Beasts of Cornerstone
The full moon shone brightly outside, bathing the sky island in it's unearthly blue glow. In the bedroom, all was quiet, until a set of soft violet lights made themselves known. Rythian recognised the strange itchiness under his skin, combined with the icy pulsing that came from over his heart. It was a rare occurence, but it had come back recently.
Stress had a tendency to awaken the beast inside him, and he was indeed stressed ever since he had received a letter from Zoey telling him that their daughter was ill. Yes, she said it was nothing more than a common cold, but it still frightened him. He could go home, but he was already devoted to the project known as Cornerstone. If this proved to be successful, a peaceful community could be brought back. Emily...she would live in a peaceful world. No, he wasn't leaving, but he had to hide and wait for this to pass.
As he stumbled out of bed and silently grabbed his jet-pack, he didn't notice that one other bed wasn't occupied. He hurried down the stairs and flew out the sky door, looking for a place to hide. The ruins of the Mile-High club would be a good spot, provided the ceiling was tall enough...
He expanded the hole that was already dug in the dirt that plugged up the entrance to the old club and crawled inside. He was just starting to see black scaly skin spreading across his arms and his bones were aching. He dragged himself to the far wall, his legs barely illuminated by the glow of the moon. Not that the dim lighting was a problem for him. He could see well in the dark. He shut his eyes and leaned his head back, pulling off his jet-pack and setting it next to him. It took him a few minutes to notice that the labored breathing he could hear wasn't his own. He opened his now bright purple eyes, turning the glowing orbs towards the far end of the room. Someone was there...or was it a something?
He squinted. The mass was dark and blended in with the shadows he could normally see through. His eyes adjusted quickly and he found a startled man, blue eyes locking with his, black hair a mess. "Ross?..." His voice sounded raspier than usual. The hat jolted back in surprise and Rythian remembered that his apearence was still changing. By the tingle on his cheeks, he could tell that his face was probably now covered by the odd flesh. However, he was not the only one to look abnormal. Ross was covered in short, black hair, sharp fangs showing with each harsh breath. He blinked, having been gazing at the half-breed, before letting their eyes meet again. "Rythian?" His voice was rough and strangled. Shortly after, he let out a sharp gasp, curling up on himself.
The half-breed looked back out through the hole, looking back to the full moon. A chill ran down his spine. Depending on the level of control his companion had, he would be left with two equally unpleasant situations. He would either have to teleport out, or deal with a fully concious Ross now knowing his secret. Even if Zoey had told him he should embrace his ender side, using it's unique powers still irked him.
Ross' groans died down to more labored breathing and Rythian dared to look back at him. The man had a distinctly canid form, a short snout replacing his human facial features and two pointed ears stood through his shaggy black hair. A fluffy tail waved about behind him and he looked back up with the same clear blue eyes. The creatures evaluated the equally monstrous being that stood in front of it. Rythian's legs and arms had stretched far beyond their normal lenght, sharp claws protruding from his finger-tips. His body was covered in black skin, fine violet sparks fluttering about him. He looked like a shorter-than-average enderman, only with a tuft of brown hair on top of it's head, streaked with his characteristic blonde. His clothing felt loose around him, unlike the way his companion looked.
Several seconds of silence hung between them before he dared to speak again. "So...werewolf?" The large beast nodded it's snout. Rythian hummed before leaning back against the wall. So Ross actually was a werewolf. And he apeared to be fully in control of his actions. He looked back when he saw him move again. The werewolf had motioned with his snout, a questioning look on his face. Rythian sat up again. "You can't speak?" Ross shook his head. "You're...asking me what I am?" Silence. The wolfman gazed at him with unblinking eyes.
Rythian sighed and closed his eyes. The dust that fluttered around him pulsated with each of his deep breaths as he searched for the willingness to speak. "My father is an enderman, and my mom was human. I tried to make myself all human once, but it didn't work...and now... this happens when I'm stressed..." He gestured to himself, sighing in exasperation. Ross had flinched when he had moved. The half-breed felt ever so slightly hurt at the fact that his apearence had scared someone. The tense atmosphere slowly calmed. "I just need to wait until it settles down, then I can change back..." He explained out loud. The wolf's ears twitched.
He could feel his heart rate slow down and the sparks that danced around him dimmed. The power surge had died down to near-nothingness and Rythian smiled in relief as he felt his body begin to shift back to a human apearence. Ross had backed into his corner again, watching. When Rythian felt comfortable moving his fingers again, finding them clawless, he smiled and grabbed his jet-pack. He got up and began walking into the pale moonlight. As he rested his hand on the clawed-up dirt, he turned back to the werewolf. "Are you going to be alright here?"
Ross looked up and nodded. The half-breed put on his jet-pack and flew off, returning to his room in the hopes of getting some sleep before dawn. He crawled into bed, but not before noticing that Trott and Smif were awake. The green-skined man had briefly looked at him when he walked up. He sat up, propped against his mattress and looked over to the remaining hats. They all looked at each-other in silence before they all went back to bed.
The next day, Rythian found that their interactions with Hat Films were much more peaceful than usual. Whenever he and Ross made eye-contact, they would nod in respect and understanding, both relieved that they were not the only beast of Cornerstone.