FSE

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It was strange at first, but decidedly not painful in any way, just weird. In fact, the whole transformation was painless, with minor discomforts. No sooner than Seth activated the magic of the Soul Gem had he really noticed the changes that occurred throughout his body. This was a new experience, yet Seth knew there was no turning back now. First, the Soul Gem became an orb of pure light that soon enveloped Seth's entire being, thus fusing itself with his body.

Then the transformation truly started. Black fur breached the skin all over his body, the skin turning the black color of canines. Seth realized this fur has two layers, or coats: an inner coat and an outer coat. The outer coat is the only coat visible and can be shed, while the inner coat traps heat and helps to regulate body temperature. This was an amazing discovery for Seth, for he never noticed this before.

His fingernails grew long, sharp, and curved, becoming black claws. Pads formed on the palms and the inside of the finger tips (the part of the fingers where fingerprints are located). The four fingers of each hand readjusted in lengths slightly so that the index and pinky fingers are nearly the same length, with the same happening to the middle and ring fingers. Yet all of them are shorter and broader than human fingers, thumbs included. The feet changed in such a way that, as the area between heel and toes stretched, the big toes separated from the others and moved back towards the heels a little ways. Nails became claws, and pads formed. The rest of the legs shortened slightly, while the heels were raised off the ground. Seth was pretty surprised to find that he could still balance properly.

Seth's spine then grew longer at the tailbone, forming a new canine tail. Then the single tail split into nine of them. From just below his shoulder blades, two new shoulders formed as another pair of limbs sprouted from them. These limbs then took on the skeletal configuration of avian bird wings, which immediately became fully fleshed and feathered. New muscles and strength gave these large wings massive power.

While all this was happening, Seth's entire face morphed into canine features. His jaws and nose stretched forward, forming a muzzle. His upper lips split evenly and whiskers grew from the curved lobes on either side. His nose became black and moist and very sensitive with keener sense of smell. His teeth became more numerous as well as sharper, while the canine teeth grew larger and more powerful. His tongue stretched and turned canine in the same way. Seth felt his ears move to the top of his head, becoming larger and more triangular. His hearing increased dramatically. Finally, Seth's vision blurred and became uncomfortable, so he had to close his eyes while further changes took place. When he opened them, they were of a more intense blue, yet the irises had filled more of the visible part of the eyes. The whites became a black color, as was common for wolf eyes. Seth now realized he could see better than ever.

Fur patterns appeared as well: silver, gold, and blue pipelines covered his body in a symmetry that reminded him of the Tron movies. And on his head, right between the ears, a symbol materialized: a blue spiral within a gold nine-point star, above which was described a silver infinity mark (?). This was puzzling to Seth, yet Farniadus explained about the Sacred Spirit Sign that every Twilight Wolf possess. Each wolf's Sacred Spirit Sign is different, and thus identifies the wolf for who he/she is. Farniadus said it was based on the nature of the wolf's spirit, and the symbols have special meanings that taken together described the spirit.

Of course, Seth had to undress first, so that he won't have to ruin them further during the transformation. After it was over, Farniadus handed him clothes that fits Seth's new shape better: New black leather pants stitched with silver threads with a tail-hole in the back; a new tunic made from black silk and also embroidered with silver thread, this item with wing slits and special fastenings that keeps the tunic on around the wings. The tunic had a barbed, striated, circular spiral with wings on either side. Two archer arrows met point-on-point underneath it.

"The wings stood for the clan, which is the Fallen Angels," Farniadus said. "The spiral circle represents the void, thus standing for the Shadow Pack. The arrows with touching points imply the elite-level skills, thus indicating that you are of the Elite Squadron. All this marks you as a warrior of the Shadow Pack Elite Squadron of the Fallen Angels Clan."

Then he was given leather fingerless gloves, also known as leather gauntlets. The gloves reached halfway up the lower arms. For his feet, special boots are provided. They had openings for the toes to prevent loss of traction, as the claws provide that necessary traction. The rest were made of worked hard leather that was flexible enough to slide on like sleeves, and the tops were fastened at mid-calf. This was special fashion indeed!

Around the waist, a heavy, thick, wide leather belt was fastened. From reading fantasy novels, Seth realized that this belt was for strapping on the sheaths of blade weapons. To his surprise, a slim sword in a black sheath was attached to it. Unsheathing the sword, he studied the magnificent blade. The blade was made of black-toned blued steel. Three feet long, an inch wide, perfectly straight, with a silver crosspiece and double edges, the sword was perfectly balanced. On the blade were graceful silver engravings. The point was very narrow, needle-like. The hilt was made of black ironwood. A silver pommel contraption housed a black diamond.

Seth stared, amazed. He had never in his entire life seen such a blade, nor had he even heard of one. This must have been worth billions of dollars, and yet it was entrusted to him as if it was an ordinary sword.

"I-I can't accept this sword," he said. "It looks too valuable for me to have. I don't think I am even worthy of wielding such a blade..."

"But you are worthy," Farniadus replied. "You may not know of this yet, but the Kamon Lord fears you because you are the Chosen One. This blade was forged for the Chosen One, and you are that one. Therefore, the sword is yours. Normally, I would have given you a normal blade, or even start you out with just a dagger, but since you are the Chosen One, I must give you this blade so that you can familiarize yourself with it."

Feeling a little bit uncertain, Seth resheathed the black blade. Then he tied on pouches to the belt, along with a silver dagger. After transferring his limited belongings to these pouches from his backpack and donning a black woolen cloak that had slits for his wings, Seth was ready.

"Anything else I need to know before we leave?" Seth asked Farniadus.

Farniadus smiled. "Only that you must assume a new name for this new life."

"I guess that makes sense," Seth said slowly. "What kind of names? Or do I already have an alternative name?"

"I'm glad you asked. According to your Soul Gem, your Twilight Wolf name is Orkæn. This will be your name from now on, now that you are one of us."

Seth/Orkæn smiled. He actually liked the name; it has such a nice ring to it.

"I guess there is nothing else that I need to do now. I wonder where the Wolves of Twilight live." Orkæn mused on that last one.

Farniadus chuckled heartily. "Just follow me, Orkæn. I will show you."

With that, the two wolves doused the fire with water from a puddle near the cave mouth. Then Farniadus showed the new pup how to make a Shadow Portal. After Orkæn made one that connected to the main territory of the Twilight Wolves, they went through it.

Orkæn found himself staring around wide-eyed with amazement. Wolves are visible everywhere, ranging in colors, the presence/absence of wings, the number of tails. There were stalls and stands selling food, weapons, furniture, home décor, potions and elixirs, equipments, clothes, armors, and other things besides. The two had come out of the portal in the middle of the marketplace. To Orkæn, the noise was almost deafening, the scents in the air almost overwhelming. Understanding, Farniadus guided him towards the edge of the marketplace.

Then he led the way through the city towards a large mansion much like the one Jake's family had before it was destroyed. For some mysterious reason, Orkæn felt as if all of this are somehow related in some remarkable way. Heading inside, Farniadus led Orkæn to what would be the living room of Jacob's mansion. Several other black winged wolves were already there. As they entered, all activities in the room died down as everyone noticed Farniadus and Orkæn.

"This is Orkæn," Farniadus said to the others, introducing the new Twilight Wolf. "He is now a member of our squadron, pack, and clan. He is also the Chosen One. Just over a week ago, his family and friends were murdered by Kamons, his home destroyed. Orkæn managed to escape and survived the attack. He was hiding in a cave when I found him, in great grief and loss. Orkæn lost more than any Twilight Wolf ever did, and we can be sure he will avenge them.

"Orkæn, these are the other wolves in our squadron. We wolves look out for each other, protecting and caring for one another. Because we are wolves, and a pack is a tribe as a tribe is a family, we treat one another as a family. All Twilight Wolves are part of one big family, and to each and every wolf, we are brothers and sisters. After losing so much in our human lives, we had no other choice but to form a new family from other wolves, if only to quell the pain and eliminate the depression we all feel. We are your family now. Welcome to the pack, Brother."

"Yes, welcome," said a male wolf with blue and purple pipeline patterns, violet eyes, and five tails. "The name's Thardix. I had joined a year ago." He grinned, shaking Orkæn's paw. "And welcome to Dusk City! This city is located in Twilit Basin, a well-concealed place surrounded by a ring of mountains ten thousand miles in diameter. It is not located on any human maps, as the magic of the place keeps it well hidden."

A female wolf approached Orkæn, briefly sizing him up. She had a fine figure, with pink and green patterns, green eyes, and six tails. "Hmm...seems like you have the right build and look for an Elite." To Farniadus, she added, "I am surprised how well this turned out. I'd say, had he been someone else, the physiques granted by the Soul Gem would not have done as well."

"Saraya," Farniadus retorted, "you know as well as I do that it matters not what the wolf's human features are that determines the way a wolf looks after transformation."

Saraya sighed. "Oh, give me a break, Far; I was only teasing." She smiled to show she meant every word. "Glad you made it into the pack, little bro. We're like any real family, always looking after one another and keeping company. Had we not done these things, life would have been dark and gloomy, with our depressions worsening every moment of our lives. We don't want that. Besides, what wolf wouldn't want a little brother-sister love now and then?"

Thardix snickered, earning himself a fierce look from Saraya.

"Not that you deserve any, Thardix," she said icily.

"Hey, Orkæn," a two-tailed wolf with gold patterns and silver eyes called out from one of the couches in front of a large projector screen mounted on a wall. Orkæn learned that this wolf's name was Lytæru. He was one of the more playful types. Next to him were Vanyea, a seven-tailed female with gold and pink patterns and violet eyes; and Niaru, another female, but with purple and silver patterns along with silver eyes. There were a score or two of other wolves as well, but Orkæn would learn their names later.

"Come and join us. We are just about to start a movie. This one is called 'Rise of the Time Elementalists: the First Quest.' It's about elementalists who can control not only the elements, but time as well. It's a very good movie, and rated PG-13."

Orkæn shrugged, grinning. "Sure, why not?"

To be continued...