Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. But I'd really like to!

Chapter 4

His paws pushed him along the ground at a fast pace, leaves and branches whipping him as he passed. He felt his muscles burn and lungs beg for air as he picked up the pace in pursuit.

The scent grew stronger and he felt the hairs on his back tingle with anticipation and delight. His eyes narrowed as his prey came into view at last. They were out of breath, sweating, and their heart was beating a mile a minute. He couldn't ask for a better victim. He could hear their gasps and squeals of horror as he got closer and closer. At last he leapt and pinned his victim to the ground.

He dug his claws into their skin, feeling it pierce and hearing the screams of pain that came with it. He smelt blood in the air and his stomach growled impatiently. He smirked to himself and showed off his deadly fangs. He howled proudly as his prey lay helpless beneath him. Then he opened his jaw and went right for the throat…

Beast Boy's eyes flew open and he found his jaw wrapped around something soft and plush. He released it and saw that it had been his pillow. His fangs had torn right through the material and he was lucky he hadn't choked on the stuffing. He sighed and sat up.

"That stupid dream again," he said to himself as he rubbed his tired eyes. "I guess the experiment with the tofu-dog didn't work. I'll have to go to Raven and ask her to teach me some meditation."

He made his way down from his bunk and headed to common room to get something to drink. He was glad he hadn't made it to the point in the nightmare where he bit his prey and tasted their blood, but he swore he could taste it. His steps were soft and he moved silently down the hallways. He hadn't looked at his clock, so he wasn't quite sure what time it was, but he figured it had to be after midnight.

He arrived at the common room and as the doors opened he was surprised to see that the lights were still on. He looked straight on and saw that Raven was sitting on the couch with the phone in her hand. She was instantly alerted of his presence by his emotional fluctuation and turned around. And there she saw him, standing in the doorway in only his boxers.

Beast Boy felt his heart stop and his cheeks felt on fire. But, to his relief, Raven coolly turned back around. He decided to quickly get a drink and then get the hell out of there.

"I told you, maybe Wednesday," Raven said into the phone. "I don't know… Well we'll move it to Thursday then… Nathan, I really have to go to bed… I have an early morning training… Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow… Goodnight." She turned the phone off and he could hear her let out a soft sigh. "I'm guessing you had a nightmare again."

Beast Boy, who was now holding a tall glass of soy milk, turned towards her. "Are you talking to me?" he asked.

"Who else would I be talking to?" she asked, standing up.

"Well, you were on the phone," he said, though he'd known the moment she'd gotten off.

"So, did you?" she asked.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I think I'm gonna have to learn how to meditate. You wouldn't mind teaching me, would you?"

"Of course not," she said. "But you have to be serious about it."

"I'm totally serious about it," he said quickly. "I'll do anything to stop these stupid nightmares."

"Alright, we'll start tomorrow, then," she said. "Try to get some sleep."

"Okay," he said with a smile. "Hey, do we really have early morning training?"

Raven was quiet for a moment then said, "No."

"Oh," said Beast Boy. "I could've sword I heard you tell Nathan that we did."

"Eavesdropping on my conversation, were you?" she asked with the slightest of frowns.

"I didn't mean to!" he said quickly. "I couldn't help it. I've got these big ears and they're like satellites."

"Well don't do it again," she said. "And I told Nathan that because if I hadn't he wouldn't have let me go."

"Likes to talk a lot, does he?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yes," said Raven. "But I don't mind."

"Hey! You say that I talk all the time and you hate it!" he said. "How come it's different for him?"

"Because he talks about intelligent things rather than the secret plans of zombies," said Raven with a slight roll of her eyes.

"Oh," said Beast Boy, his ears lowering.

"Goodnight, Beast Boy," she said and proceeded to exit the common room.

"Goodnight," he said softly and watched her leave.

Raven passed through the doors and as they closed behind her she let out a small sigh. She could feel the torment Beast Boy was going through and she found it pretty hard to believe that it was all from his nightmares. Something was troubling him, but she wasn't sure what. She'd felt these feelings from him, among others, for quite some time now and she hadn't been able to figure out what was going on with him. She wanted to help him, she felt compelled to because his emotions were always so pure and intense, but she was never sure he'd accept her help. He might say he would, but then would treat it as if it were all a game. She could never be quite sure with him. But she hoped the meditation lessons would help her connect with him better so she could figure out what was going on beneath that green head of his.

The next day, around noon, Beast Boy went off in search of Raven so they could start meditation lessons. He hadn't really gotten all that much sleep, but he felt that he'd be alright. He'd just go to bed early that night. He checked the common room but didn't find her there, so he went to her room. He knocked on her door, but didn't receive a response. He thought for a moment then decided to check the roof. Sure enough, there she was in deep meditation.

He felt his heart jump at the sight of her in her tranquil state. He hoped he could achieve such a state, though he was sure he'd never look as radiant as she did. He took in a deep breath then slowly released it in order to calm himself. He didn't want to approach Raven while his emotions were so intense. Once he was pretty sure he was emotionally decent he approached her.

"Hey, Raven?" he said in an almost soft tone, as to not surprise her.

"Yes?" she asked in an even tone.

"I was wondering when we were gonna start the meditation lessons," he said.

"If you're ready, we'll start now," she said.

"Sounds good to me," he said.

"Alright, take a seat on the ground in the lotus position," she said.

"What's the lotus position again?" he asked.

"Just cross your legs like me," she sighed.

"Oh," he said, feeling stupid. He hated feeling so intellectually inferior to anyone, but especially to her. He sat down and crossed his legs in the same position Raven's were in. "Okay, now what?"

"First off, no more talking," she said. "I'll be the only talking from here on out. Now close your eyes and relax." Beast Boy nodded, closed his eyes, and did his best to relax. For many minutes Raven remained quiet and Beast Boy wanted to ask her what to do next, but decided not to. Eventually he felt his body loosen up and actually relax. Only then did Raven continue on. "Now to keep your mind focused you should think of a mantra to repeat. As you know, I always say 'Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos'. If you want, you can say that for today. Once you feel completely focused begin digging deep into your psyche. Find the primal part that wants to be released and concentrate on keeping it subdued. You're in charge, not your primal side. Now let's get to that focused place. Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos… Azarath…"

"… Metrion… Zinthos…" Beast Boy said with her. As he chanted and focused he felt as if he were leaving his body. It was a dizzying feeling and, since he was already tired from a sleepless night, he almost felt as if he were going to pass out… which he did. He slipped out of consciousness and folded over from his sitting position.

Raven opened one eye and looked down to see her meditation student had passed out. She sighed but didn't find it shocking; she'd sensed that he was tired and it was always hard to concentrate, and stay conscious, when going into a deep meditative state. But, this was a good thing. If he was able to pass out so quickly that meant he was able to gain deep access into his psyche easily.

The changeling found him self somewhere dark and unfamiliar. He had his senses on high alert, but it didn't seem to matter. He couldn't really sense anything. He heard the shuffle of thick padded paws nearby and he twisted towards it.

"Hello?" he called out.

But he received no response. He heard whatever it was move around again and he followed it with his ears. Then he saw two gleaming eyes shining through the darkness. A chill was sent through him and the hairs on his neck stood on end.

"W-What are you?" he asked, taking a defensive stance.

"Don't you remember me?" it said in a deep voice that was more of a growl. "You've been pushing me back for so long I know you do." It stepped out of the darkness and revealed itself; it was his primal manifestation.

"You're… You're me!" said Beast Boy, backing away in shock. "You're the one giving me nightmares!"

"I'm not giving you anything you're not giving yourself," it growled. "I am you, you are me. We're the same being, remember?"

"Yeah, well, I'm sick of you trying to take control," said Beast Boy, finding his courage and authority at last. "So back off! I'm in charge here and I'm not gonna revert to primal urges just because of you."

The creature's eyes narrowed he it smiled to itself. "I'm only doing what you want. You know these animalistic thoughts of yours excite you. You want to embrace them as badly as I do."

"I don't want anything to do with your stupid animal thoughts!" said Beast Boy. "I'm a human being, not an animal!"

"Are you sure?" it asked. "Are you really sure?" And with that it backed away was enveloped by the darkness once more.

"Hey! Get back here!" Beast Boy yelled. "I'm not done with you yet!"

His eyes snapped open and he saw the bright sky above him. His heart was racing and he felt sick. He rolled onto his stomach and crawled over to the edge of the roof. He hung his head over the edge and began to get sick. Of course he hadn't realized that Raven was still there and was watching him.

"Oh God, what happened to me?" he moaned as he heaved again.

"You went a little deeper into your mind than you should have your first time," said Raven.

He swung around and saw her standing nearby. Now he felt really embarrassed. He would've rather she saw him in his boxers again rather than seeing him throwing up off of the roof.

"How long was I out?" he asked, turning back.

"About an hour," said Raven. "And don't worry; it's okay to feel nauseas."

"Oh good," said Beast Boy and he heaved again.

"I'll go make you some tea," she said. "It'll help."

Beast Boy heard her walk away and then let loose one last time. Feeling that he'd emptied all the contents of his stomach, he hung over the edge, trying to recover. He was glad he'd thrown up over the back of the tower, so no one saw. He would've been absolutely mortified if it had been in the front where the large widows were.

Once he felt a little better he got to his feet and slowly headed for the door that led back into the tower. He held his head, which still felt dizzy, and hoped he'd made some progress with suppressing his primal instincts. If he hadn't he wasn't sure what he was going to do. He really didn't want to hunt down a poor animal just to satisfy his urges.