The Lycanthrope Tails. Chapter 22.
The Lycanthrope Tails
Chapter 22.
By Roofles
The group began to move again but Jared stop. A sharp smell hitting his nose. It smelled like iron and he knew it was blood....
Far on the other side of the underground base, Tess was fighting for her life. Blood trickled from her forehead as she dived to the side, another gurney being thrown in her general direction. She hid herself quickly as it crashed overhead; her hands were shaking. She hadn't fired a single shot yet.
This... this wasn't anything like training.
She wanted to. She wanted to kill this thing. Every time she looked at its face, she saw him. Her dear brother. The resemblance was uncanny. What little face he had left. Yet, she knew it was someone else. One of the few people in this whole place that she liked. Wanted to talk with, hang out and connect with.
Now? She wasn't sure what was going on anymore. Her nerves had failed her the second she encountered a real life and death fight. But that wasn't all...
There was something wrong, even she knew that as Tim howled again. The sound was like that of an animal being forced feet first into a meat grinder. A pained, twisted, horrible sound that made tears form in the corner of her eyes as her dear friend suffered so.
Tess had to cover her ears as he made that sound again. Cowering. Shaking. And wishing her brother was here now.
Tim's crippled leg was larger now. Abnormally so. It looked like tumors had formed throughout the thigh and smaller bumps ran down to his foot. It was covered in clumps of hair as if someone had glued dog fur to his leg. He fell over once more, his right arm was suffering the same fate. Distorted, swollen and inhuman.
It couldn't even really be called animal either. Like a terrible mutation.
It clawed out, scratching at the cement floor. Nails broke off from his fingers and he howled against, the fingers twisting inwards on themselves as Tim convulsed again. Trying to curl up in on himself to hide from this pain. His leg and arm wouldn't listen and he begged for the sweet embrace of death.
Tim couldn't think. Couldn't focus. All he could see was a red haze, all he could taste was a sickening bile in his throat. All he felt was pain. And all he smelled was the delicious flesh of the woman he had, long ago, fallen for.
"Damnit, why!" Tess shouted above at the man who had done this. The Good Doctor was still watching the show below, taking notes on the transformation. "All he wanted was help! Is that so much to ask?" She had to move as another metal stretch was tossed at her.
Tim wanted to beg her to run but he couldn't even find his voice. He could only control half his body. The other seemed to have a mind of its own. Belonging to the adjourning face trying to rip out of cheek.
"I am." The Good Doctor said from above, watching behind his spectacles. He was humorless. Not even cracking a smile as he did his work. "The serum is having a reaction to the other medication he was taking." The doctor bit the end of his pen, thinking on that. "I'm sure of it. My calculations are never wrong."
"Damnit! Can't you sedate him or something!" Tess shouted, moving from her spot as a massive form smashed into the counter she had been behind. "Anything!" Tess wanted to believe this was a mistake. It had to be.
"Everything appears to be correct." The Good Doctor was looking over the equation he had used to make the serum. It was written down on numerous black boards that had been set up side by side, stack on top of one another. "Everything. Down to the last detail..."
"Hurry!" Tess shouted, able to hear him from over the intercom. She swung her arm wide, aiming a clean shot at that things face. Not at the human Tim but at the monster trying to escape out his cheek; looking like a conjoined twin.
"This never happened with the others..." The doctor finally said aloud, talking to himself and ignoring the ruckus down below.
And then it dawned on Tess as that grotesque arm grabbed her ankle. It's fingers were too large and they couldn't close properly, allowing her to pull her foot free; her boot being left behind. It was covered in a thick, shaggy black fur that was coming in in patches.
This wasn't some accident. This all had been intentional.
"You bastard." Tess gritted her teeth, rolling back with a cartwheel over another gurney with a body in it. All of them? Everyone person here that was dead? Were they just other failed experiments too?
She drew her revolver, aiming it once more.
"I can't..." Tess bit her lip, drawing blood as with a shaking hand, she fired. It hit the glass above, shattering it. It rained down from above on the creature that had once been her friend.
Tim's muscle mass hadn't just double or tripled. It made body builders on steroids look like scrawny kids. His skin had depigmented, turning into a dark gray. And though his human head remained, attached to this thing's shoulder, the rest was all animal.
What? Tess couldn't tell as it roared. Dog? Wolf? Bear? It was impossible to tell with its distorted features as that animal face turned to look at her. She took a step back. Those eyes were sunken in, dull and void of any thought or reason.
"You know?" She recalled his voice from even after all these months. "When something's this bad? Sometimes, the humane thing to do is to put it down." She clenched her jaw, hot tears burning her cheeks.
"I can't Jared... You do it." Tess whispered with her head bowed, unable to even look up as this hulking creature slowly walked towards. It's steps weren't coordinated as if each leg and arm had a mind of its own.
"You can." Jared had assured her, all those months ago. The dog had been born with an abnormal spine resulting in it being crippled for life and in pain.
She fired. It struck the beast in its shoulder. As if never having felt pain before, it recoiled sharply snarling viciously as it shook its head, inspecting its bleeding shoulder.
The bullet fell out of the wound, the hole it had made healing in seconds.
Tess was already running towards the side of the warehouse sized lab as it charged her recklessly, straight into the cement wall on the other side. It shook the rafters above and she had to dodge as one fell to the ground.
Tess rolled the clip out, looking at the bullets. "That cheap bastard!" She wanted to shout. These were ordinary rounds, not silver tipped. It would have little effect on something like this.
She swung around the bar as it faced back towards her, the drool dripping from its mouth splattering on the ground as those jaws parted once more. It howled and charged once more. Tess was already half way up the knocked down rafters by the time it hit.
The whole black metal walkway shook as it snapped its jaws shut around the end and began shaking its head back and forth. The broken rafter was ripped clean and Tess barely landed on the swaying, overhanging one before being pulled down with it.
She ran for the doctor's office up on the second floor. Tess didn't know when she had drawn the knife, having not been planning to use it here. Planning on trying to find some way to help Tim. Still, it was useful to pry the door knob out of the door. She kicked it open with her foot that still had a boot on.
Tess wanted to throw the man over the rafters, make him face what he had done. Yet, as she looked around the small office. She couldn't see him anywhere. Unable to find the escape tunnel he had taken as an arm broke into the office, grabbing her from behind.
She screamed as it began to crush her.
Jared was moving ahead of the others, not even trying to be quiet as he headed towards that scent. The smell of blood. Even in these tunnels, in this place with so many others in it he could smell it. For whatever reason, he needed to find its source.
"Tess." He breathed as it dawned on him, his human eyes burning with an amber fire as he broke free of his flesh and ran on all fours now. Brown fur sprouting from his body.
"Where are you going?" Frostbite shouted after him, the other three wolves following quickly behind. Jared didn't answer him as he was nearly consumed by the wolf inside, so focused on extended his senses outwards to find the right path to take. To find her. The others were confused but followed without further question.
The alarms still blared overhead, yet dulled for only a second as two words were spoken throughout the whole building.
"Change. Places!" The director, the man left in charge of the Stronghold from the hunters from Haven, made his decree. Dubbed the Mad Hatter, everyone did think he was mad. For a reason.
After all. Who would build a base that could be changed with a pull of a single lever?
The walls shifted, turning inwards on themselves. The floor dipped and dropped. Each metal plate and piston, pillar and gear began to move suddenly. Abruptly making even Jared stop as the hallway directly in front of him shut. The corridor turn towards the side and blocking his path. The sound of gears turned hurt his ears and he had to cover them.
"Jared!" Dakota barked out, reaching for him. Jared had enough time to look back to see his russet red fur companion be locked away from him as the hallway they all had been in broke into three separate pieces.
Jared turned around and punched the wall. Regretting it the next second as he was sure he broke a finger in doing so. "Oh, holy shit balls." He cursed, holding his hand. Dakota made it look so easy.
There was the sound of banging on the other side, the large wolf using his whole body to smash into the wall. It shook the platform that part of the hallway connected to. The ground around them even seemed to shift at the second hit and the third.
"Dakota!" Jared called out, cupping his hands around his muzzle. He could hear something on the other side but couldn't make it out.
"This won't keep me away from you..." Dakota snarled, using his shoulder once more to hit the wall. He winced, holding back the pain. He slashed out with his hand, his claws against it. There was blood on the wall as he rammed his forehead into it after. Blooding dripping down his face as he stood there, panting, with his forehead against the crack in the wall.
A sharp howl sounded and the two stopped. Frostbite was locked away himself in his own corridor. Unlike the other two he took the time to collect himself and figure out what was going on. Frostbite spoke out, loudly. Neither of them could hear him. It didn't take long to figure it out and the silver fur wolf howled.
There were no words in that sound. The other two wolves understand the meaning behind it though.
"Right." Jared nodded. He took a slow breath, never having done it before. He felt it inside, that sound. And then he bent his head back and howled himself. Telling the others that he was ok. Jared continued following that scent from before, sure the others knew that was what he was going after.
Dakota had taken a seat, about to whimper as he reached up one front paw to touch the bloody, broken wall. "Jared..." He didn't howl to that reply, just glad he was ok. Dakota stood and began trying to find a way to him. By any means necessary and his eyes turned red as he ran straight into a group of hunters.
Frostbite sighed, glad his howl got to them. At least Jared was safe, hearing his reply. He could care less about Dakota.
"What now?" Sveil asked from behind him. Frostbite groaned in reply.
"Damnit, why do I have to get stuck with you?" The wolf snarled, moving past him and down the hallway. Unlike the other two, he would keep his best to go unseen. He knew Jared would get lost in his emotions and Dakota wouldn't care about being stealthy. Frostbite on the other hand knew the value of being hidden.
There was a scent in the air, and it made him worry greatly. This place wasn't just some hunter hideout...
"You know, I can hear every word you say right?" Sveil had to ask following after him. Frostbite ignored him.
On one of the upper levels of the facility, the hallways turned inward and separated even the other monsters from each other.
Krush the hyena laughed at that, touching the wall and inspecting it all over. "This is so cool!" He laughed loudly. "I'd hate to be their decorator! Huh, huh Miranda! Did you hear me? Miranda!" Krush shouted at the wall.
The serpent woman calmed down after drinking the life of so many, male, hunters. She wiped her lips and turned around to see that she was alone in the hallway now. Surrounded by pale corpses. Her lower body was that of a snakes tail, covered in emerald scales with splashes of blood here and there on it.
"Finally. Some quiet." She thanked the gods she didn't believe in and slithered down the hallway to continue their mission.
Up above Bouvo the minotaur was still trying to find a pathway he could actually fit into. He was brought along to navigate through this maze and yet, unable to get in, had been left behind and forgotten. The bovine snorted, stomping one hoof on the floor boards. Then again. He listened, trying to see if there was any other passageways inside.
In one of the ventilation shafts, Gerald the fox dropped down. Still following the planchette from his scrying board.
The duct fell into the hallway, stopping the Good Doctor. The scientist, more than an actual doctor, was holding several bundles of papers. All the work he had been doing here. He pulled back as the fox looked around confused for a second, then spied him.
"Doctor." Gerald snarled, baring his fangs at him.
"A fox?" The doctor adjusted his spectacles. "MY. My, my, my. It's been some time since I've seen a fox."
"Too long." Gerald agreed, taking a slow step forward. The fox felt like he was burning, his veins were on fire as he stared with absolute hatred at the man in front of him. "Good Doctor." Gerald mocked, taking another step forward.
"Am I supposed to know you?" The doctor asked, leaning his head backwards and looking up at the ceiling now as if trying to see where the ventilation shaft led too.
Gerald snarled louder. Was he mocking him? How could he possibly forget.
"It's just so hard to remember." The doctor reached a hand slowly into his side pocket, as if just placing his hand in his coat. "You see," the doctor looked back at him, leaning forward a little. "I forget the things that bore me, so easily." And then he pulled something out of his pocket.
Gerald wanted to attack but a sharp, pungent odor hit him in the face like a hammer and he was forced to move back. There was a glow stick in the doctor hand. He had broken it in half and the reddish liquid inside poured out. Yet, as it touched the ground it burst into a fine powder. And it stunk.
"Fox bane?" Gerald gagged, unable to believe the doctor would just have that on his person.
"Everything. Has a weakness." The doctor said as if reading his mind and opened his coat to show off all the marked, labeled pockets inside of it. Dozens of glowing vials had been neatly tucked in each one. All a different color. No two were identical.
"You think this will stop me!" Gerald snapped his jaws, trying to fight off that overpowering smell. His knees felt weak and he was lowering his head, trying to fight it. "After what you've done!"
"Done?" The doctor asked with a laugh. "Have to be a bit, just a bit, more specific." And he shrunk two fingers together. "I've done so much! So many wondrous things in my life!" The fox ears folded back as he glared daggers at this man.
"You think... I'll... just let you... escape?" Gerald was panting now, breathing through his mouth. His nose had gone numb and his vision blurry.
The doctor seemed to stop then. "Yes, but... who are you again?" And Gerald face nearly fell. The doctor hadn't been joking as he looked at him as if seeing the fox for the first time. "Never mind." And he waved it off as he pulled a small brass whistle from around his neck. He gave it a sharp blow.
Gerald was about to cringe at the sound. He didn't hear anything. Not from the whistle anyways.
Something was coming towards them, quickly. And the fox didn't have the strength in him to fight whatever it was. How long had he been laying there? Minutes? Hours? He couldn't tell... He didn't even have the strength to stop the doctor as the mad man walked right past him, ignoring him. Already having forgotten all about the fox as he made his escape.
"B-bastard..." Gerald knees gave and he crashed to the ground. Fox bane was his kryptonite and he had stayed around far too long in this closed, confined space without any real air flow to do anything about it. He was a fool, letting his emotions get the best of him. He should have retreated, regrouped. Now? Now it might be too late as whatever was coming for him arrived...
On one side of the hallway a beast turned around the corner to look at him. It had the tail of a rat, the front legs of a cat, the back of a bird and its body was a mesh of fur, feathers, and scales. Its head was reptilian as it blinked sideways at the fox.
On the other side of the hall came Dakota. The large wolf stopped as he saw the fox down and out for the count. His head slowly turned to face the Chimera.
It screeched, fins lifting from around its neck as it hissed at him with sharp snake fangs and a forked tongue.
"Oh, I'm so scared." Dakota smugly walked forward.
"Have too... stop... him..." Gerald choked out, trying to reach for the wolf's leg. "Don't... let him get... away..."
The red fur wolf looked down. He must've been talking about that human that ran right past the wolf, without even stopping. Dakota hadn't given it much thought either, it wasn't the man he was looking for after all.
"Please..." Gerald begged, looking up at him.
Dakota met those eyes. Then smacked the fox out of his way, behind him with one foot and into the wall roughly.
"If you want something." Dakota spoke as he took another step forward without fear. The Chimera reacted at that, sticking its tongue out again. It could smell him but the lack of fear confused it. "You have to get off your lazy ass and find it." His lips peeled back to show off his bloody fangs. "And when you finally do. You never let it go."
The Chimera screeched once more like a bird of prey and jumped up onto the side wall, claws digging into the cement as it moved back and forth like a lizard over it. Dakota wasn't impressed as it sprayed venom at his face.
The red wolf moved out of the way, the Chimera waiting for that. Waiting for him to break his guard so it could attack, going straight for his neck with those sharp fangs. Its neck stretching out longer than it had been before in a sneak attack.
Dakota caught it by that elongated neck, his paw turning into a hand as he held it before him. It snapped its jaws in his face, wildly around as it flailed its legs and tail. Claws scratched at his thick hide, that tail whipping at his face. Until Dakota ripped it's head off and toss both pieces of it to the side and continued forward without slowly down.
Gerald watched in disbelief, his eyes going wide as he caught his breath. "The hell is he..." The fox shook such thoughts away as he limped after the doctor. Actually listening to Dakota words and pushing himself more than he had in the last year in order to get his revenge.
Dakota stopped at the hallway before him. He had been sure it had broken into another one. That didn't seem to be the case now. There was only one door, at the very end of it. It was made of wood unlike the metal doors from before. He didn't let it stop him as he moved forward, knowing that on the other side of that room ahead of him Jared was at.
How he knew that? Dakota wasn't sure, nor did he really care.
The door opened even before he touched the handle and he walked inside, all his senses on edge as the lights were off. Even with his wolf eyes, he couldn't see anything in this dark room and that worried him. The door slammed shut behind him then and the side lamp turned on.
The room was girly, to say the least. Everything was white or pink and had frills on it. There was a large doll house off to the side, a rocking chair next to it. Stuff animals and dolls were set up around a small plastic table with teacups and plates on it in the middle of the room. There was a bed off to the side. The air smelled of cheap perfume.
"And our other member has finally joined us!" A female said gleefully, the light turning on above the tea table. There was a stuff bear, a red hair wool doll, a hyena, and a toy soldier. Then an empty spot. "Can't have the party without all the members!" She giggled like a toddler.
Dakota had a few choice words to say about that until he felt it. The carpet beneath his feet tingled and for a second he thought the whole room was increasing in size, the bed looming high above him as the nightstand and dresser stretched all the way to the ceiling. Then he noticed that the small tea table was now the perfect size for him and he realized he was the one that had shrunk.
"About time! I was getting bored of tea and crumpets!" The hyena spoke up, rising from his seat. Krush had on a pink dress, make up and was taking a sip from the empty plastic teacup in hand. Then he laughed, tossing it to the side and stepping up on the table; ripping the garments off.
"Watching it Mr. Biggles!" Marionette said from somewhere around them, her voice echoing out of every corner. "The tea party hasn't started yet!" She whined like a child, even being far older than one.
"The hell..." Dakota looked around quickly, back and up at the door behind. Even with his strength he wouldn't be able to jump high enough to reach the door knob.
"Threes a crowd, doll." Krush said kicking the table aside and stretching out his fingers into long claws. His heavy arms hung low below his waist as, with a humped back, the hyena took another step towards the wolf. Then he stopped, and laughed. "I actually used that one correctly this time!"
The doll house off to the side looked the size of a mansion. Dakota was still trying to wrap his head around all this. Then his nose twitched and he could smell it. Black magic, his eyes narrow. This room stunk of this human witch. It was her domain and in this room her powers would be stronger than anywhere else. He would have to break the enchantment, kill the witch, or escape before finding Jared; and that annoyed him.
Words couldn't express how much that annoyed him. He didn't try to find the right words, no. He let his wolf inside do that talking for him as a low, steady growl began to fill the room. Dakota cracked his neck to one side, then the other as he stood up on his hind legs and fully shifted into his were form. He preferred to fight like this.
"That wasn't part of our deal!" Marionette whined louder now. It was hard to tell where she was. Dakota knew she was posing as one of the dolls around the room, yet couldn't make out which one. He'd have to rip each and every one of their heads off, pull the stuffing out if that's what it took. "You said you would play tea party!"
Krush ignored her as his attention focused on the wolf in front of him. The hyena was large, part gnoll after all. Krush had to work his way up the ranks, stepping over those above him to gain the rank that he had now. Which is why the wolf in front of him bugged him so much.
The hyena charged him, no taller than a toy soldier as he lunged at the wolf. His claws raked the air in front of him, swiping with both hands in large half circle patterns. Krush's gangly arms allowed him far greater reach than the wolf and he made sure to take full advantage of that.
Dakota didn't have time for this. To amuse some, whatever this creature was, and a childish witch. The wolf jumped to the side as Krush tried to pounce on him, getting frustrated with missing so many times. On all fours, Dakota ran towards the bed, ignoring the shouts from behind.
"Come back here!" Krush yelled, trying to follow on all fours. His arms didn't allow him much speed and he ended up moving much like an ape would after the wolf.
Dakota leapt into the air, nails springing out as he landed on the bed's covers. They dug into it and he began to climb the side quickly. Tearing the fabric as he went.
"Not the good sheets!" Marionette shouted. She didn't move, no. Some part of Dakota's mind reasoned this out. She couldn't move, having to keep up such a powerful enchantment within the room.
This was why, as Dakota reached the top of the bed, several puppets rose up as if on invisible strings from off the floor. Those on the bed joined them and he was surrounded by patchwork monstrosities. The dolls had been stitched and sewn together from different dolls, the rejects of the bunch. There was even a clown from a jack in the box. They held knives and sewing needles as if that was some sort of threat to the wolf.
The clown threw one of the daggers it was holding at him. Dakota made to move but felt something snag his arm. The knife struck his bicep. He winced as he looked back behind him, trying to see what it was.
He couldn't see anything stopping him yet as he tried to move, he felt it again. A small thread, as if tugging on his arm.
Dakota snarled slashing out with his other hand quickly in a wide arc. He felt something snap as his nails cut the spider web like strand. He moved as he sensed, more than saw, more of these invisible threads fall from above.
Trying to make him into one of her dolls? Dakota ripped one of them to shreds as he made his way to the bottom of the bed. No one controlled him. He was, finally, a free wolf. Not about to be some Fang or someone's pet, ever again.
If Dakota had cared, he might've noticed that the dolls in this room were a little too lifelike. As if they hadn't been the lucky ones to make it out of this room alive. He would though, he had too. He couldn't leave Jared alone.
Not like he had been until he found his mate. Never again.
Krush made it to the top of the bed, panting a bit as he looked around trying to see where the wolf had made his escape. The dolls ignored him as they walked after the wolf. "Don't see that everyday..." The hyena cracked a smile, then shook his head as he turned towards where they were heading.
He spied the wolf, just in time to watch as Dakota jumped from the bed onto the table where the doll house was on.
"Shit!" Krush cursed, not sure how the wolf had found out where Marionette was hiding. The hyena ran over to the edge as fast as his stubby legs could take him, then looked down to how far below the floor was. He swallowed, hesitating as he tried to reason how far he could jump.
"Damnit." He cursed loudly. "Hey! Human female, give me a lift won't you! He's after you." Krush shouted. A toy plane soon flew by and he hitched a ride as it made its way over to the roof of the dollhouse.
Krush wasn't built to fight like the other gnolls in his tribe. He was a runt, an outcast from them. Only through his brutal strength and merciless violence had he managed to get to where he was now in life. Having to take out each and every monster that stood in his way. Working twice as hard as the next to be accepted by them. Dakota was just another one he'd have to step over...
Dakota broke down the door, unaware it was still just an ordinary doll house even if it was far larger. The door flew into the main room, crashing into the table and breaking the fine china on it.
"Not the china! You know how much that costs?" Marionette said, her voice far softer than it had been out in the bedroom. It was coming from within the house somewhere.
Dakota didn't have time to find her and moved over to one of the wooden cabinets. He'd have to lure her out somehow. The cabinet was made of real wood, inside were several miniature sized pieces of candle sticks and dinner plates of real metal and ceramic. He pulled it down, dropping it onto the floor and breaking it.
"Stop!" She shouted as he moved over and began clawing up the walls, ripping the paper right off. "Y-you beast!" She nearly cried as he took a leak on the broken table. "Stop him already!"
"Finally," Krush was breathing heavily as he made his way down the stairs. He pointed at the wolf. "Stop running! Shit." He nearly keeled over. Krush wasn't used to this. His speed was unmatched by any human. His strength greater than any other monster he had faced and now, as he locked hands with Dakota in the next second, he was meeting his match.
The wolf flexed, pushing him back as the hyena began to give out. Quick bursts of speed here, quick bursts of strength there. No, Krush snarled back. He would not just be cast aside again! Left to rot and die in the desert.
Just like his tribe from old, he would kill this wolf one way or another.
Krush forced Dakota backwards, letting go of his hands and slashed out in a wide arc. His hand connected with the wall and broke clean through, ripping it to shreds as Dakota moved into the living room behind. The wolf picked up one of the sofas and tossed it at the hyena who followed. Krush broke it as he knocked it out of his way, growling louder.
Dakota just kept tossing pieces of furniture at him. From the foot rest, to the side table, one of the lamps that actually worked with the electricity running in the house. He even took the TV in both hands and hit it upside the hyenas face when he drew closer. Dakota was trying to focus on where Marionette was than even on this fight.
"My house! My home! You damn animals!" And then the place shook, rising up on its side.
Dakota caught the floor as the whole doll house was turned on its side. Krush hadn't been as quick and ended up breaking through the window, with a startled yelp falling all the way to floor far below.
"Damn you all. Can't a girl just have some toys without boys breaking them." The dollhouse landed back down and Dakota was resting on the floor boards of it once more. Then there was a crash as the puppets from the bed began flinging themselves at the house. Stabbing wildly as they tried to get their bodies inside the window and door.
Krush landed on his back, breathing heavily as he looked up from the carpet. He groaned, sitting up slowly. This was not working as well as he had hoped.
"If you think this is enough to get you to join us, think again." Krush shouted up. Dakota wasn't sure what he was talking about as the wolf stood his ground against the army of puppets. Problem was, even ripping their heads off, the puppets kept coming. Their numbers seemingly endless. The hyena hadn't been talking to him.
"W-what more do you want me to do?" Marionette asked, she was breathing heavier now. She was getting tired, keeping up this enchantment and controlling these puppets was too much.
"Turn me back to normal! Then I just crush him like the bug he was." Krush shouted up, slowly standing to his feet.
Dakota face fell at that. He wouldn't do as good as he had been if the hyena was his original size and he was nothing more than toy sized.
"O-Ok, I think I can do that." Marionette said, unsure as she began unweaving the spell she had placed on the room; focusing only on the hyena the best she could. The dolls in the house all collapsed, losing their power as she focused on this one thing.
Dakota was already running up the stairs as she worked her dark magic. There had to be a price to pay for this, Dakota tried to think. Think how Frostbite would handle this situation. The silver fur wolf would know, he'd have solved it already and would be with Jared. The thought of that wolf getting to his mate before him, boiled Dakota's blood and he quickened his step.
Krush could feel it, like his limps had all fallen asleep and now they were finally waking up. He was growing, back to his normal size. And with it, was grinning from ear to ear as he lifted both his arms up high. He'd crush the whole damn doll house with the wolf in it! That way he could be sure he had gotten him. There would no one left alive inside...
In the attic, Dakota finally thought about to break through the roof if he had too. Then he spied the master bedroom at the far end of the hall. Dakota frowned, running down it and throwing the door open. There, in the corner was Marionette. She was still dolled up with a fake wig on and an outfit that looked like it came from a kids store. She was pale in the face, focusing intently on the thread in her hands.
"I-if you kill me, you'll be stuck in this room. Forever." Marionette managed to choke out, not looking up at him. Dakota reasoned that made sense. If she died, as a failsafe, this roomwould lock down. It might even break away from reality and the two of them would be trapped here forever.
It would defiantly be something a hunter would do. By any means, kill them.
"Turn me back then." Dakota ordered, pointing a finger at her. He bared his fangs, using the most intimidating voice he could manage. She was nothing more than a child in mind and a good threat went a long ways.
Krush brought both his closed fist down, hard on top of the mansion. The hyena couldn't hear them, other than their squeaky voices. He laughed. Smashed the roof and the second floor, breaking the first and just pounding his fist on top of it.
"Dead, dead, dead, dead all dead!" The hyena laughed, breaking the very table the doll house had been on then stomping on it with both his feet. Crushing everything underneath him. Just like all those monsters that stood in his way; he had gotten this name for a reason after all. After he crushed every skull within his tribe after returning.
Dakota had leapt out of the window, with Marionette in his arms, landing on the nearby cabinet just in time. The two looked back as the Godzilla sized hyena continued to break the mansion that they had been inside, laughing the whole time.
"He... he knew I was in there." Marionette said, in disbelief. Her voice was shaking and the thread between her fingers went limp. "I thought... I thought they wanted me..." She tried not to cry.
Dakota dropped her onto the cabinet. He could already feel the enchantment breaking as her mind was shaken so.
"Break it. I'll kill him and leave you to do whatever the fuck you want." Dakota had turned his back on the hyena, nearly shouting at the witch.
The wolf had been focused on that and didn't notice the hyena spy them. Krush snatched the wolf up in one hand and brought his other over, beginning to crush the wolf between them as Dakota howled out in pain.
"Why!" Krush shook his body as he glared down at the tiny wolf, unaware that he was beginning to return to his original size. The hyena had been sure he had killed him before. This damn canine just wouldn't die.
Dakota bared his teeth, flexing his whole body. He'd have to endure this until the spell broke. He could manage, he had too. Pushing against those fingers trying to crush the very life out of him.
"Why are they interested in you?" Krush didn't even twitch a lip in a smile as he shouted at him, demanding an answer as he shook his again like a rag doll. Thick spittle landed on Dakota's cheek. "Coming all this way just for you!" He spat to the side. "Do they mean to replace me with you? You!" Krush eye twitched as he used his whole strength now on the insect before him. "I'll kill you first..."
Dakota bit one of the fingers holding him, hard enough for him to feel his teeth touch through the bone of it.
Krush yowled in pain at that, tossing his head back.
The hyena opened his jaws wide and went down to bite Dakota's head off. Krush's gripped loosened, not wanting to bite one of his own fingers off again. The wolf slipped free, instead of jumping to the side however, Dakota did something rather stupid as he felt the enchantment on him break.
Krush ended up swallowed the wolf whole, gasping as he held his neck. Krush lip twitched as he stood there, unsure what had just happened. Then he laughed. Laughed loudly as his eyes widen.
"No one-," Krush eyes widened as his stomach extended.
The hyena only realizing what he had done by the time the magic broke free and Dakota ripped free from his stomach. Splitting the hyena in two.
The hyena exploded outwards, in all direction. Guts covering the bed as the upper part of Krush fell onto his back in absolute shock from what had happened. He twitched, trying to move. Unable to accept his defeat.
Dakota, covered in the hyena entrails, moved one foot over and pressed it against his head. Planning to crush him like a melon under his paw.
"Wait!" Marionette shouted, on her knees. She too had returned to her normal size and was looking at the hyena. "I told you about this place. I was the one who gave you the map to the facility. Everything. Every hunters name. Who they were. Why they did what they did... Then why? Why would you try to kill me?"
Krush coughed as his face twisted into a grin, looking at her. "Because a filthy human like you deserves no better." And with a few more weak laughs.
"Why..." Marionette sobbed in her own self-pity. "I thought you came here for me, to save me from this place..." The hyena gave another laugh at that.
Dakota ignored her as he smashed the hyena head under his foot, grinding it into the floor as he turned heading for the other door.
"The hunters want me dead... I know it. They are just using me until I'm worthless." Marionette pleaded to the wolf, as if trying to explain her side of the story. Why she had done what she had done. To convince him, someone, that she wasn't bad. "So... so I thought if I sold them out, they would take me in." And she hugged herself, still crying in her own self-pity. "They promised, I'd never grow old...
"You may still get your wish yet..." Dakota just pointed out, walking out the room. The door shut behind him on its own accord.
Marionette didn't know what he was talking about until she turned around. All the broken, shredded dolls from the mansion were slowly getting back up. She looked down in confusion.
"W-what? What are you doing?" She took a step back, then quickly pulled out the black thread again she used to control them. It had broken. Each strand had been snipped as if by scissors. "No. No please!" She took another step back as they slowly moved in on her.
"Don't worry." They said in unison. "We'll be your friend."
"We understand." The ones from the bed got up slowly, moving towards her with open arms.
"We love you." The ones on the bookshelves came to life, turning to face her.
"You'll stay with us. Forever." Another said, grabbing a needle. Another grabbed a spool of thread. "Once we fix you."
"Like you did." The toy soldier spoke up.
"Like you did." The bear with button eyes said.
"Like you did." The red hair wool doll said from no clear source, her mouth having been sown shut.
"Like you did to us..." And together, they cornered her.
Dakota couldn't even hear her screams as the door behind him, made of wood, vanished as if it had never been there before. Dakota didn't turn around. He couldn't even bring himself not to care, he cared so little.
He was sore all over and still covered in hyena guts. He gagged at the stench and pulled a chunk off his shoulder and tossed it to the side.
He still had to find Jared... But maybe he'd take a shower first...