he gets closer he sees Shadolene standing next to Kylie, who appears to be levitating inside a purple force field* Shadow: Kylie! Shadolene: Ah, look who finally decided to show up.. Shadow: What did you do to her!? *Shadolene let's a sinister chuckle* Shadolene: Nothing yet.. *Shadow then notices the bruise on Kylie's forehead* *A look of pure rage appears on Shadow's face, and he growls at Shadolene* Shadolene: Now now, there's no for all that growling, huh little doggy..? Shadow: Give, her, back.. *He says in an angered tone* Shadolene: Ha! I don't think so.. Shadow: Give her back! Shadolene: Well now, someone's a little snappy! *Shadow snarls at her* Shadolene: However.. because I'm feeling awfully generous today, I'm willing to.. negotiate with you. Shadow: Negotiate? Why would I wanna negotiate with you!? Shadolene: Because Shadow... I can give you back your humanity.. *She opens her hand, and a small potion vial appears in it* *Shadow gasps in surprise* Shadolene: Here are your choices.. You can either hand Kylie over to me, and I will cure you of your curse, or... you can take Kylie, walk out with her, and you will be a werehog, for the rest, of, your, life.. *She says in a spiteful tone* *Shadow looks down at the ground* Shadolene: It's your choice.. *Shadow looks conflicted, not knowing what to choose* *He starts thinking about the memories he made with Kylie* ___________________________________________ Shadow: *Hmm...What is the hero doing..?* Kylie: *He's walking into the fire cavern.* Shadow: *Wouldn't he get burned..?* Kylie: *Uh..W-Well yeah, but his best friend is in there, a-and he doesn't care if he gets hurt, as long as his friend is safe, that's all that matters to him...* _______________________________ Kylie: *In all seriousness, I'm...truly grateful to you.. you were there for me, when I didn't even have Sonic to turn to, and that's saying something, because he's always been there for me..* *She smiles at him* Kylie: *You taught me to not let Shadolene's actions drag me down, and you've motivated me to keep trying, even if things seem dark.. You're a great friend, Shadow.. I'm glad to have you in my life..* ______________________ Kylie: *It doesn't matter what you are, you're still you, you're still the person you were even before the fight, you're still...my brother..* ______________________ *Shadow clenches his hands into fists* Shadow: What's the point of choosing something for myself...when it's at the expense of someone I care about..? *Shadolene sinister grins fades, and a look of confusion takes it's place* *Shadow looks at Shadolene* Shadow: I didn't come all this way, just to betray someone I consider part of my family..! *Shadolene's eyes shoot open* Shadow: I'd rather remain a werehog for all eternity, than hand anyone in my family over to the likes of you! *Shadow runs towards Kylie* Shadolene: Wha- NO!! *Shadow stands in front of the forcefield* Shadow: Chaos slash! *Shadow's claws ignite in a purple flame like aura, and he slashes at the forcefield, shattering it into multiple shards* *Kylie stops levitating, but Shadow catches her before she can hit the ground* Shadolene: No..No! This wasn't how it was supposed to work out! *Shadow takes Kylie, and runs towards the exit* Shadolene: You were supposed to die!! *Shadolene screams in rage and throws the potion vial at Shadow* *Shadow hits the potion back at her* *Shadolene jumps out of the way* *The potion explodes once it hits the ground* *Shadolene growls and punches the ground* *We cut back to the battle scene, most of the Dark Gaia Spawn are dead, only a few remain* *By the time only one remains, the gang see something emerging from the darkness of the tunnel* *Even the last Dark Gaia creatures turns their attention away from the battle...that is until Amy bashes it with her hammer* Amy: Look! *Amy points at the entrance* *We see Shadow walking out of the tunnel, carrying Kylie in his arms* Silver: He did it! Amy: Oh I knew he would! *Everyone starts cheering, seeing both Shadow, and Kylie safe and sound* *Suddenly, a groaning sound is heard* *Shadow looks down to see Kylie slowly open her eyes* Kylie: *groans* *She looks up at Shadow* Shadow...? *Shadow smiles at her* Shadow: Hey Kylie.. *Kylie's eyes shoot open* Kylie: Shadow! *Tears well up in Kylie's eyes, and she immediately hugs Shadow* Kylie: Oh Shadow! *Shadow hugs her back, feeling glad that she's safe and sound* Kylie: You don't know how happy I am to see you..! Shadow: I'm so glad you're ok.. Sonic: Kylie! *Kylie and Shadow look to see Sonic running towards them* Kylie: Sonic! *Sonic pulls Kylie into a hug* Sonic: I'm so glad you're ok! *Kylie chuckles a little* Kylie: I'm ok, Sonic, really. Sonic: I--I never stopped believing you, I'm so sorry I made you feel that way..! *A look of surprise appears on Kylie's face, which immediately changes into a smile* *She hugs Sonic back* Kylie: It's ok... *The rest of the gang runs towards the three, and they all engage in a group hug* *Kylie laughs in excitement, feeling glad to be reunited with her friends again* Kylie: Thanks guys. *Suddenly, a dark aura emerges from the tunnel* *Everyone turns their attention to the tunnel* *Shadolene emerges from the aura, wearing a look of pure rage on her face* Shadolene: I had hoped you'd be selfish enough to take my offer.. *Sparks of Dark Gaia energy fly from her tips* Shadolene: Now I see that you're just as selflessly pathetic as her! Shadow: I made my choice, now leave her alone! Shadolene: I can't do that! I need her Shadow, if I don't have a human host, Light Gaia will drag me back to the Earth's core, and I am NEVER going back there, ever again! Shadow: You really think stealing someone else's body is gonna save you..? It doesn't matter what you do, you will always fail, because unlike most of the people I've met, you never learn from your mistakes, you may think you're a powerful entity, but what's the use of power without intellect? Kylie: Well said, Shadow. *Shadolene is emotionless for a few minutes, but a sinister, twisted grin appears on her face* Shadolene: You know Shadow... you may have been able to save Kylie...but who's going to save you..? Shadow: Huh? *Shadolene opens a portal behind her, which starts to suck in many of the environments surroundings* Chief: Everyone get back! *The cops and soldiers run away from the portal* *The gang goes to follow them, but Shadolene grabs Shadow before he can start running* Shadow: Ah! Hey! *Kylie turns around to see what's going on* Kylie: Shadow! Shadolene: Say goodbye to your brother! *She drags Shadow into the portal* Kylie: No!! *A look of anger appears on her face* Kylie: Omega! Pan me! Omega: Affirmative. *Omega throws Kylie her frying pan, which she manages to catch* *She then runs towards the portal* Sonic: Kylie no! *Kylie jumps into the portal* *Meanwhile, Inside The Portal* *We see Shadow and Shadolene standing in a luminescent void, with floating debris in the air, standing on a luminescent platform* *Shadolene laughs maniacally* Shadolene: Now this is more like it! *Shadow growls at Shadolene* Shadolene: You may have beaten me in the mortal realm, but you're in MY realm now! I'll finish you off here, and then I'll make everyone you know and love suffer, including that pathetic human! Shadow: She...is not.. pathetic! *Shadow stretches his arm out, and punches Shadolene in the stomach* *Shadolene grunts on pain, she starts coughing* Shadolene: Well then..if you wanna play dirty, I can get dirty..! *A dark aura surrounds Shadolene* *She soon begins to change shape, becoming less humanoid, and more monstrous* Shadow: What the-!? *Shadolene is now what appears to be a cross between her more humanoid form, and a Dark Gaia Spawn* *Shadolene screeches at Shadow* *Shadow puts up his fists, ready to take this monster down* *Shadolene slashes at Shadow* *Shadow jumps out of the way, and slashes at her* *Shadolene screeches in pain* *Shadow punches at her repeatedly* *Shadolene grunts in pain, once Shadow stops punching her, she hisses at him* Shadow: Chaos spear! *Shadow throws a chaos spear at Shadolene* *Shadolene screeches in pain* *There's a burn mark on her skin where the chaos spear hit her* Shadolene: You're really trying my patience!! *She slashes at Shadow* Shadow: Chaos control! *Shadow vanishes before Shadolene can hit him* Shadolene: *growls* STOP DOING THAT!! *Shadow teleports behind her* Shadow: Chaos slash! *Shadow's claws ignite in a purple flame like aura, and he slashes Shadolene in the back* *Shadolene screeches in pain* *There's a claw mark burnt into her back* Shadolene: *growls* *Shadolene turns around* Shadolene: ENOUGH!! *Shadolene grabs Shadow by his neck* *Shadow tries to break free, but Shadolene tightens her grip on him* Shadolene: You've been a thorn in my side for way too long... *Shadolene takes her free hand, and sinks her claws into Shadow's left shoulder* *Shadow howls in pain* *A sinister grin appears on Shadolene's face* Shadolene: Yes...Sweet delicious pain.. *Shadolene goes to finish Shadow off, when she suddenly hears thudding behind her* Shadolene: Huh? *She turns her head to see Kylie jump off one of the floating pieces of debris* *Kylie jumps towards Shadolene, and roundhouse kicks her in the face* Shadolene: Ah!! *Shadolene drops Shadow* *Shadow grunts in pain as he hits the ground* *Kylie lands on her feet, and turns her attention to Shadow* Kylie: Shadow! *Kylie runs towards Shadow, and kneels down next to him* Kylie: Shadow, are you ok!? Shadow: *He puts his hand on his shoulder* Yeah, I'm fine.. Shadolene: You!? Why did yo- Kylie: I'm tired of running from you, Shadolene, you can torment me, beat me up, heck, you can even possess me, I wouldn't care as much about that, but you crossed a line, when you hurt my friends! *Kylie takes out her frying pan, and walks towards Shadolene* Shadolene: What're you- Kylie: I made a vow to protect the ones I love, no matter what happens, no matter who the enemy was, no matter what stood in my way, and I intend to keep that vow! *Kylie screams in rage, and runs towards Shadolene, holding up her frying pan* Shadolene: Oh I'm going to enjoy this! *Shadolene runs towards Kylie* *Kylie swings her frying pan at Shadolene's knee* *Shadolene grunts in pain* *Shadolene tries to grab Kylie, but she ducks under her hand, before bashing it with her frying pan* *Shadolene screeches in pain* *Kylie hits Shadolene's leg with her frying pan, causing Shadolene to fall to the ground* *Shadolene grunts in pain, as she hits the cold, unforgiving platform* *Kylie then proceeds to hit Shadolene's back, right where the claw mark is* *Shadolene screeches in pain* *Shadolene snarls in rage, she stands up, and tries to grab Kylie, but before she can do so..* Shadow: Chaos punch! *Shadow stretches his arm out, and punches Shadolene in the stomach* *Shadolene gasps in pain, Shadow's chaos punch had hurt her worse than his normal one did* *Kylie runs towards Shadow* *Shadolene coughs up Dark Gaia essence, before turning her attention to Shadow, her eyes filled with rage* Shadow: Kylie, get behind me. *Kylie stands behind Shadow, not knowing what he had planned, but she hoped it would work* *Shadolene screeches in rage, before rushing towards Shadow* *Shadow growls at her* *Kylie clings onto his arm* Shadow: Chaos....HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW-- *Shadolene puts her hands over her ears, she screeches in pain as the supersonic howl hurts her ears* *A dark aura surrounds from Shadolene* *As she continues screeching in pain and agony, she starts changing shape* *As she changes shape, her screaming gets quieter, until she stops completely, she then changes back into her more humanoid form* *Shadow stops howling when he notices the now weakened Shadolene* *She looks bruised, beaten and burned, and there's Dark Gaia essence dripping from her mouth* *She tries to walk towards Shadow, buts she collapses from exhaustion before she can take two steps* *Shadow sighs in relief* Shadow: Glad she finally gave up, right Kylie..? *Shadow turns his attention to Kylie, only to see her with a stunned look on her face* Shadow: Kylie? *Kylie falls on the floor, it seems Shadow stunned her in the process of stunning Shadolene* *Shadow gently picks her up* *He turns towards the portal, to see that it's starting to close* *Shadow runs towards the portal as fast as he can, being careful not to drop Kylie* *The portal closes more the closer he gets* *A look of fear appears on Shadow's face, fearing he wouldn't make it* *Just as the portal was about to close, it suddenly stops* Shadow: Huh? *The portal is pulled open again* *Shadow looks to see Sonic and Silver holding the portal open* Silver: Shadow hurry! *Shadow continues running* *Shadolene slowly opens her eyes, and looks up to see Shadow running towards the portal* *She snarls in rage at the sight of this* *Shadow runs out of the portal* *He takes a deep breath and sighs in relief* *Kylie's eyes start rapidly blinking, as she snaps out of her stunned state* Kylie: Wow... Where'd you learn to do that!? Shadow: Eh, it came with the form.. Kylie: *She chuckles a little* *They suddenly hear screaming, The three werehogs and Kylie look to see Shadolene rushing towards the portal, screaming in rage* *Kylie growls at her, she walks towards the portal, and just as Shadolene reaches the portal, Kylie punches her so hard in the face, she ends up knocking Shadolene onto the ground* Kylie: Close the portal! *Kylie runs away* *Sonic and Silver let go of the portal* *Shadolene wipes the Dark Gaia essence off her face, and looks at the portal* Shadolene: Wha- No! *Shadolene stands up, and runs towards the portal, unfortunately for her though, the portal closes before she can reach it* *Shadolene screams in rage* *Meanwhile, Back In The Mortal Realm* *Everyone is cheering, feeling overjoyed that the shadow demon has been defeated* Kylie: We did it... she's actually gone..! *Shadow puts his hand on Kylie's shoulder* *He smiles at her* Shadow: I knew you could do it.. Kylie: *She chuckles a little* Me? You helped. Sonic: Yeah, you delivered the final blow. Kylie: Heh, guess I did. Tails: Kylie! *Kylie turns to see the rest of the gang, along with Chief rushing towards them* *Everyone engages in a group hug* *Tears fall from Kylie's eyes, she feels so happy about being reunited with her friends, and that the woman who had tormented her was gone* Kylie: I love you guys so much...! Sonic: We love you too, Ky.. *We then cut to the next day* *We see Kylie and Shadow sitting on a bench, eating ice cream* Kylie: Man.. What a crazy week, am I right Shad? Shadow: Heh, yeah.. Kylie: Yeah.. I'm just glad it's over.. *Shadow nods at her* Kylie: Shadow... *Shadow looks up at her* Kylie: I heard about what you did for me...how you chose me over Shadolene's "antidote". Shadow: Well to be fair, that would've actually killed me by the looks of- Kylie: Thank you.. Shadow: Huh..? *Kylie smiles at him* Kylie: I really appreciate the sacrifice..it shows that you really care.. *Shadow smiles at her* Kylie: Besides. *She pats him on the head* Kylie: I wasn't wanting to say goodbye to your werehog form anytime soon. *Shadow chuckles a little* Shadow: Alright, stop now.. *Kylie chuckles a bit* Shadow: Heh.. Sonic: Hey Shadow! *Kylie and Shadow turn their heads to see Sonic standing on the road* Sonic: You up for a little race? *Shadow gives him a slight smile* Shadow: Sure, why not..? *Shadow stands up, and walks towards him* Kylie: Have fun you two! Sonic: We will Ky! Kylie: Alright..Three, two, one! *The two hedgehogs dash off in a flash* *Kylie continues eating her ice cream* Kylie: *Well that's our story, heh, I guess it was more about me than I thought, but don't worry about that* *We see Sonic and Shadow running through the city* Kylie: *I learned one very important thing during that week, and it's that even if things seem dark and gloomy, and you don't feel like you're good enough for anything, there'll always be those who'll always have faith in you...* Sonic: See if you can catch up! *Sonic picks up the pace* Kylie: *And if they can believe in you..* Shadow: Heh.. Kylie: *Then you can believe in yourself.. After all, we're all heroes at the end of the day* *Shadow dashes off* (The End.) Previous Chapter: https://www.deviantart.com/venicequeen1011/art/Sonic-Dark-Shadows-Chapter-8-907585038 Sonic The Hedgehog belongs to ©SEGA. Sonicverse Kylie Dear, Shadolene, and Chief belong to Me. @SKCollabs @NoLivezMatter @Silverbroc @ArtRemaker4000 @TrendyStaMacigian @seanbutler397 @alexeigribanov @MonsterIsland1969 @xXThatOneDisnerdXx @MagicUniverse4ever @Godzilla2137 @K2-Black-Panther @SL00X39 @AudreaLynnette @mariaedcatgirls @RedKnight33
Sonic Dark Shadows Chapter 8*Somewhere In The City* *Rouge, Silver, Knuckles and Omega are seen walking around* *Rouge is seen staring at a scanner* Rouge: Ok..My scanner is saying she was last seen near here. Silver: You mean we're getting close? Omega: It would seem that way. Knuckles: *groans* How much longer is this gonna go on, we've been looking for hours, and I don't see any sign of- *The group suddenly stops and stares in horror and disbelief* *The area has been damaged, almost like an explosion happened* Rouge: Yep..she was here alright. Silver: Sh-She did this!? I-I-I-I knew she was powerful, but I didn't think she'd be THIS powerful! Knuckles: Oh believe me, you ain't seen nothing yet.. Omega: That is not important right now, what is important is finding Shadolene, and saving our friends. Rouge: *sighs* Omega's right. Knuckles: Hmm..We could find her faster if we split up. Silver: Are you crazy!? That's how people die in horror movies! Rouge: This isn't a horror movie, Silver. *Silver looks down at the ground* Silver: It sure feels like one.. Rouge: Ok, Knuckles, you and Omega go right, Silver, you go left. Knuckles: Where're you going? Rouge: I'm going by air. Silver: Is no one listening to me!? *The gang go their separate ways, leaving Silver by himself* *A look of unamusement appears on Silver's face* Silver: Apparently not.. *Silver turns towards the left path* Silver: *sighs* Hang in there, guys, help is on the way. *A turquoise aura surrounds Silver, and he levitates off of the ground* *Silver flies away* *Meanwhile, in another part of the city* *Sonic is seen running around, desperately searching the city for his lost companions* *Sonic suddenly stops, taking time to catch his breath* Sonic: *growls* It feels like I've been searching for eons! I've been out here for hours, and not a smidge of progress has been made! *Sonic snarls, enraged at the lack of progress he's making* Sonic: At this point, Shadolene could've possessed them all by now! *Sonic growls in rage, and punches the wall next to him* *The impact from the punch has left a large dent in the wall* *Sonic whines softly* Sonic: It's hopeless... *Tears well up in Sonic's eyes, he can't bare to imagine the thought of Shadolene hurting the people he cares for* *Suddenly, the sound of a police siren is heard* *Sonic's left ear twitches, and he turns towards the source of the sound* *The chief's police car is seen heading towards him* *The car stops in front of Sonic, and the right window rolls down* Chief: There you are, I've been lookin' everywhere for ya! Sonic: Chief? *Sonic walks towards him* Sonic: What's going on? Chief: I have information on Shadow and Kylie. *Sonic's eyes go wide, he didn't expect to hear such a good response* Sonic: You do, where are they!? Chief: I was driving around town, and I saw them on Saint Boulevard. Sonic: Saint Boulevard.. That's not too far from here! Chief: Not just that, but we also encountered the nightcrawler earlier. Sonic: Shadolene.... *He says with an angered tone, the mere mentioning of her name putting a bitter taste in his mouth* Chief: You were right, she is powerful! We saw her destroy part of Falico Avenue, if it weren't for that creature restrainin' her, she coulda done some more damage. Sonic: I forgot about that thing.. Chief: And uh.. there's somethin' I thi- Sonic: Hold that thought, Chief, I gotta get going! *Sonic runs away* Chief: Sonic wait, the creature is a- *Sonic is too far away to hear him* Chief: Werehog... *sighs* *The chief rolls up the window, and puts his hands on the wheels* Chief: If that werehog is who I think it is, that gal's got a lotta explainin' ta do. *The car drives away* *Meanwhile, back at Shadolene's lair* *Shadolene is seen sharping her claws with a nail file* *She giggles sinisterly* Shadolene: Won't be long now.. *She stands up from her makeshift thrown, and walks down the steps* Shadolene: That girl is going to be mine.. *She turns towards the cage, Amy, Tails, and Blaze are being held in* *Amy is glaring at Shadolene* *Blaze is also glaring at her, but she also has her arms crossed* Shadolene: Sure I had a bit of a setback, but not this time.. Amy: That's what you said last time! Blaze: I swear to Gaia, when we get out of here, you're going to pay for all you've done! *Shadolene laughs maniacally at Blaze's threat* Shadolene: Don't you get it by now!? You're powerless against me! You can threaten me all you want, but until something actually happens, they're merely just words.. Amy: Sonic and Kylie defeated you once, they can do it again! *Amy growls at her* Amy: And I'd be VERY happy to help them.. *She says in an angered tone* Blaze: You may think we're the weak ones, but you're the one who's truly powerless..! Shadolene: Ha! That's a laugh.. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to reclaim what's mine.. *She turns around and walks away* Amy: Hey! Get back here, I'm not done with you! Shadolene: Nice talking with you.. *Amy stammers in disbelief but she immediately goes back to ranting* Amy: This isn't over! You won't get away with this, we WILL get out of this cage, and when we do, we're going to destroy you!! *Blaze puts her hand on Amy's shoulder* Blaze: Save your breath, Amy. Amy: *groans* *Suddenly, a grunt is heard* *Amy and Blaze turn around to see Tails using a handmade hook and rod to try to get the key* Blaze: How'd you get that? Tails: Shadolene is surprising careless, she left me enough scraps to make this. Amy: Ha! Who's powerless now!? *Tails manages to get the hook under the key ring* *The group gasps* *Tails carefully lifts up the key, and lifts them off of the latch* *The group smiles brightly as Tails gently pulls the rod towards them* *He pulls the key into the cage* Amy: Yes! Tails you did it! *Tails chuckles a little* *Blaze takes the key off of the hook, and walks towards the cage door* *She puts the key into the lock, and turns the key, unlocking the door* *Blaze opens the door* Blaze: Come on, we still have time to stop her! *The group runs away, running as fast as they can* *Meanwhile, In Another Part Of The City* *Sonic is seen walking around, looking for any sign of Kylie and Shadow* *A familiar voice is heard in the distance* ???: Just wait here, and I'll bring you back some nice, tasty Italian. Sonic: Huh? *Sonic walks towards the voice* *He sees Kylie Dear walking around* *Sonic gasps in surprise, and he smiles brightly at the sight of his sister* Sonic: Kylie! *Kylie is seen walking around, humming to herself* Sonic: Kylie! *Kylie stops, and turns upon hearing her name being called* Kylie: Huh? *She sees Sonic running towards her* Sonic: Kylie! *Kylie's eyes go wide in shock* Kylie: Sonic!? *Sonic runs up to Kylie, and hugs her tightly* Kylie: *grunts* Sonic: Oh thank Gaia you're ok! I've been worried sick about you! Kylie: So-Sonic.. Sonic: I know, I'm happy to see you too.. Kylie: Y--You're crushing my spine...! Sonic: O-Oh, sorry. *He let's go of Kylie* *Kylie stumbles back, but manages to stand tall* Kylie: I--It's ok, I'm fine. Sonic: Good. Kylie: *She chuckles a little* Sonic: Now where was I? Oh yeah. *He suddenly grabs Kylie, and starts shaking her* Sonic: Where have you been, Kylie!? We've been looking for you everywhere! Kylie: I-I was with Sha-dow the en-tire ti-me! Sonic: And where's he!? Kylie: St-op sha-king me and I'll tell you! *Sonic stops shaking her* *Kylie shakes her head, trying to shake off the dizziness* Kylie: He's not with me, he stayed behind while I went to get some Italian food. Sonic: You mean you're all alone? Kylie: Well.. momentarily. Sonic: Kylie! This is NOT a good time to be by yourself, especially with Shadolene after you! Kylie: I can handle myself, Sonic, you should know this! Sonic: Well what if Shadolene shows up and attacks you!? No one would be there to help you! Kylie: I have my frying pan, besides I'm not alone, Shadow's with me, and honestly, he seems to have more faith in me than you do recently! Sonic: What's that supposed to mean!? Kylie: He's actually ok with having me fight on my own, he always encourages me instead of undermining me like you've been doing! Sonic: Wha- I haven't been under- Kylie: YES! YOU! HAVE!! *Sonic's expression changes from a look of anger to a look of shock, he wasn't expecting Kylie to snap at him like that* Kylie: You've been constantly putting me down, undermining my abilities, treating me like a helpless infant, and just..not believing in me..! *Sonic's expression changes from shocked to concerned* *Tears well up in Kylie's eyes* Kylie: I just wanna know why...why don't you believe in me anymore!? Sonic: I do believe in you! I--I just don't want you to get hurt! *Kylie's expression changes from distraught to surprised* Sonic: Seeing you possessed by Shadolene... hearing her vile words come out of your mouth.. witnessing her making you do those horrible things..it was horrible to watch.. *Kylie's expression changes from a look of surprise to a look of shame, feeling guilty for thinking badly of her brother* Sonic: I just... I just never wanted you to go through that again..I..I didn't realize that in my mission to protect you.. I was hurting you.. I'm sorry.. Kylie: *sniffles* Sonic... *Shadow is seen walking towards them* *He stops and gasps when he sees Sonic* *A look of pure rage appears on his face, and he starts growling* *He storms over to them* Kylie: Sonic I- Shadow: You..! *The two turn around to see Shadow storming towards them* *Shadow points at Sonic* Shadow: You did this..! Kylie: Sh-Shadow, c-calm down- Sonic: Shadow!? Kylie: Yeah.. that's Shadow. *Sonic wears a look of pure shock on his face* Sonic: Wh-What happened!? Shadow: What happened? What happened!? You turned me into a werehog, that's what happened! Sonic: I-I- Kylie: Y--You bit him during the fight with the Dark Gaia Spawn. *A look of guilt appears on Sonic's face* Sonic: No..Sh-Shadow I-- Shadow: You careless idiot! You gave me your curse, do you have any idea what I went through!? Sonic: I didn't mean to, I didn't mean for it to happen! Shadow: Well it still happened! Kylie: G-Guys please, it was an accident! Shadow: Just be happy you don't have to deal with what I do, huh!? Sonic: Hey, if I had known you were gonna become a werehog, I would've kept my mouth shut! Shadow: Oh please, with how careless you were during the battle, I'm surprised you haven't bitten more people! Sonic: Ok! That was uncalled for! Kylie: Guys please! Shadow: Kylie, stay outta this, this is between him and me..! Sonic: Hey, don't talk to her like that! Shadow: I just don't want her getting involved! Sonic: Like that's gonna do anything, she gets involved in our fights all the time. Shadow: Well at least I actually try to keep her happy, I can't say the same about you though, you're such a pathetic excuse of a brother that she had to turn to other people to support her, when you should've been there for her, it's bad enough you did this to me, but hurting your own family in anyway is unacceptable..! Sonic: Shut up!! *Sonic punches Shadow in the chest* *Shadow grunts in pain at the sudden strike* Kylie: Hey!! *Shadow growls at him* Shadow: That's how you wanna do it huh..? *Shadow snarls at Sonic, and charges at him* *The two werehogs fall to the ground* *Kylie gasps in horror* *The two start scratching, and punching each other* *Kylie puts her hands on her head, terrified at the sudden turn of events* Kylie: Oh my gosh! *Shadow stomps on Sonic's back* *Sonic yelps in pain, and starts punching the ground* Kylie: Guys, stop it, you're acting like idiots!! *Sonic growls at Shadow, and punches him in the face* *Shadow retaliates by biting his hand* *Sonic howls in pain* *Kylie stares in horror at the chaos she's being forced to witness* *Sonic grabs his hand, he whines softly* *Shadow walks towards him* Shadow: Maybe you should be more careful who you bite next time...! *Shadow snarls at Sonic and goes to claw him* Kylie: No!! *Kylie runs in front of Sonic, and ends up getting scratched instead* *She screams in pain* *Kylie falls onto the ground* *Shadow's expression immediately changes from a look of anger to a look of fear* *He gasps in horror at the action he's done* Kylie: Ow.. *She has a bloody cut on her face* Shadow: K-Kylie, I didn't mean to - *Sonic suddenly jumps at Shadow, and pins him to the ground* *He snarls at Shadow, enraged at the damage he's caused to Kylie* *Kylie looks up at them* *Tears well up in Kylie's eyes, she stands up and runs away* Shadow: K-Kylie wait! Sonic: You son of a- *Sonic goes to punch Shadow, but he cuts him off before he can finish his sentence* Shadow: Sonic stop, Kylie's gone! Sonic: What!? *Sonic turns towards where Kylie was, only to find that she's disappeared* Sonic: No.. *Sonic gets up, and helps Shadow to his feet* *The two werehogs whine softly, now aware of what they were doing* Sonic: What're we doing..? Shadow: *sighs* Exactly what she said.. we were acting like idiots.. *The two werehogs look at each other and nod* Shadow: *sighs* Listen Sonic, if we wanna keep Kylie safe, and stop Shadolene, we're gonna have to put our grudges aside for now.. Sonic: Agreed.. *Shadow looks down at the ground* Shadow: I just hope she can forgive me... Sonic: *sighs* I hope she can forgive you too.. *Shadow looks at him* Sonic: I honestly don't deserve her forgiveness at this point.. Shadow: Maybe not...but in her eyes, you're still her brother.. I'm sure she'll forgive you.. *Shadow walks away, Sonic follows him shortly after* *Meanwhile, In Metro Square* *Kylie is seen running around, crying* *She stops at the fountain, and looks at herself in the water* Kylie: *sniffles* Everything feels like it's falling apart... *sniffles* W-Why can't this mess just end..? Why can't we just end this nightmare already, and everyone can go back to being happy..? *She breaks down crying, her tears fall into the fountain like raindrops on a stormy day* *Suddenly, a sinister yet familiar chuckle is heard* *Kylie's eyes shoot open, a look of pure dread appears on her face* Kylie: N-No.. *She turns around when she hears the sound of heels clacking* *Shadolene emerges from the shadows, wearing a twist smile on her face* Shadolene: Well..I thought I'd never see you again.. Kylie: Y-You.. haven't you caused enough trouble already!? Shadolene: Trouble? I haven't caused any trouble.. Kylie: Y-You're the reason everything's gone to heck! Everyone's panicking, my brothers are fighting each other, y--you're the reason Shadow got bit in the first place!! Shadolene: Hey, do you think I intended that to happen?! *Kylie wears a look of pure rage on her face* Shadolene: Besides...What does it matter anyways? It's not like it'll change the outcome.. I'm here to reclaim what is mine, and I'm not leaving until I have.. Kylie: You can never have my body, never again! Shadolene: *She gives her a sinister smile* I wasn't asking for permission.. you can't refuse anyway, your so called brothers and your friends aren't here to help you..! Kylie: I don't need them to fight you! Shadolene: *She laughs maniacally* What's this new attitude!? Did you start lying to yourself? You didn't believe in yourself before, and now you're acting all high and mighty? You're pathetic! Kylie: *sighs* You're right.. I don't believe in myself... but that doesn't matter. Shadolene: Ha! Since when did it not matter if you believe in yourself? Kylie: ....Sonic.. believes in me... *She takes out her frying pan* Kylie: Shadow, believes in me.. *She starts walking towards Shadolene* Kylie: Silver believes in me, Tails believes in me, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Blaze, Omega, they ALL believe in me! And if they can believe in me...then..then I can believe in myself!! *Kylie screams in rage, and charges towards Shadolene holding her frying pan* Shadolene: Whoa! *Shadolene tries to teleport away, but Kylie hits her with her frying pan before she could* *Shadolene shouts in pain* Kylie: You will never hurt me, or my family EVER again! *She hits her again* Shadolene: Ah!! *Silver is seen flying in the air* *He looks down to see the fight going on* Silver: *He gasps in shock* *Kylie goes to hit Shadolene again, but she manages to teleport away* Kylie: Huh!? *Shadolene teleports behind Kylie, and kicks her down to the ground* Kylie: Ah!! Silver: Kylie! *Silver growls and flies towards Shadolene, screaming in rage* *Shadolene charges up her magic* Kylie: Huh? *Shadolene shoots Silver with a beam of pure Dark Gaia energy* *Silver screams in pain* *Kylie gasps in shock and horror* *Silver passes out from the pain, and falls onto the ground* Kylie: Silver!! No! *Kylie tries to run towards Silver, but Shadolene grabs her by the back of her neck* Kylie: Ah- *Kylie passes out and falls to the ground* Shadolene: Oh Kylie... still as silly and naive as ever.. *She turns her attention to Silver* Shadolene: And you..are nothing but a pathetic fool.. thinking you could attack me! No matter.. *Shadolene grabs Kylie by her hair* Shadolene: I got what I want.. *She giggles sinisterly* *She walks away, dragging Kylie by her hair* *We see Silver on the ground, his body is radiating with Dark Gaia energy* *He starts twitching* (To Be Continued) Previous Chapter: https://www.deviantart.com/venicequeen1011/art/Sonic-Dark-Shadows-Chapter-7-905226112 Next Chapter: https://www.deviantart.com/venicequeen1011/art/Sonic-Dark-Shadows-Chapter-9-912194621 Sonic The Hedgehog belongs to ©SEGA. Sonicverse Kylie Dear, Shadolene, and Chief belong to Me. @SKCollabs @NoLivezMatter @Silverbroc @ArtRemaker4000 @TrendyStaMacigian @seanbutler397 @alexeigribanov @MonsterIsland1969 @xXThatOneDisnerdXx @MagicUniverse4ever @Godzilla2137 @K2-Black-Panther @SL00X39 @AudreaLynnette @mariaedcatgirls @SKCollabs @NoLivezMatter @Silverbroc @ArtRemaker4000 @TrendyStaMacigian @seanbutler397 @alexeigribanov @MonsterIsland1969 @xXThatOneDisnerdXx @MagicUniver...
Sonic Dark Shadows. by Venicequeen1011
Werewolves, Prose
Two Wolves of the Same Whole PT2The sky was a clear and crisp light blue with the morning sun shining on a gloriously pristine day as Vincent drove through the countryside. Traveling to the home of his girlfriend, he was eager to see Mellow again after receiving confirmation from her text that she was open to him visiting. He played out the scene of her jubilant reaction upon seeing his considerate gift multiple times in his head as he looked forward to showing her the necklace, a gift he sincerely hoped would raise her spirits enough to help take her mind off the rough times she had been going through, even if just temporarily.After driving through the city to the other end of the county, he eventually reached the small home that sat in a spaced-out suburb with a few yards of property separating each individual house through either wooden or chain link fencing. Mellow’s home was a modest, two bedroom structure that did not hide its age from when it was built during the late seventies, and while an old dwelling with the tenants seemingly losing their battle to keep up with the wear and tear over time, it was a charming home that was comfortable enough for the girl who wanted little else in life but a loving family to be sheltered by and nurtured in.As Vincent was walking along the cement walkway that was cracking in multiple places throughout with blades of grass and daisies poking out, Mellow opened the front door and excitedly greeted him with a sunny smile as he approached. “Hey Vincent! Been waiting all morning for ya!” she gleefully called out to him. “Sorry for the wait! Just some last minute stuff I had to deal with before driving over!” Vincent responded with a sheepish half truth as he in actuality slept in late, but even when Mellow could see through his little white lie, she felt more at ease knowing her boyfriend was getting the rest he needed after an exhausting night with a close brush with injury.When they met at the doorway, Vincent wrapped his arms around Mellow and pulled her into a tight embrace, eliciting a giggle from her as they reveled in the routine affection they expressed toward each other. After a quick kiss on the lips, they let go of each other and held hands as Mellow led her boyfriend into her home, and she took him to her bedroom where they would hang out and discuss plans for their date night. Entering into her bedroom as he had many times before, he was met with the familiarly sweet fragrance of cherry blossoms that her air freshener typically emitted while taking in the colorfully bright, eclectic collection of plush animals consisting of dogs, kittens, a wolf, a unicorn, and many other cute animals scattered about the room as they sat upon the dresser, night stand, and any other flat, elevated surface she could place them on to gaze at. Her room was small but cozy with multiple comforters draping her bed as it sat next to the window with numerous pillows of a violet, baby blue, or pink color strewn about her bed. She also hung one of her comforters depicting elaborate art of a pair of wolves sitting next to each other like a mural on her wall while her other comforters had lion and pony art with her bed sheets sporting a rose petal pattern. With a small flower pot of Marigolds and Petunias sitting on her window sill, along with tulip-shaped lamps and other nature-inspired decorations contributing to the arrangement, Mellow’s space conveyed her love of nature and animals as they coalesced together into her own personal Eden. One live animal that typically occupied Mellow’s space was her cat, a creature with black, silky soft fur and piercing yellow eyes that she affectionately named Shade, and the animal was sitting on the teal-hued cushion top of a stool as it watched them enter. Shade let out a demure meow upon seeing Vincent again, and he cast a smile while waving his hand in greeting back to his girlfriend’s furry companion as he entered. Shade was the closest thing Mellow had to a sibling since she was an only child whom her parents had struggled to conceive, and while Mellow’s furry friend was both affectionate toward her and obedient to her every whim, the feline was more reserved and assertive at times with Vincent who often had to coax or even fight with the cat to get it to surrender her spot on the stool, though she nevertheless loved to rub up against him as if claiming Vincent as her own.Unsurprisingly, the cat that was cozily coiled up upon its perch refused to budge again as Vincent walked up to her. “Not ready to give up your seat sweetheart? I feel your struggle,” Vincent playfully sympathized with her as Shade let out a low, sarcastic sounding meow in response. “C’mon Shade! Come sit over here with me so that Vinny can join in and visit with us!” Mellow gently asked her cat with a soothing tone as if speaking to a small child, and answering with a squeaky meow, Shade deftly hopped onto her bed and walked over to her. The cat purred loudly as Mellow affectionately stroked its back, and Vincent pulled the stool over to sit across from Mellow as she sat on the edge of her bed with Shade snuggling up beside her as her fingers gently sifted through its fleecy fur. “So how did your morning go Vince?” she asked him. “About what you’d expect, nothing out of the ordinary and uh, maybe a bit of sleeping in too, hehe,” Vincent answered her with a sheepish chuckle when he opened up more about the reason for his tardiness, but Mellow let out a giggle of her own and smiled at him without judgment. “It’s been a long week huh? Honestly, I slept in pretty late today myself. Work gets…exhausting at times, and I like the pleasantness of my dreams,” she said to him, and Vincent could tell from her sudden pause when describing her work life what she had implied.So that incident yesterday is still bothering her, Vincent thought to himself as he recalled the man that assaulted her at the diner. Vincent had been protecting her all his life, but there was limits to what he could do to keep her safe, and knowing this fact bothered him to no end with this latest incident reinforcing his anxiety. He wondered if he should get in touch with the restaurant owner to set up an arrangement that would help keep her safe from unscrupulous strangers, especially since that creep would be far from the last to threaten her. Knowing that yesterday’s events were still weighing on her however, Vincent tried to nudge her mind away from it in a more lighthearted direction. “Still dreaming of turning into a wolf and wandering the boundless woods Mel?” Vincent responded to the latter part of her comment with a teasing tone. She had once shared with him her strange, recurring dreams of her being a wolf and often playfully ribbed her over it. “Yup! They’re fun dreams, and they make me happy in a way that’s hard to describe. Though I could probably do without the painful one I had the other night,” Mellow remarked with an awkward chuckle as she recalled her prior nightmare. “Painful dreams?” Vincent reacted in surprise at her eye brow raising comment. “Oh it’s fine, don’t worry. We all get strange dreams sometimes, it’s alright Vince,” Mellow hastily dismissed the concern. Vincent however was still concerned by the fact that she was possibly suffering nightmares now, but as much as he wanted to inquire further and perhaps help her with another struggle she was facing, he decided not to press the matter further and respected her privacy. “Anyways, so you wanted to go out on a date tonight?” Mellow asked him as she quickly changed the topic. “Yeah! I wanted to discuss our plans for it. Also, I uuhh…” Vincent trailed off as he was about to mention the gift he intended to give her before hitting a wall of hesitation. It had only just occurred to him after seeing his girlfriend’s personal space again with its noticeable lack of jewelry that she hardly ever wore any such adornments, and Vincent could not recall the last time she wore something akin to a necklace or bracelet outside of a scant few occasions. “Hmm? What’s wrong?” Mellow asked when she noticed her boyfriend’s sudden hesitation. “O-oh, sorry, um, I was just wondering…how late at night did you want us to be out together?” Vincent managed to deflect at the last second as he shifted awkwardly on the stool. He had brought the wolf necklace with him as it sat within a small satchel carefully stowed into his pocket, but intrusive doubt suddenly made him second guess the gift he planned to give her. He started to consider if he would be better off waiting until he found something better in his grandmother’s possession to give to Mellow instead of risking something she would find weird or even offensive. It was not exactly a typical necklace, and being someone who did not seem very interested in wearing jewelry, Vincent assumed she would find it tacky or even distasteful, so he opted to keep it hidden from her, at least until he could make up his mind. “Oh, I don’t mind staying up late Vince. Being up until midnight to gaze at the stars sounds romantic actually, I like it!” Mellow happily agreed to his idea, even if it did not matter to him either way. “Great! Speaking of stargazing, how about we visit that park at night then? I don’t think we’ve ever stayed out on a twilight picnic before,” Vincent further suggested.They then proceeded to excitedly discuss their plans for their night out together from the food they would bring to the location they would scout out where they would have the best view for stargazing. As they excitedly talked about their date night, Vincent felt the weight of the necklace as it sat in his pocket, and when his mind was reminded of its presence, he then suddenly recalled the strange letter’s words from the prior night.Should my descendent receive this, I beseech you, please deliver this vessel to her and resurrect her spirit. It was impossible for her to know of his girlfriend’s existence, and even more ridiculous to receive a letter addressed to him from hundreds of years ago, but as their conversation of date plans and life in general went on, the thoughts of her great grandmother’s final request grew louder in his mind. There was no denying that he was her distant son, and while Vincent could not put his finger on it, there was a vague familiarity between her dialect and his grandmother’s that heavily implied of the bloodline running between them. The sheer number of coincidences seemed too farfetched to be real, but if magic and the supernatural did indeed exist, would he even be able to comprehend what was unfolding? What would happen if he chose to bury the necklace forever? What if he followed through but gave it to the wrong person? Was Mellow even the right person to be receiving it? Countless questions swam through his mind and became more distracting with every passing minute. He wanted to repress such uncertainty and get on with his life where it mattered most, but did this necklace possess something that he was unaware of? Was it something that could change Mellow’s life for the better, maybe even curing her clumsiness or bad luck forever? “Hey Vince, are you ok? I-I didn’t mean to be weird or anything with my idea of dressing light and going in just sweat clothes,” Mellow suddenly snapped him out of his trance when she misunderstood his distant expression. “O-oh! Sorry Mel, just spaced out for a moment there,” Vincent suddenly jolted in his seat when he came back to his senses. “No, it’s fine Mel! We’ll go in whatever we feel comfortable in, sweats or pajamas or whatever, dress casual as they call it,” he quickly reassured her. “That’s a relief, I don’t think I have anything nice to wear after ruining the last dress on that one date,” Mellow responded with a sheepish chuckle as she reminded them of their one date where they were dining at a high end restaurant. She had stumbled into the waiter while looking for the bathroom and inadvertently knocked over his tray, spilling wine and other beverages over her and her pink dress. Vincent was simply glad that the red stains on her dress were from the wine and not an injury, and she merely laughed off the mishap despite ruining a priceless gown she had been saving up several months for. It was at this point that Vincent reluctantly conceded the necklace’s burden on his mind, and whether or not it would risk cursing his girlfriend, it had already cursed his thoughts as the indecision tormented his mental peace. Even though he had never met or known Fiorella, there was something about her that reminded him of his own beloved grandmother, and an in indirect way, Vincent started to feel that giving Mellow, the woman of his life, this special necklace was a way of expressing one final gesture of gratitude to her memory before moving on.Vincent did not know what would happen if he gave her the necklace, but between curiosity and a sense of obligation, he had to know what would occur. Even if nothing happened at all and life went on normally, Vincent was fine with that, and if something did occur that would turn their life upside down, they would work through it together like they always had. This was a gift handed down to him from his ancestor, and it was intended for someone they both cared deeply for. “Hey uh…Mellow? There’s something else I also wanted to mention,” Vincent started with trepidation. “Oh, what is it Vincent?” Mellow asked as she gave him her full attention. “W-well it’s not so much a mention but…a gift. I brought you a present,” he then stated to her. There was no turning back now. “Oh, you brought me a present?” she reacted with surprise and sudden interest. Vincent then proceeded to pull out the small, beige satchel from his pocket and handed it to her. Mellow placed the satchel in her lap and pulled at the draw strings as she slowly opened it, and her eyes widened when the azure glint of the crystal caught her eye. Slowly pulling out the necklace with her slender fingers, her eyes alit when she saw the carved wolf pendant and its pearly white crystal. “Ooooh, it’s sooo CUTE Vincent!” Mellow exclaimed with child-like glee as her dainty fingers ran along the smooth, polished surface of the wooden wolf. “I thought you’d love it! My grandmother wanted me to gift you something she left behind for me, and this one stood out to me since I know how much you find wolves cute n’all,” Vincent commented with a bashful grin. He was relieved to see the joy and wonder in her eyes with his gift, an ecstatic reaction that swiftly dismissed his earlier worries of her thinking it would be lame. “This is so beautiful, thank you Vincent! You’re always so considerate!” she gleefully expressed her gratitude to him as she continued to eye the elaborately crafted, ancient pendant with fascination. “I thought it would look good on you if you wore it during our date tonight,” Vincent suggested with a grin and a wink. “It might even look good if you wear it with-“ he was about to say as Mellow ran her fingers over the pendant until her bare fingertip touched the crystal. She then suddenly felt a sharp twinge prick her fingertip before a sensation that felt like an intense electrical current passed through her finger and immediately through her body. Within a split second, the energy coursed straight into her head and pierced it with an icy sting like a needle penetrating her brain. “A-ah!” Mellow lightly gasped out as a sudden pain sparked within her brain with a sharp intensity, and her vision started to lose focus as her heart began to race. Shade suddenly jumped away and shrieked in fright as if startled by what was happening to Mellow. “M-Mellow?!” Vincent reacted with sharp dread when he saw his girlfriend’s reaction to the crystal. He quickly regretted giving her the necklace. “O-oww. Oooaahh,” Mellow uttered under her shaky breath as her head throbbed with an aching pain. A listless, feminine moan emanated from her as her eyelids flickered from the pulsing pain dulling her mind, and she quickly became disoriented as she lost all sense of direction, place, and time. Her body started teetering precariously as she was on the cusp of losing her balance, and just when she was about to fall off the edge of her bed, Vincent quickly jumped up to Mellow and stopped her fall as she slid into his arms. “MELLOW!” Vincent cried out in fear as he saw her rapidly deteriorating, but as sudden as it had occurred, Mellow’s headache and dizziness quickly subsided, and she let out a faint groan as she returned to her senses. “Ooooh…w-where…where am I?” Mellow blurted out upon recovering from her spell, and she looked around her and blinked in confusion before raising her gaze to Vincent’s. “Are you ok Mel?” he asked her with a frown of grave concern. “I-I think so Vince. Um…what we’re we doing a moment ago?” She answered him in bewilderment and confusion. The necklace dangled from her hand as the string remained wrapped around her fingers, and Vincent quickly collected up the necklace in his hands as he hastily stated to her, “S-sorry Mel! I should have inspected it more carefully, let me get this off of you.” Vincent avoided implying that he gave her a cursed necklace as he knew how bad that would look. Mel however suddenly stopped Vincent from taking the necklace, surprising him as she awkwardly objected, “N-no! I mean…I’m fine Vincent. I just got a bit dizzy, that’s all. I forgot how long we were chatting before I last ate. Low blood sugar causes that you know?” Vincent wanted to protest as his grip remained firm on her necklace, but Mellow’s eyes conveyed her strong will to hold onto the gift she found precious to her, and Vincent reluctantly relented as he slowly removed his hands from it. “S-sure. As long as you’re fine and it’s not bothering you or anything,” Vincent conceded, though he was still convinced that the necklace was the cause of her strong reaction earlier, whatever it had done to her. “Of course not. It’s a beautiful gift, and I love you so much for giving this to me Vince!” she expressed to him with strong insistence as she put the necklace on. When the wolf pendant rested against her chest, she felt a warmth emanating from it that seeped into her heart and spread through her entire body as it elicited feelings of light euphoria and giddiness within her. “Mmmmm, it feels warm,” Mellow purred as a wide grin touched her expression and her eyes became half lidded in a dreamy, distant expression. Despite her assurance, Vincent was not any less concerned from the strange behavior she was suddenly displaying. Her reveling in whatever strange spell she fell under from the necklace was suddenly interrupted however when she heard her smartphone ring, and her eyes snapped wide when Mellow realized she had forgotten something. “Oh, that must be Jessica! I’ll text Jessie to let her know that I’m busy tonight. Sorry about that,” she hastily stated to Vincent as she pulled out her pink smartphone with a cracked screen. In her hastiness to pull it out however, the phone quickly fumbled out of her hands and fell to the floor with a loud clatter.Guess the necklace didn’t do anything for her klutziness, Vincent internally commented as Mellow quickly picked up her phone and gave a small sigh of relief to find it still working.As Mellow was texting her friend on her plans for the night, another thought occurred to her and she remarked, “Hey, I should update my Instagram with our plans too so my friends’ll all know we’ll be busy tonight.” “P-please don’t. These dates are supposed to personal Mel, private stuff between us,” Vincent curtly objected with awkward dismay. “S-sorry, you’re right Vince. I’ll just let Jess fill them in if anyone asks, don’t want anyone to bother our night out together after all,” Mellow quickly retracted as she cast an embarrassed grin back at him. “Yeah yeah, just be careful of what you’re doing on sites like that,” he admonished her with a sigh and a frown of annoyance. While he did not want to discourage Mellow from using technology, let alone telling her how to live her life, her apparent naivety with social media was another kind of anxiety that bothered him to no end. At the very least, he did not want their personal life being broadcast to the entire world for all to see. “Anyways…um, if it’s ok with you…can we call it for now and meet up later when date time arrives? I’m feeling…kinda tired all of a sudden. I think I pushed myself too hard this morning and burned myself out, sorry about that,” she politely asked him with a sudden fatigue in her voice and an indiscernible fuzziness lingering in her head after touching the crystal. “It’s ok Mellow. Just don’t push yourself too hard, ok? I’ll give you some space to prepare for tonight, and we’ll be seeing each other soon!” Vincent accommodated her, though a part of him wanted to stay with her out of concern from the odd behavior she was displaying. As highly suspicious as he was of the pendant however, he did not want to weird her out and overstay his welcome, so he relented in separating for the time being so she could rest. “Thank you Vince. See you later, and love you!” Mellow cheerfully stated to Vince as she hopped onto her feet before him. “Be seeing you Mel, and love you too!” Vincent happily reciprocated as they gave each other a quick peck on the lips.When Vincent left the room, after she heard him leaving the house as he closed the front door behind him, Mellow suddenly fell back onto her bed and let out a loud sigh as Shade warily padded up to her. “Am I doomed to be a klutz? Just a ditzy girl that does nothing but bother her boyfriend?” she quietly bemoaned under her breath as Shade walked up to her. When her cat continued to gawk at her with a fixed gaze as if it were watching something strange and dangerous, Melly said to her, “Shade, are you ok? You’re acting kinda funny.” The cat merely let out a confused meow as if it did not recognize her all of a sudden, and Mellow let her head fall back onto her pillow and sighed again as she grumbled, “is it obvious that I’m that big of a loser?”As Mellow was lying in her bed, exhaustion quickly took hold as she felt the energy in her body rapidly draining like a deflating balloon. A powerful sleepiness swept over her, and her eyes blinked and fluttered as she struggled to stay awake. “Vincent…I…wish…I wasn’t…a burden…to you…anymore,” Mellow moaned out under her breath with sadness before her consciousness slipped away, and she passed out like a light as her cat sat beside her head watching over her intently.I’ve been waiting for so long.Waiting for what?Waiting, wishing, longing for…freedom.But I’m already free, why should I want more?What is wrong with wanting more?It’s not wrong to want more in life. But…You feel empty.I feel…weak.You’re trapped, stifled, and unfulfilled.I’m…worthless, a klutz, an idiot.But we will feel hopeless no longer.Can I…change?We were separated, buried, and left as hollow shells of our former selves. I felt like a shadow trailing others, but can I be more?We can be more, we can become whole again.I can be…more than a shadow of myself.You can be the very best you can be.I can be all I want to be.We can, together.With you, my missing half, I’ll be all I am.Let us be one again. Let our souls become whole again.I want to be whole, I want to be my true self, I want to be who I was born to be!Finally, a spirit made whole. The Divine Soul of the lupine, shall finally awaken. Mellow suddenly woke with a start after her consciousness breached the surface of what felt like the deepest dive into her psyche she had ever experienced. Sitting in her bed and drenched in sweat, her mind was foggy with a strange fuzziness permeating her head. Her thoughts were sluggish as if they were moving through a thick bog, and it took Mellow a few minutes to eventually regain awareness of her surroundings. “Uuuugh…where…where am I?” Mellow dazedly groaned as she tried to slowly pull her mind out of the mire. While her mental state was rousing, she said to herself under her breath, “what…what a strange dream.”Recalling the dream, it was a bizarre experience that was uncannily surreal in the sense that it seemed like she was talking to someone else when in actuality it felt as if she was talking to herself. There was only pitch darkness in her dream with the sound of her voice and another, vaguely similar voice that seemed inexplicably familiar to her as it spoke distantly. The mysterious voice calling out to her and the desire it stirred within her, the words she echoed back that incited her longing to be made whole and to become her true self, left a profound impression on her that she could no longer ignore even if she wanted to. Mellow looked down at her necklace that she was still wearing the entire time she slept, and the crystal within the wolf pendant seemed to be brighter than usual as if it was subtly shining. She was momentarily captivated by its pure, ethereal white and pale blue light as it reminded her of the serene majesty and beauty of the full moon, and subtly influenced by the pendant’s sway, she felt compelled to wear the necklace during her date tonight as she realized that a kind of inner strength stirring inside of her would awaken at the time of the full moon.The fog over her mind lifted when she suddenly became motivated by a new sense of purpose, and she openly proclaimed to herself, “Today is the day I show Vincent my BEST self! I’m going to stand with him beneath the light of mother moon and awaken the magic in me!” With a wide and eager grin of burgeoning excitement, she got up from her bed and promptly started changing out of her wet clothes, willingly submitting to the gentle pull of the wolf pendant as it subtly compelled her consciousness with her other self guiding her.Walking up to the window to close the curtains before she stripped, she suddenly realized from the waning light of late afternoon that she had been out for several hours, and the time when Vincent would pick her up for their date was fast approaching. Mellow then started changing with haste as a renewed sense of urgency pressed her to quickly prepare for their date. She was never going to allow this turning point in her life to pass her, and she was fiercely determined to make this date happen so that the wolf pendant could finally awaken her with her boyfriend there to witness it all. After slipping off her sweat pants, her smart phone slid out of the pocket and started falling before she deftly caught it mid drop. Mellow blinked in surprise by her sudden dexterity that seemed to conflict with her innate clumsiness, but she did not think much further of it and quickly moved on with her preparation for her date.She checked her smart phone again as she tossed her wet clothes into the hamper, and she was surprised to see that her friend, Jessica, had posted about their date and the details she had texted her prior in her own Instagram as an update. Mellow had mixed feelings about her friend disregarding their privacy and broadcasting their date night to the rest of the world, something Vincent had explicitly expressed wanting to keep private, but she knew there was nothing she could do about the blabbermouth of a friend Jessica was and only blamed herself for unwittingly giving her as much info in her text as she did. But Mellow nevertheless brushed aside the social media leak and maintained her optimism with her coming date being the best it will ever be with no disruption or interference in this pivotal moment of her life. After stripping bare, Mellow then proceeded to walk to her bathroom to clean up and get ready for the night out. Since she did not have time for a full shower, she decided instead to wipe herself down with a warm, wet cloth and make do with what she had time for. She was still intent on dressing casual in nothing but a plain t-shirt, another pair of sweat pants, and sandals, so there was less need for makeup or anything more elaborate than that.As she was stepping out of her bedroom however, she suddenly found Shade sitting in the hall across from her bedroom door and looking at her attentively as if she had been waiting for her. “Oh hey there sweetie! Did you need something from-“ Mellow was about to say before nearly tripping over the pile the cat had gathered near her bedroom. Shade had evidently caught multiple mice outside and brought them in to drop in a pile before her along with pilfering any sort of meat-based food or snacks from the pantry in addition. “E-eeeeww,” Mellow awkwardly reacted in revulsion from the numerous dead mice her cat dropped in a pile for her. A part of her knew that the cat was simply trying to please her with its “gifts”, more so than usual it seemed, but she found herself more inclined to engorge on the raw steak the cat had managed to steal and drop in the gift pile.As odd as her cat was suddenly acting, Mellow unfortunately did not have time to address the mess she made and merely gave Shade a friendly pet and scratch before resuming her walk to the bathroom. Her cat followed behind closely as it conveyed a temperament of being all too eager to please her, but Mellow was too occupied with trying to resist the sudden, odd urge to grab the raw steak and bite into it while focusing on preparing for her night out with Vincent.*** “You’re looking pretty excited this evening Mel!” Vincent observed of his date as she sat in the passenger seat beside him while they were traveling to their destination. “Uh-huh! But nothing excites me more than when we’re standing beneath the full moon tonight, ooooh I can’t wait!” Mellow enthusiastically reacted with gushing glee as she beamed at him. Vincent was both relieved and elated to see his girlfriend so happy and seemingly past the numerous incidents and mishaps plaguing her lately. Her excitement was infectious, and he soon found himself growing giddy with eagerness for their night of escape at the park. He had packed a tent with him in addition to the food and recreational gear in the event that they decided to camp out in the nearby forest for the remainder of the night. He doubted she would go so far as spend the entire night with him, but it did not hurt to come prepared at least for fulfilling whatever she needed. With the auburn horizon fading as evening set in, they soon arrived at their destination within the northern city limits. The park they were visiting was spacious as it covered a range of roughly twenty acres with its northern portion blending into the surrounding forests in the area. Despite its size however, only half of it was actively used with the southern portion possessing mown grass fields for recreation along with a playground, baseball field, and tennis courts. The northernmost area of the park was largely underdeveloped and overgrown, perfect for an impromptu campout overnight, if Mellow was interested at least.After Vincent parked his car, Mellow stepped out and spread her arms wide as she stretched herself out, looking up towards the moon when it started becoming visible in the darkening sky as she did so. Vincent noticed her relaxed attire of baggy, worn-out sweat pants and an old, faded t-shirt that was a size too small as it clung tightly to her skin and exposed her midriff. It was readily apparent she had swung on whatever disposable wear she could find regardless of look in comparison to his regular polo shirt and jeans, but he did not mind her lax attire for their evening. She would not have to worry about soiling priceless clothing from an accident again at least. “Was there anywhere you wanted to be in the park to set down our picnic blanket?” Vincent asked her as he shut the car door. “Well…let’s find a place at the far end of the park, away from everyone else, if they’re here,” Mellow answered as she pointed out the relative emptiness of the park that often occurred at late Saturday night hours. “I want us to be somewhere far from the populace, a personal little space with no risk of intrusion whatsoever. A private spot…to enjoy our night together.” “Sure! We’ll go and scout out a spot well away from anyone else, though the park is pretty empty as it is at this hour,” Vincent agreed, and while he did not mind Mellow’s insistence on their privacy, which he would have wanted for their date anyways, he nevertheless caught on to her pressing undertone that was oddly atypical of her usual, carefree demeanor.After Mellow and Vincent gathered what they brought for their picnic from the car trunk, they carried their belongings as they walked through the park toward its northern reaches that bordered the forest. “You have no idea how excited I am for tonight! It’s going to be great!” Mellow excitedly expressed to her boyfriend with a wide grin as they walked along the soft grass. “Yeah, for sure! I think we’ll have a great night together, we’ve both needed one after the past couple of days!” Vincent cheerfully concurred with her, though for such a simple and seemingly mundane night out, he was starting to find her enthusiasm increasingly out of place. As he was glancing at her, Vincent noticed the wolf necklace Mellow was wearing that he had gifted her earlier. The pearly crystal within the pendant seemed to be emitting an unnaturally ethereal, pale glow as it rested upon her chest, and he was reminded of her strong reaction when she first touched it. I hope giving her that necklace doesn’t turn out to be the biggest screwup of my life, he internally dreaded. Whatever would come from the supposedly magical necklace his ancestor told him to give to her, he would have to manage as best as he could with the aftermath and salvage whatever remained of their night together.With their surroundings quickly darkening as the sunlight waned, Vincent was about to start asking his girlfriend where she wanted to set down their picnic blanket until she suddenly pointed ahead of them and stated, “There, over near that grove of trees ahead, do you see it Vince? Let’s set our picnic over there!” “Yeah, that looks good! Let’s make our way over there and set things down so I can get the lantern out before it gets too dark,” Vincent agreed, though he would have been fine with anywhere she asked him to sit as he did not want to mar their evening with a petty argument. Vincent felt she had gone through a lot as it is, and he wanted this to be her night and not just his. When they had arrived at the spot Mellow picked out that was in close proximity to the heavily forested areas of the park grounds, they set their picnic belongings down and Vincent unfurled the picnic blanket with a multicolored, argyle pattern as he set it on the ground. Mellow quietly watched Vincent as he worked to set up their picnic space, but her attention was soon drawn to the darkening skies and the luminous orb of white manifesting in the heavens above them. When she laid her eyes on the moon and its mesmerizingly ethereal glow, she heard the sound of her heart suddenly beat in her ears as a heat emanated from the pendant on her chest, and her pulse quickened as she felt an uncanny presence seeping into her mind. Looking down at her wolf pendant, the crystal within started to shine with growing intensity, and she felt her skin tingle from the gentle touch of the moonlight as its rays fell upon her. It was at that moment that she knew that the time had finally come.Just when Vincent turned the Led lantern on and cast the surrounding picnic area in a bright, golden glow, Mellow suddenly blurted out to him, “Hey Vincent, let’s play tag, like old times! Catch me if you can!” Before he had a chance to react, Mellow suddenly turned and ran into the nearby forest. “W-wha?! W-WAIT Mellow! You didn’t even give me a warning!” he awkwardly reacted in surprise and confusion as he clumsily scrambled back onto his feet. Mellow stopped after entering some several feet into the wood and turned back to wave at Vincent as he got up and pulled out a flashlight from the bag near him, and as soon as he started running toward her to catch up, she turned and ran deeper into the wood as if she was leading him on. While Vincent did not mind his girlfriend acting playful, he would have appreciated at least giving him a heads-up first before starting their childhood game. Mellow ran through the dark woods, girlish giggling bubbling from her as she reveled in the child-like glee of her playful antics. She would occasionally stop to give her boyfriend time to catch up to her, but she never felt tired or winded from her run as a kind of boundless energy seemed to be welling up within her that she could not explain. The darkness posed no risk to her either with her wolf pendant shining brighter by the minute as its pure light guided her way.Vincent meanwhile struggled to keep up with her shockingly fast stride through the thick, overgrown wood, and while he had his flashlight to help him see his way, he nevertheless occasionally tripped or stumbled on unearthed tree roots or branches as he pursued her with one occasion where he nearly fell outright. Damn, how is she able to navigate so well through the darkness in a place like this? Vincent thought to himself in incredulity as he started to wonder if the mysterious wolf pendant was responsible for this strange behavior in her. After a few minutes of running through the dense, dark forest, Mellow finally stopped after reaching a glade that was illuminated by the pale moonlight filtering in above. She panted as she leaned against a large oak tree sitting atop a mound of earth with its large roots writhing through it, but her heavy breathing was not from running through the woods prior but the energy that was building within her as her heart pounded with ever increasing intensity. Bathed in the light of the full moon as its bright rays washed over her, she could feel its celestial energy pouring into her body as it stoked the flame within. The energy was mounting, and Mellow could feel herself on the precipice as her mind and soul teetered on the brink, but as willing as she was to be overtaken by the power awakening within her, her spirit was held back.Why…am I not awakening? I feel myself on the cusp, but the power in me won’t go any further, she thought to herself in bewilderment. Confused, Mellow struggled to comprehend what was holding her back. She was more than willing to change, to allow whatever power surging within her to mold her into what she truly wanted to be, but try as she might, she could not will herself past the peak. Something was missing, something more important than everything leading up to this point. Vincent eventually caught up to her and keeled over with his hands resting on his knees as he panted heavily from the exhausting sprint. “Man…Mellow…when…did you…become such…a good runner?!” Vincent gasped between breaths in astonishment. “Sorry about that Vince. I…wanted to bring you somewhere where I was closer to nature, somewhere where I could feel the full breadth of the moon’s light among life,” Mellow stated to her boyfriend as she turned to face him. When Vincent brought his gaze to hers and saw her soft expression with an oddly somber look in her tender eyes, he knew something was up. “Mellow…it’s the necklace isn’t it? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have given it to you, please, let me get it off of you before it does anything more to you-“ “NO! I mean…Vincent, please, it’s alright! I’m ok,” Mellow loudly protested, surprising Vincent and catching him off guard from the strength of her objection. “This necklace…whatever I’m feeling from this wolf pendant, it’s…healing me…it’s making me feel like more of myself, the real me,” she tried to clarify to him. “What are you saying Mel?! I don’t understand, it all sounds crazy,” Vincent reacted to her in bewilderment. “Vincent…do you remember when I told you about those strange dreams I had, and how you’d sometimes tease me about how I was living and acting like a wolf in them?” she asked him. “I do but…w-what does that have to do with what you’re doing now?!” “Vince…I know this may sound crazy…but…I think…they’re not actually just dreams,” Mellow started, and Vincent’s eyes slowly widened as the implications started to set in. “My dreams…t-they…they’re memories…memories of an older me, from a different time,” she revealed to him, and Vincent’s jaw dropped when the startling realization finally hit him as everything started connecting together. His great grandmother had spoken of lycanthropy existing, and if the dreams Mellow described were indeed the memories of this werewolf woman the letter spoke of from the distant past, then Fiorella had somehow foreseen their meeting and miraculously ensured the passage of this magical pendant to them.While it was becoming harder to deny the truth of his girlfriend and her potential destiny that his ancestor revealed to him, Vincent still had mixed feelings with what this meant for them and their relationship. “Mellow…are you sure about this?” Vincent delicately asked her as he was well aware that she understood what the wolf pendant was truly capable of, and she nodded gently to affirm her commitment to what would soon follow. “Vincent, this is a wonderful gift you’ve given me, the greatest gift I could ever have, and I love you. I love you so much for everything you’ve done for me, for protecting me all my life and nurturing my heart and soul any way you could, I love you for everything that makes you the beautiful man you are. Thanks to you, I…can become whole again, my true self in spirit and all. And once I’ve become all I’m meant to be, I’m going to share this beautiful moment with you and bathe you in all the love and affection I can express in my boundless form. For the love of my life who made me whole again, I will devote myself to your eternal bliss in return, forever,” Mellow passionately proclaimed to her boyfriend as she tenderly smiled at him with her eyes welling up from the intense emotion coursing through her. Seeing Mellow expressing her profound love for him and declaring her undying devotion upon her awakening helped ease the anxiety Vincent was feeling regarding the looming change. He still had some reservations with whatever the wolf pendant would do to her, but seeing the depth of her emotion in her eyes as they pleadingly gazed into his own made him realize that this is what she truly wanted. Mellow had gone through so much strife and pain in her life while trying her best in bleak circumstances to work towards an uncertain future, and Vincent realized that he did not have the right to try to talk her out of or outright take away something that could truly make her happy in life. Yet even as much as she desperately wanted this, as much as she had been yearning for a change to her life that would break the curse that had tormented her since the beginning, it was clear in her eyes as they looked into his own that she sought his approval. More than anything in her entire life, she dearly desired his acceptance to her change, and with his blessing on the new life she would undertake, she could truly stand by her choice with no regrets.Vincent understood he held the key to her change, and knowing that her awakening came down to his decision, he choice to proceed with this final act of deep trust that had existed between them since childhood. “I understand Mellow. Whatever happens, all that matters is that you’re happy, and I will love you and support you to the very end, no matter what happens,” Vincent proclaimed his acceptance for her with love and compassion as he gently smiled at her, expressing his support for her choice. He had chosen to put her needs over his. Tears slid down Mellow’s cheeks as she smiled vibrantly in reaction to her boyfriend’s approval of her choice and his ardent commitment to her to the end. Her heart swelled with emotion from the intense love they felt for each other in that moment, and as the gushing euphoria of their unbreakable bond made her spirit soar, the crystal within the wolf pendant suddenly pulsed and started to shine with an almost blindingly intense light. In that moment, Mellow’s feelings had released the seal within the pendant. A burst of light suddenly flashed from the wolf pendant, making Vincent wince and forcing him to cover his eyes with his hand from the painfully bright light. When the bright light faded, he lowered his hand to find Mellow immersed in a cloud of shimmering, star-like particles. Ribbons of light then shot out of the crystal as they flowed outward in an aurora of color, and then they curved back in and descended straight into Mellow’s heart. Mellow gasped and fell back against the large tree behind her with her arms splayed out among its roots as the sparkling light descended into her body. Vincent watched on in shock and awe at the fantastical display occurring before him, and his mind raced as he struggled to comprehend what he was witnessing.Mellow pressed her body up against the tree and leaned her head back as she raised her gaze to the moon above, her jaw hanging agape and her eyes wide as the reflection of the full moon shown upon her quivering irises. It had felt as if lightning had struck her with the shock coursing through her body while waves of fiery heat shot through her veins with a tingling charge. She found herself gasping for air as her heart pounded with such a painful intensity that it felt as if it would burst, and her head pulsed with a piercing throb that felt like a spike slowly drilling into her brain. Her body glowed as it became infused with light, and as she trembled and quaked under the force of the enormous energy building within her, her mind suddenly went blank for a moment before she experienced a sudden, intense rush of memories flashing before her eyes. One after the other within the space of a minute, Mellow re-experienced every memory of her past life in such visceral intensity that it felt as if she was reliving it again. Her birth into the world, her meeting Fiorella, her adventuring and discovery with her childhood friend, her time in the old village with her foster parents, her awakening and transformation from lycanthropy for the first time, and the countless times she lived and breathed as a werewolf raced through her vision with dizzying speed. She felt sadness, euphoric joy, soul shaking fear, and the pain of death itself as each moment of intense sight, sound, and sensation from her memory came back to her in overwhelming waves. Her mind was fractured by the merging as it transformed her soul, and her eyes started to roll back from the scrambling of her psyche. The two, polarizing spirits struggled to meld, but piece by piece, they slowly came together to form a new whole that defined her identity. With the old and the new finding harmony, Mellow’s identity was reborn, and with her soul unified again, Mellow felt her true self fully coming into being. The light immersing Mellow soon faded, and with another loud gasp, she fell to the side and clutched the tree roots winding through the earth near her for support. She panted heavily with her eyes shut tight and her body trembling from the soul changing experience she underwent, but when she heard Vincent walking up to approach her, without a word, she raised her hand to him as she motioned to stop. Vincent hesitated, but he nodded and stepped back again to give his girlfriend her space as, Unbeknownst to him, Mellow’s awakening had only just begun.When Mellow regained her strength, she shakily lifted herself off the roots and stood in front of the tree again. Still panting, she slowly reopened her eyes with the irises now faintly glowing a pale blue as she gazed at her boyfriend. They held their gaze for a moment as Vincent looked back at her with anxious eyes, and she slowly raised her gaze until her eyes were level with the moon again. Gazing longingly at mother moon, a familiar urge returned to her, and she gladly kindled that emerging instinct as she closed her eyes. Mellow then suddenly bellowed a howl to the moon above, a wolf howl so uncannily similar to the animal that it shocked Vincent from its near identical octave. As Mellow sung the wolf’s ancient song to the full moon above, Vincent felt a chill course through him in awe at the beautifully melodious sounds she emitted in her passionate howl. Her wolf howl reminded him of the ‘lycanthropy’ his ancestor spoke of, and he then suddenly realized what was to transpire next.When Mellow’s howl finally subsided, she gasped lightly as a gentle twinge pricked her eyes, and feeling the tiny shock reverberate through her eyes to her brain, her gasp changed to a faint, listless moan as she felt her instinctually primal base beginning to awaken. She lowered her gaze back to Vincent’s level, and reopening her eyes, startled him when her bright, golden irises stared back at him. It was time for her to show her boyfriend her real self. Mellow took in a long, deep breath as she braced herself for the change, and she then suddenly keeled over slightly and groaned as an aching pain lanced her insides. Wincing from the uncomfortable churning bubbling up throughout her inner body, Vincent noticed her sudden discomfort and asked her with concern, “Mellow, are you ok?” “I-I’m f-fine! T-this…w-will h-hurt…the f-first t-time,” she shakily tried to reassure her boyfriend as an intense heat welled up within her that quickly suffused her entire body. She could tell from Vincent’s expression that he was still concerned, but he did not press her further and continued to silently watch as if he understood what was happening to her. Mellow was silently glad her boyfriend was such an understanding and polite man, even in the strangest of circumstances. Feeling weak and slightly nauseous, Mellow stepped back and leaned against the tree for support as her change started to quickly build in intensity. Suddenly, she felt a gentle spasm in her arms that quickly spread across the length of her frame as her muscle tissues started to convulse, and they quickly generated a heat that made her break out into a heavy sweat from the sweltering intensity. She started to pant heavily with misty puffs wafting out of her mouth as her warm breath met the cool, night air. Mellow then suddenly gasped as her awakening kicked off the transformation of her body with a sudden burst of intensity as her muscle fibers and tissues flexed and convulsed with powerful spasms, her insides churning and writhing noisily with muffled squelching as the organs changed, and a burning ache in her bones as the calcite gradually softened while the marrow started to swell like expanding taffy. “O-ooohh g-god,” Mellow moaned shakily under her breath when she realized how overwhelmingly intense and visceral her transformation was going to be. Vincent wanted to voice his concern, but he was too conflicted between trying to help her and leaving her alone to focus on her change without distraction. He remained silent as he struggled to find the words, it seemed all he could do was idly watch on as his girlfriend mutated into some kind of creature, but he then remembered his promise to her earlier that kicked off her awakening, and he finally found the words he wanted to express to her. “Mellow…don’t be scared. Try to take it slow, try to…enjoy it, this is your moment! I don’t want you to go through a lot of pain with this, I don’t want you to suffer over it,” he encouraged her as he reiterated his support for her no matter what she chose to become. “T-thank…y-you,a-ah!” Mellow tried to answer him with a smile before lightly yelping from multiple stings pricking her fingertips. When she lowered her gaze to them, she found her fingernails rapidly darkening as her palm started swelling in size. Sharp stinging jabbed her fingertips intermittently as sharper, darker keratin layers grew from underneath her human nails as they extended alongside it, gradually melding to form claws.Mellow knew what she was becoming, she had no doubts about that, and as much as she appreciated his encouragement, she knew that her body was not used to this kind of change. Unlike with her body in the past, she would have to “break into it”, and that meant enduring some mild pain and discomfort until her body’s anatomy made the needed, permanent alterations to accommodate for future transformations. Hearing her boyfriend cheer her on however motivated Mellow in a way she could not describe, and it undeniably lessened the pain of her change compared to the first time she underwent lycanthropy as her past self. With her lover’s support boosting her confidence, her transformation started to pick up as she tolerated the aches and pains more easily while her flesh and bone shifted. Mellow’s body quickly swelled in size as muscle and fat tissue chiseled her frame and enhanced her curves. It did not take long for her shirt to be stretched taut from her broadening chest, and her sweats turned skin tight from her thickening thighs and the globular bottom cheeks as well. She felt her short hair rapidly growing out as it fell across her shoulders, and Vincent watched as Mellow’s long, dark hair gradually warmed into a fiery red color. Mellow then started to feel patches of tingling itchiness welling up from the center of her chest, back, and other parts of her body as scarlet and auburn hair follicles sprouted in a dense mass across the slick surface of her skin.The tingling sensation of her fur growing in delighted Mellow as she smiled wide, exposing her lengthening canines and sharpening teeth as she developed fangs while her molars split and receded into her gums in the wake of carnivorously pointed teeth. Her smile reassured Vincent that she was enjoying her change as he had hoped, but his momentary relief soon gave way to an awkward alarm when he heard her clothes slowly ripping as they were stretched to their limit. Mellow gasped as she felt her bones gently cracking and splitting as her skeletal anatomy started to take on more canine traits with a kind of calcite ooze pouring out of the fractures and cracks in her bones to aid in their remolding. She spread her arms and clutched the tree behind her with her clawed hands to help support herself when she temporarily lost her ability to maintain her balance.Mellow then let out a long, listless moan as a serious of pops and crackling reverberated down the length of her back, and her spine elongated and pushed her upper torso higher as it further exposed her bare, muscular abdomen. Mellow watched Vincent slowly sinking in her vision as she felt her upper body rising up with its growing height, and as she rose above him, she peered down at her lengthening abdomen and observed her highly defined six-pack as it came into form with admiration and awe. Taking her attention away from her newfound growth, she started feeling subtle pains welling up in her feet that signaled to her of another coming change. Mellow proceeded to kick off her sandals as she felt her heel pull upward and elongate her foot into a more canid shape with black claw nails sprouting from her toes as they shifted into hind paws. With her legs quickly developing into a cross between a human’s thighs and a wolf’s calves, in addition to her lengthening spine, it was soon apparent to Vincent that Mellow’s sudden growth in height would make her tower over him at six feet compared to his five nine. His only immediate concern however was the height further straining her clothes alongside her growing mass as they continued to rip and tear slightly at the seams. “Oooohh…I feel…sooo gooood,” Mellow moaned with a dreamy expression as she reveled in the shapely bulk of her changing, lupine body. “I feel…sooo strong, sooo powerful now.”Her clothes slowly tore further and further at the seams as her figure continued to broaden in size, and Vincent was torn between turning away out of consideration, should her attire break and expose her nakedness, or continue to watch her to give emotional support at the risk of gawking at her nudity and coming across as creepy. As conflicted as he was with this rapidly approaching outcome, there was no denying that Mellow had willingly chosen him to be present during a very personal moment in her life. Mellow started to moan loudly as her body’s growth neared its apex, and Vincent could see the claret and auburn hair seeping out from between the tears and nooks of her clothes as it expanded across her bare, pale skin. Her spine crackled and popped again as it pressed out against her skin, and the ridged outline of the column bones shifted and expanded downward beneath the skin of her muscular back as it slowly pushed out her tail bone with the emerging cone of skin pressing against the fabric of her sweats. A subtle, sharp toothed smirk emerged on Mellow’s expression when she felt the convulsions in her muscles subsiding as she neared the end of her growth, and with a sudden, powerful flex, she ripped her shirt down the middle and exposed her broad, bare chest to her boyfriend, revealing more than the fact that she did not wear a bra to their date. While Vincent gawked at her in wide eyed surprise, her upper back bucked and elongated her spine as it pushed her emerging tail out and tore through her sweats, quickly ripping them to shreds in the wake of her flexing bulk. With a simple shake of her body, she tossed off the dainty scraps of cloth from her hybrid figure and stood proudly before her boyfriend in all her nude glory as his face blushed deep. As Vincent awkwardly found himself staring at his girlfriend’s bare breasts, with a smug expression, Mellow whispered to him with a suggestive tone under her breath, “Like what you see, Vincent?”Vincent blinked in surprise at her comment as Mellow cast a wolfish grin, and her tongue suddenly lolled out of her mouth as she started to pant in a dog-like fashion with misty breaths and a sultry gaze. It was a side of her he had never seen before, and it was likely a glimpse of what was to come when her transformation was complete. He did not answer her, but knowing at least that she did not mind him looking at her nude form, perhaps even flattered by it from a sense of pride, Vincent silently observed the extent of his girlfriend’s change while trying to suppress his own arousal with the attractive yet powerful form she had taken on. Her body had become something like an Olympian’s with a highly chiseled physique and thighs that were thick and muscular enough to crack boulders, but there was still an aspect of feminine beauty to her powerful frame as well with its curvaceous stature, globular glutes, and other shapely aspects of her feminine form. As much as she had changed, he was surprised at how much of its human shape it retained with only the legs and hands taking on a distinctly canid anatomy, implying she was becoming more of a hybrid of the two.With her clothes gone, Vincent was also able to see the extent of her hair growth as it slowly formed her lupine pelt with scarlet and auburn hair spreading downward between her breasts and across her navel as it blended with her prior hair. As he saw the claret pelt’s gradual expansion across her pale skin as it slowly spread over her breasts and expanded across her abdomen and limbs, it was also apparent that the contours and shapeliness of her physique were still highly visible even beneath the coat of fur. Mellow’s canine legs shuddered for a moment as the bone within them solidified into their new, segmented shape, and when her legs had completed their change, she removed herself from the tree and bounced on her hind paws for a moment to test her newfound balance. Just as she was adjusting to her new legs, Mellow then suddenly winced and let out a feminine yelp as light cracking and muffled popping emanated from her hands as they twitched and shook. The bone within them quickly reformed to alter her human hands into a more paw- like shape with the skin on her palms and fingertips swelling into darkening calluses as it formed paw pads. “Finally, it’s been so long since I’ve had my paws!” Mellow remarked with a smile when her paws soon finished their change, confirming to Vincent of the change in Mellow’s personality. When the popping subsided as her paw’s anatomy clicked into place, they were soon enveloped in auburn fur to complete their change, and Mellow brought her newly created paws up to her face to look at them with an admiring gaze. While she was visually appreciating her paws, it was then that Vincent noticed that she still possessed a thumb finger on her paw despite losing her big toe on her hind paws, further reminding him that his girlfriend was becoming more of an anthropomorphic werewolf than just the animal itself. The fur had nearly covered the entire lower half of her body by this point, enshrouding her skin in a beautiful, fiery blend of scarlet and orange hues that flowed across her soft, fleecy pelt. When Mellow lowered her paws, she suddenly yelped again and winced with her body jutting forward as a series of loud, fleshy cracks sounded from her lower back. With a fleshy pop, Mellow’s eyes snapped wide, and a wide grin of glee touched her expression with her eyes lighting up in child-like excitement when she realized what she had grown next. Stepping away from the tree, she turned to the side and peered over her shoulder to admire her fluffy, fleecy tail as it wagged feverishly behind her. “Aaaaww, it’s soooo CUTE!” Mellow gleefully reacted as she admired her new animal appendage, a reaction that reminded Vincent more of Mellow’s original self at least. Vincent also observed her newly born tail with an auburn hue across its length that warmed into a bright shade of scarlet before darkening into a black color at the tip, but he also could not help but silently admire the shapeliness of her bottom as well. Mellow at this point had drastically changed, and it was becoming apparent to both of them that she was nearing the end of her werewolf awakening as the sound of muffled pops and crackling that signaled bone mutation finally made its way to her head. “It’s…it’s nearly time,” Mellow breathily stated as she became consciously aware she was nearing the visceral apex of her transformation and subsequent werewolf awakening. “Give me…a moment Vince…I…need to focus,” she said to her boyfriend as she leaned against the tree again and titled her head back to brace herself for the most intense moment of her life. Vincent quietly nodded as he watched his girlfriend enter into the final stage of her werewolf awakening. Mellow winced and gasped as she felt her skull cracking in places, and a gentle, feminine moan continuously emanated from her as she endured the pain of her changing head. A yelp escaped her when a powerful pop shook the center of her face, and as the front of her skull broke loose into different shards, she uttered a long whine as she experienced an intense sensation that felt as if her nose was being gently pulled outward while her face expanded. Subtle stinging pricked her ears as the cartilage within them crumbled and shifted to reform her ears into pointed, triangular ends, and the skin on her nose darkened and moistened as the nostrils gradually flared out upon the tip of her expanding face.She felt a throbbing, churning ache in her brain as it reshaped and reformed in its anatomy and structure, and as regions of her brain grew and developed to mirror the neural structuring of a wolf’s brain, her listless moaning gradually deepened in pitch until it evolved into a guttural, low growling. Her growling sporadically flashed between yipping and snarling from the intense sensory overload of her vivid sense of smell and hearing that her evolving brain awakened in her. Vincent watched on in fascination and awe as he watched his girlfriend’s newly formed muzzle reach the end of its growth, and her triangular ears were soon pulled to the top of her crown to complete her lupine countenance. Scarlet fur quickly enveloped her head with a streak of orange running across the top of her snout, and as the wolf’s neural structuring and pathways cemented into her brain’s anatomy, her growling changed into a distorted mix between loud, humanoid groaning and bestial snarling as she approached the end of her awakening. A powerful shudder coursed through Mellow as her newly formed werewolf body locked into place with its numerous segmented points, multiple joints, and other aspects of her unique physical anatomy. After convalescing against the tree for a moment, her spasms finally subsided and her bestial groaning lessened into a gentle, feminine moan. Slowly, Mellow pulled herself upright, teetering slightly as she stood on her canine legs while adjusting to her newfound height. She stood there silently for a moment with her eyes shut tight, and after adjusting to her newfound body and its sensory array, she swung her head back and bellowed a loud, beautiful howl that was indistinguishable from the creature she was now representing. Mellow, the love of Vincent’s life, had transformed before his eyes and reawakened as a full-fledged werewolf. When Mellow’s triumphant howling finally subsided, she lowered her head and reopened her golden eyes before turning her attention to Vincent as he peered down at him. Vincent could only stare back in shock and awe at the impossible standing right before his eyes, and he internally debated pinching himself to confirm that what he just witnessed was not some bizarre fever dream. “Holy shit,” Vincent quietly exclaimed in reaction to the powerful werewolf standing before him. He could see the wolf pendant she was still wearing emitting a faint, teal-hued glow now as it hung from her neck.A sly, toothy smirk emerged on Mellow’s expression in reaction to her boyfriend’s astonishment, and she turned to the side and leaned forward slightly as the moonlight contrasted the shapely and curvaceous, human-wolf hybrid silhouette. Tilting her wolf head to the side as she cast a sultry side gaze at him while sliding her paw across her bottom cheek provocatively with her tail wagging at him, she stated to him in a seductive tone, “Well, Vincent…waddya think?” “W-well uh, um, I…er, um, uuh,” Vincent could only sputter as the mix of conflicting emotions racing through him left him tongue-tied. He could feel his cheeks burning as he blushed with a hot sweat coming on from the rise in body temperature, among other things rising on him, and he struggled to contain his arousal as he found himself being subjected to the raw seduction of a gorgeous werewolf woman. As enraptured as he was by this woman’s captivating beauty, he was also conflicted by feelings of self-doubt and hesitation as he wondered if he should be ashamed for feeling such strong attraction for a woman with the features of an animal.While Vincent was struggling with his emotions, Mellow let out a girlish giggle in reaction to her boyfriend’s astonishment and turned toward him as she further expressed with a teasing tone, “Oh, has my wild beauty left you speechless? I knew this moment would take your breath away.” Whether due to sheer shock or explosive infatuation, the shewolf had certainly caught his tongue. “This…makes me so happy. I’ve been wanting to shock a good man like this for centuries! Surprising people with mother moon’s gift amuses me to no end,” she emphasized with bubbly glee as she reveled in the impression she left on him from her change.Vincent could certainly not deny that she had surprised him in a way that he could never imagine, but as beautifully exotic and unique as her newfound appearance was, he soon realized that he needed to pull himself together in order to prevent their date from devolving into awkward territory. “M-Mellow…is that still you?!” Vincent managed to blurt out after mustering up his self-control and suppressing his urges, though there was still a hardness pressing against his pants. Mellow smiled at him as her glimmering gold eyes alit from his remark, a smile that seemed almost uncannily similar to the girl he once knew despite being on the face of a wolf, and she nodded before answering, “Yup! I’m still the same, sweet-as-honey girl you’ve always known and loved Vincent…but better.” “Better?” Vincent blankly responded in confusion. “Of course! I’m no klutz or airhead anymore. I’m a woman, a wolf woman,” she boastfully responded to him as she placed her paws on her hips and held her head high in pride and confidence. “I see that,” Vincent merely responded as he found his gaze drifting from her eyes to the ebony ones below, and then he quickly shook his head to shake off the amorous trance before it could take hold of him again. As embarrassed as he was to admit it, he was finding it difficult to stay focused as her fur, contrary to expectation, did nothing to hide her nakedness.Mellow’s tail wagged feverishly in excitement as she started strutting toward him, and when she had drawn close enough to be illuminated by the moonlight again, Vincent was better able to make out the coloration pattern of her pelt. Claret fur darker in shade from the cherry red of her hair crested the center of her chest and highlighted her extremities while ginger fur accented the remainder of her pelt. Seeing the full extent of her change however only threatened to distract him further as her feminine anatomy continued to stir up lust. “Well, now that I’m fully resurrected, I now want to go ahead and express my…appreciation to you Vincent, in a way only I know how,” Mellow stated lustily to Vincent as she started drawing closer to him with her long, flat tongue slipping out as she started to lightly pant. It was apparent he was not the only one feeling amorous in the moment, but unlike her, he was not nearly as ready to take it further. “W-wait! We’re going too fast!” Vincent reacted with alarm as he stepped back and raised his hands up in front of him. “H-huh?! What’s wrong Vince? Isn’t this what you wanted?!” Mellow suddenly reacted with surprise and confusion as she sharply retracted with her tail wag abruptly halting. She was not expecting her boyfriend to reject her advance. “Mellow, um. I’m sorry, but…I’m still taking all of this in…it’s a bit much,” Vincent awkwardly opened up to her. As attractive as she was, he was still not used to this new form she possessed, and a part of him was averse to the notion of making love to someone that appeared like an animal. It probably did not help either that both Mellow and he were virgins all their life since Mellow had previously expressed to him not being ready to engage in that level of intimacy yet, and he respected her feelings on that matter. Apprehension was holding him back from taking this big leap in their relationship, and his girlfriend had now changed in such a drastic way that she became someone he was no longer familiar with. “Vince, I-I don’t understand,” Mellow responded with continued bewilderment as her eager expression quickly faded into a worried frown. Vincent did not know how to answer her. ”V-Vince…is it because…you’re scared of me?” Mellow glumly asked him as her ears flattened in addition to her frown deepening to noticeably convey her worry and concern. Vincent recognized that reaction as being more familiar to the Mellow he knew, at least in the sense that it was not indicative of the new personality it was seemingly at odds with. “I-It’s not that Mellow! Not at all! It’s just…well…” Vincent trailed off as he struggled to find the right words to explain his feelings without risking offense. He knew that he was not ready to be intimate with her the way she was, and with how drastically she had seemingly changed in both appearance and personality, it almost felt as if they were starting over from the beginning. He did not want to tell her this however and give the impression that her awakening was a mistake, but he also struggled to will himself into falling in love with someone he no longer recognized. “Well…what is it then? Please be honest with me Vincent, wolves can see right through people you know,” Mellow pressed Vincent with growing anxiety.Vincent’s mind raced as he found himself slowly panicking within her piercing gaze. Her prior enthusiasm rapidly vanished as she started to fear that her boyfriend did not truly accept this side of her after all, but before the situation could quickly deteriorate further, Vincent recalled the sequence of events that led up to this tense moment, and an idea suddenly sprung to mind. “Hey, um, listen Mellow. You know we’re still technically on a date, right?” he gently reminded her. “Yeah, we are,” Mellow briskly acknowledged as her anxious demeanor remained. “Well, the night is still young, and we brought tons of things to have fun with, plus lots of food too!” Vincent proposed his idea to her. “I’m new to this…side of you, and I want to get to know you better, the real you.” “I mean…sure, I guess,” Mellow reacted with mixed feelings, though her frown lessened at least. “Yeah! You gotta show me what you’re capable of now Mellow, with this werewolf body n’all!” Vincent further encouraged with a grin as his idea started to instill excitement in him. His growing excitement spread to his girlfriend as Mellow quickly became intrigued by his idea. “Yeah…that’s a great idea! I’ve been wanting to put this wolfish body through its paces after finally shifting back. I need to stretch my legs and shake out the cobwebs!” Mellow responded with sudden enthusiasm with her ears perking up and her tail wagging feverishly again as her eyes alit in a rush of excitement. It was not until his suggestion that Mellow realized her body was not the same as the one she had in her prior life, and she needed to unleash her lupine instincts to help her adjust to the subtle differences in anatomy, along with showing off for her boyfriend in the process.Grinning wide from ear to ear, Vincent was both ecstatic and deeply relieved to have narrowly averted disaster with a last minute stroke of genius with his idea, and he hoped that this date that they would finally embark on would be enough to brush aside his reluctance and reservations with loving this beautifully bizarre dimension of his girlfriend. “Awesome! Well, let’s get back to the picnic site and figure things out from there. Besides, I bet you’re starving after expending so much energy transforming into a werewolf, heh?” Vincent pointed out to her as he took the lead in guiding their date. “Oh, I am absolutely famished Vincent! Let’s get back to the picnic before I maul some poor animal in passing out of hunger! Well, if I’m not in the mood for hunting it anyways,” Mellow agreed when Vincent reminded her of her growing hunger after her body’s first change. Before Vincent had a chance to lead the way, Mellow startled him as she suddenly fell onto all fours and ran past him like a wild animal into the woods. Standing there awkwardly in surprise at this distinctly bestial side of his girlfriend, Mellow stopped running and turned as she called back to him, “C’mon Vince! I’ll lead the way back as I follow our scent trail!” “O-ok Mellow! I’m coming!” Vincent merely answered her as he was still adjusting to the weirdness of seeing his girlfriend running like a wild wolf. After taking a moment to regain his sanity, Vincent entered into the woods and followed after her. Trotting on all fours as Vincent followed close behind her, Mellow appeared nearly indistinguishable from a real wolf save the size and fur color, and it only hit Vincent upon seeing his girlfriend like this just how overwhelmingly surreal his reality had now become. He never could have imagined in the most insane of fever dreams that the gentle, meek girl that Mellow was would turn into a fierce and lusty werewolf on their night out. He had no idea what was in store for them that night, but whatever craziness came of their potentially wild night together, Vincent knew that it would undoubtedly be a date to remember for the rest of their lives....
Two Wolves of The Same Whole PT1She ran through the sprawling forest with her arms spread wide, reveling in the boundless freedom as the soft touch of grassy earth connected her to Mother Nature. The crunch of the dry leaves beneath her bare feet elicited girlish giggling from her as she embraced the natural world. Wearing only a woolen, flannel gown, the woman delighted in her escape from the stuffy, stodgy village as she returned to her true home within the boundless depths of the verdant woodland, the place where she felt she most belong.Immersed in the ambience of birdsong and the gushing, frothing waters of the creek, her euphoria stirred a part of her inner self to rise to the surface. Spreading through her body like a warm spring, a gentle gasp escaped her as the familiar sequence of twinges reverberated across the flesh and bone of her being as it unlocked the spirit within. Her smile widened into a sharp-toothed grin as her canines lengthened and her teeth grew sharper points. The woman let out a listless sigh of pleasure as she embraced the coming change with her long, dark hair alighting into a bright scarlet in her awakening. Her face expanded forth alongside her changing limbs and extremities as her body fluidly morphed into a more canid countenance. Rich hues of auburn and crimson hair sprouted in dense patches across her pale skin as fur enveloped her figure like a wildfire. Feeling the weight of her bushy tail emerge upon her lower back and her ears sitting atop her crown with their triangular shape, a gentle twinge pricked her blue eyes as they turned gold, and she knew that her time had finally come.Unclasping the gown, the cloth flew off of her as it revealed the scarlet furred, lupine body beneath, and she fell forward and landed gracefully onto her front paws as she seamlessly transitioned into a quadruped stride. Within mere moments, the woman had changed into the near perfect likeness of a wolf with a brilliant red pelt, and now that she became a true denizen of the forest, she sprinted through the wood with breathtaking speed as she excitedly sought adventure and discovery as her true self. During that evening, as she was nibbling on a bone from a stag she downed while watching the setting sun on the horizon cast the surrounding wood in brilliantly auburn hues, her ears perked up when she heard a sudden rustling of leaves near her. Her alarm quickly dissipated however when she recognized the familiar sound of footfalls and light panting as belonging to her close friend, Fiorella. “There you are! Heaven’s green earth, you are the most irresponsibly elusive woman I’ve ever met!” Fiorella yelled at her in exasperation as she made her way through the brush to her. The petite woman with a blonde bun was her childhood friend whom she had grown up with together in the village. Dabbling in the supernatural herself, they were trusted confidants to each other who looked out for the other during life in a paranoid village. “Hello Fia! Made any new discoveries with your magic?” Triss casually greeted her best friend as she put her bone down and sat at attention with her tail wagging excitedly. “Hardly, not while everyone is snooping around as if they are scared of their own shadow,” Fiorella brusquely answered her with a huff as she swept the leaves off of her dress. “But that’s not why I’m here. Triss, you shouldn’t be running out of the village like that every time you get into a fight with your mother. The village is already inflamed by rumor-mongering of witches and devils as it is, and your sudden and long disappearances is started to draw their undue attention,” she ardently warned her. “You worry too much. If things get too dangerous, I’ll just flee the village and disappear into the woodlands. They’ll never catch me!” Triss answered her friend’s concern with boastful pride. “And yet you remain in the village even while everyone is near at each other’s throats,” Fiorella pointed out to her. “You should not be so flippant about the danger Triss, I would never forgive myself should something happen to you.”She understood her friend’s concerns. Life in the village had become difficult in recent years with scrutiny heightening on them from their lack of contribution to the village’s workload. It did not help that they had yet to be married off even after reaching twenty years of age, and they possessed little to no rights in the life and culture the village authority dictated. Should they become the next targets of the village’s ire, there would be no avoiding their grim fate. Yet, Triss was not ready to depart the deteriorating community just yet, not without fulfilling one last need before disappearing into the wilderness and becoming one with nature. “I…understand your worry Fia. I know I shouldn’t linger there any longer, but…” Triss was about to open up to her friend before hesitating. “But what?” Fiorella impatiently pressed. “You can’t stay there Triss. The danger is growing with every minute you remain. What’s there to not understand?” “F-fia, listen, it’s not that simple,” Triss started. “I know I can disappear into the woods at any time, and no one can catch me. But…well…I know you’ll likely go your separate ways too, and I can’t spend the rest of my life in the woodlands alone,” she attempted to explain. “Oooh, I see now,” Fiorella reacted with a sigh and a roll of her eyes when it finally clicked regarding Triss’s inexplicable hesitation. “Is that why you’ve been ogling the boys working in the village lately? You’re less than subtle attempts to flirt with them have not gone unnoticed by anyone,” she pointed out. “W-well…” Triss stumbled on her words as she struggled to address her friend’s observation while averting her gaze and shifting awkwardly in place. If it were not for the fur, Fiorella could imagine seeing Triss blushing deeply in that moment. Eventually, Triss reluctantly gave up on avoiding her scrutiny and finally admitted upfront, “I-I can’t reside in the woods by myself forever Fia! I need…a mate, someone to form my pack with. I can’t call myself a proper wolf without an alpha in my life, I don’t want to be doomed to the miserable existence of a lone wolf forever!”Fiorella sympathized with her dilemma. While leaving the village was becoming necessary for the sake of survival, depriving her of the social interaction it provided, however varied it was, would lead to a sad decline with the ensuing isolation through the remainder of her life culminating in a tragic fate of its own. As much as she understood her desire to avoid such a bleak outcome however, she still suspected that her emotions were nevertheless clouding her better judgment. “I understand where you’re coming from Triss, but…” Fiorella was about to voice her concern before stopping herself, and after a moment of reflection, let out a sigh as she shook her head before saying to her instead, “Nevermind. Triss, whatever you need to do to be happy in life, please, just promise me you’ll be careful. Promise me you’ll be safe.” Triss nodded, and then she stood upright and walked over to her as she assured her friend with a toothy smirk and a raise of her paw, “Don’t worry Fia. I’m no mangy mutt. I’ll keep my ears perked and bolt the moment trouble appears.” “Thank you Triss. You’re a very near and dear friend to me, and even after we leave this forsaken village, I don’t want us to ever be apart for long,” Fiorella expressed to her friend with heartfelt emotion as they came together and held each other in a warm embrace for a moment. Though Triss towered over her in her werewolf form’s six foot height, there was something very comforting to Fiorella with feeling her heartbeat near her head as they embraced.When they finally separated from their moment of bonding as friends, Fiorella then stated to Triss, “Well, I better return before they start suspecting me of being up to no good as well. As much as I’ve tried my best to adhere to the village’s standards, there have been eyes on me as well. It is an unavoidable reality of a people dominated by fear and paranoia I’m afraid.” “Ok Fia, please be safe and look after yourself too,” Triss wished her well. “Oh I will, don’t worry about a crafty wench like me. Just make sure you don’t stay out too late and return to the village before nightfall. It’s dangerous to go about there at night,” Fiorella cautioned her.After giving their farewells, Fiorella finally departed and left Triss to her business as she returned to her spot and sat down to resume chewing on her bone, though her friend’s warnings weighed on her mind as she tried to enjoy her evening. Triss woke with a start when she realized she had inadvertently dozed off. Peering up at the night sky with its array of glittering, twinkling stars and the pale, luminous glow of the moon amongst them, she silently cursed herself for her carelessness and abruptly got up onto her paws. After taking a moment to stretch and adjust her eyes to the darkness, she soon made her way back to the village and used her nose to follow the same path she took so she could pick up the flannel gown she discarded on the way back.When she finally found her gown in pristine condition atop a bush, she then sat down and took a deep breath as she reached deep within herself to spark her change. Maintaining intense concentration upon stimulating her human subconscious, her body slowly changed back into its former human self with the layers of fur shedding like a gentle waterfall while her limbs and extremities retracted back into themselves as they slowly reverted back into their human shapes. Her breath slow and steady as she held her focus, her body eventually returned to its former human visage as her long hair darkened like the fall of dusk and her golden eyes cooled into their pale blue once more. After fully changing back, Triss quickly put on her gown to cover her nakedness and clasped it shut before the chill of the night could creep into her. It would not do to provoke suspicion from the villagers by returning without a single scrap of clothing. She eventually made her way back to the familiar, ramshackle village with its small buildings and triangular rooftops with scattered spots of thatch covering the holes in makeshift patchwork. It was a rundown and rather impoverished village that was only barely getting by day by day, but as dirty and dilapidated as it was, it carried a sort of nostalgic charm for her as it was where she was raised all her life and the place of her birth.Walking onto the dirt grounds of the village with scattered torches providing minimal light, Triss suddenly became uneasy when she felt that something was off with her home. The sentry that was normally on duty at this hour seemed conspicuously missing, and there was not a soul to be a seen or even a single noise that stirred. It was unnervingly quiet, and her instincts whispered to her to leave. She decided however to go against her gut instinct and press on as she entered into the village. Even if she knew her days living in the village were numbered, she wanted some kind of proper closure to her life before leaving her foster parents and her old home behind, and maybe a cute boy to take with her on the way out. Turning around the corner of a tavern however as she made her way to her house, Triss suddenly found herself facing a crowd of people carrying numerous torches, pitchforks, and other improvised weapons that were huddling together as if lying in wait. “IT’S HER! GRAB THE WITCH BEFORE SHE CAN GET AWAY!” a gruff voice yelled as they suddenly charged at her.Triss cried out in fear, her voice straining from her heart jumping into her throat in mortal terror as she spun around and fled from them. Consumed by the sheer instinct to flee, her only thought was escaping the village and getting as far away as possible, but she did not make it very far before another group separate from the mob pursuing her cut off her escape route. Turning a corner into a narrow alley to get away, she attempted to shift back in desperation to aid her escape, but her body was already drained of the energy needed to shift, and the most she could do was extend her fangs slightly and alter her eyes into a golden hue. Before she could reach the end of the alley, the mobs had circled around to corner and trap her within the alley, and the sight of her feral eyes and fangs confirmed their suspicions. Before Triss had a chance to react, she suddenly felt hands forcefully grabbing her from behind and violently bringing her down to the ground, knocking the wind out of her as she slammed into the earth.Dazed and disoriented, everything around her passed by in a blur of color and noise with the only acute sensation being the burn of rope scraping her skin raw and the pain of villagers buffeting and battering her in anger. Before Triss could comprehend what was happening to her, she then found herself bound to a stake with a sudden heat flaring beneath her. Within the writhing distortion of the heat, she spotted Fiorella being held in the back of the crowd by two men and seemingly bound as if she was held captive herself, and Triss tried to call out to her only for her voice to die in her throat as she coughed and gagged from the acrid smoke burning and choking her. Struggling to breath, her cries for help soon became screams of pain as the flames started to lick at her body with savage hunger. She wailed and cried in agony as the heat scorched her very being until the flames swallowed her whole, consuming all that she was and reducing her to nothing more. Mellow screamed as she suddenly jolted upright in her bed. She gasped and panted as the lasting sensations of the horrifying pain lingered before fading away with her horrific nightmare. She was shaken by the visceral and morbid dream, but she soon managed to calm herself down and recompose her thoughts enough to ponder what she had just experienced. “W-whaa…what did I just go through? What kind of dream was that?!” she quietly exclaimed under her heavy breaths as she put a hand to her chest to ease her racing heart. She was left near speechless by the intense dream and its nightmarish end that all seemed so vividly lucid that it was as if she was reliving an old memory, despite not recognizing any person she saw in places she had never been.While sitting in her bed in silent incredulity, she noticed the clock on her nightstand reading six o’clock am. Though a couple of hours away from her morning shift, Mellow decided to get up anyway and get a head start on her busy day before she could be subjected to more bizarre visions she was probably not meant to see.*** “So when a carnivorous species that plays a critical role in predation and population control of herbivorous species’, say wolves for instance, disappears completely from an ecosystem, it leads to a phenomenon known as a Trophic Cascade. An event in which severe ecological damage is caused by destabilization of prey to predator balances, such as when wolves disappeared from much of America which soon led to the damage of forest structures as a result of inflating populations of herbivore species’,” the professor stated to them in his lecture as Vincent diligently took down his notes. Vincent was a twenty one year old man who had just entered into his second year of college and was working towards a major in a criminal justice while minoring in wildlife biology and ecology, though the former was more of a backup should he be unable to find a job in his preferred career. He had an interest in helping to preserve as much of the natural world and its various inhabitants as possible against the intrusion and disruption of developing cities and industrialization. Rather than pursue his passion from the narrow perspective of a staunch environmentalist however, he wanted to find a way to enable both sides to coexist in perfect harmony, like he had seen firsthand in some developed places where both humans and animals flourished within the space they shared.Vincent’s views of urbanization working in tandem with nature was not shared by everyone, and if he was unable to find a place in the field dedicated to environmental protection, he was at least hoping he could help defend it, along with what little rights animals had, in the courts against corporations, politicians, and other authority figures whose intentions were to exploit and destroy nature. While he was busily taking down notes during his professor’s lecture, his phone suddenly vibrated to indicate a text had been received. Anticipating a message from family, he stopped his note-taking for a moment and slipped his phone out of his pocket to discreetly peer down at it beneath his desk. Squinting at the text, it was a message from his mother asking for his help in cleaning out the attic of their grandmother after she had passed away last year. While he could not respond to her right away during class, Vincent made a mental note to let his mother know he would be on his way after picking up his girlfriend from work. Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he quickly resumed his note-taking as he focused on the lesson at hand. He needed to take in as much knowledge as possible if he was to succeed in his pursuit of ecological harmony between humans and nature. “Here’s your drink! Have you decided on what you’ll be ordering?” Mellow cheerfully asked her customer with a smile. “Just the grilled steak supreme with fries, rare please,” the man ordered as he handed his menu to her. “Sure thing! Was there anything else you needed?” she asked, and after the man shook his head, she then followed with a chirpy voice, “the cooks will have your order ready soon, and please let us know if you need anything!” Her black, bob-cut hair bounced slightly as she walked away from the man, and when Mellow was far away enough out of earshot, she let a quiet sigh slip out of her as the tension in her eased. Though she had learned how to present herself to customers, she could never shake the anxiety she felt with serving strangers, particularly older men. She was always a rather timid girl with a soft-spoken personality, and she could not help but get nervous whenever any kind of expectation or societal pressure was imposed on her. Working as a waitress at the diner was her only means of income while living with her parents, and though the job was a necessity she could not afford to avoid, it was nevertheless the most stressful part of her day. The customers were generous with their tips at least, though she wondered if that was only due to her being rather well endowed in addition to her meek personality.When Mellow made her way to the back to deposit the menu and relay the customer’s order to the cooks, the leading cook that doubled as the owner of the diner, a portly man by the name of Rodriguez with an aged, leathery face and dark complexion, commented to her as he was working, “Almost a whole week without a single accident, you’re doing great kid!” “T-thanks,” Mellow merely answered with a mixture of sheepishness and insecurity. She had only been working at the diner for a month now after being let go from previous jobs as a result of her bad tendency to drop or mishandle things. “Tell ya what, since it’s nearing the end of your shift, I’ll go ahead and let you off early Mel and have Laura cover for you,” the cook politely offered. “A-are you sure?!” she reacted to her boss with surprise. “Of course, you earned it!” Rodriguez happily obliged her. “Here, get these drinks out to our latest customer, and Laura will be good to handle the rest while you clock out. Don’t worry about the rest.” “T-thanks, I really appreciate that Rod!” Mellow happily reacted with a wide grin of glee. She had been looking forward to the reprieve and spending the weekend relaxing with her boyfriend.After being handed the tray with the latest customer’s drinks, Mellow made her way back onto the main floor of the restaurant, but just as she was exiting out of the backroom, someone suddenly bumped into her with enough momentum to break her balance. Losing her footing, she fell back onto her bottom as she dropped the tray and spilled the drink over her with the glasses loudly clattering against the floor as they fell. “AH! S-ssorry!” Mellow reacted with shock and mortification as she hastily knelt down and pulled out a handkerchief to quickly clean up her mess. As she rushed to mend her accident and gather up the fallen glasses, she could feel the withering gaze of the man near her as he stood over her imposingly. “Hey! Watch where you’re going dumb bitch!” The man angrily yelled down at her as she shakily gathered up the glasses back onto the platter, only for them to tip over again and spill what liquid they had left due to her trembling arms. “I-I’m sorry. I’m so s-ssorry!” Mellow stuttered as she entered into a panic. Tears started welling up in the corner of her eyes as the thought crossed her mind regarding how long her manager would put up with her failures before she got the boot again.As she struggled to clean up her accident, the imposing man circled around her like an angry hyena as he added further to her stress. While Mellow was leaning forward to grab a glass that rolled some distance away, her eyes snapped wide when she felt a hand suddenly grabbing her bottom.The glasses clattered loudly again as she instantly recoiled and shot upright to confront the man groping her. Finally seeing him face to face, the somewhat skinny man with a bearded face and glasses said to her with low anger, “You ruined the drink I ordered, the least I can get is a bit of compensation!”Mellow was left speechless, frozen in shock as she struggled to react to being sexually harassed. Unfortunately, the man took her silence and expression of disgust and horror as permission to harass her further. “Hey, are you listening?! If I don’t get my drink, then show me your tits!” the man yelled viciously at her as he reached toward her and grabbed the top of her breast. Mellow screamed as the man held her with a vice grip while his hand clenched and threatened to tear open her button-down top. Mellow struggled to pull away from him as a gradual tearing sounded from her opening shirt, but before the man could tear her top off completely, he was suddenly flung to the side after being punched in the face by another man, one whom Mellow recognized immediately the moment he entered into her vision. “VINCENT!” Mellow exclaimed in elation as she immediately swung around and hid behind him, her chest pressed up against his back to help hide her exposed cleavage. “Mellow! Are you ok?!” Vincent asked as he turned his head to glance back at her. Mellow did not respond as she was still in a state of shock from the other man’s attack on her.As Vincent was trying to calm her down, the man that sexually assaulted her staggered back upright and yelled at them while rubbing the side of his reddish face, “What the hell’s your problem?! You think you’re gonna white knight for this bitch?!”Vincent shot a seething glare at him, and while Mellow was aware Vincent rarely ever got into any fights throughout his life, she knew he was not afraid to get into one over her. The harassing man was a rather short five foot five compared to Vincent’s five foot nine, and Vincent was rather confident in his physique over his, but when he and the assailant looked as if they were about to throw fists, the scene had now drawn everyone’s attention in the diner as the staff rushed in to intervene. “What’s going on here?! Who is this?!” Rodriguez angrily demanded as he stormed in. “That bitch threw her drink at me! And then she tried to sic her simp friend on me when I tried to call her out!” the assailant lied through his teeth. “I came to pick up Mellow from work, and I saw this guy trying to assault her when I came in,” Vincent more calmly explained to the diner owner. Rodriguez then turned his attention to Mellow who was still cowering behind her boyfriend and bearing a distraught frown with her face wet with tears, but as much as she tried to hide it from sheer embarrassment, he could also see her shirt partially torn open with her maroon-hued bra peeking out from the bottom, evidence validating Vincent’s explanation.The assailant unfortunately picked up on the manager’s expression that indicated he did not believe his lies, and before anyone had a chance to react, the man furiously spewed at them, “I don’t have time to waste with you simp clowns! I’m outta here, and I’ll make sure everyone knows how trashy of shithole this place is before it’s shut down!”The man then clumsily ran through the diner, knocking aside anyone he ran into before bolting out of the exit. Another waitress with a blonde ponytail then stepped forward and stated to Rodriguez, “I saw that man creepily staring at her the entire time before I left. I have no doubt he was trying to prey on her before that other, brave man stepped in, probably to put the blame on them through social media too.” “Christ almighty, seems that way!” Rodriguez agreed with her in an exasperated tone before turning his attention to the diner attendees, who had been gawking as the whole scene played out, and apologized to them for the disruption. After quickly addressing his customers, he then turned his attention to Vincent and asked him, “Are you this girl’s friend by chance? I’ve noticed you appearing to pick her up every night it seems.” “Yes I am. She doesn’t have a car of her own, so we arranged to carpool together,” Vincent answered him. “Good. If you can do me a favor then and look after her this evening. I don’t doubt she’s been traumatized by all this, and I’ll be calling the cops and makin sure that shitbag doesn’t set foot in this diner again,” Rodriguez instructed him. After addressing Vincent, he then turned his attention to Mellow who was still cowering behind her boyfriend like a frightened mouse. “Young lady, I’m deeply sorry for all of this. Go ahead and take off for the night, don’t worry about us. Just take care of yourself over the weekend, and let us know if you want to stay working in the back when you come back in.” “Thank you Rod,” Mellow quietly answered him as a shaky smile touched her expression. “Let’s go to the back so you can get dressed. I’ll guard the door outside while you change,” Vincent considerately offered.Without further discussion, Vincent and Mellow abruptly retreated to the employee bathroom where she could change out of her damaged work attire back into her regular clothes. After she had changed into her red turtleneck and black jeans, they walked out of the diner together and stepped into Vincent’s Toyota Prius without a word.Shortly after Vincent started driving her home however, Mellow spoke up and expressed to him with heartfelt appreciation, “Thank you Vincent for saving me back there. I…I thought I was going to lose my job again.” “You weren’t going to lose your job Mel, not because some creep was attacking you like that,” he gently tried to correct her. He was aware of Mellow’s tendency to blame herself for anything that went wrong if it involved her, even if she had nothing to do with it. Even though she came from a safe, warm home and a loving family, she was often very hard on herself and quick to accept blame, a byproduct of the cruel bullying she was an unfortunate magnet to he assumed.As they were driving with the warm, orange skies on the horizon quickly cooling into shades of dark blue as the sun dipped beneath the horizon, Mellow then asked Vincent what he was doing for the evening. “I’m going to be helping mom clean out grandma’s house tonight. Most of it has been cleaned out already, but there’s still the attic remaining which my mom has been needing help with.” “Can I go with you Vince? I want to help out as well,” Mellow offered. “Are you sure? You went through something pretty horrible. I’ll be ok handling it myself Mel, you can still rest at home and have some time alone,” Vincent tried to reassure her with consideration for what she had gone through, but Mellow shook her head. “N-no…it’s fine Vincent. I’m ok. I…don’t feel comfortable sitting around idly while you work. I want to make myself useful,” she gently pressed him. Vincent was surprised by her willingness to engage in what he was certain would be a laborious chore despite having endured sexual assault moments ago. Whether it was from her inner strength or her resilience after years of bullying and harassment, Vincent did not know, but he silently admired her unshakable willingness to help instead of wilting away in the face of pain. But he was nevertheless going to temper her desire to help from some of the inherent naivety it entailed. “Ok, sure! But stay near me and let me handle all the heavy lifting. Don’t carry anything that’s more than half your height or weight, and don’t touch anything that looks priceless, ok? He cautioned her knowing her hands were still cursed in their tendency to cause ruin. “Thank you Vince! I’ll follow your every lead,” she belatedly responded with a bright smile that caught Vincent off guard from its endearing warmth. He could not help but let out a light chuckle as he grinned wide seeing his girlfriend so happy after going through such a dark moment in her life. It seemed that as long as they had each other, they could endure and thrive in the face of even the most horrifying of circumstances. After a half hour drive, they finally reached the old home, a two-story house with a log cabin-like exterior heavily weathered and faded with time that resided in the most remote reaches of the city limits near the mountains. When the car was parked in the driveway, Vincent and Mellow stepped out and made their way to the front door along the gravel walkway. Holding the keys he was left with to his grandmother’s home, Vincent opened the wooden door as it creaked and noisily swayed open, and they stepped into the rustic abode.The living room was largely barren save the dozen or so boxes piled or scattered about during the time his parents were vacating the property. Vincent felt mixed feelings between nostalgia from the countless memories he had whenever he spent time at his grandmother’s house and the sadness from seeing it all in such a somber, deserted state. The house had a long history, and he shared a very personal history with it. Lingering in the main room as he took in the sight and scent of his childhood one last time, Mellow stood quietly by his side as she picked up on what he was emotionally going through and kept her peace out of respect and consideration for him. The memory of his reaction upon first hearing of his grandmother’s passing was still painfully fresh in his mind. Even if he knew it was inevitable, he was nevertheless heartbroken to hear that she was gone. She was a delightfully eccentric and sharp witted old bat that had a talent for instilling the wildest of imaginations in him when he was a child, and she would recount to him countless fairytales and legends as they sat around the fire that he loved to hear, sparing no detail in their dark and gruesome glory unlike the watered down, Disney-fied versions commonly spread around. She would be sorely missed in his life, but his time of mourning her death was brief knowing in his mind that she would have talked down to him on his “pointless blubbering” and told him to press on. She was someone who was clear to him in his upbringing in teaching to accept loss as it comes and staying true in pursuing happiness, and he took her advice close to heart as it helped him navigate through the turmoil of a harsh and unforgiving world. After his impromptu moment of silence for his grandmother and the memories they made together in this humble abode, Vincent eventually regained his composure and expressed to Mellow, “S-sorry. I got caught up in my feelings for a moment. This place holds many memories for me.” “I know, I still remember the times we visited here while your grandmother was still with us. She was such a sweet soul,” Mellow empathized with him, reminding Vincent that she had shared memories with them too. His grandmother personally doted on her, though she never revealed to him why she seemed so fond of Mellow in particular. Whatever her reasons, it established a very personal connection between Vincent and Mellow, and to further emphasize this, she even went so far as to establish in her will that Vincent was free to give however much of her belongings to her as he saw fit. An additional note in her will suggested he give to Mellow what she stowed in the attic, and that was part of the reason his mother asked him to take care of what she left behind there, though he kept this fact hidden from Mellow until he was confident on which of her belongings to gift her. They went up the stairway to the second floor and made their way to the entrance of the attic. After carefully pulling open the ceiling hatch and unfolding the ladder attached to it, they climbed up into the attic one at a time with Mellow going first so that Vincent could catch her should she fall off by accident.After climbing into the dark, musty space, Vincent used the light of his smartphone to help him find the cord for the attic light, and after locating it, he pulled it to turn the lone light bulb on that illuminated the cramped space. The attic was packed to the brim with numerous cardboard boxes, tools, and chests that appeared older than the house itself. Nearly everything was coated in a gray film of dust with cobwebs immersing the stored equipment and edges of boxes, implying that the space had not been accessed for some time. “Mel, remember what I said. Stay near me, I don’t want you getting hurt on anything hiding in all of this mess,” Vincent reminded her. “I will, don’t worry Vince. Just let me know when you need anything,” she cheerfully assured him.After inspecting the place over, Vincent then set to work on the labor intensive task of grabbing boxes and carefully carrying them down the ladder one at a time to be placed on the second floor of the house. Mellow helped with keeping the box stable as he carefully made his way down each time, but that was the extent of her assistance in his work as anything more posed too great of a risk. He could tell Mellow wanted to do more to help ease the burden of his exhaustive effort, but Vincent knew she was too much of a klutz to risk aiding in a way that would cause harm to her or them both. She was simply out of her depth when it came to balance and grip when holding or carrying objects with a butter finger-like carelessness in letting things slip out of her hands or fingers. While he was working, Vincent would routinely open each box to see what was stored within, and as much as he tried to cover his mouth to avoid inhaling the clouds of dust, he nevertheless could not help but cough when some of it managed to get through. His hands quickly became coated in dark gray and brown along with his clothes being soiled with dark splotches from the dust and dirt getting on him during his work. He was looking forward to changing out of his dirtied attire and taking a warm shower when he was done.As for what lay in the boxes, what Vincent found varied wildly from the usual household and family items like picture books to a porcelain doll collection, a stack of tomes that looked like they were from the dark ages, and other strange objects that he could not make heads or tails as to their origin or purpose. The large, seemingly ancient looking chests that were nestled in different corners of the attic were something that he intended to hold off bringing downstairs until he got help from his parents, and while Mellow was more than willing to help, Vincent was not planning on seeing his grandmother again anytime soon. After an hour or so of work, Vincent let out a ragged groan as he stopped for a moment to sit down on a smaller chest to rest. Covered in sweat and grime, he reluctantly admitted he was underestimating the rigor of moving so many boxes downstairs while climbing up and down nonstop as he did so, and he only hoped that his profuse sweating from the arduous labor was not coming across as off-putting to Mellow from the odor. Thankfully, she did not mind as she proceeded to sit down right next to him. “This ended up being a lot more exhausting than I thought,” Vincent remarked with a shaky chuckle. He was already winded from the effort even when he was nowhere near done. “It’s ok to take a rest break Vince. If it’s too much, I could try to at least carry down the smaller boxes for you,” Mellow offered, but Vincent shook his head. “Still too risky. I don’t want you to fall and hurt yourself from going up and down the ladder constantly while carrying something on top of it. No offense, but balance isn’t your strongsuit Mel,” he frankly expressed to her. “I’m sorry Vince. I…I wish I wasn’t born such a klutz,” Mellow responded glumly as she started ruminating on her inherent clumsiness. “It’s not your fault Mel, we’re all born with weaknesses. I’m bad at drawing for instance, though my friends say I can do some real mean stick figures,” he tried to console her, and his self depreciating humor elicited a giggle from her as it helped raised her mood. “I guess that’s true, but hey, that reminds me. Do you remember when we used to hide out here during our game of hide and seek?” she asked him. “Yeah, I remember when we were lil kids how this used to be our secret hideout, back when it was cleaner and less packed at least,” he recalled as her comment provoked another rush of nostalgia from his childhood. From there, they started to reminisce with each other of their childhood and how much has changed for them over the years in their long friendship. Vincent had known Mellow as far back as preschool, and it was remarkable that they had somehow managed to remain in the same school together from grade to grade while still keeping in contact with each other. Vincent knew Mellow to be a charmingly innocent and bright eyed child that was always fascinated by the world around her, particularly when it came to nature. This love for nature was something he shared as well, and this mutual interest between them was what led to them becoming fast friends initially.Mellow however also had a tendency to be an airhead on top of her propensity for clumsiness, and this sweet yet highly impressionable and vulnerable girl was prone to the less scrupulous kids who took it as an opportunity to bully and harass her for their own amusement. Not wanting to stand idly by while his close friend was tormented by them, he often had to step in to protect her, sometimes taking the abuse in her stead instead. When they became inseparable as friends and established a means to routinely communicate and meet with each other, Vincent would go on to help guide her in keeping out of harm’s way.Vincent’s desire to protect others was taught and instilled in him at a tender age by his father, and his mother influenced him to help vulnerable girls in need, thus leading him to becoming Mellow’s unofficial guardian and mentor, and she cared deeply about him for it. As they grew into adulthood, it was only natural from their extraordinarily long friendship between them that it would eventually develop into a deeper relationship as they started dating each other in high school and openly referred to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. As timid and sheltered as she was, she had grown to trust him to the point of allowing intimacy to develop between them as they occasionally participated in gentle makeout sessions or other romantic moments. It helped that she had blossomed into a beautiful woman with a dainty and busty figure, but this beauty she was blessed with came with the caveat of provoking ever crueler bullying and harassment by jealous girls and creeps at the latter end of their high school life. As much as he tried to protect the woman he loved, Vincent wondered at times if he had failed her as it was apparent that the bullying affected her deeply. She was never able to muster the scores on the SAT exam to be qualified for a college, and after hitting a wall from only obtaining a high school diploma at most, she ended up being forced to spend her days struggling to make a living with her jobs at different stores or restaurants while still living with her parents in the years after school. While Mellow was always someone who had her head in the clouds with a lack of knowledge in anything outside of her most passionate interests, Vincent always felt she had the potential to still succeed academically, and he has to this day regretted not doing more for her than he did. She was a girl who seemed forever cursed to ignorance and misfortune throughout her life. “Hey, while you’re still resting, I could go ahead and check what’s in the boxes for you at least, if you like?” Mellow offered as she got up and started making her way over to one of the old, large chests tucked away at the end of the room. “I guess that’s fine, just be careful Mel. It won’t be long before I do another round,” Vincent reluctantly accepted from her as such an idea seemed harmless enough on her part. He then proceeded to get back onto his feet and groaned when he felt his back throbbing in protest. “Good! I’ve been wanting to do more to help since-“ Mellow was about to say before she suddenly tripped over the edge of a wooden beam jutting out from the floor. She immediately lost her balance and fell forward before catching her fall with her front hands, but not before colliding with a stack of boxes that shuddered precariously after being destabilized by her fall. “MEL!” Vincent cried out in fear as he saw what was unfolding, and he immediately ran to her while trying to not trip on the same beams jutting out.Mellow gazed up at the pile of boxes with a helpless expression of fear as it started to collapse toward her, but before she could be buried in the ensuing avalanche, Vincent had managed to narrowly reach her in time and leaned over Mellow as he shielded her with his back.Vincent shuddered as each box hit him, but they were all thankfully light and did not bruise him from their impact. They were both very fortunate that his grandmother had the common sense to put the lightest boxes toward the top. When the avalanche finally subsided with piles of open and overturned boxes with their contents strewn about around them, Mellow fearfully cried out, “VINCENT! ARE YOU OK?!” “I…I’m fine. The boxes we’re mostly empty, thankfully. I don’t think I’m injured anywhere,” Vincent calmly assured her, though nevertheless shaken by the disaster that nearly occurred. “Oh thank god. I’m so sorry Vince, this is all my fault!” she regretfully expressed to him with great remorse. “It’s ok! Don’t worry Mel, you’re safe, that’s all that matters,” he attempted to console her, but her deep frown of guilt remained. “Anyways, I think it’s about time to call it a night. We’ve done enough. Mom and I can finish the rest another day.” “I’m sorry Vince. I…I’m sorry for ruining your night, for being a walking disaster that brings you nothing but trouble,” she emotionally choked out as her eyes started to well up. Vincent then realized that she was blaming herself for the commotion she inadvertently caused, and he acted quickly to assuage her aching heart before she broke down completely.Without warning, he suddenly wrapped his arms around Mellow and pulled her close before expressing to her, “Mellow, please, don’t hate yourself. I don’t care if trouble follows you wherever you go, even if the world hates you for it. I’ll gladly weather whatever they try to throw at you so long as you’re safe. I just want you to be happy, and my happiness is yours because of love you. Please Mel.” Mellow sniffled as she managed to barely hold back her tears save the one that trickled down her cheek. “I’m sorry Vince,” was all she could meekly croak out in reaction to his compassion for her. “Mellow…do you remember when we were children, the promise we made to each other here?” he asked her. “You mean…when we vowed to each other to be friends forever?” she delicately asked, and he nodded. “Friends forever, and as adults, lovers eternal. That’s how it will be for us Mel, and that will never change,” Vincent pledged to her. “Y-you’re right. Thank you for reminding me.” Mellow quietly responded as she slowly recovered from her emotions. Vincent then leaned in and gave her a lingering kiss on the lips before stating to her, “Just sit tight while I clean up around here a bit, and we’ll head on home after I’m done. Don’t forget out of all of this that I love you Mel. I always and forever will.” “I love you too, Vincent,” she quietly answered him with a tender but weak smile. Mellow was still deeply distraught by the disaster she caused, but her boyfriend’s passionate assurances helped her keep emotionally stable at least.While Vincent was cleaning the area and putting the spilled contents back into the cardboard boxes, a small, rectangular shaped, wooden box with an ornately carved pattern upon it caught his eye in particular. Picking up the wooden case that was the size of a jewelry box and eyeing it over curiously, he noticed the crescent moon carving with the outline of a howling wolf etched into its center with elaborate patterns across the box’s surface. His curiosity piqued, he decided to take the box home with him to open and examine later in case it housed something his girlfriend might like, especially since he knew she was fond of wolves. After cleaning up the area and holding the wooden case underneath his arm to take back with him, Vincent motioned to Mellow that it was time to leave, and they both made their way out of the attic and back down to the front door. Mellow fell asleep in Vincent’s car as he drove her home, exhausted by the day’s chaotic events. When he arrived at her home, he gently roused her and helped Mellow upright as she sleepily leaned on his shoulder while walking her to her front door.Before they departed for the night, Mellow turned to Vincent and expressed quietly to him with an affectionate voice, “Thank you for protecting me Vince. No one cares for me like you do.” “And no one makes me happier than you do. Take care of yourself for me, and I love you,” he expressed to her in turn with heartfelt love.They kissed each other deeply beneath the porch light, and after savoring their tender kiss for a moment, they eventually separated and waved each other off as Vincent walked back to his car. He had hoped within his heart that Mellow would one day learn to love herself just as much as he loved her, and he understood the weight of her burden was starting to become too much for her to bear. Vincent looked past her flaws and knew of the heart of gold she always possessed, a soul that was gentle and compassionate enough to allow him to emotionally open up freely to her without fear or reprisal, something he could trust no other person on earth to do. Deep in his heart, Vincent had desperately sought to protect the woman he loved and the pureness of her heart from the darkness of the world, and he would do anything to help her achieve the true happiness she had been truly yearning for in life and had so long deserved. After arriving at his apartment flat, Vincent entered through the door and dropped his backpack with an ungraceful thud as he let out a groaning sigh of exhaustion. “Hhoooo man, today really did a number on me,” Vincent said to himself as he closed the door behind him and switched on the living room light. His apartment was on the smaller side with only a single bedroom, living room space, a bathroom, and a small kitchen. It was not a very lavish flat as it only carried the basic amenities of living with a fridge, stove, water heater, and a few other things, but he was happy with what it provided him and was more than suitable as a comfortable, manageable space to live in while he worked on his career. He did not know enough people personally to arrange having a roommate to help cover rent for a higher end apartment, and he did not want to room with a total stranger either. After placing the ornate box on his table, he promptly stripped off his soiled attire and tossed it into the hamper before walking into the shower to wash off the grime. He did not like carrying the feeling of dirtiness for prolonged periods, and the shower water was soothing with the warmth soaking into his sore muscles.When he finished his shower and toweled himself off, he put on only his sweat pants as he walked back into the living room, and still feeling tired from a long and eventful day, he was tempted to go straight to bed and call it a night before his eyes fell again on the enigmatic box. Sitting conspicuously on his small table with the sheen of its smooth, wooden surface shining from the lamp light as if it were calling out to him, he felt that sense of nagging curiosity again as it pulled him toward it. While Vincent was eager to sleep, he could put off going to bed for a little longer to at least see what was in the ornate box. Vincent walked over to the table and picked up the box as he inspected it more closely in the light. He did not see anything that he had not already noticed when he examined it earlier other than the sheer level of artistic detail on its surface being on par with a master carpenter. Whoever had created this box, they wanted it to stand out in a distinctive way as if to convey the profound nature of what lay within it.The box was closed only with a cylindrically shaped, sliding piece on the side, and Vincent was relieved that it was not sealed under lock and key as he would have no idea where to find the key otherwise. He then stepped away from the table and plopped down on his beanbag chair as he held the ornate box in his lap. With a growing excitement like a child opening a mysterious treasure chest, he braced himself as he turned the piece clockwise to unlock the box. Whatever it is that’s in this fancy box, it’s gotta be good, Vincent thought to himself with eager anticipation as he slowly opened the box. Vincent expected some kind of priceless jewels or gold, maybe even a fancy family heirloom from eons past. What he found within the box instead, somehow managed to both meet and miss his expectations. Nestled within the center of extensive cotton swaddling was a small, elaborate carving of a wolf’s head with a pearl-like orb sitting in its open maw as if it was holding it between its jaws. The faint scent of pine emitting from the wolf head implied of the material it was carved from, and a black cord of cotton twine circling around the box interior that connected to the carving indicated it was a necklace of some kind. It was undeniably a form of jewelry, at least from what Vincent could guess on initial glance, but it was nothing like he had imagined a typical piece of jewelry to be and more of something akin to an ancient talisman or amulet of some kind. Whatever it was, Vincent was curious to know if there was anything else in the box that may suggest or provide context as to the carving’s nature and background.Placing his index and thumb fingers atop the wooden wolf head, he plucked the necklace out of the cotton swaddling and lifted it up to examine it in the light. While the orb in its jaws had primarily a pearly white color to it, an inexplicable blue sheen would reflect off its surface with an almost unnaturally ethereal glow depending on where the light shined on it. The color of the glow would sometimes change to bright violet or even teal whenever he glanced at it at different angles or rotate it within the light. It was a mesmerizing sight to behold, and even more inexplicably when Vincent decided to touch the jewel itself, he felt a gentle warmth emanating from it as if he was touching the palm of his girlfriend’s hand. He had no idea what the crystal was made from or what caused the strange phenomena it produced, but after rolling it around through his hands and fingers for a time with nothing happening, Vincent came to the conclusion that there was nothing out of the ordinary about it and set it down. Vincent then dug through the cotton swaddling to see if there was anything else in the box, and he eventually found some kind of paper nestled at the bottom. After pulling it out, he discovered it to be a letter of some kind that had become yellowed with age and sealed with a wax stamp of a wolf and crescent moon similar to what was carved on the box’s lid.Vincent took special care to gently break the seal without damaging the envelope’s contents, and after pulling the paper out, he found a message of some kind that did not seemed to be addressed to anyone in particular and was written in cursive with a particularly elegant penmanship.To whomever is fated to find this message, please listen to my plea.I am Fiorella Carmen, and if my descendant is reading this, I am your ancestor.When I was a child, my dearest friend and I stumbled upon an old, abandoned chest that contained countless charms and instruments of a magical nature with no discernible origin. Beneath all these objects used for countless rituals and sorcery, an old tome sat within that gave instruction on the use and purpose of these instruments, and like the innocent and naive children we were, we read from the book and tampered with the forbidden.My beloved friend, Triss Liloupe, found a trinket in particular that caught her fascination, a severed fang from a wolf of fae legend that was used for ritualistic purposes. Learning of its purpose and power, she willingly prodded herself with it and instilled the spiritual essence of the wolf within her, turning her into a werewolf.I was only focused on learning of this magic to help my ailing family, but Triss lost her mother and father when she was very young and has lived under harsh foster parents since then. She has long sought to escape their overbearing rule and live freely as a magical creature among nature, not unlike the fae itself that she had read and heard of in countless legends. But the people of our village were not open to the supernatural, and as the naive and foolish young women that we were at the time, we were unaware of the danger we were unwittingly putting ourselves into.With the fear and fervor of witches and sorcery dominating our quaint village, I started to pick up on the danger and, in my best judgment, sought out Triss to warn her of the looming peril. I cared deeply for Triss and loved her like a sister, but in a twist of dark irony, doing what I did to try and protect her only sealed her fate.The villagers had caught on to our behavior during that time, and upon my return, I was accosted by them and held prisoner as they harshly questioned me. I did all I could to not endanger Triss under their duress, but it did not matter. However way they went about it, they inevitably learned the truth, and when Triss returned to the village on the night I was held captive, they captured her and set her to the stake to be executed shortly after. Held by my captors, I was forced to watch on helplessly as my friend, my sister whom I held near and dear to me, being burned alive as she suffered her cruel demise. A beautiful life cut short by a horrific fate, all because of my foolhardy attempt to protect her that led to her doom when their attention was brought to us. She lost her life, all because of me.In the aftermath of her death, I managed to escape my captors thanks to the compassion of a sympathetic soul, and if it were not for the grace of god that touched that man’s heart, I would have likely suffered a similar fate. Before fleeing the village however, I used what knowledge of magic I had to capture the lingering essence of her soul from the ashes of her grave. With Triss’s spiritual essence crystallized and preserved, I fled the village and found refuge in another part of the land where society did not barbarously murder their own.But I am not without sin in condemning my friend through my foolishness. In a dream, I saw her reborn and walking upon earth again, but not as she once was, not as her boundless spirit should be. So to atone for her death, I fashioned the crystal into a necklace for her to wear once her time again on earth had finally arrived, and I wrote this message to be read by my descendant whom I had seen in my vision alongside her.Should my fated descendant receive this, I beseech you, please deliver this vessel to her and resurrect her spirit. As a final request, if you may, fulfill this lost woman’s deepest dream of experiencing love, a sacred kind of happiness that was cruelly taken from her. Love her for who she is in her entirety so that I may rest in peace knowing that my sister is happy again. I know I will bear this burden for the rest of my life down to my very grave, but I must plead for merciful compassion from another, one last time. I beg of you, let god bless her soul again. Vincent was speechless as he blinked in surprise at the highly personal letter he just read. Though she stated it was addressed to her descendant, whatever that meant, he felt awkward with reading what seemed like something he was not meant to see.Inspecting the letter further to try and figure out who it was truly addressed to, he found it was signed by Fiorella Carmen and dated for what appeared to be during the late eighteenth century. “Fiorella Carmen…” Vincent quietly repeated to himself under his breath as he felt an odd sense of familiarity with the name. He recalled his grandmother once going over a book chronicling their family tree with him when he was child, and he vaguely recalled her name being mentioned in that same book as one of his ancestors. While he was unfortunately not in a position to look for and retrieve the book to confirm her name at this very moment, Vincent could not ascertain the enigmatic purpose of the letter or its strange mentions of “magic” and “werewolves”. Given the letter’s age, he rationalized that it was likely just superstitious speculation during their day and nothing more.However, as much as he wanted to dismiss the letter as the babbling of an old woman likely losing her grip on reality or perhaps suffering a form of early dementia while being on her deathbed, Vincent could not brush aside the stubbornly persistent thought that the letter was somehow directly addressed to him, and maybe even someone else he knows. “That’s ridiculous. There’s no way she could see into the future and deliver this box to me, I’m starting to lose my head from this exhaustion. Time to call it a night,” Vincent abruptly rationalized to himself with a shake of his head as he carefully deposited the old letter back into the box along with the necklace. At the very least, the wolf carving necklace with its pretty gem would make a great gift for Mellow as he was aware she was fond of wolves. She found the creatures “cute” and seemed to regard them like dogs, even though he tried to explain to her multiple times that they were far from that.Carrying the box into the bedroom with him and depositing it into the drawer of the nightstand near his bed, Vincent let out a loud yawn before slipping into bed. “I’ll figure out that letter tomorrow. I just hope I can arrange some time with Mel and decide if the necklace is the best gift for her,” Vincent quietly said to himself before shutting off the light and rolling into bed to descent into the amorphous embrace of slumber....
She Takes The HunterProwling the mountainous wilderness overlooking the local village, a creature was spotted within the wood bearing the visage of both man and beast. Strong and lithe with a slender, feminine countenance, the woman with lupine features sparked murmurs among the village folk of a werewolf in their midst. The werewolf woman, despite acting aloof around humans and never treading beyond her forested domain, drew the ire of the village authority from her existence, and they sought to exterminate the creature inhabiting their local wood. A skilled and prestigious hunter was then hired and brought to the village to eliminate their inconvenience.Grizzled and hardened to the core, the hunter was the most skilled in the land with countless kills to his name and years of experience that was second to none. The village leaders were confident this ruthless hunter would vanquish the demon lurking within the wood, and the hunter showed no hesitation as he immediately set to work tracking down his shewolf prey. Yet even against such a strong and intelligent adversary, the wolf woman would not succumb to him so easily. The hunter had dealt with wolves before; he was no stranger to their nature and abilities. As a part of the first phase of his hunt, he laid down numerous traps, and he was not surprised when they failed to snare the beast he sought. What surprised him however was the sheer elusiveness of the werewolf woman and her ability to swiftly disappear like a ghost in the night. The shewolf did not try to harm him in spite of the threat posed to her, and this threw off the hunter whenever she chose to flee rather than fight while avoiding and disabling all of his countless traps in the process. This werewolf did not act like a mindless or bloodthirsty beast, but rather a being that knew and understood the hunter’s mind, anticipating and reading his every move and thought. Realizing that he underestimated his prey’s guile and cunning, the hunter ramped up his efforts to capture her with all the skill and knowledge he could muster.The werewolf woman was not at a sole advantage. Her instinct to flee rather than attempt to fight the hunter led to him being able to keep up in his tireless pursuit. Yet as much as the hunter made gains on her as he doggedly tracked the wolf, the stalemate remained in their quiet duel as neither was able to get the upper hand over the other. No matter the extent of the hunter’s skilled marksmanship, every bullet whizzed past her lithe movement, every effort to close the distance only led to the gap remaining with her agile mastery of the terrain , and every attempt to corner her inevitably resulted in her slipping away. The hunter could not get to her, but the shewolf could not escape him either. They were both trapped in their seemingly endless game of cat and mouse, and the hunter was flabbergasted that, in all his years of hunting, this creature seemed beyond him in its abilities. The shewolf pushed the hunter to his limits. He was forced to employ every trick and measure he could think of to try to catch her off guard and close in on her. Never has any beast he hunted proven as difficult to catch as the werewolf woman, yet as frustratingly elusive as she was, the hunter came to enjoy the challenge she imposed that tested the full extent of his hunting prowess. What initially started as a typical extermination effort eventually became a daily routine between them as they engaged in their deadly dance of one testing the wit of the other. The hunter started to enjoy his skill and cunning being tested by this stealthy creature as he chased her, and overtime, he reveled in the familiar, day to day thrill of pursuing something that seemed just within reach only for it to slip out of his grasp at the last moment. He bore no ill will toward the werewolf woman, nor did he fear her, and as much as her teasing feints and mocking pranks aggravated him to no end, he came to internally admire the feisty creature and her fearless tenacity in the ever looming face of death. The hunter wondered if the secret joy of their game of hide and seek would last forever, but as time went on and the village authority grew impatient, the hunter was given a stark reminder of the reality of his station. However way he felt about the strange connection he and the werewolf now shared, he begrudgingly set aside his personal feelings to avoid sullying his reputation. Feeling the pressure of an increasingly impatient client, the hunter ramped up his pursuit with intensified vigor as an invisible clock ticked, and the shewolf inexplicably sensed the desperation growing in him. The werewolf woman continued to elude him, but the hunter had now learned her ways and grown to understand the workings of her mind. Day by day, the hunter encroached ever closer and closer, and though the wolf was becoming aware she could no longer evade him, a part of her was conflicted with defying her coming fate. Finally, at long last, the hunter had managed to corner the werewolf woman in a trap of her own making, a twist of fate as her birthplace ended up becoming her grave in her final moments.With triumph, the hunter shoved her against the den wall as his rifle pressed into her chest. Silently acknowledging she had been bested, the shewolf did not resist as the barrel sat inches above her heart. With a pull of the trigger, the hunter would finally claim victory over his greatest adversary yet, but just as he was on the cusp of snuffing out the flame of this creature’s life forever, the hunter hesitated. Even in the dim light, the beast he sought after was uncomfortably humanoid in its form, a familiar femininity beneath the coat of fur and lupine features that defined who she was. Her vivid, golden eyes expressed a sadness that was undeniably human, eyes that did not hide her fear and resignation as they gazed back at his. He had ruthlessly hunted down and vanquished countless beasts without a second thought throughout his career, yet this creature that lay vulnerable and at his mercy before him was not a monster, but a woman.The hunter had no qualms with exterminating whatever he was contracted to target whether that be beast or even man, but being so influenced by women through both his upbringing and friendship, it had been writ upon his heart to never lay a finger on them. Beneath the skin of a wolf beat the warm heart of a woman, and he knew what spirit she possessed from what she showed him in their long chase. No matter the implied threat this wolf woman posed to the village or whatever compensation the village authority was willing to offer him, the hunter could not bring himself to pull the trigger, not on an innocent woman whose only crime was being at one with the woods. With the longest sigh he had ever uttered, he withdrew his rifle from her chest and pulled away from her. The werewolf woman’s eyes widened with surprise and bewilderment at the hunter’s sudden hesitation, but with the voice of a mature woman wise beyond all her years, she warned him that if he did not take her life now, he would forfeit his own. The hunter remained silent as he bore a sullen expression, and as if to convey the finality of his decision, he tossed aside his rifle and fell to his knees in defeat. A sudden moment of clarity came over the hunter as he started regretting his past of taking life without remorse, and he refused to allow himself to stoop to the point of taking a woman’s life for the sake of his hunting career.Like any discerning wolf, the werewolf woman perceived the conflict within the hunter and sympathized with his plight, but they both knew their days of chasing each other across all creation have reached an end. The shewolf slowly walked up to him, and with swift movement, brought the hunter to the ground. As the hunter lay helplessly beneath her, unable to bring himself to fight her as he was pinned down, he looked up into the bright, golden eyes staring back at him. They exchanged a knowing gaze as they mutually understood what would transpire, and after breathing in deeply for a moment, the shewolf then swung her head down and plunged her fangs into him. The hunter was no more. Time passed on as if nothing had ever changed. The sightings and legends of the village’s local werewolf remained fresh in the minds of the village folk while authorities conceded defeat upon learning of the disappearance of the famed hunter with only his tattered clothes and rifle remaining. Yet even as the villagers came to accept their werewolf neighbor, rumors and speculation buzzed through the village of another wolf seemingly accompanying her. Another legend then emerged of a werewolf companion of the fabled shewolf who loyally stayed by her side as he was taught by her in the ways of her kind and their life.The shewolf respected the hunter who had demonstrated skill and tenacity far beyond any other human she had ever encountered in her life, and there was no other being on earth that had come closer to subjugating her. But even against an adversary who had proven his strength and cunning over her, in the end, she had won....
Lycanocalypse: Part 1The girl ran through the dark forest as fast as her legs could take her as she sensed the wolves pursuing close behind within the dense fog. She could barely see where she was going with only the full moon above as her light source, and she tripped and stumbled multiple times over the soft, uneven earth with her legs caked in layers of wet mud. With the sound of her hard panting drowning out every noise around her while her heart pounded painfully in her chest, she could glimpse in her peripheral vision the shadows flickering past the trees as the wolves kept up with her and gradually closed in. Being slowly surrounded with nowhere to run, she needed to find a way out and fast.Before her thoughts could advance any further, the girl suddenly ran into a small stream and tripped into it. She gasped from the icy water hitting her face as she fell into the stream, and the powerful current quickly carried her further down into the dark ravine of the dense forest as she thrashed and splashed about in panic.Eventually, she managed to pull herself free of her icy bath and make her way back to shore, and her body shivered violently as the chill of the night crept into her drenched clothes. She tightly clutched the pendant that hung from her necklace, the last memory of her late mother, as she wiped the water and dirt off her glasses. After regaining her bearings, she looked around her and could not find or sense any of the wolves nearby. Wondering to herself if they had lost her while she was carried downstream, the girl then turned her attention to finding some kind of shelter to hide in for the night. It did not take long for her to find a small hollow within the sloping terrain surrounding the river bank, and she quickly made her way over to it. The girl crawled into the narrow confine on her hands and knees until she was beneath the shelter of the roots and earth above. She let out a ragged sigh as she sat down to rest, her arms wrapped tightly around her as she continued to tremble from the chill of her cold, wet clothes. The girl struggled to keep warm as she rubbed herself down to help retain heat, soon resorting to stripping down to her underwear to get as much of her wet clothes off of her as possible.Shivering and half naked, she continued to fearfully hide within the hollow while a warm breeze sporadically flowed past her to help ease the chill, wait, a warm breeze?The girl soon picked up on the enigmatically warm air as the hot breath of another creature near her, and she turned to find its eyes shining within the darkness as it stared back at her further into the hollow. A low gasp of fear escaped her as she quickly crawled away from the looming beast within, but once she was back outside, the girl suddenly found herself surrounded by the wolves who were waiting for her. The girl’s head darted about in panic as her wide, terrified eyes frantically searched for an opening to escape, but her attempts to resist came to an abrupt end when she suddenly cried out as a wolf’s jaws snapped down on her side from behind as it pounced.The girl screamed as she witnessed her blood being sprayed like a fountain across the surrounding grass, yet her cries abruptly faded into silence just as the sudden flash of pain she felt vanished into numbness when the wolf brought her to the ground. The girl helplessly watched on with her expression frozen in terror as the wolf tore into her, quickly painting the entire area in dark crimson as the wolf ripped her open and spilled her blood in every direction.When the carnage finally subsided, the wolf ceased its ripping and tearing and walked away from the large pool of blood with its muzzle coated in deep red. The wolf pack watched on expectantly as another wolf slowly arose from the shredded, bloodied remains of the human girl, and standing before the pack with its fur drenched in crimson and a pendant hanging from its neck, the wolf threw its head back and the girl’s voice howled into the black night from its maw. Letoya jumped upright as she screamed, nearly falling out of her bed as she awoke from her nightmare with heavy panting and her body soaked in sweat. Clutching herself tight with the lingering scent of blood still strong in her mind, she looked around to find herself in her room again with her body still sound and intact. “N-not…again,” she quietly whimpered as her body continued to tremble from the shock of her terrifying nightmare. It was the same recurring nightmare that she endured every month that coincidently always occurred on the night of the full moon. She did her best to pay close attention to the moon phases to help anticipate and brace herself for the terrible dream, but this one seemed more acutely intense than usual.With the cold of the night chilling her through her wet pajamas, Letoya decided to get out of bed and change into fresh attire. Even after taking off her clothes however, her skin was still slick with sweat, so she had to resort to using one of the comforters she had lying around her room to help her dry off. She would need to laundry them later anyways. Letoya improvised with wearing an oversized shirt as her nightgown and hoped that no one would enter her room while she was there without a bottom. As she slipped her shirt on, Letoya jumped again in reaction to a sudden, low knocking on her door. She had not fully recovered from the fitful dream and was still on edge. “Letoya, are you alright? I heard you screaming, is everything ok?!” she heard her father speaking through the door to her, apparently her scream was loud enough to even wake him from the other end of the house. “It’s alright Dad, just another bad dream,” she tried to reassure him so as to keep him from prying any further into the matter. She was still not comfortable with opening up about her recurring nightmares, at least not yet. “Are you sure? You sounded really distressed. If…talking about it will help you feel better, I’m open to talking you through it,” her dad politely offered in consideration as he could still sense her anxiety. “It’s fine dad, really. I’ll…deal with it, and if it becomes too much to handle, I’ll let you know. I promise,” she answered him with a somewhat impatient tone while dismissing his concern. “Ok. Well…if you ever need someone to talk to, I’ll be here. I’m here for you Letoya, I just want you to know that,” her father tried to reassure her with a lingering concern remaining in his voice. “Got it. Love you dad.” “Love you too sweet cheeks.”After wishing each other a goodnight with her father returning to his bedroom, Letoya let out a shaky sigh as she wondered to herself if maybe she should have taken him up on his offer. Her nightmares were getting worse, and unnervingly, they all seemed to entail the same theme. More bafflingly, she was rather fond of wolves and canines in general, and she could not wrap her head around why she kept having a nightmare of them hunting her down and killing her brutally with a wolf bearing her traits being born in the aftermath. The only conclusion she could come to was that she would be turned into a wolf herself and her humanity would be killed, but what did that mean exactly? And how would such an event even come about? Whatever the cause of her morbid nightmares, all she could do was endure its torment until it eventually went away on its own. Though, if the nightmare only continued to grow worse and started affecting her on a psychological level, Letoya made a mental note to herself to reach out to someone to help her should it reach a point of becoming too much for her to handle.Letoya returned to her bed, and though the linens were still damp from her sweat, she merely shifted them around so that only the dry portions were covering her as she tried to return to her sleep. Try as she might however, she was too shaken from the nightmare to fall back asleep, and the one lingering image haunting her of the bloodied wolf bearing her voice as it wore her mother’s pendant. Breakfast was uneventful between Letoya and her father, and she had trouble keeping her eyes open no thanks to her nightmare leaving her sleep deprived from a rather fitful night. Her father, Arthur Randale, noticed her apparent exhaustion and did his best to help ease her burden, either by offering her coffee or handling all the chores to help avoid her expending what little energy she was running on, subtle gestures that she appreciated more than he knew. She was an only child with her father being the sole parental figure for much of her life after her mother had passed away when she was a toddler. While Letoya and Arthur were as close as father and daughter could be, she was still in an awkward place in her life where she was hesitant to open up about her underlying anxiety or personal fears, even toward those whom she was closest to. Letoya did not fully understand herself why she had been feeling this way, but she would always chalk it up to the life of being the odd one out in a small town where everyone knew each other.Once breakfast was done with her drinking up as much of the coffee as she could despite burning her tongue multiple times on the piping hot brew, she hopped into the car and rode with her father in his aging Toyota Camry before he dropped her off at school on the way to work. It was a routine they were well accustomed to for years now, and after exchanging farewells with her father and giving each other a quick, affectionate hug, Arthur drove off as she made her way to the high school’s front entrance. It was a somewhat small and relatively unimpressive school that was showing its age with its faded, slightly peeling paint, dirty and rundown hallways, and archaic, analog infrastructure despite society being on the cusp of entering a new millennium. The school’s rather well worn condition was not too surprising as it was all the small town of five hundred or so could afford along with the rest of the school system. Red Root, as the town was named after for its color of certain vegetation, was a rural community located in the most remote reaches of upper Montana near the mountains, and if it were not for the unusually fertile land that produced crop of a higher quality and yield compared to anywhere else in the country, the town residents would have likely fallen into abject poverty, if not led to the community becoming a ghost town outright.As much as there was a humble air to the simple, rural lifestyle of the town populace with everyone being polite and courteous to each other and their needs for the most part, Letoya still found the closely knit community a bit too close to the point of being borderline stifling, and she yearned to break free from the sleepy town to pursue a more lucrative and fulfilling lifestyle that took full advantage of her intellectual talents in the sciences. With great strides being made in the medical field as they headed into the year two thousand in just a few months, she was eager to make her mark in the unfolding revolution in scientific biology. When Letoya stepped into the main hall of the high school, she found her longtime friend waiting for her as he was leaning back against the lockers lining the corridor. “Heya! Did you make any headway on our project?” Ted inquired as he turned to face her. “No, I’m hitting a bit of a wall with getting the stuff we need for our project. No good trying to confirm my theory without even getting visual confirmation of it,” Letoya glumly answered him. Both of them were working on a project for the upcoming science fair next month, and she had chosen to pursue and prove her theory regarding the mitochondria in cells as being capable of manipulating cellular DNA and consequently triggering physical alteration in the organism. While her claim was initially based in part on a hunch, she needed to obtain a microscope and other equipment that was powerful enough to peer into the molecular makeup of the cell itself in order to research and confirm her theory, something she was struggling to find in the old timey town they were in. “That sucks. If you’re struggling on resources, I could try to reach out and see if we can fill in the missing pieces,” Ted offered as he did his best to help with their project. “Hey, you alright by the way? You look like you went through a marathon with Wolverine or something,” Ted pointed out with concern while adding a bit of geeky levity to help raise her spirits. “I appreciate it Ted. I’m fine, I just…didn’t get a whole lot of sleep last night,” she answered him with a weak smile in an attempt to reassure him, though she doubted anyone would fall for her unconvincing act. “Was it those nightmares again?” he gently pried. As much as she did not want to bring this topic up knowing where it would likely lead, Letoya merely responded with a reluctant nod. “Hey, if you keep having those, it’s gotta be a premonition or something, right? What else could be making them happen if-“ “Ted, stop,” Letoya abruptly cut him off with a curt tone. She was not one to be superstitious nor was she in the mood to entertain the idea. “All I’m saying is, if something is wrong, we need to figure it out before it becomes a bigger problem later,” Ted tried to argue. As much as Letoya appreciated his consideration, she was far more grounded in science and logic than he was, and Ted was the sort that dabbled in both sci-fi and fantasy with a tendency to get carried away in the latter. What she wanted but had a hard time trying to get through to him was concrete evidence explaining her nightmare issue and not speculation based largely in part on mythological supposition. “I appreciate it Ted, really, but I’m certain it’s just the stress of this project getting to me, that’s all. Nothing more than that, and please don’t go into another long-winded explanation of your supernatural theories,” she gently tried to dismiss him while being direct enough to get across that she was not in the mood to discuss. Ted eventually picked up on her cues and awkwardly stammered in embarrassment, “S-sorry, didn’t mean to get on your nerves or anything Lettie. I can’t help being weird sometimes.” “It’s ok Ted, and don’t worry about being weird, I like that part about you. You think more outside of the box than I do,” Letoya reassured him with a sincere smile, and her considerate reply elicited a bashful reaction from him as he cast a sheepish grin in return. Ted Richardson was one of Letoya’s few friends and her closest friend since elementary school. She first met him when she and her parents moved into the town, and with both of them being awkward nerds that stood out from the rest like a sore thumb, they became fast friends who often leaned on each other to shelter the occasional waves of bullying or prejudice that came their way. Ted was a bit on the pudgy side with short, muddy brown hair and ruddy cheeks that gave him a boyish look anytime he gave his distinctive, goofy grin, and he was a far bigger geek than she was when it came to pop culture and videogames with an excessively large collection of figurines and models that suggested he was not growing out of his childhood anytime soon.While Letoya in contrast was not as socially awkward as her friend, she nevertheless stood out from the rest of her peers and struggled to socialize as she was often spending more time in her head than with keeping up with trends. Even when other kids tried to reach out to her, Letoya could not relate to their simplistic interests while they could not comprehend her heavy obsessions with science and philosophy, leading to a disconnect that left her stuck with the weirdo label as a result of being a girl who did not participate in the same interests other girls her age did. Bearing the same tan complexion and dark hair as her mother only made her stand out even more among the largely Caucasian town population, and there were times where she had to endure the relentless and sometimes ruthless bullying of other girls that treated her like a footstool to prop up their own narcissistic personas.They were not the popular kids in school, but that did not matter to them. All they wanted was to pursue their passions and live the ideal life in harmony with that, no matter how obscure and atypical it may be compared to everyone else, and this shared view was what brought her and Ted together as close friends who were both working toward a shared goal in life. The bell rang shortly after their discussion on the science fair project that signaled the start of class, and with both of them having separate classes to attend, Letoya and Ted bid each other farewell before separating to attend their class while intending to reunite during their lunch break or in one of the classes they were both in to resume discussion. Most of Letoya’s day was largely uneventful, thankfully. Getting through her classes was a struggle as she would often nod off during one of the teacher’s longer lectures, but they thankfully never caught it before she snapped back awake again. She was fortunately good at absorbing information and retaining it like a sponge, even when she was not paying full attention, but being in her senior year of high school, there was also a driving motivation to perform well in her grades as she sought to get accepted at a prestigious college or university. Escaping the dreary town to study amongst like minded peers at a place like Princeton or Harvard was a fantasy she held for years now, and if earning top marks at a run-of-the-mill high school was not enough, Letoya hoped her groundbreaking research at the science fair would be her ticket in. She only hoped that Ted could tag along as well since he had his own dreams of leaving to live in the city. During the school day as she was walking to her next class, her efforts to remain under the radar of the more haughty girls and their entourages hit a snag when one of them noticed her trying to pass by unnoticed. “Oh, it’s miss know-it-all from south of the border. I forgot she still even attended this school instead of serving drinks in a bar somewhere,” the tall blond jeered. “Are people like her even allowed here? Crafty sorts like her are always gaming the system,” the brunette next to her piled on. “I’ll say, can never trust those smooth-talkin types. Always tryin to scam ya when you ain’t lookin,” another, short haired brunette put in.Letoya hunched down on herself as she walked past them at a quickening pace. She did her best to ignore them as she knew there was no point in arguing with those whose intellect did not exceed a cow, but she also hated the feeling of weathering their taunting and torment without even pointing out that her appearance was due to being of Navajo descent and not the Mexican ethnicity they erroneously claimed. She silently cursed herself for not being more diligent in tracking the roaming patterns of the girl packs and avoiding them so as not to get bullied, an oversight probably brought on by her lack of sleep. She tried to walk away from the girls attempting to bully her and ignored them outright, but as Letoya walked on without even so much as giving them a passing glance, she could sense the group moving towards her as if attempting to accost her further.Thankfully, they did not get very far before suddenly being stopped by two young men. “Hey babes, you arrived just in time to meet the newest members of our gang!” Josh greeted them. “You’ll love the little guys, and they’re just as eager to meet you too!” Jack followed up as he greeted them in turn. “Y-you two?! What are you up to now?!” the tall blond sharply reacted in an accusatory tone as she and her whole group stepped back. “No need to be so suspicious girls, I promise we’re on our best behavior today!” Jack feigned his assurance. “We just wanted you to meet Greenie! C’mon and give em a big ole hug little guy!” Josh said as he took out something from his bookbag in one swift motion and presented it to the girls.Sitting in the center of his palm was a large, green frog, and as all the girls gawked at it in confusion, the frog suddenly leapt from the man’s hand and landed squarely within the cleavage of the tall blond. The blond girl let out an ear piercing shriek as she started dancing about trying to get the frog out of her boobs. “And here’s our next partner in crime, go drive them Nutty!” Jack then followed up as he opened his backpack to let out a squirrel that quickly jumped out and darted toward the girls. The reddish-brown furred squirrel leapt onto the short haired girl’s purse, provoking high pitched screaming from the entire group as the girl immediately dropped her purse. When the tall blonde finally got the frog off of her as it hopped back onto the floor again, the blonde yelled at the boys in indignation, “I won’t forget this you creeps!”The boys broke into a fit of laughter as the rest of her group started running down the hall screaming while the tall blonde shot a venomous glare at them before chasing off after them. When they regained their composure, Josh bent over and scooped up the frog into his hands while saying to it in praising tones, “Nice one Greenie! Getting second base without even introducing yourself!” the frog gave a demure croak to Josh before he put it back into a container lying within the pouch of his book bag. Jack knelt down next to the purse as the squirrel busily rummaged through it and extended out a few cashews within his hand as he said to it, “Looks like they all went Nutty over ya! Got a treat for our school’s rockstar!” The squirrel reemerged from the purse carrying a small vial of cologne in its mouth before running over to Jack. It however ignored the food he was holding for a moment to drop its prize in his backpack before returning to his hand to partake of its treat. After the squirrel finished feasting on the nuts, Jack returned him to his backpack before getting up and turning to give Josh a fist bump in success of their most recent prank. Letoya could not help but stop and watch the whole scene unfold with quiet amusement, and she knew about them well enough to know how the punchline would turn out. Josh and Jack Farland were twin brothers who were notorious pranksters in the town, and the partners in crime had been committing their mischief as early as the day they started walking on two feet. From toilet bombs to replacing books in the library with porn, their track history of pranks ran long and earned them a reputation for being troublemakers in the town.None of them differentiated between whomever they targeted for a prank either. Everyone was fair game, even Letoya herself whom to this day is still reluctant to admit to being tricked into writing a book report on a piece of literature that turned out to be a kind of erotica in retrospect. She could have sworn that Lady Chatterley’s Lover was just some vintage romance with more traditional themes too, but she learned her lesson with not judging a book by its cover after that, or rushing a report out last minute for that matter.Despite that, she never harbored any ill will toward the duo and even empathized with them on some level with expressing their internal frustration with being trapped in such a small, dreary town. In this case, even if it was completely unintentional, she was very grateful to them for helping her escape her persecutors with their most recent prank. With the brothers patting each other on the back as they headed off toward their class, Letoya resumed walking toward her own class, unable to hide the smirk she was wearing from her oppressors receiving a dose of karma. When she finally reached the end of school, Letoya let out a loud sigh of relief after barely scraping by through the day without major incident. When Ted and she got another chance to talk again, they decided on trying to convince the local clinic in the area to allow them to rent their higher magnification microscope for their project since ordering one themselves was still too cost prohibitive between both of them. While it was likely they would be refused, it was still worth a try at least as there were not any other options at the moment.As much as Letoya wanted to get on with their project however, she was far too exhausted to do anything else other than take a nap as soon as she got back home. There was still plenty of time for her to put off reaching out to the clinic for another day, and Letoya was beginning to worry if she would pass out on the spot if she pushed herself any further. While she was waiting for her father to pick her up, she noticed a familiar pair of students near her that were actively engaged in a discussion between them. While rude, she could not help but indulge her curiosity and eavesdrop on the couple, two classmates in the same year as her that stood out from the rest of the kids as the “cute couple” of their school. “D-did you want to go out together, this evening? I thought we had a blast when we tried out the bowling lanes last time, and I wanted to check out that swimming hole my friends mentioned to me, if you’re up to it,” Romerus gingerly suggested as he discussed plans for another date. “That sounds fun, but it might be a bit too cold for that now, at least with the way the weather’s been lately,” Julie politely pointed out to him. “T-true…” Romerus awkwardly conceded with his embarrassing oversight. Julie however did not seemed bothered and continued to smile warmly as she tried to reassure him, “Don’t worry Ronny, we’ll find something to do. I know it’s not easy, this isn’t a big town after all.” Romerus silently nodded in agreement as he cast a sheepish smile back at her. “That reminds me, there’s a dance club I often visit as a part of my after-school activities, maybe we can go there and learn how to do a waltz together?” she suggested. “That’s a great idea! I’m up for letting loose a bit,” he excitedly agreed to her idea, though at this point he would likely settle for anything as long as they were spending time together. “Sounds like a plan! I’ll let my father know what we’re doing for the evening, and also…” Julie’s voice trailed off as she hesitated to continue with her cheeks blushing slightly. “If…you’re ok with it, I wanted to see if we could stay at my place tonight. Both my mom and dad will be away on business trips, so we’ll have the whole place to ourselves,” she suggested to him. Romerus’s own cheeks started to blush as he picked up on the subtle implications of her request, and he answered her while struggling to choose his words carefully, “S-sure! Yeah, we could do that. Though…let’s just…try not to get too heated in the moment, or something.” “Um, what do you mean?” Julie replied, blinking in confusion as she was not readily grasping what he meant. “F-forget about it, don’t mind me,” Romerus quickly gave up as he abandoned his attempt to be both modest and chaste. “Anyways, looking forward to the dance class! I’m rarin to hit the floor!” he instead pivoted towards excitement for their date. “Me too! It will be so much fun!” Julie eagerly shared in the excitement. Romerus Lupo and Julia Celeste are a longtime couple that had first met in their freshman year of high school and seemingly have been dating for nearly as long, at least from what Letoya can tell. They were often the subject of gossip and discussion on slower days, though not for the reasons that either of them would appreciate. Julia was the daughter of the town’s mayor while Romerus was the son of a farmer. The stark difference in class often led to rumor mongering, and while it thankfully never got to the point of being harmful toward the couple whom were regarded as the darlings of the school with an endearing relationship that was an inspiration to others, the truth of the matter was the students cynically viewed the clashing relationship as doomed to fail. If they were not subtly betting on when the relationship would unravel, many were just watching with looming anticipation of the coming train wreck.Letoya was not as negative in her perception of the couple, though she sometimes wondered what life must have been like for a relationship between the bottom working class and someone affiliated with the top in governance. Whatever brought them together, she could not help but be intrigued by them with a desire to use the couple as a sort of unofficial study in human sociological behavior, for science of course. Letoya’s eavesdropping came to an end when her father had arrived to pick her up, and relieved to finally be free of the school campus, she quickly fell asleep as she sat in the passenger seat during the drive home. Recognizing how exhausted she would be after a long day of school on less than stellar sleep, her father carried her out of the car after they arrived and gently settled her into her bed all while managing to not wake her in the process.Later that evening “So those are the plans for the evening mom,” Romerus stated to his mother alongside his girlfriend after explaining their plans for the evening. “I hope it’s alright with you if he stays at my place for the night. It’ll be good experience for both of us with learning how to live together and all,” Julie further added in. “It’s perfectly fine! Yall do what you feel is best for each other, and so long as god approves of it, we’re behind you all the way!” Jane Lupo, Romerus’s mother, approved of their arrangement with enthusiasm. “Stay out of trouble you two, ok? Don’t be getting up to anything that’ll put you between a rock and a hard place,” Rudolph Lupo, Romerus’s father, cautioned them. “Don’t worry, we’ll look after ourselves and avoid any trouble as soon as we see it,” Romerus assured his father with his fist on his heart. “I’ll look after him and keep this pooch on a firm leash for ya,” Julie reassured them in turn, though Romerus could not help but be slightly irked from the somewhat patronizing comment.After wishing each other well, the young couple finally departed and left Romerus’s parents alone at their home for the evening. A couple hours had passed since their children’s departure for their night out, and the married couple were enjoying dinner together with only the ambience of the crickets for company. “Have the headaches gotten better since yesterday?” Jane inquired of her husband. “They have thankfully, at least for today,” Rudolph answered with a shrug. He had been experiencing terrible headaches last night that felt almost like severe migraines in their intensity, and regardless of what pain medication he took, the pain seemed to hardly go away. Eventually, the headaches ceased enough to allow him to get back to work, though there was still a lingering fuzziness in his head that he could not pin down on its source or cause. “I’m glad to hear that, I was starting to worry that we would need to take you to the doctor if it got worse,” Jane replied with relief. “You know, it’s only occurred to me until after seeing our son off tonight. It won’t be long till our son leaves us and strikes out on his own,” she commented. “Ayup, time sure does fly it seems, does it? I hope he retained everything I taught em, he’s gonna need it,” Rudolph replied as he ruminated on the upbringing of their son. “I’m saddened to see him go, he was the world to me, and when so much of your life revolves around raising someone until they reach adulthood, it’s hard to know how to fill in that void, to move on through life,” Jane sullenly expressed, and Rudolph quietly nodded in mutual agreement. “I still worry I haven’t done enough, that I’ve neglected preparing him and will end up turning out worse than I did. Just carving out this life for us was a struggle in itself,” Rudolph openly expressed as he shared his own anxiety with their son’s eventual, permanent departure from their household. “You’ve done more than enough, I know our son will succeed and even thrive. I know this, because he had you as an example,” Jane reassured her husband as she cast a tender smile at him to convey her sentiment. Rudolph however reacted with an empty chuckle as he replied with cynicism, “I know one thing, he ain’t getting off the ground another miraculous orange grove around here like I did, that was a fluke.” “It was a miracle, a god given blessing, and you didn’t even know how to farm properly back then!” Jane acknowledged. “I didn’t have a lick of sense back then, made all kinds of mistakes between getting you pregnant while we were still in school to not knowing what even grows all the way up here before approachin farmin,” he commented before letting out a sigh as he started recalling their more painful years of being impoverished with a pregnant girlfriend and a seemingly hopeless future. Their only way out was to drop out of high school and pursue life as a farmer in order to take advantage of the benefits the government was giving out to bolster corn farming at the time. When the income generated from their middling corn yield was not enough, Rudolph resorted to expanding into other forms of crop with oranges being one of them that he focused on despite their climate not being ideal for them. “They all laughed at me for tryin it, and for whatever reason I was as stubborn as an ornery ass instead of listening to them, but the oranges somehow didn’t just survive, they thrived, and in spite of everything else. The land around here is truly fertile, almost…unnaturally so, in some ways,” Rudolph openly pondered. “It seems this land was blessed by god itself, and he does give countless blessings to those who believe in him and observe his laws,” Jane tried to rationalize, but her husband was not quite convinced. “Well, whatever is causing all this, it seems to have the side effect of given em all a reddish hue. Like, they call our oranges Blood Oranges, but I don’t think that’s what they truly are, just like the rest of our crop from corn to carrots to taters, they all have a reddish color to em,” he pointed out. “Well, I’m just glad we made it through it all, and now we’re as well off and happy as can be!” Jane expressed with graciousness for their current living situation. “Yeah, I’m glad everything turned out for the best. Wouldn’t want to revisit those cold, sleepless nights fearing an uncertain future again,” Rudolph concurred.As they nearly finished their dinner meal of mashed potatoes, beans, and roast beef, Jane noticed her husband starting to eye her over with an intense gaze, and she asked him, “Oh, is something on my face?” “Not that, I was thinkin, what with our son leaving n’all with no one else to raise,” Rudolph answered as a subtle grin touched his expression. “Remind me, how young were we when we had Romerus?” “I was eighteen when I conceived him at the time,” she answered. “Well now, we’re still young aren’t we? At least, we’re still in our thirties,” he suggested, and Jane finally started to pick up on what he was implying. “Are you…suggesting we have another?” she tentatively asked, and her husband gave a silent nod as he cast a knowing look. “Oh dear…I guess, I could…but I don’t remember when I had my last period,” she reacted with a mixture of interest and apprehension. “Don’t worry about that,” Rudolph merely dismissed as he got up from his chair. “The kids are gone now, and it’s just you and us tonight,” he said as he made his way over to her. Jane got up from her chair to meet him, and her heart started to race as she said to him, “’I’m craving for intimacy, but I don’t want to disappoint you if I’m not fertile.” Rudolph then gently grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close, forcing both of them face to face as their breath became heavy and ragged in anticipation. Jane was slightly more plump compared to her high school years, but as he gazed down into her blue eyes with her dirty blond hair tied up in a bun and her face still as smooth and soft as a baby’s bottom, Rudolph was still as madly in love with her as he was when they met in high school, if not even more so with her rounder curves.Looking upward into her husband’s brown eyes, Jane’s heart pounded as the musty scent of his sweat from his long day of work was thick in her nostrils. His short, messy brown hair and stubble covered, chiseled chin was still a huge turn on for her, along with his six foot height over her and moderately built physique that was even bulkier compared to his high school years. His decisive and firm movements toward her had put herself in such a primed and vulnerable position from the surging attraction that no matter what he asked of her, she could no longer say no. “Don’t worry about it, mid thirty is the new twenty, and I’m more than enough of a man to sire another offspring from you,” he breathily reassured her with a low, almost seductively surly voice. “Then I have no doubt you’ll spark the life of another child in me,” she breathily answered back with a smile before they both gave into their urges.Rudolph and Jane leaned into each other and started to kiss passionately. As they were making out with feverishly intense desire, Rudolph’s fingers made quick work of unbuttoning Jane’s blouse. Unbeknownst to him, Jane had already removed her bra prior to their dinner in anticipation of an intimate encounter with him while their child was away. They still had an active love life after all.Before Rudolph could get far enough to fully unbutton and slip off her blouse entirely, a loud crash outside suddenly stopped them in their tracks. “W-what was that?!” Jane exclaimed after immediately breaking away from their kissing in surprise. “Dunno…” Rudolph merely answered in surprise and bewilderment. He was unsure of what the loud noise was, but after waiting a few moments and only receiving pitch silence, he shrugged and merely dismissed the strange noise. “Something must have fallen over, I’ll check it next morning.” After brushing aside the odd incident, they immediately locked lips again, and Rudolph continued to open up her blouse as he prepared to sensuously grope her.Before he could slip off her blouse and massage his wife’s bare form with his fingertips, another loud noise interrupted them again. “Rudolph, something’s out there,” Jane suddenly reacted with sharp anxiety as she pulled away from him, and Rudolph let out a loud groan of annoyance before gruffly replying, “It looks like we can’t ignore it. I’ll go out there and find out what’s goin on while you sit tight and stay pretty. I’ll be back soon to resume our night, so don’tcha be goin anywhere, ok?” “I’ll be waiting right here for you, don’t you worry about that. Be safe out there, come back to me Rudolph,” she obeyed her husband while cautioning him in turn.Jane sat back down at the dinner table and held her blouse closed, though she did not button it back up, and Rudolph went into the back to grab a flashlight before heading outside through the back door. Even with the flashlight, the darkness was thick and oppressive as he searched the grounds. Investigating the area around the house, it did not take long for him to find the source of the first noise, which appeared to be a pile of wood planks that had been knocked over by some large animal. The wood itself was at least still intact as he had been setting it aside to refurbish the chicken coop in the near future, but that did not alleviate his unease as he continued to search for the cause of the disturbance.The second noise sounded more distant, so Rudolph decided to check the shed on the other end of the farm to see what occurred there. Making his way through the orange orchard, Rudolph silently regretted not bringing his gun with him as he made his way past the dense, leafy orange trees that concealed enough with their size and density to make him easy prey to any creature intending to ambush him. He started clutching the silver crucifix pendant on the chain necklace his wife gifted him as he navigated through the dark foliage. Once he got past the orange grove, much to his relief, he finally came to a series of storage sheds lining the outskirts of their farm ground. As he investigated each shed, he found one of them with its door hanging open and in a state that seemed to imply that something large and strong must have forced it open. All this evidence of some kind of large, strong creature lumbering around their backyard had put Rudolph on edge and made his mind race. It’s got to be just a bear, that’s it. I ain’t a superstitious loon, no damn way it’s anything but, Rudolph internally rationalized to himself with bated breath as he warily approached the open shed and held his cross pendant in his hand even tighter. If god still cared for them, he hoped his presence would deter whatever evil was lying in wait for him.He entered into the shed with slow, quiet steps, but before he could search the interior, he suddenly felt the hot breath of a huff noisily emanating near him, and he could sense the presence of a large beast standing nearby. Rudolph stepped back and immediately turned his flashlight toward the beast’s presence, illuminating it within its light as it revealed to be…A milk cow. “Whaa?! Watcha doin all the way out here?!” Rudolph blurted in shock as he gawked at the cow while the creature cast an equally bewildered stare back. The cow only answered him with a demure moo.Upon further investigation, it turned out the cow had been trying to sneak into the shed where all the food was stored for the livestock. While it was unclear how the cow broke out of its barn, Rudolph let out a shaky laugh at the absurdity of the situation and started tending to their milk cow whom they called Lady before coaxing her out of the shed with some animal feed. As he was leading the cow back to the barn, some of the cloud cover had cleared to reveal the moon which was still full from the prior night. “I don’t know how you got out Lady, but I’ll need to make sure the doors are better locked next time. It’s dangerous to wander about in the dark like this ya know,” Rudolph playfully chided the cow before the faint fuzziness in his mind started to intensify. Before he could sense what was happening, his headache had returned, but the pain was quickly building. “Why is my…headache coming…back…ugh,” Rudolph gasped before stepping away from the cow and placing his hands on his head as the pain started to intensify.Before he had a chance to react, he cried out as a sudden, head splitting pain assaulted him. Rudolph fell to his knees as he clutched his throbbing head with a pain that felt as if a bullet pierced his brain. The pain was unreal, and it dulled his mind like a hot iron as he helplessly groaned and moaned in agony. Eventually, the terrible, mind numbing pain that burned his brain alive started to subside somewhat, and narrowly avoiding blacking out from the pain, Rudolph panted heavily as he found his body burning with heat and completely drenched in sweat. Before he could try to make sense of what was happening, a strange, uncanny feeling penetrated his mind, and just as he felt this eerie presence stirring within his subconscious, the cow suddenly cried out in fear before turning tail and abruptly running off. Rudolph raised a hand toward his fleeing beast before another flash of pain reverberated across his body, causing him to moan loudly in weakness as he crumpled to the ground.He tried to get back up, but his limbs had lost all their strength with waves of pain following each convulsion of his back that sapped his dwindling stamina. Rudolph gritted his teeth as every inch of his body throbbed, and a strong ache lanced his insides that provoked him into vomiting from the intense nausea sweeping over him. Gagging and coughing as bile dripped from his mouth, he then noticed the tinges of blood within the pool of murky liquid he expelled. Alarmed by the sight of his own blood, it was at this point that Rudolph knew something was terribly wrong. Unfortunately for the humble farmer, his torment had only just begun. Shortly after puking blood and fluids from his body, his teeth started to crack and crumble as he tightly clenched and gritted them. Fearing he was clenching too tight and damaging them, he eased the pressure only to find the molars crumbling away with a stabbing ache following as new, sharp teeth pierced through his gums to replace them. Rudolph spat out the broken remains of his human teeth and the blood in his mouth as he felt his canine teeth lengthening and growing into fangs. As all of this was happening, he felt a strange and uncomfortable prickling well up upon his hands and other parts of his body, prompting him to look at his hands only for his eyes to snap wide in shock at what he saw. Countless strands of thick, dark hair was quickly enveloping his hands while a heightening, stinging pain was emerging from his darkening finger nails. His jaw dropped as he witnessed his nails lengthening before his eyes, wincing sporadically as sharp stings flashed from the keratin thickening and sharpening into what appeared to be dark claw nails. “What’s…happening…to me?!” Rudolph rasped out in shock and horror as he watched his body slowly mutate before him, but he cried out as his brain flashed in pain again with his thoughts turning cloudy enough to deny him the ability to speak. It was apparent that the forces mutating and altering his body had cowed him into submission, and all he could do was moan in agony as he helplessly watched on. Soon after his nails had sunken into the thickening flesh of his digits and had grown into sharp, wicked claws, the rest of his hand pulsed as the flesh and muscle sinew within grew while the skin of his palm and fingertips darkened into thickening calluses that soon became leathery paw pads. It was not long after his hands had been altered into bestial paws that the dense, coarse hair growing in had spread down his arms, and as he felt his hair steadily growing in, it was then that he sensed another sensation building within his body, a feeling that evoked terror within him as he realized he was about to be turned into a monster.Without warning, a powerful, painful convulsion wracked his body with enough force to send him onto his back, and Rudolph screamed and groaned in agony as the spasms rolling through him broke his bones and cracked his skull. When his skeletal frame had been broken in multiple places, his convulsing eased somewhat as new tissue and liquid collagen grew in to remold his bones into a new structure. His moment of respite was brief however as he felt all the muscle sinews and tissues across his body beginning to spasm and pulsate with growing, burning strength, and a low moan escaped him as he felt his shirt and pants tightening against his growing body mass. Rudolph’s upper back bucked wildly against the ground as he felt and heard his spine popping and cracking in places as it lengthened and expanded in size with muscle bubbling around it. He screamed as a terrible pain stabbed his face with blood leaking out of his nostrils as his face slowly pulled outward, and the sting of cartilage breaking within his ears and nose soon followed as the ears expanded and reshaped into more triangular forms while the skin on his nose became moist and darkened in color. His mind struggled to comprehend what was happening to him between all the different forms of pain and discomfort numbing it, but he could perceive that he was expanding and growing in seemingly every dimension.His growing girth and bestial anatomy was not something his attire was designed to contain, and it was not long before his navy colored, button down shirt tore open as his furry, bulky chest ballooned outward with broad, stocky muscle. When his expanding chest and biceps shredded his shirt, his overalls soon followed as they split at the seams from the bulging thighs and snapped the straps off of his broad shoulders before disintegrating entirely in the wake of the hulking mass. His shoes did not escape a similar fate as the changing bone and flesh that elongated his heel pressed into the top of his shoe with enough pressure to rip it down the middle before sliding off the newly reformed, rear paw. Shortly after his shoes were ripped open and tossed off, the sting of toe claws tore through his socks and quickly shredded them during the creation of his canine-like hind legs. Rudolph grimaced as sporadic pain lanced his insides when his organs rearranged and expanded with loud gurgling and sickening squelches, and as he groaned and bared his sharp teeth in anguish, another powerful convulsion forced him off his back and onto his front. His back rocked and bucked as a sequential wave of popping and crackling ran down the length of his spine as the cord stretched, and he felt the end of it press outward from above his bottom which provoked tears of pain from the sharp sting of the skin being stretched taught by the tailbone. With relative ease, the expanding tail cone tented the back of his white briefs before tearing through them, and the new appendage continued to lengthen until it hung over his bottom. By this point, the bulkiness of his thighs and glutes became too much for the damaged apparel to take, and his briefs soon split through the center and meekly slid off of him like the last shreds of his waning humanity.Becoming aware of his nakedness with a momentary lull in the pain and discomfort of his transforming body, Rudolph regained enough of his consciousness to experience a moment of clarity regarding his approaching fate. When he saw the black tip of his emerging snout as it slowly entered into the center of his field of vision, it finally dawned on him what he was actually becoming, and a surge of fear and regret coursed through him. How could this have happened?! Why is this happening to me?! Is god punishing me?! Were the thoughts racing through his mind as Rudolph struggled to comprehend what was happening to him and what would become of him and his family.The itchy prickling had spread across his entire body as it was nearly covered in a dense, dark brunette coat of fur, and as he felt his triangular ears cresting the top of his head and the growth of his lupine snout nearing completion, Rudolph could sense that the end was near. Jane…she has to get out of here, she has to escape before- his thoughts were soon interrupted by a surging ache in his brain that made him gasp out loud, and new, bestial thoughts and urges started intruding into his mind. In desperation, Rudolph attempted to call out to his wife to try and warn her, but his vocal cords had already mutated enough that he could no longer speak as only barks and guttural howls emanated from his throat. He attempted to get up on his feet, but the feeling of standing on all fours only amplified his animal instincts further. Before he could attempt to muster his remaining willpower to express one last message to his wife, it was already too late. Rudolph groaned again, his moan of pain quickly deepening into a guttural growl as his feral mind swallowed the last vestiges of his human conscience. His last remaining thoughts of his wife, Jane, quickly devolved into carnal, animalistic urges toward her. Hunger, lust, violence, the most primal instincts of the beast emerging within him consumed his humanity, and with the pain in his head burning away the old neural pathways and his skull compressing his brain into a more bestial structure as it solidified, he would be fully reduced to a wild and feral animal.Jane…I…am…sorry, was Rudolph’s last human thought before it was abruptly snuffed out, his irises turning yellow as the beast took over. His cries of agony quickly changed into frenzied snarling as his mind turned more wild and unhinged. A final wave of popping, cracking, and snapping sounded across his body as it finally solidified into its newly born, monstrous form. With the last vestiges of human skin buried in dark fur and hair, the werewolf threw its head back and bellowed a bone chilling howl to celebrate its new birth. The once hard working and humble man had been turned into a monstrous animal. After finishing its howl, the beast lowered its head, its tongue lolling out of its mouth as it panted excitedly with saliva dripping profusely from its jaws and warm clouds wafting out of its maw from its hot breath, and when it started to explore with its newly born body, it quickly picked up on the scent of a familiar creature closely tied to its former self. The werewolf turned its attention to the house nearby, and lowering its snout to the ground, a puddle quickly formed from the drool pouring from its mouth as the scent intoxicated it. Driven by a primal hunger with its tail wagging feverishly in delight, the wolf ran toward the home as it sought to sate its carnal desires. Jane walked about the house as she rearranged the furnishings, readjusted picture frames, and put away anything that was left lying about. She could not stand to simply sit in one place doing nothing for long while waiting for her husband, so she tried to distract her growing OCD by tending to the house in the meantime. She had buttoned up only the top of her blouse with her cleavage still highly visible since she knew they would resume stripping down for their night of intimacy as soon as he returned. As patient and trusting of her husband as she was however, Jane was growing increasingly anxious by the length of time he was away, and she was quickly running out of things to do to distract herself on top of it. “Rudy seems to be taking a long time…” Jane quietly muttered to herself with worry as she stopped before the window and looked out, only to frown when all she could see was darkness. She was starting to debate if she should remain where she was or go out and search for him. There was something about a lone, defenseless woman roaming about the dark that did not sit well with her, but she knew she could not just sit idly by if her husband happened to be in trouble somewhere. As the minutes ticked by, the uncertainty eventually became too much for her to bear, and she walked toward the standing coat rack to put on her jacket and go out looking for him. As Jane picked up her jacket, she suddenly started hearing the chickens in the nearby chicken coop becoming noisy and restless as if something had spooked them. Soon accompanying their distress, the cows started baying loudly in the distance in fear of some unknown source. “Something has the animals spooked,” Jane observed out loud as she laid her jacket on a nearby loveseat and made her way back to the windows to try and spot the source of the disturbance.She peered into the thick darkness as best as her eyes could, but even with the light of the full moon above and the glow from their patio lanterns, it was difficult to clearly discern anything within the murky veil. Just when she was about to go out the door and investigate herself, she suddenly spotted something gleaming in the darkness. Two small, reflective orbs glinting in the blackness seemed to be inexplicably bobbing through the air near her home, but as she was watching the strange sight in bewilderment, the orbs staying perfectly parallel to each other clued her in that they were the eyes of some kind of animal. As she was gradually realizing that she was watching some kind of creature roaming about in the darkness of their backyard, its glowing eyes suddenly turned in her direction, and her blood froze as she locked eyes with it.Jane slowly stepped back from the window as the creature’s eyes moved toward her, and before she could react, she screamed when the beast suddenly leapt out of the darkness toward her and landed upright against the window with a loud rattle with its front paws resting against the glass. A look of wide eyed terror seized her expression as the massive, seemingly wolf-like beast stared back at her with glowing, yellow eyes and a foggy smudge forming upon the window from the hot breath wafting out of its open maw. The bulky, hairy creature was like nothing she had ever seen before as it seemed to bear the traits of a canine with massive, stark white fangs and claws fused with a seemingly humanoid form with abdominal muscles and pectorals.Jane was frozen in fear as she stared back at the unrecognizable beast whose gaze was fixated on her as it panted heavily with its long tongue hanging out while saliva dripped profusely from its sharp toothed maw. Her mind raced as she struggled to comprehend what her eyes were seeing while trying to stave off the fear that her husband had come afoul of this enigmatic beast besieging her. Her eyes slowly wandered to the backdoor, and with the beast taking notice of where her gaze was going, she then realized she needed to act fast. Jane bolted towards the back door just as the beast got off the window and ran towards it, and seconds before the creature could lay its paws on it, Jane narrowly locked the door in time just as she felt it attempt to turn the knob. Apparently this creature was intelligent enough to know how to open doors.Her momentary relief was short lived however as she heard the beast growl angrily behind the door, and she shrieked in fright as loud slams hammered the door that startled her enough to make her fall backward onto her bottom. Jane ungracefully scrambled back onto her feet as the door creaked and cracked from the beast’s terrifying assault on it, and she quickly pulled over a nearby bookshelf atop it to block the door before further reinforcing it with as much furniture stacked against it as possible.With nearly every piece of furniture piled against the back door in a small mountain, Jane stepped back and fearfully quaked from the loud cracking and splintering of the wooden door as the monster broke it apart. She stood there with bated breath as she watched the mountain of furniture shudder and shake precariously as the terrible beast attacked it. A minute passed as the barricade continued to tremble before the beast finally ceased its assault on the barrier. Jane let out a ragged sigh of relief from successfully repelling the monster, her body still trembling and coated in sweat as she clutched herself from the mortal terror coursing through her. Still panting as her heart raced, she slowly made her way back into the other room as the wolf-like creature paced about angrily on all fours with a low growl emanating from it as it bared its sharp teeth and fangs. Watching the unnerving creature pacing about as she came into the room, a thought suddenly occurred to her just as the beast spotted her again through the window, and when they locked eyes again, the beast raised and lowered its gaze for a moment as it eyed over the window before stepping back slightly and bending towards the ground as it got into position, confirming her worst fears.Reacting without a passing thought, Jane started running further into the house just as she heard the glass shattering behind her as the wolf monster smashed through the window pane with a mighty leap. If it were not for her snap thinking in that split moment, the monster would have likely overtaken her before she reached the door to the basement, and just as she hurled open the metal door and ducked inside, she immediately swung it shut in the nick of time just before the beast slammed against it. With quick hands, she locked the door before the handle jostled slightly from the creature’s attempt to open it, and she flinched from the loud slams of the monster attempting to break it down. Unlike with the wooden backdoor however, the creature quickly picked up on the sturdier build of the metal door and swiftly ended its effort to break it down after a few attempts. Jane fell back against the wall and gradually slid down it until her bottom hit the floor. She slumped over and cradled her face in her hands as she started crying softly, traumatized from the harrowing experience. The mere thought of her husband encountering and possibly being killed by this monstrous beast made her emotionally break down, and witnessing the creature’s terrifying strength, she knew that he alone could not survive against it.Jane quietly cried for a time as she struggled to overcome the terror and trauma while trying to push back the thoughts of her husband’s death tormenting her. Eventually, she regained her composure as she let out a long, ragged sigh before shakily bringing herself back onto her feet and slowly descending the stairs as her body continued to tremble. As terrified and emotionally distraught as she was, Jane knew she needed to pull herself together if she was to survive the night. As she slowly descended the stairs, Jane started running the logistics in her mind of how much food they had in the basement and how long she could remain in hiding. She knew that she was safe in the basement, but it was a question of how long she could last versus the beast outlasting her as it waited. It could certainly break into their food stores upstairs after breaching their home, let alone sating itself on their livestock, but with how seemingly obsessive it was with her, it was unlikely to leave any time soon.When she had reached the basement, she groped toward the place where the light switch was in the pitch darkness, and after a few minutes of searching blindly with a shaky hand, she managed to brush against the switch and flip it on, illuminating the largely barren space from the few light bulbs hanging above. Jane made her way across the largely unfinished room with brick walls and a cold, concrete floor that chilled her bare feet to the bone, but once she reached the center of the room, she felt an odd chill that seemed unnatural compared to the normal temperature of the basement. Sensing the draft suddenly blowing past her, she looked about the room to try and discern its source, and when she noticed the curtains hanging on opposite ends of the room, her heart dropped when she suddenly realized she had made a fatal oversight. Just as she turned toward the source of the draft, she found the wolf monster slowly emerging from the curtains after it had pried open the basement’s egress window with a growl rumbling from it like low thunder. Jane inhaled sharply as she slowly stepped back from the massive, dark brown beast approaching her. In broad light, she could more easily make it out as a kind of giant wolf with vaguely humanoid physiology that made her wonder if it was some kind of werewolf, even if she believed such a thing to be pure myth. Her eyes darted side to side as she desperately searched for a means to escape, even when she knew in the back of her mind that she had been cornered, but before she could make up her mind and attempt to run, the wolf beast suddenly pounced as it leapt toward her.Jane screamed as the monster swiftly brought her to the ground, and she thrashed and writhed beneath its massive girth in futility as the beast firmly pinned her to the floor with both paws holding her arms down. Her struggle to break free immediately ceased as a loud growl reverberated in her ears, and she gazed up to find herself face to face with the wolf monster as its yellow eyes stared piercingly into hers. “Oh god no…g-god please…p-please protect me from this…evil!” Jane whimpered as the terrifying creature bore down on her. As she stared at the beast in wide eyed terror, she soon noticed something hanging from its neck, and upon spotting the glint of the silver crucifix hanging from the chain buried within the fur of its neck, she turned pale when the horrifying truth finally hit her. “R-rudolph…i-is that…y-you?” she stammered in shock and horror, and the beast seemed to react to hearing her call its name as it started to pant with its tongue lolling out, confirming what she had been dreading.Jane grimaced as drool dripped over her face from the werewolf’s mouth while its hot, pungent breath wafted across her nostrils with a hint of the beef they had partaken in earlier. She did not know what had become of her husband or why this happened to him, but all she could think of right now was desperately trying to reach him and compel him to not hurt her. “R-rudy…i-t’s me…your wife…t-the woman you’ve loved your whole life,” she delicately whimpered to the werewolf as she tried to get through to him while her eyes moistened with tears. The wolf however lowered its head and slid its long tongue slowly across the side of her face, and she cringed as she felt its hot, wet surface running along her cheek as he tasted her. When the werewolf removed its tongue from her, Jane resumed again as she continued to plead to her bestial husband, “R-rudolph, please…d-don’t you recognize me? It’s me, J-jane…the love of your life.” The wolf remained unresponsive as it stared blankly at her as if her words were not reaching him, and as it continued to pant excitedly while appearing indifferent to her pleas, she started to wonder if there was still a part of her husband left in that creature. “R-rudy…w-whatever has happened to you…I still love you. I will always love you…no matter what happens to us,” she emotionally expressed to him as tears flowed freely from her eyes. “Rudolph…you won’t hurt me…I know you won’t. S-so please…let god heal you…so we can go home and love, like we always have,” Jane appealed to her werewolf husband one last time as she felt the familiar but heavier musk of his sweat like before.Her last few words seemed to stir some kind of reaction from him as his excited panting eased and his demeanor seemed to convey uncertainty for a moment.A moment of silence passed between them as Jane gazed up helplessly at the creature her husband had become with only the sound of her heart pounding in her ears as she awaited her fate. She could sense the conflict within him as her husband hesitated with what he, or rather the werewolf controlling him, intended to do to her.Unfortunately for her, Rudolph had identified more as a beast than a man with one sole driving instinct toward her. As sudden as lightning, his hesitation vanished as the werewolf swung his head downward and plunged its fangs into her bare shoulder. Jane cried out in pain and despair as her husband’s fangs pierced deep into her soft flesh past the clavicle bone like a hot knife through butter. Her scream rang out through the night air before abruptly cracking as her voice died in her throat. When Jane’s last rasps of agony faded into silence, an eerie quiet reigned for a time before the silence was broken by the sounds of ripping and tearing filling the night....
Other Werecreatures, Prose
Dragon PowerSpring is a time of rejuvenation. It’s a time for rebirth and warmth as the chills of winter retreat until autumn. It was also the beginning of Ennis’ favorite and least favorite time of year. While warmer weather meant he could work with less restricting clothing in the railyard during the days and nights, it was also absolute hell on his sinuses, which left him begging for death whenever the pollen attacked. Despite his nemesis of pollen, he still worked full force every day. He was the railyard company’s greatest asset. Just a few inches short of being eight feet tall, the cream-colored dragon was seemingly as wide as a bus and had enough power in one claw to make a trash compactor shit itself. If he wanted to work nude, no one dared say a thing to him. They figured, “Hey, it beats relying on a dirty, loud machine, let him be.” Every morning, he’d arrive at about 9 AM, or at 8 PM if he was working the night shift. He’d walk up to the nearest stationary freight car and do stretches for several minutes before receiving his orders for what cars needed to be lined up and by when. This railyard was one of the company’s most important and valued yards in the country, mistakes were not tolerated. The fact that they placed such great faith in Ennis to do his job over a shunting diesel engine showed how important everything was. Because of this, Ennis had made it his job since day one to work as hard as possible and be as big as possible. And he clearly took the latter very seriously. He learned a few times when he had just started that freight cars were not your friend and can and WILL crush you if you slip up. Before his job here, he had a rather decent-sized body that most guys aspired to have to impress the ladies. But ever since then, he practically blew up. Who would’ve guessed that pushing and hauling lines of several ton-loaded train cars would provide a beneficial weight load? He was a heckin’ boofer. Today’s workload was a hefty one. Fourteen trains had to be prepared and six had to be dispatched when they arrived. Ennis had an astounding ability to move cars from all areas of the railyard. It was like Tetris but on a far larger scale and a fuck-ton heavier. His record for pulling cars was a train consisting of 97 fully-loaded tanker cars. The memory of that record could still be felt in his body, the tense aching and grunting, muscles pounding and swelling. On a normal day, he’d usually handle much larger and longer trains, but usually didn’t pull them for consist amounts of time. On average, he’d get a group of 10-20 cars (depending on if they were loaded or not) and move them into the mainline where the awaiting lead engines would later come to hook up and take them away to their final destination hundreds or thousands of miles away. His record was set as part of a charity event held by the city. He had no intention of leaving that record untouched, though that was for another day. He got his orders and went to put on his safety vest and harness, the harness being what he wore when he pulled cars. Simply pulling the cars by the knuckle (the point where cars couple to each other) wasn’t a viable option, neither for the car’s condition nor Ennis’ hands. Despite his hands being thicker than most industrial pairs of gloves, the knuckles were made of rough steel that often had a layer of corrosion on them that made even the smallest cut made by a rough edge a potential problem. So, for his safety, he pulled with a harness connected to the knuckle, and wore gloves when pushing. It’s not very fun to push a several-ton boxcar when it’s been sitting in the summer sun for several hours. His harness was rather new, in fact just recently delivered special order by the manufacturer. Regular harnesses were designed for short-term usage, maybe for an hour or two per day, if that. The harness that Ennis needed had to be specially designed to handle the expansions of his 95-inch chest, while also reinforced to withstand the stress of being tied to a line of freight cars. Before this one, he’d go through at least four or five in the span of a year. The manager of the railyard and the rail company that owned the yard didn’t really mind, but started getting peeved at how more constant the replacements became. The first time he busted a harness was because he pulled a load too heavy for it. Then there was the time he just simply outgrew it…actually that’s basically been every time since then… This new harness was designed extremely well and had forward thinking put into it. Rather than being one standard size, the material was flexible and breathed with Ennis, expanding to meet Ennis at full size during inhales without losing tensile strength. This new one had a lifespan guaranteed to last Ennis for the next several years, or until Ennis outgrew it again… There was a kinky, devious part in the back of Ennis’ mind that told him to flex as hard as he could and try to destroy the harness, but he quickly buried it before it had a chance to linger too long and possibly come to fruition. He couldn’t deny that there was a strange sense of satisfaction to seeing his old harnesses that broke due to his size. Without a moment’s hesitation, Ennis left the railyard office with his orders on a clipboard. He decided to let his body air out as he worked, though opted for jeans at least to go with his steel-toed boots. The new harness wrapped perfectly around his torso, almost like some weird BDSM piece. Although clothing had been made option, boots were mandatory, and this Ennis never dared to complain about it. Definitely didn’t want to lose a toe to a careless mistake. The first train to be assembled was a refrigerated goods train, about 125 cars in length. They were empty, and Ennis figured this would make a good test of the new harness. As his arms bulged and veins pulsed, legs pounding the railroad ties, the harness did exactly as designed and formed to his body’s movements. It actually felt relatively nice. The previous ones had rough edges that grated along his scaly skin. Didn’t feel like much at first but after several hours, you start to feel something. The clattering and clanging of the cars moving down the tracks to the switching point and then back the other way down the central vein of the railyard was constant for the next hour. As usual, in the time it took a guy or two and a yard engine several hours to accomplish, Ennis finished the job in just an hour and a half. Granted, these cars were empty. It left him beating sweat like a waterfall but it was mere child’s play, a warmup at most. Traffic in the yard picked up as time progressed and trains came and went. Ennis pushed and pulled, grunting and growling as his body rose to each challenge. It was like fire blasting through him, with satisfaction of the job being completed being his salvation. By 4 PM, Ennis had gotten through a majority of his work for the day, and only one train had to be assembled before he could call it quits for the day. His body heaved with his pecs rising and falling like ocean tides with each breath. Veins charging all around his hulking body, racing to deliver much needed oxygenated blood to keep all systems green. The harness he’d been supplied with had performed spectacularly, though it too groaned like him as he breathed. The material might be strong like him, but was not quiet when worked repeatedly. As he rested for a moment, he playfully inhaled deeply to make sure the harness was still fully-functioning, a small part of him disappointed when it refused to snap. The last train he was responsible for assembling was a mixed goods train, consisting of fully-loaded boxcars, tankers, stack cars, and hoppers. These were simultaneously Ennis’ favorite and worst to deal with. He enjoyed the heavier loads because it helped keep him on his toes and was the perfect exercise to keep him from needing a gym. At the same time, however, they were also tedious and required going to all parts of the railyard to gather the right cars. Though the railyard didn’t handle loading and offloading of the cars that came and went, previous trains would come to drop off their loaded cars to be carried on further to their final destination. Not all cars to a train were bound for the same destination, and thus required a railyard to be divided for further transportation. Ennis was central to this operation and was one reason he’d grown so massive. To the trains’ credit, he wouldn’t be so big without them. Feeling the exhaustion from the last heavy train still weighing on him, he shook his head and roared and flexed hard to invigorate himself for one last train. What goes up must come down, but not if you kick whatever is coming back down back up into the sky, proverbially speaking. This was his way of fighting off the feeling of giving up. The pump and rush was the slap in the face he needed to dive back into his work and he set off. Lines of cars, one after the next rolled down the yard, and then back to be lined up to form the new train. He had to jog quickly from one area to another to meet the demands of his schedule. Pull one line down and into the center track, secure it, then jog to the next line. Rinse and repeat. Slowly but surely, the new train came along at a good pace. Ennis didn’t give in, letting the feeling of clocking out keep him pumped and fueled to see things to the end. At just a few minutes before 6 PM, Ennis carefully pushed the last line of cars together, giving it an extra shunt to make all the knuckles make contact and couple together. Every car’s brakes had two systems; a pneumatic and a manual. The pneumatic system was only operational when the entire train was coupled together with the lead engine. The manual brake had to be turned to create resistance against the car’s wheels so that it wouldn’t roll away when stopped. Ennis had a practice of making sure that the manual brakes were set but only just enough to prevent them from rolling away. They still allowed the car to roll, but at a snail’s pace, which allowed Ennis to push and pull lines of cars without having to worry about any becoming runaways. He had made sure that the lines of cars had their brakes set properly when he brought them in line. After they were in line, he’d release the brakes and leave a few still engaged to be later released when the pneumatic brake lines were hooked up. Ennis had set the brakes on the lines of cars, and had to add several single cars to the train as well. Can you guess what was at the tail end of this train? Did you guess that it was a single boxcar? Did you also guess that Ennis forgot to set the manual brake when he put it at the tail end of the train? Guess what’s at the opposite end of the railyard that the end car is close to? A slight gradient… With the last of the cars lined up and hooked together, Ennis leaned against the leading boxcar and breathed a sigh of relief, a dull “thud” emanating from the walls of the car from Ennis’ back bumping into it. He was wetter than a fish fresh out of water in sweat. “Finally done…”, he thought. An alarm came over the railyard’s PA system, “RUNAWAY…RUNAWAY…ALERT.” Ennis’ body shot up, stunted by the sudden alert. Then someone shouted at him, “Hey Drak! You’ve got a car loose!!!” Ennis’ blood ran colder than the Arctic as he looked over at the person shouting at him from afar. It was one of his coworkers who operated one of the yard’s shunters. He was using a megaphone and pointing in the direction of a certain railcar that WAS at the tail end of Ennis’ train. A railcar that was now beginning to roll further and further away from the train and slowly picking up pace. “SHIT.”, Ennis sputtered. He quickly bolted after the boxcar. For someone of Ennis’ size and stature, you’d think he’d run rather clumsily or with an awkward gait. Surprisingly, however, he was very fast. The rocks that made up the rail bed for the tracks made running risky and difficult. This didn’t stop him from pumping his legs as fast as they would go. The boxcar reached the beginning of the gradient and started to accelerate. Though only rolling less than 5 MPH, it began to roll at about 10, then 15. It was slow enough for Ennis to easily catch up to the car, but he still had to stop it. The gradient was about 3 miles long and descended about 50 feet in total, but was still not a walk in the park to try and stop. Ennis caught up to the boxcar and leapt onto the ladder on the back end of it. He could feel the momentum still building, had he hesitated or waited even a second more, the boxcar might have started to outrun him. Quickly, he shimmied up the metal ladder and up to the roof where the brake wheel was located. “This should be over quickly, I hope.”, he thought as he braced himself while turning the wheel. By now, the boxcar was going well over 30 MPH and still accelerating. The brake wheel turned and turned until it was at full deployment. Nothing. Ennis’ mistake in not applying the brake when he first brought it to the center line meant that by the time he’d caught up to the boxcar and applied it resulted in a powerless braking system. Ennis began to panic in his head, and then looked up at what laid ahead, a railroad crossing. He was barreling straight for it. Even worse was the fact that a single boxcar wasn’t enough to trigger the crossing guards system. If he didn’t act now or fast, then it wouldn’t be just him in danger. Ennis looked around, trying desperately to think of what to do. The loaded boxcar had to weigh at least several tons at minimum. There were no real options. Failure flooded his mind. He then realized something; he could stop it, or at least try to. He carefully crouched and knelt his way down to the other end of the boxcar, facing the approaching crossing. It was now about a mile away, and the crossing guards were definitely not coming down. “Now or never, big guy…” He descended the boxcar’s ladder until he was just a few feet above the tracks. “This is suicide!!!”, screamed the panicking conscience in his head. Without a further moment to think, he slammed his feet into the tracks below, gripping the sides of the boxcar to brace himself. He could barely reach that wide but was able to find a grip on the car to hold onto for dear life. His boots ground into the rail bed, destroying the massive railroad ties in rapid succession, splintering them in the process. His pants shredded to bits along with them. His scales were tough, with the muscles beneath even tougher. His boots, surprisingly were still in one piece, but were being ground by rocks and dirt. The boxcar had been going nearly 40 MPH when he put his plan into action. Uncertain of how well his plan would work, he’d decided to throw himself quite literally in front of a train to save whoever was going to be at the railroad crossing by the time he and boxcar reached it. Though it seemed like an eternity, it only took maybe five minutes for the two of them to reach the crossing. The boxcar ground to a halt. Ennis, slowly opened his eyes, still gripping the boxcar, though the sides now deeply cracked from his grip. He looked behind him to see cars going through the crossing as if he weren’t there. “Am I dead…?”, he wondered. Reality came back to him as he looked around. He’d managed to stop the boxcar from reaching the crossing by about 10 feet. He pulled himself out of the trenches made by his tree-like legs, revealing a menagerie of cuts and gashes made by the rocks and debris that had been sent flying. He didn’t feel a thing. As he pushed the boxcar back to the railyard, he kept looking back and also down. He’d left a significant length of track damaged, and kept wondering of what sort of catastrophe could’ve been if he hadn’t acted. He felt guilty about the possible harm he could’ve caused if he hadn’t been careless with his job. It took a bit but he finally returned to the yard, pushing the boxcar back into line with the train. This time, it was secured properly and had its pneumatic line attached to ensure it was connected. The entire railyard’s staff all gathered together and were in shock and awe at Ennis’ feat. The massive dragon had managed to stop a fully loaded boxcar from barreling through a busy roadway during rush hour. They were shocked but also grimaced at his injuries. “Oh these? Just scratches, heheh.”, Ennis chuckled nervously. The yard foreman approached him, visibly displeased. Though the fox was half Ennis’ height and nowhere near his build, he still had bravado to him, plus it also didn’t help that he was Ennis’ boss. “Mr. Drak, I am extremely disappointed in your mismanagement of Freight Express property today! You could’ve caused untold amounts of mayhem and destruction! But…seeing as you stepped up immediately to fix your mistake and even threw yourself at the problem…literally… I am going to spare you for today. Your actions were heroic to say the least, and it seems that you’ve been punished enough in the process. So, I expect to see you first thing as soon as you fully recover.” Ennis breathed a sigh of relief, a sigh that was finally one of true relief. He then beamed and flexed, “Just doin’ my job…” “SNAP”, goes the harness. … “That’s coming out of your paycheck…”[End],...
[Renatus Vol.2] #8 - More Wrong than Right“Majestic moon tonight.” Hajime murmured in his seat, looking at the night sky through the window beside him. Mifune grabbed his attention with a sudden pull on his stool. The wooden floors at the tavern they were at creaked that every other drinker in the room cast them an irritated stare. The senior took a sip of his mug, ignoring their stares, “Careful what you say. People might mistake you for a werewolf.” “Which, I tell you, I’m not.” The neophyte agent, still topless, nursed his cup of coffee. The image of Miss Wolf pervaded his mind. Her face, the reddish glint on her otherwise mortal-looking green pupils, her defenselessness. “She was unlike those we usually hear about. Even her young was just as tame. Trust me, she didn’t do anything nasty to convince me.” His former mentor lowered his voice, “It was a night of a full moon. And you said she was staked with a silver weapon. Of course, if she was one of those alpha werewolf types, there was nothing she could do but appeal to you.” Hajime breathed in the strong smell of his brewed Arabica coffee, hoping its aroma would soothe him. He inched back, unable to counter his senior’s remark. He looked around uncomfortably with the desire to change the subject right then and there. Unfortunately, none of the other drinkers – fellow agents who went back to their own drinking business at their own tables – backed him up. “Was she pretty?” The old man asked. “Well…” The young redhead hesitated to answer. “…yes.” Now, it was Mifune’s turn to inch back on his seat. He thumped his mug against the wooden table loudly. Only this time, not all of their fellow hunters in the tavern were startled. He burped, “That’s called manipulation, rascal. You fell for an age-old trick women usually use.” Hajime put down his coffee, his enjoyment for its aroma dissipated. “BUT…” The old agent broke into a snigger and then lowered his voice for his unpopular opinion, “…what Ryuuji tried to do wasn’t right. Attempting to turn a monster into his sex slave and breeding ground for monster kids to profit off of?.. On that regard, I side with you.” He raised his mug then drank all of his beer in one go. “You’re not going to report me to the higher-ups?” Hajime inquired as the old hunter slouched on his seat, shaking his head. “I know I breached the rules by going against a fellow agent.” “Hm.” Mifune grunted, “Who fired first?” Knowing that it was Ryuuji, the redhead felt like a thorn was taken out of him. The gray-haired man smirked, making the neophyte ease up further. He ordered another mug of beer and the waitress from afar acknowledged his request. Picking up the piece of bread on his plate, the veteran shifted the topic back to Miss Wolf, “Are you sure the she-werewolf didn’t do anything to you?” “Yeah.” Hajime took a bread for himself and dipped it into his coffee, “Otherwise, Felicia would have logged something on my documents.” Mifune took a fierce bite of his own bread. “Heh. She’s not big about documents anyway.” “Can’t fault her for that,” the younger agent added. Both men casually laughed, enjoying their humble meals all the while the ethereal pentagram on Hajime’s back started rotating, relaying audio feed to its caster. “I’d like to think she didn’t find anything suspicious on you, rascal. Still, it begs the question: how are you alive after taking multiple shots to the torso? You don’t even have the scars for it.” Mifune’s tone turned serious, “Look, I taught you to be a good hunter and I think I did an okay job.” Hajime retorted, half-smiling, “Wow, as if you’re saying I’m not quite there yet, huh. Alright.” “My point is…” The old man continued on his serious voice, “While I trust your character, can we trust your memories of that night? That nothing out of the ordinary happened?” The redhead’s conviction about Miss Wolf’s inability to cause him any harm suddenly felt like it was shattered. “I… I don’t know.” “Exactly!” The old man thumped the table with his mug again. “Listen up, man.” Somewhere far, against a certain ritual well, Rika sat fully alert. The pentagram on her ear, one she paired with Hajime’s, rotated and glowed, feeding her information. Mifune started to narrate, “There used to be this old myth about a mortal man torn between two realms. Gifted with life by one, tempered and raised by the other. A man sought out because of his unique ties. Destroyer or unifier of civilizations. Usurper or bestower of power. Bringer of calamity or of tranquility.” “Why doesn’t he have a definite description?” Hajime downed his coffee. “Lemme guess: Story got retold and rehashed as generations went?” “Reborn. Like the man himself.” The senior corrected. “In one version, he helps a sorceress kill The Ultimate Evil. In another, he sides with the she-devil herself to kill the sorceress. In the most sinister version, he kills both and becomes the new Ultimate Evil. But one thing’s definite about him…” Noises from outside suddenly filled the room. A commotion broke out somewhere, people were screaming. Hajime inched closer to Mifune, paying full attention to his senior, ignoring the folks. He thought it was just people merrymaking. Then, a familiar female voice emerged from the bedlam. Out of breath, she still managed to steal what Mifune was about to say. “He’s wrong… more times than he’s right.” Both agents turned to the woman who went to their table. They were startled to behold the sight of a notoriously flirty green-haired faery but not as notoriously being flirty this time. Felicia was panting and sweating bullets, her legs trembled that Hajime had to stand up and gently support her to take his seat. Her white, long-sleeved dress torn at the hems, her corset’s lace undone, she struggled to sit erect. Hajime grabbed a stool and sat next to his senior who gestured to the waitress for a cup of water. The young agent demanded, “What happened? Who did this to you?” “Someone… too vigorous… even for me,” Felicia joked in between her gasps, making light of her own situation. “Who knew… there was somebody like that?” However, Hajime overturned her joke, pointing at the bruises and visible scratches on her arms, neck and jaw, “Those aren’t injuries anyone could just get from casual sex.” Felicia tried to deny it but she ended up coughing blood. Mifune and Hajime exchanged glances, trying to figure a way to make her spit the truth out. She later surrendered to the gravity of the situation, “Just remember… what I said.” In a matter of seconds, people from outside the tavern started rushing inside for protection. Alerted by the panicking folks, all of the drinkers -- agents – stood, their hands on their holstered firearms and melee weapons. Hajime frisked his hunter belt for throwable daggers and ammo, his other hand holding his pistol. Mifune picked up his rifle. They were all ready for battle, looking brave and willing to throw their lives away for others, like the heroes they mostly regard themselves to be. In their minds, this was just another impromptu monster kill. With lots of them gathered in one place, all certified by The Agency, all tempered by experience and skill, they held their heads high. They would come out of this alive. Or so they thought. A feminine yet mighty roar of a beast almost broke their eardrums. “BLOOD FOR BLOOD! The House of Rem will NOT forget!” The panicking folks came rushing into the tavern like flood. Failing to derive a full sense of security while inside, they trembled in horror of what happened to the unfortunate ones left outside.
[Renatus Vol.2] #9 - (Pt. 2) More Wrong than RightSounds of thick blood splattering all over sent shivers down everyone’s spine. Screams that became dying breaths filled the air with the temperature of fresh, warm corpses. Monstrous sounds of jaws crunching and munching flesh and bones invaded their ears. And the beastly yet feminine growl that followed was nothing to scoff at. No one was too drunk to have imagined it. Hunters and locals alike felt tension and indescribable fear that rendered them unable to move. Then… silence came. Deafening. Unwelcome. Everyone in the tavern was still and unwilling to even breathe, thinking that the beast outside would detect their presence. All of the people outside were already dead. Apart from the massacre and the murderer’s womanly silhouette, the only other thing that stood out at the scene was the smell of mint that seemed to originate from one of the people in the tavern. No one could pinpoint who. Was it even a significant observation? Hajime couldn’t tell. His attention, along with the rest’s, was focused on the threat outside that he didn’t notice the light feminine touch on his back. The same touch that sent the pentagram over a certain witch’s ear spinning wildly, to the point that the mage had to destroy it herself. Slowly and menacingly, the murderer paced away but not without a blood-curdling snarl that made the survivors inside yelp and whimper. A stomp. Another stomp. Footsteps. And then… nothing more could be heard. Everybody gulped and blinked hard at almost the same time. It took them a while before feeling a little at ease, able to breathe without breaking into sobs and whimpers. Despite experiencing such horror firsthand, Hajime foolishly pushed through the panicking crowd in an attempt to investigate right away. The folks prevented him from going outside, afraid he might taunt the beast to come back. They understood that he was a hunter, yet acknowledged that none would be able to stand their ground against the monster they themselves couldn’t properly identify. Then Felicia spoke, still panting. She claimed to have engaged on a brief combat with the beast and was fortunate enough to be able to run away to tell them the monster took countless lives already before her encounter. Men, women, the elderly and children all dead in its wake. It was an indiscriminate and unprovoked culling of mortals. Mifune thumped at the table, gritting his teeth. His fellow agents at the tavern was still frozen in shock and unable to think what to do. Some were ashamed they couldn’t bolt out to face the murderer. A few were hesitant to admit they were deterred by death screams which they thought they were long accustomed to already. Majority were still trembling on the inside. “What kind of monster…” Mifune demanded from the faery, “D-did you see the beast? Give us its description.” She, still on her seat, weakly started, “A fanged young woman... P… pale skin… Claws…” The crowd gasped as they murmured their own presumptions. “A she-vampire!” “Nonsense, vampires are extinct!” “A b-banshee?” “Harpy!” “Ghoul!” Mifune pressed on, “That’s not enough detail. You gotta give us some more.” Felicia turned to Hajime with regret on her bruised face, “Long, blonde hair. Average height. Emerald pupils… with a reddish glint under the light of the moon.” The neophyte agent was struck speechless. *************************************************“ “This way,” Serra pulled an embarrassed Akira by the wrist as she led him to her chambers. Luther closely followed behind, like a bodyguard, but with a disapproving scowl. The yellow-eyed werefox in his human form willfully yanked his arm away from his pack leader, stuttering in anxiety, “A-a-a-alpha, why did you bring me here? If anyone saw us, they’d think the worst!” “Even better.” She nodded with a playful smile, paying him no attention while she groped her ornately designed door for the camouflaged little levers. After turning a combination of those levers, she opened the door with a mechanical creak. “Come to my room,” she casually told him, gesturing for him to go inside. His face turned red, “W-why? I-I…” The image of Cynthia flashed in his mind out of nowhere. His chest pounded fast. “I’m part-fox. Y-you’re part-wolf! Even your kid is against this!” Luther whined audibly, openly supporting the werefox’s case. Akira’s head spun at the thought of his alpha being in heat that she was willing to get down with whoever she saw first. Yet he was thankful that the little cub didn’t favor him for whatever reason. Now, he only needed to instruct the pup to contradict his mother’s wishes more strongly, and he’d be off the hook. She visibly rolled her eyes, “You two are getting it wrong.” “Wha… Uh???” Akira paused as he came to realize that he was overthinking things. “Oh! Of course!” He slapped his forehead in relief. Deep down, he punched himself. “Get inside,” turning impatient, she gestured to him again. “We don’t have much time.”

Mature Content

Case of the Werewolf Killer by Ulyferal

Mature Content

The Werewolf of NCIS by QuiteDeath
Forbidden Companion by abbycats
Captain-Red-Feather
All Werecreatures, Poetry
Promise to a WerewolfYou meet a lovely woman one day at a familiar place.You become fast friends and soon decide to go on a date.But the truth comes out when the moonlight reveals her altered state,crossing feminine and bestial, a lycanthropic fate.Would you stay with her?Despite her lupine look, her mind remains human,and she pleads to you to that her heart is unchanged.But a werewolf does not mingle with fellow man,and her presence risks chaos from the deranged.Would you be with her?She assures you that she is trained and in control.She believes she will bring no harm to man or creature.But she cannot deny her nature, her shewolf soul.Protector and predator, instinct surges within her.Would you trust her?Her wild tendencies test the limits of your patience.She cannot suppress the mess and trouble her wolf brings about.Raiding the pantry, dirtying floors, a noisy presence,tearing up sofa, ravaging the yard, and rambunctious bouts.Would you tolerate her?You know of those who will not accept her hidden self.Though strong, she cannot face all of her adversaries.Many will harangue her as they seek her head itself, and you may share the same fate by her enemies.Would you protect her?Being with her, you realize how far your life has strayed.Her influence is pulling you toward a point of no return.You fear losing your identity and regret having stayed.Being with her means becoming her, with feral fangs in turn.Would you change with her? She laments burdening you, but expresses love eternal.She promises undying loyalty, giving her life for you.Can a werewolf commit, would it stay true to you through it all?A shewolf certainly can, and you know she will pull through.Would you love her?Because if you accept her, she'll promise you happiness forever.
Don't Fear The WolfI see you changing beneath the starry night sky,bathed in the full moon’s rays as it sets your soul alight.I sense the fear in you, the dread of your awakening.Sadness fills your expression as you start to cry,shaking and whimpering as your eyes widen with fright.Feeling your body changing, you fear your reckoning.But do not fear the beast emerging within you.Your awakening is neither a curse nor a sin.This is not the end, but the beginning of a new you.Your wolf howls as a free spirit singing true.Your liberation surges as shackles fall within.This is who you are, this is destiny you must see through.Embrace your fangs, they will help you protect.Let your claws extend, they will aid your hunt.Grow out your hair, fleecy fur that shelters you.Wag your tail, it conveys what you respect.Revel in your strength, it will bear the brunt.Grow out your muzzle, make your bite break through.Pointed ears now crest your head, hearing all that must be said.Your snout twitches as scent heightens, stirring thoughts as instinct awakens.Paws connect you to mother earth, invigorating your primal rebirth.Sensing the end near with dread, you fear what arrives in its stead.But the light of your spirit brightens, heart knowing you are not forsaken.You rise again from the ashy hearth, completing your lupine birth.A newly born werewolf, you howl in release.Yet you idly stand there, lost and in a daze.Body of a wolf, lamenting lost humanity.But do not despair, let your self-loathing cease.You are finally free, kindred soul ablaze.Beauty of a wolf, embracing new vivacity.You wonder how I know these things, unable to shake this feeling.I know these things to be true, because in reality I am one of you.Bring your paw to mine on this day, and follow my heart as I show you the way.
Were Creature Book Reviews
Shy Walking Shadows Rankings on Wattpad by KitWulf
Literature by OmuYasha
Wrath of a Hellhound Chapter 1 by OmuYasha
Darklings by RavynSoul and Leiko
Darklings - Issue 10, Page 14 by RavynSoul
Writing Contest
wolfmarian comics
HTF. Flaky Werewolf Story, Part 2. Pag 3. by Wolfmarian
Comics
Moonlit Brew: Chapter 6 Page 10 by midnightclubx

Group Info

Werewriters is a group for people who love to write or read about werecreatures. It can be anything; essays, fanfiction (that include WERECREATURES), humour to horror, anything were can be posted here.

Thank you to :icondogboy09: for the image used in our icon!

SUBMISSION
You may submit any art or stories that include werecreatures. This includes fanfiction and fanart, but it MUST have a main plotline including werecreatures. You may submit a maximum of FIVE pieces a day.

RULES
All of Deviantart rules apply to this group, obviously.
Any and all art MUST include a werecreature.

*WerewolfNobody was the original founder. Where she had put her image, I changed it to my link since I took her place as founder. Most admins will be suitable in place of my link, with few exceptions. For instance, if it says something about the other admins and ~LucarioWolf5 it probably has to be the founder.

JOINING
:bulletgreen: Anyone may join, as all requests are automatically accepted.

SUBMISSION
:bulletblue: You may submit any art or stories that include werecreatures.
:bulletblue: This includes fanfiction and fanart, but it MUST have a main plotline including werecreatures.
:bulletblue: Any and all submissions MUST include a werecreature. Exceptions will be deleted from the gallery.
:bulletblue: All submissions are automatically approved, but will be reviewed by ~LucarioWolf5. If deemed inappropriate, irrelevant, etc, it will be deleted from the group gallery.
:bulletblue: Co-Founders are able to review submissions, but must contact ~LucarioWolf5 if they are considering deleting it.

RULES
:bulletred:All of deviantART rules apply to this group, obviously.
:bulletred:Try to get along :)
:bulletred:If a member is harassing another member, just note ~LucarioWolf5 and they will be warned. If they continue to harass, they will be blocked.
Group
Founded 14 Years ago
Jun 17, 2010

Location
Global

Group Focus
Common Interest

332 Members
340 Watchers
57,950 Pageviews

Featured Artist

:bulletyellow: :bulletyellow::bulletyellow:January's Featured Artists :bulletyellow::bulletyellow::bulletyellow:


Winner of our monthly writing contest

:iconmark-ethan-syron: :iconmark-ethan-syron: :iconmark-ethan-syron:


"Photographing Werewolves" mark-ethan-syron.deviantart.co…
One seeks me out immediately. It is a drawing of one of these things that catches my attention. The description underneath the caption says, “Seven or so feet high with massive claws. Be weary of traveling near their North America habitat. Known to attack without provocation to protect identity. These things are called Werewolves”.

" A Witch's Tale" mark-ethan-syron.deviantart.co…
In an abandoned house lied a witch. This was no ordinary witch. He had been casted out of his society for and unspeakable act. Now he lives on the run as he is chased down by his brethren.


"The Hunt" mark-ethan-syron.deviantart.co…

Only when the child is strong enough to handle the stress of the transformation would the child be able to change shape. It was pure luck that Shawn hadn’t begun his monthly cycles while out of Mary and John’s care. Fear enveloped her as she read that young were-lings have been burned alive by townsfolk who wanted to destroy the beast within.


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Comments


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:iconjoeyliverwurst:
JoeyLiverwurst Featured By Owner Oct 21, 2013  Hobbyist Writer
Thanks for the request!
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:iconmoonlit-rebel:
Moonlit-Rebel Featured By Owner Oct 21, 2013
No problem! :D
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:iconjohnithan:
Johnithan Featured By Owner Oct 10, 2013  Hobbyist General Artist
Is the next Full Moon Contest coming up soon?
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:iconmoonlit-rebel:
Moonlit-Rebel Featured By Owner Oct 10, 2013
Yes we will be back on track! This one will be more of a Halloween contest but we will be going back to our monthly contests starting on the 12th
Reply
:iconjohnithan:
Johnithan Featured By Owner Oct 10, 2013  Hobbyist General Artist
Awesome possum! Thanks for the info.
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:iconwerewolfsword:
WereWolfSword Featured By Owner Oct 5, 2013  Hobbyist Digital Artist
So do you guys accept stories only involving Werewolves? I'm just wondering because I have done some written projects and I was thinking you would add them to your collection of work.
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:iconmoonlit-rebel:
Moonlit-Rebel Featured By Owner Oct 5, 2013
It would depend on the content, but we are pretty laid back over here ;).  What is the primary subject matter of the works in question?
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:iconwerewolfsword:
WereWolfSword Featured By Owner Oct 5, 2013  Hobbyist Digital Artist
It's a Fanfic involving the Nintendo game Star Fox. My Fan-made character, Maks O'Donnell, is the main character. Part 1 is already out but part 2 is still in the workshop. I want to get it out by tomorrow night, or at least get vary close to done.
Reply
:iconmoonlit-rebel:
Moonlit-Rebel Featured By Owner Oct 5, 2013
Yea that would be good, just be sure to add it to the fanfiction folder when you add your piece to the group!
Reply
(1 Reply)
:iconmomoirochocobo:
MomoiroChocobo Featured By Owner Sep 29, 2013  Hobbyist Digital Artist
Thank you so much for wanting my story in your gallery! I hope you all enjoy it. ^...^
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