Well my homework has calmed down some what! I had exams, projects and award ceremonies to go to...Speaking of which I recently received the "Crusader Shield" at the Social Awards Ceremony at my school, for being involved in over 8 activities throughout my high school year, won a bronze medal in Track and Field City Championships for javelin and was able to go to Provincials! Unfortunately I didn't make the top 8. My farthest throw was 26.31 m and the 8th place winner was 30 m. But it was a great experience non the less!

In my last chapter I asked if anyone could guess what happened to Lindsay's arm and I'd like to acknowledge Bastet and Blackdawn for sending me their guesses in their review. You two will have to read and see if you're right ;D!

On with the next chapter...

It was a beautiful fall afternoon. The sun was shining in a clear sky and although there was a chill in the wind, the temperature was warm. Lindsay thought it had to be plus fifteen degrees out, such a rarity in August; a late winter was definitely coming. She breathed in crisp autumn air as she walked down the main path that circled her home. Looking up she saw the colours of red and orange beginning to show on the birch leaves. Lindsay only wore a fleece sweater, since it was so warm out, nylon pants and brown hiking boots. She looked over her shoulder to see Morgan, already wearing his winter jacket, fleece pants and hiking boots. Lindsay cocked an eyebrow.

"You sure you're not hot Red?"

Morgan raised his thick bridge over his eyes, "Trust me Linds, I perfect," he paused, "tell me why are we walkin' out here again?"

"To see if I can find some blueberries."

"You know the blueberries are long gone. Besides, there was a low count this year."

Lindsay shrugged, "Yeah I know, I just needed to get out of the house. Garret is getting on my nerves!"

Morgan nodded in agreement knowing the six year old had been pestering her all day with his nonstop pranks. He grinned when he remembered Garret scaring the living daylights out of his sister when she opened the door to her bedroom closet. He never knew Lindsay could jump that high! Morgan bunched up his shoulders and the girl glanced at him.

"Red if you're cold you can go back to the house."

"I'm not leaving you out here alone. Uncle Danny says that the bears are moving farther south to find food for the winter since they couldn't find enough blueberries. Dad told me he spotted three Black Bears at the dump the other day."

"Black Bears hardly ever come down this path and anyways you know how timid they are. If we keep talking like this they'll run away without a backwards glance."

"Still it's not a good idea to leave you alone."

The red head rolled her eyes and shook her head, continuing her steady pace. Morgan put his hands in his pockets and felt the outline of the hunting knife that hung around his waist, a gift from his uncle. He never knew why, but he felt more comfortable having weapon with him when he ventured into the woods; he never left the house without it. Morgan sniffed the air and caught a sharp odour. Lindsay was menstruating but he wasn't going to mention it. He knew his sister would become embarrassed if he told her he could smell her blood. The alien shivered again at the chilly air, damn he hated the autumn! He so dearly wished he could endure the weather like his sister. Lindsay smirked.

"You wanna race to the ridge?" she asked.

Morgan sighed, "Anything to get me warm."

"One–two–three, GO!"

Lindsay was off though the path, leaving Morgan behind.

"Hey you cheated!" he yelled as he went after her.

Lindsay laughed as she ran faster, knowing she had gained quite a distance from her brother. She rounded a corner when she saw something black in front of her. She stopped in her tracks when she realised what it was. A Black Bear, the biggest she had ever seen, was standing in her path. The five hundred pound bear pulled out his large nose from a bush and stared at the girl. Lindsay stood absolutely still, trying to hold down the urge to run. The young teen flinched slightly when she saw the large animal rear up on his hind legs and sniff the air; he caught the scent of blood. The Black Bear landed on his front paws, lowered his head below his shoulders and made a chomping noise. Lindsay took care not to make eye contact with the animal as she slowly backed away, she knew the bear was agitated. Lindsay didn't make any sudden movements to provoke the creature further as she continued to stride back. The Black Bear stood still for a moment, but he couldn't ignore the smell of blood and took a step towards the girl. Lindsay wanted so badly to run but she knew that was a stupid thing to do, the bear would most definitely attack her. 'Where is Morgan? His roar can scare the bear away,' the red head thought desperately. Morgan appeared on the scene and saw his sister facing the Black Bear. Panic griped him.

"Lindsay!" he cried without thinking.

The red head turned away from the bear, but it was too late for her to realise her mistake. The bear took the distraction and charged, a line of drool spilling from the corner of his mouth. Lindsay turned and screamed, raising her right arm to protect herself. The large animal made a huge swipe across Lindsay's arm knocked her over. She cried out in pain and tried to turn over to protect her stomach, but the bear batted her again with his massive paw. Lindsay tumbled and hit a tree.

"MORGAN HELP ME!" Lindsay screeched and the bear was on top of her, threatening to tear her apart.

Morgan clenched his fists, a sudden power and anger he had never felt before rose in his body like a dying fire finally finding oxygen to burn. He could feel his sharp talons dig into his skin, causing pain to flare in his hands, yet it only fuelled his blazing fury. He tore at his coat to rid him of the extra weight and as the shreds fell he reached down to his hip to pull the long hunting knife from it's hilt. Morgan's red eyes glazed over with blood wrath as he shifted into a wide crouch. No one, not even this creature, was going to hurt his sister! Hot adrenaline flowed through his veins as he roared, raised the weapon and leapt at the bear.

Lindsay was sure she was dead when suddenly the weight was lifted off her. She opened her eyes and her jaw dropped when she saw her brother on the bear's back, stabbing him with the hunting knife. The bear howled and stood up on his hind legs, waving his front paws wildly while the Predator fought to stay on. The large animal slammed down and bucked, trying to throw the alien off. Morgan lost his grip on the bear's back and in one motion he was tossed into the air. With the agility of a cat Morgan somersaulted, stuck out his legs to stop his momentum and landed softly on his feet. He turned around and snarled at the animal, knife in hand. The Black Bear grunted and limped away, not wanting to fight with a stronger creature. But Morgan was not finished with the bear, he was not going to let his prey go! The alien jumped high into the air, landed on the animal's back and jammed his knife deep into his flesh. The animal bellowed and tried again to buck Morgan off, but this time the Predator had dug his claws into the bear' shoulder so he wouldn't fall. Morgan stabbed again and again, feeling warm blood splash on his body. His power became stronger, he wanted more! He wanted to cut deeper and deeper! He wanted to see his prey fall!

Lindsay laid on the ground wide eyed with shock, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. What was wrong with her brother? Why was he acting like a psychopath? The Black Bear shook and bawled loudly, becoming weaker and weaker. Morgan raised his knife, causing a line of red to splatter across his face and slammed it into the bear's head, giving a quick twist. Lindsay's stomach lurched when she heard the wet crunch of the brain and skull ripping apart. The large bear groaned and fell to the ground with a thump, his tongue lolling out the side as a pool of blood poured from his mouth. Morgan's eyes were still glazed as his instincts guided him towards the head. He took the hunting knife and began sawing through the bone, often tearing at the muscle and tendons with his talons. He finally severed the neck from the spine and turned around facing Lindsay. She would've thrown up right then and there, but she was too scared to move or make a sound. Morgan raised his trophy high in the air, gore dribbling down his arm as he gave out a long triumphant roar.

Then suddenly, as if he had woken up from a dream, Morgan blinked and the blood wrath left his eyes, his instinct completely gone from his mind. He panted heavily as the alien looked down at his sister and saw her clutching her bleeding arm. She was very pale and stared at him as if she had seen a monster. Morgan felt he was holding something wet and turned to see the bear head in his right hand. His eyes went wide with disbelief and disgust and he dropped the head. Morgan saw his hands and arms covered in fresh blood, he saw the tattered remains of what was once his jacket on his shoulders and when he turned around, he saw his hunting knife jammed into the mutilated carcass. Morgan began to hyperventilate. He shook his head in denial and stepped back from the dead bear; he jumped and screamed when he accidentally stepped on the head. Morgan looked to Lindsay. She saw his mouth open and close, but no sound came out. His eyes were wild and full of terror.

"I–I–" he stammered through gasps, "Lindsay...I–"

Morgan stared at his hands, turned to the bear, then back to Lindsay.

"I didn't–I didn't...Lindsay!"

Morgan took a step towards her and Lindsay couldn't stop a small squeal from escaping her throat. The alien hissed and looked at his hands again, he couldn't stand the smell! Morgan clawed at his hands and arms as if trying to rid him of the blood. His growls mixed with whimpers of fear.

"What did I do! What have I done!"

He cried out over and over again until he glanced at the thrashed carcass. Morgan bent over, threw up and passed out, falling into the dirt with a thud; the bear head lying just above his own. Lindsay let herself breath normally, still trying to take in what she had witnessed, when her body remembered her injured arm. Lindsay moaned in anguish, held her arm closer to stop the bleeding and laid back. The girl turned her head to the path and prayed someone would come soon...

Lindsay leaned back on the basement railing and sighed, she remembered Morgan had turned fourteen that day; although it was not a very happy birthday on her brother's account. The family had dubbed the day Morgan was found as his birthday since no one had any idea when he was born.

Lindsay felt her right arm tingle as it usually did when she remembered the bear attack. Nicolas, Daniel and Jack had heard Morgan's roar and came running down the path to find her half conscious, Morgan unwilled and the torn up bear. Although questions rose, concerns rose higher and the siblings were taken back to the house. Lindsay was flown to the nearest hospital since the town only had a minor emergency clinic and doctor Grayeyes was immediately called to the house to examine Morgan. Lindsay's forearm received three horizontal claw marks and suffered some nerve damage, but not enough that would prevent her from playing sports or the flute—much to her relief. Morgan had only a few scratches from the ordeal, but was unconscious for three days. Lindsay stayed home from school and sat by her brother's bed until he awoke. Morgan remembered the whole ordeal, hated himself for what he had done and for a time, ceased to speak with anyone. He was not as carefree as he was before and he stopped taking his hunting knife with him. Only after a few weeks, the day before Nicolas left for university, did he speak again.

When word got into town about the bear attack, the locals questioned the family as to how Lindsay was rescued. Nicolas and Daniel made up a story saying they were with her and had saved her life. It took a long time to convince the town they weren't crazy when everyone heard that the bear had been decapitated. The family even had a few visits from the police, questioning their "claimed" story and if there were any known records of mental illness in their line. After a while, life in the town went back to normal and the bear attack was hardly talked about.

Lindsay glanced at her brother who was playing with one of his locks. She knew he had been holding back his true power ever since the attack. She knew there was something inside Morgan that needed to be released; some kind of lust that his race was born with and it had to be exercised. But she never talked about it with him, even though she probably should. He had and apologised for his "savage" behaviour when he began to speak again and Lindsay had told Morgan he had nothing to be sorry for. If he had not done what he did, she wouldn't be alive to see another day. But no matter how many times she said that to her brother, it did not fully comfort nor answer his confusion as to why he reacted the way he did. Morgan was still perplexed about his true identity—who wouldn't be? He was an orphaned alien in a strange world, with no idea of who he is, where he came from or who his people were. A crash came from above, followed by hysterical giggles. Lindsay snapped her head up the stairs.

"What are you two doing up there?" she shouted as she bounded up the stairs.

Morgan hung back for a while, then travelled towards the steps and sat down. He looked at his claws, the very ones that ripped the bear apart. He growled and shook his head when he recalled the smell of the bear's blood. How it stayed on his flesh for days, no matter how hard he tried to wash it off. Morgan's mandibles chittered nervously and he shut his eyes. He wasn't going to tell this to his sister, nor would he tell anyone in his family lest they became afraid.

Everyone thought his first release of the instinct made him frightened to let it go again, they were wrong. What scared him the most was the immense pleasure he got from it. He remembered quite clearly how good it felt to cut the bear, rip his head off and allow the blood to splash on him. He felt so proud of what he had done and he was ashamed of the sick accomplishment. Just what kind of race got that kind of immense pleasure from a kill?

Morgan growled in frustration. There was another thing he could not tell his family. After the attack his instinct would not completely go away and as he grew older it became a struggle to keep it down. In fact when he was playing Hunter in the woods with Martin and Garret, the need to stalk and kill his prey came back as strong as ever. Particularly when Martin tackled him. Morgan had to use all his power to fight the urge to break the kid's neck and lucky he was able to push the boy off before he lost control. But the lust peaked again when he chased after Garret and it was another hard fight not hurt the boy.

The alien ran a hand through his thick hair. Why would he do such a horrible thing? All his life he was taught that killing was wrong, so why didn't his morals kick in when he saw his sister being mauled by the bear? He gasped when a horrible thought presented it's self in his mind. What if his instinct became far from his control? What if he accidentally murdered his family? Would he get the same immense pleasure like he did with the bear? His stomach flipped as he sat back and growled again. No he wouldn't do it, he never allow himself to commit the unthinkable. But how long can he contain his instinct? Not for much longer, that much Morgan knew. Maybe he can hold back long enough until Uncle Danny took him on the hunting trip, perhaps then he can release some of his contained power; he just hoped he would not get carried away. The alien let out a rugged sigh and stood up to travel up the stairs.

As soon as he emerged from the basement his sensitive ears picked up Lindsay's voice directing the boys to clean the playroom on the top level of the house. He passed the carpeted stairs and went into a small room at the corner of the living room. He saw the light brown, varnished Henry Herbert piano standing against the far white washed wall. Music books, sheets and a few stands scattered the sides of the tiny room. A small window on the left wall had it's cream coloured curtains pulled back to allow the sunlight in. Morgan walked to the piano and sat on the worn bench, a piano and vocal book entitled "Phantom of the Opera" rested on the ledge in front of him. Even though Morgan loved to play the strings, his true passion lied with the piano. He enjoyed the feeling of his fingers moving gracefully over the ivory keys, producing either a gentle echo with the push of a pedal or a sharp, abrupt sound with the right amount of pressure; so many moods can be created with a piano and that's what he loved about it. Throughout the years Morgan compose ballads for both piano and guitar. Sometimes Lindsay would help him write words for songs and duets for both piano and flute. One day, he was going to create a song that featured all the family's instruments.

The alien sighed, cracked his knuckles and rested his hands on the keys. He began to play his favourite song, "I Can Go the Distance" from the Hercules Soundtrack. He slammed down on the keys as he played the introduction of the piece, the high and low notes mingling together in perfect harmony. Morgan whispered the words of the first verse, thinking of his own feelings.

"I have often dreamed, of a far off place, where a hero's welcome will be wai–ting for me. Where the crowds will cheer, when they see my face. And a voice keeps say–ing, this is where I'm meant to be..."

From the playroom Lindsay heard the familiar tune and her face turned solemn. Her brother only played that song when something was bothering him. The red haired seventeen year old felt lost. She wanted to help her brother through his suffering, but how can she help him when he won't tell her what's wrong? Maybe when Nicki arrives home, he can talk to him. Lindsay turned her attention back to Garret and Martin, making sure they cleaned up the rest of their mess.

There yah go, another chapter. Sorry this took so long and thanks for your patience! Just to tell you I only play a bit of the piano and a few chords of the guitar, so if you know of any good piano or guitar songs let me know in your reviews! Oh I forgot, I updated my profile settings so you can check out what's new with me!

BTW ladies, there was a BIG safety tip in here. Do not go out for a hike in bear territory if you have your monthly friend. Most women who have been attacked by bears were menstruating and they are attracted to the smell of blood. Not to scare you or anything, it's just a precaution.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter!