“Fuck!” Caspian hissed. His face transformed into one of open fear. Panic hit me. Something was wrong. Something with Ava.
The beast reared back up, trying to burst out from inside me. I felt some internal desire to break free and began to de-personalize. Was I Brandon? Or was I this beast inside trying to get out?
We ran and it all combined, swirling in my mind and making me go half-mad. Deep pants left my mouth, sounding rough and raspy and big. Caspian was too distracted to notice.
Something was wrong with me. Something was happening.
“Go,” Caspian insisted, grabbing my wrist and pulling me along. I nearly fell.
“Cas,” I tried to say, my voice coming out like gravel, scratching up my throat. He didn’t hear me. “Cas,” I tried again and it sounded nothing like me, it sounded inhuman. We heard the cult up ahead. We heard Ava yelling in some war cry.
I smelled them. Smelled their greed and their flesh. Above all else, I could smell the most delicious thing in the world. The thing I wanted more than all else.
“Ava,” I growled, dropping to the ground on all fours. Caspian’s grip on me came loose. Gunfire went off and Caspian hesitated, looking between me on the ground growling in pain, and towards where Ava was. I still had enough clarity to be shocked. He’d have never done that before. Never hesitated for her. Never would have looked back to see if anyone else was okay.
“Go,” I growled. He looked over me once then nodded and took off. I lifted my head, looking up towards the sky. I saw Mothman, a dark shape above.
A deep howl split from my mouth. My skin began to peel and fur sprouted. The howl turned deep and echoing, trailing over the entire mountain and making those few animals that were left race away in terror.
It was happening. I couldn’t stop it. The thing inside was coming out and I couldn’t swallow it back down. The rings on my fingers turned to ice and cracked off.
A roar of pain exploded from my mouth as my bones broke painfully. Ithurt. This wasn’t natural. It wasn’t some instantaneous thing like Caspian did. It was grueling and rough. Another bone broke and I gave another animal roar of pain. I wasn't sure I was going to live through whatever was happening and I wasn't sure that might not be for the best.
It felt like the seconds were minutes or even hours, but finally I stood on all fours, panting. The edges of my vision dimmed and my entire body quaked in exhaustion from all the pain. The world tipped sideways, the ground growing closer before all went dark.
When I woke up it must have only been a few minutes. I heard the chaos of a fight—guns going off, people shouting. My arms were covered in black fur, my fingers tipped with claws. I reached behind my head and broke the leather straps of the muzzle, snapping the thick leather like a rubber band. It fell to the ground and I opened my skeleton jaw wide. A long dark tongue snaked out and moistened the edge of my bony snout.
My entire body had changed, only the deer skull was still the same. When I looked down at my body I couldn’t determine what animal I looked like. Part wolf, part bear, part something that didn’t exist. My arms were longer than my bent legs and I knew I could stand up on my hind legs if I wanted. I had a short tail, more like a deer’s than a canine’s.
Ava’s smell hit me and I was hungrier than I’d ever been in my life.
My body reacted without thought. I took off on all fours, heading for her. I couldn’t stop myself anymore. I needed her. Needed her more than I ever needed anything in my life.
Saliva dripped from my mouth. Her smell was amazing and it took over all other scents. I burst through the trees and saw the chaos around us. I was tall even on all fours, my head high above everyone else’s.
A bludgeoned person was on the ground. Caspian was rolling around in a fight with one of Ben's men. Mothman was shooting from the sky as the humans shot up at him, flying erratically while trying to take cover behind the trees.
Ava stood there with a rock in her hand, blood dripped off it and soaked into the dirt.
She saw me and stood there, looking dumbstruck at the beast—at me.
“Run!” Caspian snapped at her as the cult member struggled to throw Caspian off him. Her eyes flashed from Caspian to me. “Run!” Caspian grit out and you could feel the magic thrumming through the air. His command infused with charm in a way I’d never felt before. Even I felt the need to run faster.
Ava dropped the rock, turned, and ran—barreling through the forest, leaping over logs, pushing through branches. I followed, a hungry beast chasing its prey.
I could hear her heart beating, could feel it like it was my own pulse. Her scent only grew as she took heavy breaths and started to sweat.
She didn’t turn to look at me, she just ran, her arms pumping. She wasn’t fast enough though. Four legs beat two and she never stood a chance.
“Run!” I growled at her, my voice odd—gruff and low. She tried to pick up speed but her legs were shaking. When one knee gave out and she almost fell, I held my breath, anticipating I’d finally get her, have her underneath me to do whatever the fuck I needed.
She caught herself before she fell and pushed on, losing one of her shoes along the way. Her hair was flying behind her, a fan of black.
I was stretching this out, enjoying the chase, confident I wouldn’t lose her.
I flung my head back and howled. Logic gave one last final withering plea before I pushed it away and leapt forward, snapping at her heels.
She cried out in fear, her heart beating fast. I went to nip at her heel, trying to take her down but pulled back at the last second, letting her tendon pull itself free from the bite I could have gotten.
