The cover of the trees instantly relieved the mounting tension that had been building in his gut from the moment that light popped on in the house, the darkness that now shrouded his twisted behemoth body calming his whirling head. That had been a bad idea. He knew it. But why didn't the others understand that he needed moments like that to keep him sane? The elders had had plenty of time to grow accustomed to the demon that was in them, but he had just awakened. He still had trouble grasping this enormous power that now rushed through his veins. Any moment that made him feel a little more normal, a little more free from the real world, he was gonna take regardless of the repercussions later.
The slash on his shoulder still stung and smarted as he planted his haunches to a rotten old stump, nose touching the torn skin with a slight whimper. That had been rough. Maybe not unnecessary and definitely self-induced, but it still hurt all the same.
Another large figure came into view just ahead of him, the beast's solid brown fur shaking slightly in the strangled light that managed to work its way through the cover of the trees. His golden eyes, not unlike the ones that he was looking down at, were wide and feral, their amber depths like boiling pools of liquid gold among a forest of snarling chestnut. He let out a low growl, sinking down to lie in front of the one he had injured. "I apologize for swiping at your arm," he said, voice monotone and static as his nuzzle indicated the other's wound. "But you need to learn to control yourself better. These moments of reckless impulse are exactly what gets packs discovered and lynched. Do I need to remind you of what happened to—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," the darker one snapped back, shifting his head to lick at the wound on his shoulder. "I know getting discovered will kill us all. Quit being such a hard ass and get off my case for a bit."
The elder of the two let out a low snarl. "Your insolence will be the downfall of us all, young one." He stood, looking down his muzzle at the other werewolf before turning on his paw and heading back toward the others in the park with a loud snort. The young werewolf merely shook his head as he watched the other go, amber eyes rolling heavenward. "Great Moon, does he have to suck the fun out of everything?" he asked himself as he stood, turning his back toward the other wolves that stood in a small clearing about twenty feet behind him. "I might as well go get this cleaned up," he muttered to himself, eyeing the wound on his shoulder wearily as he set himself down on all four paws. "There's no way I'm gonna get through work tomorrow with this as messy as it is."
And without another word to his packmates he took off through the trees, paws barely glancing against the dirt beneath them as he flew like a shadow specter between the trees. The icy night air rushed through his fur like it had before, his head picking up slightly to smell the crisp breeze as it flew by him. Within seconds all feelings of weariness and unease disappeared into the wind, leaving behind a wild sense of euphoria that sang in his veins like a demonic choir. His head began to spin wildly like before, the gnarled trees that rushed past him barely visible in the blur that was his surroundings.
The trees began to thin out after a while, pale orange bulbs barely visible through the clearing tree line in the distance. He slowed his pace to a quick jog as he approached the edge of the forest, eyes scanning the area carefully to see if there was anyone that might see him. There wasn't a soul to be found, human or otherwise. This was good. This area was vampire territory. There wouldn't be a lot he could do if one of those leeches were to decide to come out and play.
He stopped as his paws met smooth dirt, the light of the street lamps reaching toward him from his hiding spot on the edge of the darkness. He couldn't go any further like this. He'd have to change back so he could go home without being noticed. The beast closed its eyes, head bowling slightly as his arms began to quiver. He let out a whimper as he suddenly doubled over, the crunch of bones ringing in his ears like blasts of thunder, body rapidly shrinking and changing shape. The brindle fur that covered his body fell away, replaced by tanned skin and a head full of unruly chocolate-colored hair. The eyes that had once glowed amber had darkened to a honey brown, but retained a distinct feral glimmer in their depths. His limbs shortened to normal length and shape, claws retracting until they were fingernails again that instantly ran through the mess of hair on the top of his head. He let out a slight chuckle, straightening up to stretch his arms out with a loud yawn. The claw marks on his shoulder were clearly visible against his now bare skin; three angry red gashes ran from the top of his shoulder down his back to the base of his shoulderblade. He shifted the arm tenderly, testing out the now much more vulnerable skin and yelping as a fiery feeling rushed down his arm. This was gonna need stitches. He'd have to talk to Sakura before he went to work that day.
A low hiss came from a small shrub to his left, causing him to jump sideways in surprise as he was ripped from his thoughts. A long white snake slithered out from the bush, rising up to about his waist height as it peered up at him. The snake was about six feet long, with almost albino pale scales covering its long, slender form. The only thing that looked off about the creature was its eyes; they were a perfect crystal blue and seemed to quiver with barely suppressed mirth. The man let out a snort, folding his arms across his chest. "What's the matter, Ino?" he asked, dark eyes narrowing by a hair. "Can't stalk people properly in normal form, so you've taken to stalking your prey as a snake?"
The snake let out an indignant hiss, turning its head slightly as it lowered itself back to the ground. Within moments the snake had changed form as well; a woman now stood in front of him, long platinum hair hanging to her waist. A piece of bangs barely covered her cerulean eyes, which held the same emotion as those of the snake that she had just been. Her skin was pale, any touch of color it might have held washed away in the artificial light of the street lamps. She let out a light chuckle, perfect white teeth flashing in the orange light. "And just what makes you think I was stalking you, dog boy?" She retorted, taking a step forward with a hand on her hip. "I don't like the taste of flea medication, thank you very much."
This time, it was the werewolf's turn to let out an indignant look. "Hey, that was one time, and they were gone in a week!" he snapped back. "And I see the way you look at me. Don't act like you've never given me the eye before." Vampires. All the same. They manipulate anyone to get what they want, then dump the person on their head like nothing mattered. Greedy vermin, every last one of them.
Ino seemed to read the tension that flashed across the werewolf's face and stepped behind him, running her long fingernails across the back of his neck. The man flinched, goose bumps erupting all over his arms despite his best attempts to show no emotion. "I didn't come here to pick a fight with you," she said quietly, ignoring the tension that flashed through his body. "I'm here with a message from my father. Believe me; I hate your stench just as bad as you hate mine.
"We saw your little stunt, boy. And if you ever endanger the balance or come onto our territory line again…" She pressed her chest against his back, nails biting gently into the flesh where his neck met his shoulder. "We will not hesitate to eliminate you."
The woman stepped back, chuckling as she watched him raise a hand to where her nails had just dug into his neck. The skin hadn't broken, but it still hurt. What was it with people and attacking him for no good reason tonight? Everyone seemed to want to dig their claws into him. He turned around, shooting her a look of pure loathing. If that Yamanaka honcho wanted a piece of him, he could come get some. But this bitch had no right to lay a hand on him. Technically speaking he was on her land and was therefore under her laws, but still. That had been unnecessary.
The draculina flashed him one more perfect smile, the warmth of her expression not quite reaching her icy eyes, which remained empty and pitiless as they peered at the man before her. "See you around, Kiba," she said quietly, turning on her heel before sauntering off down the sidewalk.
He growled, not bothering to retort back. Best to just avoid a conflict where one wasn't necessary. And with him being as injured as he was, a scuffle with a vampire was definitely not something he needed. Turning back toward the street he rolled his eyes again, stepping into the light of the sidewalk. "Goddamn leeches," he murmured, heading off in the direction of the hospital.