Victernus - Chapter 8
Able to walk on his paws again,
Namara stepped through the entrance to his group's backup lab with Mahalia
trailing behind. They had dragged Lynn into the middle of a forest and left him
there on his own just a few minutes earlier. Inside the lab, there was a
circular platform, lit a light green, in the middle of the long room. Around
were grey and white tables, counters, and racks with all kind of testing
equipment.
Namara stopped to look around for
Theo, but he cringed when he felt a needle go into his neck. When it was gone,
he turned around to see Theo there. What
was that?!
Theo smiled, "Just that thing you
might need a while to adjust to. Mahalia will stay with you for now. I'll be
around." He turned and went into the lobby.
Namara growled, starting to feel a
tingling sensation in his paws. But... I
d...didn't even...
Mahalia shepherded Namara in, nudging
him to go stand on the platform, "Go on, you're going to need to stay there for
a while."
He climbed up the metal steps and then sat
down. The tingling was getting stronger. Why?
What did he do to me?
A thick glass casing with a few
small holes in it descended around the platform, keeping Namara inside. Mahalia
stood just outside, "I don't know exactly what he did, but he said it would
help you a lot. I trust him."
Namara whined as he felt a sharp
pain in his back. He sprawled over on the ground. This isn't exactly what I would call "helping!"
Mahalia grabbed a chair from under
one of the counters and then sat down. "You'll just have to take it, I guess..."
He felt even more pain spreading
throughout his body, keeping him guessing where it would come from the
strongest next. Tears erupted from his eyes as he struggled with it. IF THEO KILLS ME, I SW- He growled,
feeling like something lodged itself in his spine and began crawling up it. His
shoulders expanded outwards slowly. He spoke in a deep tone, unlike his human
voice from before, "I don't think this was supposed to happen!"
Worried for him, Mahalia stepped out
of the lab and called for Theo, "Hey, is this what you meant to do? Namara's in
a lot of... pain..."
Theo came to her from the lobby to
the left, holding a pad with some writing on it, "What do you mean "pain?" He's
only supposed to-" He stood in the doorway and then panicked, dropping the pad.
"What the... Oh crap!" He ran in and rummaged through the wooden cabinets under
the counters frantically. "That was the wrong needle! That solution wasn't
ready just yet!" He pulled out all kinds of bottles, trying to find the right
one quickly.
Mahalia put her hands on her hips, "Wow.
That was absolutely stellar, Theo." She moved closer to Theo to observe and
then saw a figure stand up in the corner of her eye. She widened her eyes when
glancing to her right, seeing Namara - now a massive, seven-foot-tall werewolf
- standing in the center of the platform. He was looking at the wall with his
eyes half open in disgust. She nudged her counterpart, "Theo!"
Theo glared up at her and exclaimed,
"What?!" and then shifted his gaze towards Namara. He stood up, stricken with
awe. Putting his hands to his mouth, he said, "Wow... I am so sorry... That wasn't
supposed to be painful."
Namara held up one of his hands and
examined it. Black pads rested on his palm and sharp claws extended from the
end of his fingers. His body was covered in a mix of light and dark grey fur,
some areas longer than others. The backs of his ears and his chest were stained
with fresh blood, giving him distinct crimson markings. He closed his hand into
a fist and turned his head to Theo, staring at him. "What's done is done." He
looked back down at his claws and smiled, "Besides... The benefits outweigh the
methods."
Mahalia approached him cautiously,
unsure of whether the glass would hold him or not, "Are you alright? You seem a
bit... different..."
He thought for a moment and then
splayed his hands out, "I am still Namara. What I look or sound like doesn't
change that. You see, the soul - if you would call it that - is...
cross-compatible. It doesn't matter what I look like on the outside." He put
his hand over his heart, "What matters is what's inside."
She pleaded, "Yes, I know, but these
transfers you keep going through can change that. You don't feel different at
all?"
He growled and narrowed his eyes,
"No."
She glanced at Theo, who was still
staring. He shook himself out of it and mumbled, "I'll go work on the other
stuff..." and then left the room.
Namara tested his feet out, feeling
the potential for power and speed in them. He came to the edge of the platform
and tapped on the glass. "Hey, you wanna let me out?"
Mahalia shrugged and spoke quickly,
"I don't know how." She nodded nervously, "I'll let Theo do that."
Something about his mind felt stronger to him
for some reason. He stared up at the ceiling where the glass walls retracted
into and then shouted into it with his mind, latching onto the system and
bringing them up slowly.
Mahalia gasped, "How are you doing
that?!"
The walls fell back down and Namara
grasped his head, yelling out. He shook it and then let go, "I think my
telepathy implant got stronger... but, it really hurts to let go like that!"
She held her arm with her hand, "Oh...
Sorry. I'll let you do your thing."
Namara nodded and looked back up at
the ceiling. He projected his mind into the system again and the managed the
raise the glass slowly, but fully. When it was locked in place, he let go
gently and then smiled. "I did it..."
She nodded, "Yeah... that's cool."
He came down the stairs and saw
Mahalia flinch. His raised an eyebrow, "What?"
Mahalia sighed, "I'm just not used
to you like this... You're big, and you're a bit scary."
Namara shrugged and looked down at
himself, "It's just me..."
She shook her head, "No, Namara.
There's something different about you, and-"
He growled and bent down, ripping
one of the treads out from the steps and then throwing it across the room. It
lodged itself in the wall. He yelled, "I haven't changed!"
Mahalia jolted back,
half-astonished, and then headed to the doors while trying not to make eye
contact, "Clearly. I need to go for now..."
His ears lowered and he took a step
forward, "Don't leave me..."
She ignored him, exiting the lab and
locking the doors, leaving him alone. He whined, "Mahalia? Mahalia?!" He
bounded to the doors and peeked out the small window holes, resting his hands
on the door frame. "I don't want to be alone..."
When no response came, he slumped
down on the floor. "I guess... I am alone..." He curled up into a ball and cried. But I haven't changed... I'm still me. The
Koanthanatus is still here. I'm not... a monster...
His ears perked up when he heard
someone fumbling with the lock above him. When the doors opened, he opened his
eyes and saw another one of his friends standing there. He had short black hair
and was dressed in a black shorts and a tank top. His skin was tanned from the
sun and he wore a couple of feathers attached to a string that came around his
neck. He got down on his knees and asked, "What's going on?"
Namara nearly leaped forward,
enclosing his friend in a big hug while crying some more. Oh Kyon! Theo gave me this thing, and it turned me into this... and... they
think that I'm... I'm... a monster...
Kyon was sprawled against the wall behind him,
returning Namara's embrace, "Well, you don't seem like a monster, but you're
certainly a big guy now."
Namara looked at him with eyes wide,
"You don't think I'm scary?"
He grinned and started scratching
his furry cheeks, "Of course not! I'm the only other person here who really wants to be like you anyway."
Namara smiled and felt his cheeks
blush, "Oh..."
Kyon grunted, "Now, let's get up.
You need to get some rest, and so do I. Just... remember not to worry about Mahalia
and Theo too much. You'll be alright."
He nodded and moved back, standing
up. Kyon joined him and held out his hand, "Come on!"
Beaming and wagging his tail, Namara
let Kyon lead him.