The sound of snapping twigs and the flow of the wind wakes me from my dream, and I feel everything that is alive watching me. This extra sense, the feel of their eyes catching me move, is exhilarating, and it gives me a rush unlike anything I have experienced. I hadn't realized that I was running.
The air is hot and humid, like any other summer night I have experienced, but I can feel in the core of my being that something is different. I can't let the implications sink in – I'm not ready for that – but I know that something strange has happened to me, and I know, somehow, that there is nothing I can do to escape this terrible new sense I have. I bow my head and try to scream, but the sound doesn't come out; instead a loud, terrible howl echoes through the forest. I have changed, then. I'm not a man… not now. The wolf has come to life.
The wolf's paws thud against the forest floor as he runs, guided by feral instinct and the moon that had become its life source. His only thought was of food; he needed to kill, to feel his teeth tear into another animal's flesh. He had been locked inside of that human body for so long, but now he was alive and wild and free, and he wanted nothing more than to unleash his pent-up energy on another living thing. It would be his release.
Twigs snapped in the distance and he stops moving, cautious. If there were men in the forest, he would attack; the wolf had no reason to be afraid of humans. He was larger than them, stronger, and he knew how to use his body to destroy anything that tried to harm him. If it were some other animal, he would eat. There was no one for him to share with, but that meant no competing for a meal. He was the master of his stomach.
He took a few steps forward and saw the thing that was sharing the forest with him: a bear. Could he take down a bear on his own? They had claws too, he remembered, and they weighed more than he ever had. Remus wished again that he could come out and hunt more often, but his other half was so oppressive. The wolf walked away and settled onto the grass, resigned. Morning would come soon, and he would forget.