The Lycanthrope Tails. Chapter 16.
The Lycanthrope Tails
Chapter 16
By Roofles
I remember running. My legs were burning, all four of them. It hurt to breathe and still I filled my lungs with the rich, clean air of the forest around me. The earth quaked beneath my steps and the trees seem to part in my advance as if on their own. My mind was clear, my heart was strong and still there was something missing.
It would have been easy for Jared to give in to it. That blood lust that took him during his first change that dark night, so long ago. Bitten by his best friend after the raid on his city, his home. It was almost like there was something else in the driver seat with him, behind him; trying to take control away. It hungered, a mindless monster that craved only the most primal things in life.
Running helped. It cleared his head. His mind. His doubts and worries as he leapt over the creek he had known was there even without ever being here before. In the forest, it was his domain. His territory. His stronghold and it made him that. Strong. Strong enough to keep that monstrous passenger in check.
Jared wasn't strong enough, not on his own.
Large steps broke through the underbrush of the dense forest. A lumbering beast towered over all those around as a russet red fur wolf joined him out in the opening of this glade. The wolf shook his head, knocking twigs and leaves off.
Jared paced over; the dark earthen brown wolf moving over to nuzzle the side of the larger wolf's face. Taking in his scent, knowing him.
"Da..ko...ta..." Jared tried to form the words. It wasn't natural, well none of this was. Wolves didn't have the vocal cords, the tongue or throat to make the sounds a human could. It was one of those small but many things he was learning throughout all of this.
The brown fur wolf stopped at, puling back and away. His body tightened, tensing from the force change he brought on himself. His brown fur fell off like grass to the ground, the color of the very dirt beneath their paws. Legs snapped, arms twisted and finally he reverted into something between a man and a wolf.
A human in his early twenties. Jared had ragged, long hair and was covered in a coarse brown hair over his chest and arms. Looking like a wild mountain man more than a college student.
Then again, Jared thought. That old life was behind him now.
Parts of who and what he was before this were missing. Just gone. Pieces of his memory plucked out of his head and replaced by something far darker, more primal and wild.
There was another sound of paw steps and the two turned in time to see a silver fur wolf walk into the glade to join them. Frostbite had been part of Dakota's pack before this all. He was an outcast. Like him, like Dakota. A misfit band grouped together for survival.
"Hey," Jared waved with a forced smile. His side burns itched something fierce. They were where his whiskers had been. Jared was still getting used to this all, a newly formed, recently bitten werewolf. His arms and legs were still covered in that dense brown fur. "I beat you this time!" The man smiled wolfishly, panting heavily from the exertion.
"Right." Frostbite just said flatly. The silver fur wolf wasn't about to point out that Dakota had threatened his life if he didn't let Jared win. These games of tag were entertaining enough. It was some way to pass the time while training the "new pup" the ways of the wild.
"I think I'm getting good..." Jared bit back the other words. His hand was shaking, the monstrous claw where his hand had been wanted to keep running. To hunt prey and... Jared shook these thoughts away.
Time and time again these dark thoughts plagued him, haunting his very dreams.
"Say it, please." Jared almost whispered the words holding back the tears. These tears only fueled his anger which fed the beast more inside.
"I promise," Dakota spoke up behind him. The large russet red fur wolf walked over to nuzzle the side of the human's face. "I won't let you kill anyone."
Jared took a slow steady breath at that. These hands wanted blood and so long as he didn't give in to that, some human part of him still remained. The other two wolves seemed to notice this two. Who he had been, who he was? There was still that part of him here with them thanks to this alone.
"Relax, pup." Frostbite scratched one of his ears with his hind leg. "You didn't taste blood on your first night." The silver fur wolf reminded him. "That's where half of them end. Their mind breaking, unable to handle the desire for more after. Like being ripped in two." Frostbite was grinning by the time he stopped, recalling the very thing that had happened to him. The silver fur wolf didn't seem to mind.
"I know." Jared said. It was a lie. His body wanted one thing, his mind another. His heart? He wasn't sure what his heart wanted. "I just... that's not my choice. I won't choose that fate. So long as I am Jared, I won't be that kind of... wolf." He chose the word carefully not wanting to offend either of his two pack mates.
Dakota laid down behind him, letting Jared rest back against his side. His fur was warm, musky and smelled of the forest around them. "As long as your happy." The wolf yawned.
Jared wanted to shout at him for that. To stand up and smack him in the face. To yell and cry and just... the human shook his head. The sudden rush, such powerful emotions washing over him like a tidal wave was another one of those things he'd have to get used too. These days he had a short fuse. A very short. Almost nonexistent. Just another lovely side effect from the change.
"You promised." Jared said, almost warning him.
"I promise." Dakota rolled his eyes and laid over on his side, pulling the human back with him with one arm. "You don't have to keep bringing it up."
Jared rested back against him, enjoying the other males warmth. That primal part of him making him nuzzle down against that rich canvas of fur on Dakota's chest, to smell his powerful musk. It calmed him, that raging beast inside. If it wasn't for Dakota and Frostbite, Jared knew he wouldn't be as sane as he was.
Over these past three months, Jared had to learn to control himself. Everyday in and of itself was a chore. A task. Like working both mind and body. Jared had never been into meditation or mantras or the such. These days he spent a good several hours, spread throughout the day, to focus and control himself. To recite his own name. Who he was.
Dakota said he didn't need to keep bringing it up. That was a lie. Jared needed too. If he forgot who he was, then it was game over for him. Something else would take his body, his mind and the man named Jared would be no more.
"I think I'm ready." Jared lied. "I want to go back to the city."
Frostbite ears folded back and he looked away. "Pup. It's only been a couple of moons. You still have much to learn."
"I know. We'll keep practicing, working on it as we go." Jared just smiled at him. The man looked exhausted though. He was still panting even after resting in this glade. It taxed him far more than he was letting on.
Dakota watched a butterfly fly by with a look of pure boredom on his face. The large red wolf could care less about this all. He knew what he wanted, what he needed. As long as he was with Jared nothing else in this world mattered.
"This is a bad idea!" Frostbite snarled at Dakota an hour later. Jared had gone ahead to steal some cloths for the three. Frostbite wasn't about to take human form again, ever. The silver fur wolf knew Dakota would though. For a Fang, the red wolf was so... amiable with this human. Going along with him, doing what he wanted like some love sick pup. It was disgusting to watch.
Where was his pride!
Frostbite stopped at that as Dakota just lumbered past him, jogging over to his human who had returned. Pride? Frostbite almost gagged on the very thought as bile rose into his throat. Out of all of them, it was he who should be the most ashamed. Ashamed of what he had done.
"Frostbite!" Jared called over. The man was still wolfish but human enough to pass. He would get looks, people would stare but they would dismiss it shortly after. The large sweater he wore, the long jeans... it would hide his furry legs and upper arms enough to pass by for now.
Frostbite watched the man run over, still panting. He was hot in the face, sweating. The human looked like he was about to collapse any second now.
"Idiot," Frostbite wanted to snarl. To bark and the two of them. To just shout, cry out and beat some sense into them. Instead, he smiled as Jared knelt down to wrap a soft powdered blue scarf around the wolf's neck.
Jared hadn't brought him human cloths. He knew the wolf wouldn't take a human form. He didn't know why but respected him enough not to question it. Yet, still. He didn't have too. Frostbite didn't need it with his thick coat of fur. Yet, still. Jared had brought him something, a scarf to shield against the cool Spring winds.
And if a wolf could cry, Frostbite thought, he might. Then again. His tears would be like ice.
The town had seen better days but was recovering far faster than Frostbite or Jared had thought it would. The attack had torn several parts of the town apart. Anywhere Jared's scent had been the ferals had tracked down, seeking him at their misguided Alpha's command. The school, the church, the veterinarian office up on the hill.
Money solves everything, Frostbite had explained in the early morning. There was still dew on the grassy yards as the three made their way down to Jared's old home. "The hunters would pay off the whole town if that's what it took. Make up some far fetch, but believable enough, story to convince the yokels that it was just some junkie gone wild." Frostbite was in a foul mood as usual as they stopped outside Jared's old home.
"Or silence anyone that got in their way..." Frostbite yelped as Dakota smacked his side. "What?" Frostbite snarled. He stopped, seeing the look on Dakota's face and only then noticed Jared's
His parents had lived here since they had first married. This was the place where they held Thanksgiving, Christmas. Their birthdays. A place where Jared had played in the front yard with his beloved twin sister Tess.
Now? It was a half burned mess.
The garage door was busted outwards. No one had bothered to replace it. Or the broken front window where a werewolf had been thrown out months ago. There was police tape still over the shattered hole in the wall. It was worn and weathered from age. Someone had boarded up the front door, that was missing and nowhere to be seen. The place looked old, far older than it was. Abandoned and burned. No one had bothered to resell this place, to fix it up and try to give another family a chance at a happily ever after.
As if knowing this place wasn't theirs to sell.
Jared was crying. Streams of hot tears ran down his face as he stared at his childhood home. No sound escaped him as he just stood there, almost frozen in place as it all finally dawned on him. Or maybe? Now he remembered what had happened. Even the beast inside kept quiet.
"At least they cleaned the place up, a bit?" Frostbite offered weakly. He was the fatalistic one amongst the three. It wasn't like the go happy, always cheerful Jared to be like this. This was real. This wasn't just a whiny pup. This was real and that made everything sink in for the two even more.
Jared moved forward, through the garage and into the house before either of the two could say something else. Neither had the mind too. What could you say when someone's life was all but over? Everything they had worked for, done.
"It's like he died?" Jared thought and that dark beast inside stirred at that. Jared. The man. The human that had lived here, dreamed here, had fun here, made dinner here. It was like he was gone now.
Then who am I? Jared questioned looking down at his hands. There was brown fur sticking out from underneath the heavy sweater he wore. These hands were human, weren't they? They looked foreign to his wolf eyes as if they belonged to someone else. Someone he once knew.
"Is there anything you want to take?" Frostbite spoke up, following behind him. The wolf just wanted to get out of the open, not wanting to admit to himself that he wanted to check in on the human. "A picture, maybe?"
Jared was looking at one of the walls. A few of the frames had been knocked down during the scuffle. Yet, there was one still there. The glass was cracked and he couldn't make out the two older people in the photo. Only the two young kids up front. Smiling together.
"Tess..." Jared said her name. The very name was almost unfamiliar. "How could I have forgotten?" And he took the frame and hugged it to his chest as those tears continued to fall. "What do I do now, Tess?" He begged the photo slumping to his knees.
Frostbite was uncomfortable. One part of him wanted to comfort the human. Another wanted to go get him something to eat to try and help in a more animalistic way. Another wanted to make a run for it and come back after this all passed over.
"Home." Dakota was the one to speak up. The large man took a seat next to him. Like Jared, Dakota human form was that of a wolf in sheep clothing. There was something wild about him, untamed and it would make any passerby take the long way around. Still, in this form he could comfort his mate. "It's not a place." Dakota just emptied his mind as he spoke, speaking from how he himself felt. "It's a someone."
Jared looked over at him, wiping away a tear. "But Tess was my home."
Dakota nodded at that. If he had lost Jared, the red wolf didn't know what he would do. But he didn't lose Jared. He was right here and Dakota was right here. For him.
Dakota just scooped him up in his arm, hugging him close to his bare chest. The wolf didn't say anything more on that, letting his actions speak for him as his beloved cried against his chest and clung to him. Dakota rested his chin on Jared's head, rubbing his back as he looked down the hall.
"I'm here." Dakota finally spoke with a rumble in his chest that sounded more like a growl. "I'll never leave you." Dakota browed furrowed a bit as he spoke, making his resolve here and now. Never again would he see his mate hurt like this.
Even if he had to devour the world, he would keep Jared safe.
"Someone's coming." Frostbite spoke up, the only one paying attention. The silver fur wolf hated being the third wheel but in cases like this, he was the only one to keep an eye out while they got lost in each other.
Jared didn't stir but Dakota did. He stood up slowly, picking Jared up with him and helping him to his feet. Dakota wiped one tear away and licked the other. He kept his face close after, letting Jared breath in his breath before letting go.
"This scent... is familiar." Dakota said after sniffing the air. His human nose wasn't able to pick up all the things his wolf one could. Still, he was inhuman and his senses were five, ten times stronger than any normal human even in this form.
Jared wiped his face off, steeling himself. The beast inside roused at the idea of an intruder into his home. HIS home. Before the beast was lost in Dakota's embrace, the smell of the strong, dominant male put even the wolf inside to rest. It knew where his place was when Dakota was around.
"I know it too..." Jared said, feeling awkward sniffing at the air. It was familiar. It brought back memories. Memories of his past. Of the man he once was.
"Who's in there?" A voice shouted from outside. It was male. A large male, maybe in his late thirties. Jared could tell that much.
Jared moved towards the garage. Frostbite was on his heels, following after him as if he were his shadow. Dakota had already gone ahead, out the garage to confront the intruder to his mate's den.
"Jared?" The man asked seeing the two of them and the large wolf at his side.
"Morris?" Jared blinked in disbelief.
Morris was the veterinarian who had trained Tess over the past years. He was almost like a surrogate father to them in a lot of ways, watching out and helping them whenever he could. He was of some African decent, Jared had never asked about. It didn't really matter after all. Jared trusted Morris with his very life.
Morris had seen better days. His chrome dome wasn't glossy as it usually was, Jared swore the man used turtle wax to make it so. Morris's facial hair was a mess and needed a good shave. Where the man was usually neat and prim, he looked disheveled as if he woke up in a box in an alleyway. Even the suit he wore was faded, frayed at the edges.
"I can't believe it!" Morris said, staring at him in disbelief. "I thought. They said..." And the large ex-military man nearly cried in front of them, just looking shocked from it all. "They said you died boy." And Morris walked over to give Jared a strong hug.
Jared returned it, closing his eyes. He couldn't help smelling his scent as he did so.
"It's good to see you again, Morris." Jared said after he let go and back up. Morris wiped his face.
"I'm not crying!" The vet laughed loudly, still in disbelief from it all. He looked like he saw a ghost. Jared couldn't blame him on that.
"I'm glad you're ok." Jared just smiled, finally noticing the flowers Morris was carrying.
There were several similar ones next to the doorway and garage. There wouldn't be a tombstone for either him or his sister after all this. Or maybe there was? Jared frowned at the thought, that was kind of morbid in more ways than one.
"I just... You? I can't..." And Morris laughed again.
"What about Tess?" Jared had to ask. He had to know. This is why he came back. This was the reason the wolf inside hadn't, wasn't able to take over. This one drive, this one desire to make sure she was ok had kept him sane. Dakota had helped too. "Where is my sister." Jared demanded now, taking a step forward. His voice shook a bit, anger creeping into it as he spoke.
Morris was taken aback for a second. Was this still the same wimpy kid he had helped raised after their parents were gone? Morris collected himself the next second, not letting his fear show. He was too happy to see Jared was alive to care about such a little thing like that; the kid needed to grow a backbone. And after this all? He was glad to see he did.
Maybe now, Morris wouldn't have to watch over them.
"Tess left after you... we thought you were dead." Morris tried to explain. One of Jared's fist clenched tightly into a fist at this. "They, those bastards... they told us you died. They told us one lie after another!" Morris was the one to get angry now. "Tess, she didn't know what to do. Where to go. The last I knew... she had gone with them."
That made Jared face fall, if only for a second. She had joined the hunters? Like they had offered him a role in their ranks, they had done the same to her. Threatening her, grabbing her at her most vulnerable and taking advantage of that.
Where there was anger one second, sadness the next... there was something more. And Jared laughed.
"Thank god." Jared wiped his tears. "She's still ok then." Frostbite looked up at him. The wolf didn't want to poop on his parade and let him have this much needed moment. "Where did they go?"
"It's been months..." Morris said, hesitant to give him any more information for fear of him doing something stupid. The look on Jared face told the man that he had already made up his mind though. Morris just nodded in defeat at that. "They went North the last time I checked. Tess and I kept in contact for a while then she dropped off the face of the map...."
Morris took a step closer, placing a hand on Jared's shoulder. "She wasn't the same Tess when she lost you. Something changed."
Jared placed his own hand on top of Morris's and gave it a squeeze. "I know." Jared said truthfully, fully able to understand such a loss. "I will track her down, find her and then..." He stopped at that.
Morris nodded once more and let go. The man turned away and tucked his hands in his pocket. He looked up at the sun, rising above the mountains. "Be safe." He said, not even needing to turn around to know the three of them were gone.
Jared was running. He found a new strength, something he had lost over the months out in the woods. Meaning? Purpose? A sense of self identity? He wasn't sure. Because he didn't care.
"Do you plan to run all the way?" Frostbite easily caught up with him, keeping pace with the wolf still in human form.
"If that's what it takes." Jared just smiled. Frostbite only frowned at that, shaking his head. Jared stopped. "Look," he said to the two who had easily kept up. "I'm going. I will break into their headquarters if that's what it takes!" He was still panting, a bit wide eyed as he looked at the two.
Dakota had turned back into a wolf. The russet red fur wolf had a strap attached to his leg with his spare cloths in it.
"You don't have to join me." Jared said almost solemnly, placing a hand over his head. "I am... truly grateful for everything you both have done for me. Truly, after it all. I can't ask you to join me."
"It's cute," Frostbite smirked stepping past him and looking at Dakota. "How he thinks he has a say in this?"
"It's nice to let him have dreams." Dakota just nodded along, stepping past the man on his other side. "The young really should."
Jared only laughed at that, shaking his head. "This is suicide. You guys do know that."
"Every day I spend with you two is suicidal." Frostbite only jumped in, continuing to walk on.
"I think it makes things fun." Dakota just shrugged his heavy shoulders as he continued to lumber forward. "We're on a quest!" The wolf perked up his tail as he stopped, looking back his wolf.
"You're both idiots." Jared laughed and walked over. He pet the side of Dakota's face and knelt down to hug his head. Dakota just nuzzled against his chest. Jared gave Frostbite, the silver wolf having stopped to look back at them, a smile. "Thank you."
Frostbite folded his ears, continued to grumble and headed out.
Jared got onto Dakota's back, the large not even shifting at his weight. The wolf grinned, told him to hang on and quickly caught up with Frostbite.
"Where do we even start?" Frostbite dared to ask.
"Well, can't you guys track them?" Jared asked, lowering himself down on Dakota's back as the trees began to blur by them.
Frostbite didn't want to point out how retarded that was. To track down hunters? There was an irony in that he was sure was lost on this wolf pup. "To individuals, maybe."
Dakota was just happy. Open maw, panting as he ran with his mate on his back like this. Only months ago, Jared was afraid to even touch him. And now? There was very little time the two was ever apart.
"They hide their base well. I've only ever been able to find small outposts." Frostbite frowned now as he kept up with the two. "I'm not a tracker."
"Don't look at me." Dakota laughed loudly, barking as he jumped in the air, kicking his legs out and landed heavily before continuing. "I already have what I sought." And the large wolf murred deeply as Jared scratched his head.
"I'm still new to all this," Jared said loudly over the sound of the wind 'wooshing' past them. The wolves could run as fast as any car on the highway, seemingly, even in the dense forest they traveled in. "We need a tracker."
Frostbite stopped at that, letting out a deep sigh as he shook his head. Dakota circled around and came back as Jared pulled on his large ears, using them like a harness to guide the wolf.
"I think I know someone who could help us." Frostbite grumbled, lowering his head a bit with his ears splayed out.
"That's great!" Jared smiled, looking back towards the direction they were heading. "Tess, wait for me."
"Yeah, she will not be happy about this." Frostbite only chewed on his words as he followed after the pair. It had been months since they lost contact with Sylvan. She still had issues with Dakota eating half their pack after all.