Bad moon rising
The snow scrunched under his boots as Spectre ran through the forest, narrowly avoiding trees and undergrowth. His sight was quite restricted at this time of the day during which the sun had just set and the moon hadn't risen yet but to him this short period was perfect for an even more effective training. Parkouring through different landscapes under more difficult conditions should also be part of the training of a young Guardian. During the few months since he had taken over Spectre's training Semper Fidelis had mainly focused on controlling Chaos energy though. "You can never become a master at anything if you try to be good at everything the same time", he used to say when the Echidna asked him for a more rigorous training in everything else. That was why Spectre had decided to make his own training plan during some nights. It wouldn't have been the first time that he trained himself - he did that since the end of his childhood. A strange thing to think by someone whose voice had even barely started cracking yet but it held some truth - his childhood ended the day his mother died and he was alone with the man he was forced to call father. From that day on he just had to grow up fast.
Besides if all the things Semper had told him about - what dangers and duties to expect as a Guardian - were true he saw no reason not to be fully prepared from a young age on.
Maybe he was actually pushing himself a bit too hard though. For the past few nights he had felt strange during the hours he trained outside. A feeling close to how someone might feel shortly before coming down with a strong fever but still ... different. Something was wrong inside of his body but he wasn't able to pinpoint what exactly. Maybe it reacted against his cybernetic limbs that he had to thank his "father" for after all.
Slowly the snow became brighter. A good time for finding his way back home again. But when he left the woods and stepped into the light of the rising moon it happened. First a shudder went through his whole body, then the pain followed.
It started slow, similar to the growth pain that he still experienced once in a while as his body was developing but soon it was strong enough to bring him to his knees. Every single muscle in his body was on fire. He was close to pass out from the pain when it suddenly was over again. Heavily breathing Spectre remained lying on his stomach unable to move for a while. What in Aurora's name had happened? The cry of a nightly bird startled him. Was one sitting on his shoulder and screaming its lungs out or why the heck was this thing so loud?
Something on his head moved and twisted. Carefully Spectre stretched out an arm and touched it. It was an ear that just had turned away from the loud bird screams. A triangle shaped, soft ear on top of his head. With a start the young Guardian scrambled back to his feet - the snow under him scrunched with the volume of cracking whips - and frantically looked around. Why was his fur longer than before? Why was everything so loud? Where did all these strong smells come from? What was happening to him? Panic threatened to overtake his mind - no, not just panic, it was like his mind, his whole being, was pushed aside by something more ... primal. He spun around and started running, just wanted to get away from here. Where was he even going? Home, he just wanted to go home. What home... the forest was his home. His muscles had become stronger too, probably would enable him to run for longer and at a faster speed. Of his claws he barely took notice, instead he suddenly was fully aware of his cybernetics. Why was there metal on his body? The switching of his mind felt like he was drifting in and out of unconsciousness while staying wide awake and panicked the same time. And then the switch completely tilted. The mind that was Spectre ceased to exist.
When he came to the forest was already bathed in the light of dawn. His memories were blurry. His mouth was filled with the taste of blood. Spectre slightly rose and started gagging. He nearly threw off the fire ant who had been sitting on his shoulder.
"It's just a bird. You ate a raw bird last night", Semper quickly said as if to calm and ensure him it wasn't ... something different. "You tried to claw your way up a tree then jumped and caught it mid flight. It was quite ... impressive."
Terrifying would have been the better fitting word here. Spectre shivered at the thought of last night.
"What is happening to me?" he asked with a choked voice. He felt tears in his eyes and hated himself for that.
Semper gently patted the young Echidna's cheek. "I am not completely sure. I have heard of something like a Were-Echidna curse that runs your family but I have never experienced it in person."
"Runs my family? But why have I never heard of it? Why has ... Tobor never been like that?"
Semper could only helplessly shrug. "I don't know. But I promise you that I will find out more about it."
With a worried expression on his face Spectre knelt in the snow and watched the setting sun. At this time of the year daylight was dying fast so if this curse was connected to the night Semper had not much time left to return before the next transformation. He had tried to keep his calm by meditation but each time his thoughts had started racing again. He wouldn't have wanted to admit it but Spectre felt fear at the prospect of another night like the past. The pain wasn't even the worst - Spectre rubbed a cybernetic part of his arm - he had already endured enough of it in his young life. It was the thought of completely losing control. His training included keeping in control over his powers all the time - Semper even taught him to bottle up his emotions and then use them to unleash even more powerful attacks instead. An abomination with fangs and claws, possibly leaking Chaos energy and a risk to attack people like the poor bird of yesterday night was the least he wanted to run wild on this island.
Finally Semper appeared close to him in a puff of smoke.
"I talked to my father about it. Apparently it is a genetic mutation that has run your family for generations", he started telling without further ado. "For a couple of days during the full moon they start transforming into these were-forms once they are at a certain age or their bodies reach a certain level of maturity. See it as a coming-of-age process for young Guardians. For a whole generation it seemed like they had gotten rid of this condition - Tobor still carried the genes inside of him as a child but never transformed and when examined again during adulthood soon after he came to Haven it had completely vanished - you however are the living proof that it is far from being completely eradicated. Presumably it just skipped a generation."
"And what can be done against it?"
"Not much I'm afraid. The only things the Guardians could do was learning to endure the pain and keep their minds clear." He gave Spectre a look of commiseration. "I am really sorry, my boy. But I promise you to help you through it as good as I can. I won't leave you alone with this."
A warm feeling of gratitude washed through Spectre's body. He opened his mouth to reply but wasn't sure how to express himself so he only mumbled a silent, "Thanks."
"The Brotherhood is informed as well but they probably won't step in until a worst case scenario occurs", Semper continued. "They also need to find a solution for your cybernetics - you are still young so your change in size is barely noticable, an adult were-Echidna however can transform to twice his original body size."
Spectre's reply was just a strong shiver.
Semper looked up at him wide-eyed. "Oh no ... is it starting?"
The young Guardian leaned forward and propped up on his arms. He could only nod, a pained expression on his face.
Spectre felt how Semper climbed onto his shoulders but he couldn't see him anymore. His vision was white with pain, he only wished he could die. Sparks of Chaos energy danced over his body.
"Use another way to release your pain", Semper shouted trying not to be drowned out by Spectre's screams. He knew what was meant. What he learned in training had already become second nature to him. A green sphere surrounded him then rapidly expanded with a blinding flash.
When it was over and Spectre remained lying still on his stomach heavily breathing Semper dared to look around. His eyes widened. "Holy crap...!" he whispered.
The snow around them had either melted or been blown away, the first row of trees of the forest a couple of metres away had slanted over, their barks showed scorch marks.
He quickly turned his attention back to Spectre who now shivered uncontrollably.
"It's okay, boy. Everything is alright now."
"Nothing is alright", Spectre brought out with a choked voice. He had nearly lost control over the Chaos energy, had caused destruction on the island he was supposed to protect, moreover something was pushing and pulling inside of his mind, trying to take over, and he didn't know how long he could still withstand it.
"At least your mind is still clear and you haven't been completely overtaken by the pain. It could have been much worse."
There was a reason why Semper had tried to train Spectre to always keep his emotions under control and rather bundle it into a stronger attack. Thanks to Tobor's - in his opinion really stupid - cybernetic experiment Spectre's Chaos power had become stronger, more concentrated. Should the young Guardian lose control over his emotions the Chaos energy would run haywire.
"Worse?" Spectre fearfully asked. "So in my state it could happen that I destroy the whole island?"
"This has nothing to do with your were-form", Semper said with a much calmer and gentler voice. "Chaos energy is a powerful force. When you lose control over yourself it can become destructive. That's its nature. Your form might be a small setback in training since it at first will be harder to stay focused but nothing you can't catch up to." He smiled. "I think today we have a bit of nightly training ahead of us."
With a groan Spectre half sat down and half just let himself drop down in the snow. Channelling Chaos energy had become a real challenge now that half of his mind didn't know what to do with these powers and rather cared about hunting the next meal than learning to control them.
"You're doing pretty good so far", Semper said as if he had heard Spectre's thoughts and wanted to object to them. "That's quite the improvement of what I have seen yesterday. I think you've earned yourself a break now."
The next moment his antennas perked up like they normally did when receiving or transmitting a telepathic message from Haven or another fire ant.
"Make it a longer break", he said after a couple of seconds. "Tobor wants me back in Haven. It's probably about your cybernetics."
Spectre didn't feel well at the thought of being left alone in his condition but it was probably just two more hours until sunrise and he had been fine until now so he just nodded. If he spent the rest of the night meditating and managed to stay calm nothing could happen.
He didn't know how long he had already been on his own out in the woods when he suddenly sensed that something wasn't right. A very light unfamiliar smell, a silent sound - nothing that would have been out of the ordinary for a forest at first but there was still something strange about it. As if something deliberately tried to be silent. He slowly stood up. His Guardian senses told him to be ready to either fight or protect, his animal instincts just screamed at him to run.
A shot rang out and broke the silence of the night. Spectre felt a stinging pain in his neck and wanted to spin around but it was as if something had suddenly drained all the strength from his muscles. His legs gave in and he fell back into the snow. Figures emerged from the darkness of the trees - hooded figures. There was something terrifyingly familiar about them. Spectre's heart started racing while he desperately tried to regain control over his limbs. He had seen these faces in his home only a couple of months ago when his father decided to start with his cybernetic "experiment". For a moment his mind went back in time - he was there again when the Legionnaires held him down, felt the terrible pain of a surgery without much care for anesthetics until unconsciousness had been kind enough to embrace him. 'No, please no!' he screamed in his mind when the hooded figures walked closer. His breath became faster, his thoughts were racing. He tried to channel a blast of Chaos energy but he couldn't focus on it anymore. Something clouded his mind and threatened to take over - and it won. A jolt of Chaos energy suddenly shot through his muscles.
Most wild animals would cower in fear and surrender when surrounded with no way out and no possibility to fight. The Legionnaires probably had heard about that as well, probably also fully trusted in the strength of the narcotics they had used. They surely didn't expect that said animal would go berserk. A sudden Chaos blast ripped them off their feet then the Guardian landed on top of one of them.
Spectre was blinded by rage, barely saw what was in front of him, just wanted to maim, to kill. His teeth sank into soft flesh and he heard a scream of pain, tasted warm blood. Something punched hard against his chest and caused him to drop off his prey. His muscles still were too stiff to withstand this sort of resistance. The people around him shouted and started to run. He would have followed immediately but first had to shake the stiffness out of his limbs. Several minutes might have passed before he was finally able to move freely again but their scent still lingered in the air and made it possible for him to follow them.
His hunt only lasted for a little while when something else made him stop dead in his tracks. With his heightened senses he could pick up pheromones. They clearly told him another male had entered his territory - another alpha male at that. A high pitched guttural sound escaped his throat - a weak attempt of a puppy's first growl at best. His own weakness only added fuel to his anger.
The other intruder who now carefully came out of the brush beared a resemblance to his own were-form but was at least twice his size. He showed Spectre his teeth in a warning manner but the young Guardian had none of it. He ducked down and before the stranger could react launched at him. The other stumbled back in surprise but before Spectre's teeth could pierce his skin he took a swipe at the smaller Echidna and threw him off. Spectre slid over the ground and before he could struggle out of the snow the huge stranger was on top of him, fangs at his throat. He didn't close his jaw though, apparently waited for the young Guardian's surrender. And Spectre used this as his chance to drive his claws into the other's chest and furiously scratch it open. With a whelp the other jumped off him but now suddenly sent a Chaos blast against him. Spectre formed a barrier around him but it was merely a reflex reaction born from his Guardian instincts rather than a deliberately formed barrier and so it was shattered nearly immediately. Another blast slammed him against a nearby tree. Despite feeling slightly dazed Spectre rushed in for one more attack but now was ripped off his feet by a flurry of claws. Once more the young Guardian rolled over the ground unable to get up another time.
There was no way to win this fight. His instincts now screamed at him that he had to give up. Roll onto your back as a sign of submission if you want to live they basically told him. He only agreed on the giving up part but hell would freeze over before he would degrade himself like that. Instead he remained lying on his stomach and only turned his face - the most vulerable part he was willing to offer - towards his attacker.
"You surely have a lot of pride, boy", the other male said. "And I have to admit that you are strong but that's not enough yet to counter centuries of experience."
The fog over Spectre's mind now slightly lifted. Again he had this strange feeling as if he drifted in and out of consciousness while staying wide awake the same time.
"S-Steppenwolf...?" he mumbled.
Blood dripped from his chest wound into the snow when the first Guardian knelt down next to him. Spectre started to shiver. It had happened again - he had lost control and now he even attacked another Guardian. His stomach turned.
"It's alright now", Steppenwolf said softly. "You're back again."
While Rembrandt cleaned his wounds Steppenwolf hardly ever took his eyes off the screen monitoring another room of Haven's infirmary in which Spectre was lying, put into artificial sleep. It had made it possible for the young Guardian to turn back without pain and now Moonwatcher and Tobor took care of his wounds and upgraded his cybernetics.
"You seriously still want him to train outside of Haven all by himself?" Semper paced back and fro in front of Steppenwolf trying his hardest not to shout at him. "I am still new at Guardian training, not to forget the whole were-Echidna business, myself. If not trained correctly his Chaos powers can reach immense destructiveness and should his were-Echidna instincts take over he poses a threat to everyone including himself. Isn't he already suffering enough after what little he has currently done? It could even kill him."
"It is the best way to learn self-reliance for a young Guardian", Rembrandt argued. "He wouldn't get far if someone always held his hand. Steppenwolf also had no other companion than a fire ant as his mentor..."
"Steppenwolf didn't mow down part of a forest during his first transformation, for crying out loud", Semper interrupted.
"It is right that the best way to learn is when he has to do it on his own", Steppenwolf said. "After all no one can take his pain during transformation away and no one can show him how to keep his mind focused. However we won't leave him alone. While you stay his mentor out there I will keep watch over his training from Haven. Should something happen and he loses control again, I'll be there. You can also tell Spectre that. I have the feeling he needs it - the knowledge that there are more people who care and will be there to help him than only his mentor."
At these words Steppenwolf looked back at the screen to watch one of Spectre's caretakers again. Due to his visor it was impossible to read Tobor's emotions. He seemed to take good care of Spectre right now but was it really the care of a father or rather someone handling a valuable tool? One thing was for sure though, right now Semper had shown more of a fatherly behaviour within a few minutes than this Guardian had during all the time Steppenwolf knew him.
Semper let out a defeated sigh. "I still think another Guardian - someone who isn't Tobor - might be a better mentor but for my boy I'll do my best."
"I am honestly worried about this boy's future development", Rembrandt said once Semper was gone. "I have no idea into what kind of abomination that idiot Tobor tried to turn him but he already is way too strong for his age and now he additionally will tranform into an even stronger and harder to control abomination each month. He will need to learn a hell lot of self-control until he reaches adulthood - and even then we will let a ticking time bomb into Haven. You know that no one of us has your strength and I hope you also know that you won't be around forever to keep him at bay."
"I am aware of this risk", Steppenwolf said still not taking his eyes off Spectre. "But I belive in him. Maybe he could destroy Haven. But maybe he rather is the wildcard who plays itself to save Haven one day."
(Comment: This is for an art trade with :iconCharleetheCat-Bat: She wished for my own take on the were-Echidnas.
Gosh, I never would have believed I could still finish it today. Only a few hours ago I still told her that I would probably need some more time and that it's only half way through - and then I sit down and can't stop writing until the middle of the night and until it's finally done. Ah, I feel so tired and tomorrow I will probably hate myself for not getting enough sleep but I think it was worth it.
The thing that Steppenwolf says at the end is a slight nod towards the events in the comics. In my mind the future still plays out like it does in the comics, only with a were-Echidna history in Haven, and Steppenwolf already has a feeling of what the future might hold (only that he doesn't know yet that "Tobor" will turn out to be a traitor one day).
The title was inspired by the Creedence Clearwater Revival song with the same name and it also was the first song that came to my mind when I thought about Spectre as were-echidna. The melody might sound like it's a happy and cheesy song but it literally starts with: "I see the bad moon rising. I see trouble on the way. I see earthquakes and lightnin'. I see bad times today. Don't go around tonight. Well, it's bound to take your life. There's a bad moon on the rise." That songtext basically screamed "Spectre after transformation during a full moon" to me.
I also started listening to "Creatures of the night" by Kiss more often to draw inspiration from and get me into the right mood.)