Once again Katie took to the dark swathed woods in pursuit of her friends. It didn't take long to catch up to the boys, who were huddled crying against a towering oak. The woods around them seemed deserted but she knew different- HE was just waiting for his perfect opportunity.
In that moment it seemed like the world had focused in on Andy and Seth's terrified faces. The pain of losing her best friends, whom she'd known since grade school, rushed in like molten mercury. She sunk to her knees and hung her head while tears spilled down her face. For all of the pain in her heart, the beast in her head screamed that he was close, he was coming. He was going to finish off her friends and maybe even her…maybe she'd let him if it came to that.
The beast suddenly rebelled at the thought of letting herself die so ingloriously. For every tear that fell she got angrier. She was mad at herself, mad at her friends, mad at Jason, mad at the world that created him. The more hatred she felt, the more free she felt and, in turn, wilder. In her head, the creature rushed from its prison and rammed into the human side of her brain. As they warred for supremacy, her body shook and wrenched as if she was having a seizure.
ENOUGH, a voice screamed in her head.
The factions paused long enough to listen to reason and came to an understanding. She realized that her father had let the beast consume his mind and that was why he killed. Her mother, on the other hand, let the human push the beast down and that was why she was frightened and weak. If she had balance, then maybe she wouldn't have to be afraid anymore.
Katie took a breath and looked up. Her gaze slowly moved from the dirty black boots in front of her, up the ill fitting brown pants, over the once green shirt and finally to the eyes glaring at her behind the mask. Instead of leaping back in surprise, she growled at him. He moved a step sideways to go for Andy and Seth and she mirrored him. With another breath she let the animal take over her body but not her mind. To others, it would have seemed like a horrible thing- fur sprouting from every pore, bones and muscles elongating and cracking into place. To her it was beautiful, a final release from the torture she'd felt since she was a child. With a final crack, she lifted her wide muzzle to the sky and howled her triumph.
Jason's eyes slightly widened at the absurdness of the transformation. For all the supernatural he'd dealt with, even his own bizarre being, her shift was the strangest he'd ever seen. Before him, furiously staring at him with her neon green eyes stood a massive wolf. Her wide muscled frame was deep black aside from a strangely vibrant purple streak running from the back of her neck to the tip of her tail. He took a single step towards the wolf and watched her lips curl into a snarl. Her teeth were sharp and deadly but he couldn't help himself when he reached out towards her.
Katie was confused when Jason reached out to touch her. He should wary, have some sense of self-preservation, ANYTHING but the urge to pet her. Behind her, the boys were frozen with incredulity. She could hear their breaths panting with fright, smell the cold sweat on their skin. She swished her tail towards the forest hoping Seth and Andy would get hint to run while the murderer was suitably distracted. After a few moments of gesturing she heard the rustle of leaves behind her signaling their departure. Luckily, Jason still held her gaze and made no indication that he noticed the guy's leaving.
Suddenly curious as to what he would do, Katie relaxed her mouth and stood her ground as Jason inched closer. The wolf part of her brain wanted to growl and snap at the encroaching hand. The human side of her somehow figured if he hadn't hurt her before he wouldn't hurt her now. She shut her eyes as his calloused fingers brushed through her fur. He continued to stroke her fur with a strange tenderness and she relaxed slightly.
Jason watched the boys leave out of the corner of his eye. He would get to them, there was no doubt. For the moment, though, the need to touch her wolf form overrode every desire to kill. His mother was oddly silent in his mind so he figured she still approved of his girl no matter what she turned in to. Her under coat was soft while her top coat was rough and slightly oily. As he stroked her, he felt her relax under his fingers and he got an idea. She wouldn't like it but she would forgive him in the end, she was his and she knew it.
She leaned slightly into his touch and was oddly comforted by his touch and presence. She sensed him tense but wasn't able to move away before the blow stuck her head. She felt her self hit the ground before the darkness took her fully. Deeper.
Deeper.
Deeper.
She jerked awake suddenly, pissed and unsure of how long had passed. Her ears twitched as she realized what had pulled her back to consciousness. In the distance her head a gurgled death scream and recognized the voice. She had failed her friends totally…