Beautiful Night
A very quick submission to help pass the time while I get my things together, written a year ago at my DA account.
It is as perfect a night as one could possibly hope for, beautiful in every aspect. The night sky is clear and illuminated with millions of tiny little points, shadowed only by the silvery light of the full moon. A cool breeze stirs the air only slightly, not enough to make it truly cold or unpleasant but rather tickle lightly across my bare skin. The landscape was as serene as could be as well, long grass swaying gently, colored silver by the moonlight as the moon reaches its zenith. The only thing that mars this scene is a small campfire, the coals dying quickly without any wood to sustain it. I didn't mind the fire's death, in a short while it would no longer be needed. The same can be said with my clothes, which I have already tucked away behind a rock should a soul wonder by with the need to look about.
As I stand there, bathing in the moonlight, I felt the first shiver pass through my body. It isn't a shiver from the coolness of the night, but rather that of gleeful anticipation. There was something rather liberating about these nights, one which any normal person couldn't possibly understand. It isn't like anything portrayed by those Hollywood movies, it doesn't even hurt. Rather, instead of pain is the feeling of exhilaration, like the ultimate high that a runner gets while running. Even though I've already done this many times, I still never get bored of the feelings that a change such as this can produce. An outsider wouldn't understand, not if he hasn't been born with the gift that I have.
The shivers across my skin increase further and deep in my being I knew that the time was at hand. My skin crawls, and in the moonlight it appears to be growing darker as a soft dusting of fur spreads across my entire body. I can't help but laugh slightly as it does so, tickling ever so gently as it continues to grow long and thick. My body begins to warm, both from the layer of black, obsidian fur and from the change pushing further down into my body. It reached the muscles, feeling as though unseen hands were massaging them as they expanded underneath my skin, made more pliable by the forces changing me. I quickly gain size and height as my form started to fit that of a true hunter, not disgustingly overmuscled, but rather strength with a more athletic tone to it, made for running long distances at a time while still able to crush most rocks.
As the muscles went, so did my bones, turning to what feels like the consistency of rubber as my legs twist into a digigrade stance and force me to stand on the balls of my feet. My ribs also pushed out, accommodating more room for my changing organs, barreling out my chest. My breath comes heavy out of my still-human mouth, expelling heat as I concentrated on the feelings of change. A minor twinge goes up my newly-formed arms and legs as thick, black claws push out from my fingers and toes. I give the new razor-sharp appendages a quick flex, smiling as the thoughts of hunting tonight fill my mind.
Finally, as though the change saves it for last as a final casting off of my humanity for the night, my head begins its final changes. The first thing to go is the ears, unsettlingly moving to the top of my head while my hearing sharpens a hundred-fold. It causes the small meadow I'm standing in to suddenly come alive, hearing the creatures of the night as they go about their business. The same happens for my eyes as they turn a vibrant yellow, while everything seems to get a bit duller it also becomes more acute, seeing the world in a whole different light. There are no real words to describe it; it is something that must be experienced in order to gain full comprehension. There's a small pause, almost as if giving me one last moment to reflect, before the final change occurs. My face slowly pushes outward, inhumanly stretching until it forms a full muzzle, a slight trickle of blood running down my flatter tongue as my teeth sharpen and extend into vicious fangs.
As quickly as it began, my changes finish, and where once a human stood a mighty beast has taken its place. With a long, gleeful howl I call my joy at returning to my primal being, and as I hear more howls in the distance I know my packmates have turned as well and are ready. So now I run, eager to enjoy this night to the fullest, to run wild and free though the forests and meadows. They were our playground now, catering to our needs as beasts of the night.
Tonight is going to be a beautiful night indeed.