Chapter3
"Why?" I sobbed, hugging my knees.
The floor was cold, wet, and very uncomfortable. I was sitting here for about an hour already, but it felt like an eternity. Eternity in dark, with no knowledge of where you were or what will happen to you next; eternity of scare cold, smell of blood - can you possibly imagine a punishment harsher? Nothing, nothing could be worse than being forced to be in a place like this.
And I was only an eleven-year-old girl. This was way, way too much.
Suddenly, the very door Aki left from squeaked. I jumped up, watching the soft orange strip of light escaping from behind it, growing and enlightening the room. My fear and suspicion grew along with it.
A group of people approached, silent shadows sliding inside. Suddenly, someone lit a... 'Candle?' I guessed, by the look of a small flame dancing on a tall stick. The same hand that was holding that abnormally long and thin candle moved towards the (I am still shivering, wanting to say "my") cage. He lit several other similar candles with it. I think there were six orseven of them by the ether side of the cage... But let's move on.
The light from candles has given the room even creepier and cryptic atmosphere. Being bright yellow, it still gave out cold waves towards me. Or was it just my imagination? Most likely, considering the things I was through during past hours. I shivered, once again.
I looked up, examining the figures that surrounded me. They all were wearing black, long cloaks that covered them from chin to toe. They all had wide hoods pulled over their faces, so I couldn't see their faces ether.
"Shadows... Literally," I gasped.
"So, this is our future Chitsuke bearer? She is barely a pathetic child! She will collapse on her first moon! What in the world were you thinking, Mother?" a male voice spoke.
Figure in black cloak that stood out, being shorter and somewhat rounder than others whispered something in the ear of the shadow beside her.
"It is none of your concern right now. Mother knows better who suits the host position. Now, begin the ritual before the moon is up," the shadow spoke.
That Mother didn't want even her voice to be recognized. Smart.
"Yes, most certainly your Highness."
Three figures moved towards me. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't even move my lips. What? I couldn't move a single inch of my body. It was surprising that I was still able to blink. "What in the world..." I thought. Was it some kind of jitsu to hold me from fighting or talking back?
The trio opened the cage. The door creaked, that rusty sound was utterly disturbing. Two men took a hold of my hands, squeezing my wrists so tightly I let a silent scream inside my head. I still was unable to move. The third pushed me down on my knees and took out something. That'something' sounded scary and familiar... A metal and high-pitched sound.
"Metal?" rushed in my head before I realized what he was holding.
A knife.
Goosebumps crawled up my neck, like tiny insects.
He lowered the knife, and I felt the back of my shirt being ripped open. I was standing now, on my poor knees with a bare back and terror in my grey eyes.
I did not see what he was doing, but I heard him saying some kind of... spell? I was looking at the floor, not really protesting. Its over. There is no way to escape. I probably would die soon as well.
Its over.
The man was mumbling, and mumbling, and mumbling... It felt like he will never finish talking. I did not recognize the language; it had a lot of low, harsh sounds. Every syllable sounded as if it was escaping very deep from his throat. Every consonant was a quick growl or hiss.
Other shadows started repeating his words, soon all of them caught up. I felt my knees shaking, my head getting light. It was like I was floating in spirals down this strange, hypnotizing motive. The room around me was slowly spinning, I thought I am going to faint, but...
They stopped. They stopped all at once. I felt the cloth of my shirt being swept away from my back, I felt cold again. Cold. That was it. Its like all this, the cage, the kidnapping, the meat beside me, the strange people - all of it drained off my emotions, leaving only an empty shell.
Empty...
Why did they stop?
Everything was so still, so quiet. And... I could move again! But what's the use? I am not getting out of here anytime soon...
FLASH!
Suddenly, a huge wave of pain rocked down my body. It started off somewhere on my back, yes, a little bit down my left shoulder...
"AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" I yelled.
The pain was horrible. No, it was worse. No words can describe it, it crawled down my skin, through my flesh and bones. It was not as sharp as at the first time I felt it, but rather continuous, it pounded, it didn't stop!
"AAAARGH! AAARGH! AAAA..." every time a new wave of pain arrived, I screamed my throat off.
I wanted to run, to die, and to do anything but stop it! I was twitching, but the two shadows grasped tight. Stop it! Oh, God, just let me die right here, just let me parish from the face of this world, do anything, but STOP THIS PAIN!! I can't take it!!
I thought I was going to faint, but I was still conscious. Then... pain started to slowly fade.
No more it was grasping my entire body in its dreadful embrace, but shrinking, down to that very point below my left shoulder. Have you seen the waves on the pond of water when you throw a rock in it? Well, this was the same, except the pain was gathering into the point, instead of spreading from it. Soon, only that very place was pounding, very soon I realized that it was actually not that bad.
I thanked the gods inside.
I was breathing deeply, my entire body rising and falling along with my chest.
I smelled blood and burnt skin.
"Burnt skin?" My eyes widened.
Did they cauterize me or something? F-f...felt like it...
Soon... the pain vanished. I felt somebody's chakra brushing against my back and into my wound. They healed it.
"Why?"
I felt my clothes change. In a matter of... seconds? What? Why? How?
Two men holding me let go. They and the man that was reading the spell left the cage. They seemed to be in a hurry.
I fell on the floor, face down. I struggled, but I sat up, still hardly breathing. What... will happen to me now?
I heard the group of shadows murmuring about something. I stared into the open space.
The candles went out, all at once. It wasn't dark though. The light was coming from the window. Soft, silver light... It was filling me up with unearthly joy, I felt like I could fly...
I will never, ever forget that light. This light seemed to bring my physical and mental strengths back; this light was embracing me, like a caring mother embraces her only and dearest child. This light was my soul, and my soul was this light. I felt like I could live through anything, like I will survive, stay alive just to see this light again, just too feel this again...
This light was coming from a full moon.
It was gazing down on me, silent and curious. It glowed, sending the rays of silver at me. It was hypnotizing in a soft, narcotic way. Like a lullaby... withought words.
My eyes widened, glued up to the silver disk in the navy blue sky.
And then, it started.
First, I felt that the metal grip around my neck and left ankle tighten. Before it was only weighting me down, now I hardly felt it pushing against my body. My body... was it changing its size? I glanced down at my hands... They were not the hands I knew they should be. They were like some sick joke of nature, a hybrid of a human hand and a paw. They were itching terribly; in fact, my entire body was itching like mad! Like a thousand ants crawled under my skin and now desperately wanted to get out.
I started scratching my hands, my face, my legs...(I was barefoot, by the way) In a matter of seconds, I was peeling my own skin off, just to reveal what was under it.
Fur.
My body kept growing, my bones the fastest. My flesh couldn't keep up; they were tearing right through it... It hurt even more than what I felt before. But the pain was fading immediately, my wounds healing in a flash. I probably looked like one trembling, growing clod of flesh, fur and bones. I felt my spine deform, forcing me to stand up on my four. My clothes disappeared; they seemed to melt right in my skin, to blend with my fur and muscles.
My face was no longer my face. It wasn't even... human. My mouth stretched abnormally, I felt two rows of knife-sharp teeth with my long, thick tongue. My jaws widened, they were two times as wide as a grown man's palm, and as long as the distance between the tip of your longest finger and your elbow.
And yet, I kept growing.
The cage that once looked enormous to me was becoming smaller with every second. But it wasn't the walls that were tightening.
Then, it stopped.
I was standing on my four... paws.
I observed myself.
I was huge. My head was nearly touching the ceiling. I hardly fit in the cage that was covering the most of the room. So tight. I didn't like it.
I run on the bars, felt them shaking. I gave out a loud growl.
Such strength... I felt such strength and power...
I felt like I am able to crush this entire world just with a swipe of my paw. I was myself... and yet, I wasn't.
I felt so strong, and it felt good.
I howled at the moon in delight. Such power! I loved it.
But delight and empowerment weren't the only things I perceived.
I felt hunger.
It felt like a black hole was just down my furred stomach, sucking on my insides. Like a leech stuck to me.
A hunger of an animal.
I roared, my roar echoing and turning into a sound close to the thunder's drum call.
I was so hungry...
So hungry... I wanted blood...
I wanted to stick my teeth into the warm and tender flesh. I wanted to feel the skin ripping under my jaws. I wanted to feel the blood running down my lips. I wanted to feel my tongue lick it off...
So hungry...
Then, I remembered. Of course! That delicious, that beautiful pile of meat that was left by someone, so carefree for me to enjoy!
I turned to it, drool dipping from my chin. I gave out a loud, satisfied growl and started feasting. My jaws were going up and down, clashing, and tearing the meat. It was cold... not quite what I wanted. But it was good. I felt chunks of meat going down my throat, falling into my stomach and devouring. Fast.
Soon, the huge pile of meat was gone, small ponds of blood on the floor. I licked it with delight, letting it roll in my mouth a little bit in order to catch its taste - just like the wine samplers.
But...
I still was damn hungry. Will this ever end? I needed to eat, and fast! And then...
I sensed something. Warmth, freshness, movement, fear...
That last sense of fear made my blood boil. My eyes shifted towards the door, towards the small group of shadow-people.
I was torn between two emotions. First, animal hunger. Second, human hatred for all the things they've done to me and Grandmother.
I run onto the iron bars again and again, and felt them shutter... I stood up on my back paws and pushed the bars out. I was free.
I growled towards the people. They stood in shock, they were scared. Bad idea. Fear made me even more furious.
Hunger and hatred. They were different emotions but...
My both selves agreed in one thing.
Those people must die.
