Willow waited for Xander to come out of the changing rooms she wanted to know what was going on in his head, he had never acted like this before. Her thoughts were cut off when she saw him approaching with Kyle and the others. Willow watched how he walked, like some sort of predator, she sometimes saw Angel walk like that on patrol, Buffy too, but seeing the docile Xander walk like it gave her major wiggins as Buffy would say.
"Xander" She saw he give the others a sort of annoyed bored look before coming over, his new friends not far behind.
"What's wrong with you?" She asked softly.
Xander looked towards the others again and moved closer to Willow leading her a little away, he almost looks like the old Xander.
"I guess you know I've been acting differently lately" at her nod he continues, though he sees Buffy moving towards her locker and for once she was without her beloved boyfriend smiling slightly he returns his attention to Willow.
"I think it's because my feelings towards you have changed, we've been friends for a long time and I think I should tell you something." he pauses again the whole time his voice had been soft and gentle, hiss eyes never leaving hers.
I've decided to drop geography, so I won't be needing you help with maths anymore, which means I won't ever have to see your pasty face again" He said the last part loudly so anyone in the corridor could hear, he saw the pain in Willow's eyes but was surprised that she wasn't already crying she just pushed past him and the cackling group behind him, it didn't take Xander long to join his pack in the laughter, that's what they were now and for once his was the alpha dog.
Out the corner of his eye he saw Buffy slam her locker door and head towards him, she was in full slayer fury and any sensible being would've backed off but it only increased his desire for her, looking him straight in the eye she spoke to him in a cold voice that would've frozen anyone on the warmest day.
"Do you have something to say to me?" He looked at her for a bit before he started to crack up laughing again, the pack following his lead they headed off towards the quad still cackling. Buffy watched them go anger in her eye's and worry for Willow. Thinking of Willow Buffy headed off to find the red head.
As Buffy was looking for Willow, Xander and the pack was looking for lunch, Xander caught a scent of meat.
"What is it?" Kyle asked
"Dog's" Xander replied and headed off towards a table of boys talking about a band. They noticed Xander's approached and besides from acknowledging their presence tried to forget the others were there.
"Hey Xander you've seen Wretched Refuse, what do you think of their lead" he was cut off when Heidi the blonde female took his hot dog and took a bite.
"Hey what gives" One of Adams friends exclaimed.
"Your sharing" Kyle said and Xander smirked.
"Friends like to share" then he turned to t Heidi and Tor and saw that they were spitting out what they had bitten.
"Too cooked" Tor said to Xander, just as the pack leader caught another scent smirking he started off the pack following him smirking when they caught the same scent.
The classroom was empty except for one occupant in a little cage. Herbert started to squeal as he felt the pack gather around his cage, Xander looked down menacingly and smiled.
"Lets do Lunch" The pack tore into the cage and started on the pig, the only sounds were Herbert's squeals and the packs cackling.
Once they had finished with the little piglet they headed out into the school, students moved out of their way as they headed back to the quad, Xander caught a sound as well as a pleasing scent, looking up he saw Buffy and Willow talking on the balcony.
"I've know him my whole life Buffy, we haven't always been close, but he's never" Willow's voice trailed off as she tried to reign in her tears, Buffy looked at her with sympathy.
"I think there is something wrong with him" Buffy said trying to express her theory with Willow but the redhead was clearly in some pain and was having some issues with her self esteem.
"Or maybe there's something wrong with me" she responded quietly.
"What" Buffy asked completely shocked at the statement
"Come on he's not picking on you, just sniffing you a lot."
"You think this has something to do with me?" Buffy asked clearly not getting the point.
"Of course" Willow stated some of the anger at all the attention Xander had been giving Buffy even though she had Angel came through in that statement.
"Well that doesn't explain why he's hanging out with the dode patrol. No there's something going on here, something weird" Buffy finished and the redhead looked slightly better.
"What are going to do?" Willow was now hopeful that Xander's behaviour could be just some mystical event.
"Find Angel and go speak to the expert on weird" Buffy replied smiling.
Buffy found Angel in the Library apparently he had the same idea as her and came to talk to Giles about it, except he wasn't there. They waited for a bit Angel holding Buffy close. Giles finally entered with Joyce on one arm and a cup of tea in the other, they both stopped when they spotted the two slayers.
"Angel, Buffy what's the matter?" Joyce asked seeing their worried expressions,
"We believe that Xander is under some mystical influence" Angel said holding Buffy tighter, this is why civilians shouldn't get involved with them, they always get hurt. Buffy quickly explained the situation and both slayers were shocked when the adults shared a smile.
"So Xander's taken to teasing the less fortunate?" Giles said
"Yes" Angel and Buffy said.
"And there's been a noticeable change in clothing and demeanour?" Joyce continued her face blank.
"Uh huh" the slayers replied
"And otherwise he's spending all his time with complete imbeciles?" Giles finished
"It's bad isn't it?" Buffy asked
""It's disastrous, he's turned into a sixteen year old boy" Joyce told them finally letting the smile back out, while both slayers shook their head, why did adults never understand.
"Of course you'll have to kill him" Giles said continuing with the joke, which caused Buffy to react, se was sick of no one but Angel believing her when she felt when something wasn't right, she was the female slayer for heavens sake, they couldn't take her seriously for once.
"Giles' we're serious" she all but shouted, which caused the too adults to calm some what.
"So am I Buffy, except for the killing part, testosterone turns all men into moron's he will however get over it" Giles said trying to sooth her.
"I can't believe that you of all people are trying to Scully us." Angel said
"There is something supernatural at work here, get your books look stuff up" Buffy continued.
"Look under what?" Joyce asked starting to get a little annoyed with their behaviour.
"I don't know that's his department" Buffy said using her thumb to point at Giles.
Giles took a deep breathe before turning to his step-daughter, he tried to calm her down.
"But the evidence you present is" He was cut off by Buffy who looked like she had just got a prize for most vampires dusted.
"He scared the pig" she said a little to happily, at everyone's look she deflated a little, though she could tell Angel was more amused then anything, and was happy when he stuck up for her.
"Well he did" Joyce and Giles shred a look this was going to be more difficult then they thought.
"Buffy, Angel boy's can be cruel, they tease, they prey on the weak, it's natural teen …" Joyce was cut off by Buffy there was something she had said that seemed to trigger something in her daughters mind, she watched while Angel and Buffy did the creepy mind speak with their eyes before Buffy spoke.
"What did you say?" She wanted to make sure.
"Uh they tease" Joyce started when getting cut off this time by Angel.
'They prey on the weak, from what Buffy has told me Xander started to act" he paused then to grimace slightly making Buffy giggle.
"Wiggy after they went to the zoo." He motioned Buffy to continue she gave him a quick kiss for using her words before turning back to her parents to see both were listening intently.
"He and Kyle and the others went into the Hyena house, god that laugh" she shivered as she remembered the cackling her brunette hair friend did.
"So your suggesting that somehow Xander's become a Hyena?" Giles asked softly.
"Or been, I don't possessed by one some how, and not just him, all of them." Angel summed up. Everyone turned to Giles who was deep in thought.
"Well I never heard of" This time they were stopped by the library doors being flung open and a distressed looking Willow entering.
"They found Herbert" she said not making much sense to anyone.
"Herbert the pig?" Angel asked wondering what this had to do with anything.
"Did and eaten, Principal Flutie is freaking out" Willow showed no sign of calming down so Joyce walked over and placed her arm around the young girls shoulders. Buffy couldn't help but smile, there was no on else like her mom, she could calm down the most distressed person with just a few words or gestures.
"Eaten by what?" This was giving some hard evidence towards Buffy and Angel's theory.
"By whom" No one knew the red head could sound so ominous. There was a pause as the meaning stuck in, and Buffy just looked at her parents all amusement gone from her face.
"Testosterone huh" shaking her she made her way back to Angel who just held her close. Giles had the grace to look a little sheepish as he headed towards his office.
"Where are you going?" His wife asked. Giles turned around and gave a pointed look towards Buffy.
"Get my books, look stuff up" he informed then continued towards his office.
Outside all the students were heading home, except for the pack, minus Xander were just sitting at one of the tables harassing some of the other students as they walked by them. Principal Flutie came up to them obviously upset.
"You four" he shouted they all look at him not caring about the state he was in.
"What now?" Kyle asked looking bored.
"Don't think I don't know, three students recognized you outside Herbert's room" Flutie was torn between disgust and anger and how they were acting now pushed his anger over his limit.
"How is Herbert?" Rhoda asks causing the others to laugh.
"Crunchy" Heidi responds making everyone to laugh harder, and to make the principal completely lose it.
"That's it my office right now" They seemed to hesitate, but Kyle finally decided to move so the others followed suit, looking calm and collected while Flutie rambled on.
"You guys are going to have so much detention, that your grandchildren will be staying after school"
Progress was going slow in the library, Buffy, Willow and Angel sat at the table books and empty soda cans surrounding them. Buffy opened a book and spotted a passage on hyena's.
"Hey checked this out" she said to the other two, they both leaned over to skim while Buffy read it.
"Apparently Noah reject Hyenas from the Ark cause he believed they were an evil, impure mix of cats and dogs." Buffy stopped reading Willow looked unhappy and Angel had a worried look on his face, he reached over and grasped her hand.
"Hyenas aren't very well liked" Willow absently commented while reaching for a donut, but doesn't eat it just stares at it.
"Though do seem to be the shmoes of the animal kingdom' Buffy said trying to keep the conversation light and her mind off Xander's predicament, some of her emotion must of shown cause Angel gave her hand a light squeeze.
"Why couldn't Xander get possessed by fluffy bunnies or something" Willow scolded their friend half heartedly.
"That's assuming possession is the right word" Angel said though he couldn't think of what else it could be, over the past couple of months he had grown to like the other male teen, even though his crush on Buffy sometimes didn't help, still he was the first male friend he really had, and wanted to help him. This time Buffy gave his hand a squeeze, he looked over at her and gave a slight smile.
"I say it's the right word" they looked up to see Giles coming out of his office Joyce following behind him looking pleased at the find.
"The Masai of the Serengeti has spoken of animal possession for generations, I should have remembered that" he admitted, but neither slayer had a smug look on their face just mutual concern for their friend though he was shocked that Willow was thoughtful.
"Buffy didn't that zookeeper mention something about the Masai, and of Hyenas calling your name?" Willow thought she was correct but thought it might have more strength coming from the slayer.
"Right he did" she then turned her attention to her watcher.
'So how does it work?" Angel asked before she could it did sometimes seem that they could read each others minds.
Giles started to ramble on about a bunch of people called Primals, and how they thought the animal spirit was holey and through some sort of trans-possession were able to transfer animal spirits into them. The briefing was rather short for Giles and Joyce gave him a proud look, for doing it she seemed to realize that all the teenagers were concerned with was Xander and not some lesson about some tribe.
"So they started to act like Hyenas?" Buffy wanted to make sure she was clicking right.
"Well only the most predatory of animals were of interest, so yes that would seem right" Joyce said shocking the others, she just crossed her arms and frowned, she could read as well as her husband.
"So what happens to the person once the spirit is within them" Angel asked and he didn't like the look Giles gave them.
"If it goes unchecked" he handed the book over to Buffy who took one look from and went pale. Shutting the book quickly she rose and headed out of the library.
"I have to find Xander" she said and left to go do her self imposed task.
Out the corner of his eye he saw Willow pick up the book and saw that she went pale and looked towards the door as if she wanted to go with Buffy, Angel gingerly took the book from the redhead and saw a gruesome picture men feeding off each other.
Buffy decided to check the former mascots room, for any clue to what she was dealing with, and where they could have gone. When she entered she was shocked at the mess inside, all the tables and chairs had been knocked over and in the middle of it all was the ruined caged.
Treading carefully she made her way over to it half whishing that Angel had come with her, she crouched down to examine the cage, she touched a part of the cage where the bars were either broken or bent of out shape.
"So strong" she muttered then she noticed a second shadow over hers, standing up slowly she turned around and saw the person she was looking for, though right now she wanted him to be elsewhere.
"Xander" Buffy softly said as she backed away a little from her friend, this wasn't going to be easy.
In the principal's office Flutie was still raging and making threats about calling parents, all the while never noticing how the pack had started to surrounded him, it wasn't until Rhoda got up on his desk that he realised he was in some sort of danger, though he tried to remain calm and in control.
"What are you doing, get down this instant" Rhoda just ignored him and the others started to laugh and make hunting noises. He reached for the phone only to have Tor beat him to it, the blonde teen then handed it back to the principal and just as he started to dial, they pounced on him. His screams went unheard and soon they dimmed down into nothingness.
Buffy stared at Xander who still hadn't made a sound, just stood there smiling at her, she feigned to the door, he copied her movements and it became clear that she wasn't going anywhere, so she relaxed a little.
"This is ridiculous we need to talk" as she said the last word she dived at him taking himm to the ground and pinned him there, he just smiled at her.
'I've been waiting for you to jump my bones for a long time" the shock of his words was enough distraction for Xander to roll so he was on top, Buffy truly started to fear her friend and his intentions.
"Get off me" she said coldly.
"Is that what you really want, we both know what you want" Xander stopped as Buffy tried to get him off her but Xander didn't budge an inch.
"You want danger right, you like your men dangerous don't you" This was severely becoming a dangerous situation for Buffy.
"Xander look your infected with some sort of Hyena thing, like some sort of demonic possession." She tried reaching out to the human Xander but all she could see was the Hyena in her friend.
"Dangerous and mean right, just like Angel, your slayer boyfriend, well guess who just got mean." Buffy really started to panic and somehow managed to get him off her though she didn't get far. Xander grabbed her and pushed her against the wall.
"You're sick Xander that's all" Buffy was still trying to reach her friend no matter how pointless it seemed she tried not to let her fear over take her, but for some reason her slayer strength didn't seem as effective as normal.
"I don't wanna hurt you Xander" That only made Xander shove her harder against the wall.
"That make you want to hurt me? C'mon slayer I like it when you're scared" he paused to lean in closer and take a big sniff.
"The more scared you get, the better you smell" then he kissed her roughly then just as suddenly his body went limp and Buffy saw her boyfriend standing there with a dangerous look in his eye, Buffy rushed into him, letting him take away all her fear.
"I got a bad feeling and came to find you, are you ok?" he looked over for injuries but couldn't see any. Buffy just nodded into his chest letting his comfort wash over her for a little longer, before turning around to face Xander.
"I'm fine but I don't know bout Xand here, c'mon help me lift him" Angel was still angry at the male for kissing his girlfriend with clear intentions for more, but he knew that it was just the possession that was making act like that, so he went and grabbed an arm, and the two slayers easily carried him back to the library.
"Willow and Joyce were sitting down doing more research on Hyena's and talking slightly when Buffy and Angel came in. Willow jumped up when they saw Xander being carried between them.
"Oh my god what happened?" she brushed his hair from his face and was reminded of how he normally was.
"Angel hit him" Buffy stated as they dropped Xander into the cage, Buffy went out first Angel followed closely closing and locking the door.
"Angel why did you hit him?" Joyce asked softly she had never even heard of him attacking anything but forces of evil.
"He was kissing Buffy against her will" Both women then looked towards the blonde slayer with concern but she just shrugged it off.
"He's not himself" looking around she noticed that Giles wasn't there, and then and voiced her observation.
"Emergency staff meeting" Joyce answered.
"What are we going to do about Xander , we can't leave him like this." Willow's loyalty towards her friends sometimes shocked Buffy who never had such a friend before.
"We can't do much at the moment, besides I'm worried about what the rest of the pack is up to." Angel said and Buffy nodded in agreement, Angel was standing behind her with his arms around her wais holding her to him.
"The rest of the pack were spotted outside Herbert's the mascots cage, and were sent to the principals office" everyone jumped when Giles had started talking, none of them had noticed his entry, Joyce became concerned,, he had his glasses in one hand and was rubbing his head with the other.
"Good that will show them" Willow said happily, then she saw the librarians face and felt her own drop.
"Did it show them?" Willow wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to know, unbidden the picture of the men eating each other came into her mind.
"They didn't hurt him?" Buffy could sense the bad news and felt Angel hold her tighter, she brought her hands up and rested them onto of his and her mom went over to her husband.
"They ate him" Giles said bluntly, Joyce gasped and a hand flew to her mouth, Giles turned to his wife and gathered her into his arms, while the others just stood there in shock.
"They ate Principal Flutie" Buffy couldn't believe how small her voice sounded she shared a dumbfounded expression with Willow before looking back at Giles, she noticed that Angel and her grips had tightened and if they weren't slayer's would've been hurting each other.
"The official theory is that wild dogs had gotten into his office somehow, there was no one at the scene." Giles looked grim and none could fault him, he subconsciously rubbed his wife's back, as he talked.
A dark thought came to Willow who quickly turned to Buffy.
"But Xander didn't, I mean he was with you" she didn't want to remind Angel about Xander's plans for Buffy but she had to know, Buffy just nodded.
"That's a small mercy" Giles softly said he had seen the boy on is entry but his news had pushed it to the back of the mind until Willow brought it up.
"Giles how do you un trans-possess someone?" Angel asked, e hoped there was a way or they might just have to kill Xander and the others to stop them from hurting others or each other.
Giles thought hard and started thinking out loud, he knew of a way to transfer the spirit into another human, but that's not what they were after, they somehow need ed to get the Hyena back into the Hyena.
"You know I bet that zookeeper knows more then he was letting on, why don't we go pay him a visit" they were about to head off when Joyce pointed out that someone should stay with Xander, In the end it was decided that Joyce and Willow would stay while the watcher and slayers went to the zoo, both slayers went for more intimidation and protection for Giles even though it might ad been better for one to stay behind. Besides Angel wasn't of mind to be away from Buffy at the moment.
They got to the zoo as quickly as Giles' car could take, all the while the two slayers wished they had taken Joyce's jeep. They meet up with the zookeeper, and him and Giles got into a deep discussion about the Hyena's and trans-possession until Buffy called for a time out that's when the zookeeper pointed out that if one member of the pack was missing once the other's had eaten and rested they would search for their missing member.
Buffy was gone before anyone knew it, Giles not far behind her and cursing his car for not going any faster, Angel managed to catch up to Buffy and soon they were at the school, they heard some banging and saw two of the pack members looking in classrooms, the sneaked pass them and headed up a corridor, they saw Xander in a class room, with a scared looking Joyce in front of him they couldn't see Willow. They saw Giles come next to them.
"We have to do something" Giles whispered as low as he could, he feared for his wife and was trying not to do something stupid. Angel looked around and saw a fire extinguisher, he pointed it out to Buffy who retrieved it and moved up behind Xander and with all her strength hit him with it, he went down and the other two came running down with the rest of the pack on their heels, they all went into the classroom, moving Xander out of it who was starting to get up, and closed the door.
The banging went on for a few minutes but Angel and Buffy were able to hold the door while Giles shared a rather passionate kiss with his wife, they saw Willow get up from behind the desk and pull a face at the adults, Buffy couldn't help her chuckle.
"Welcome to my world, they do this all the time at home, when you and Xand aren't there" Giles and Joyce stopped kissing but didn't remove their arms from around each other. Suddenly the banging stopped and Angel pressed an ear to the door listening for any movement in case it was decoy.
"They've left" he stated sharing a look with Buffy.
'It could be a trap" Willow pointed out but Buffy just shook her head.
"No they've gone to find someone weaker, look we need to get them to the zoo, you three go and get things ready with the zookeeper, while me and Angel draw them away." She was in full slayer mode and Angel didn't believe anything could look more beautiful.
"Guy's be careful, they're almost as strong as you are now" Joyce informed them.
"We know but I think they are getting stupider" Angel said as he opened the door and the two slayers went hunting for the pack.
When Giles, Joyce and Willow got to the zoo they headed to the Hyena house where the zookeeper was waiting for them, Giles kept Willow outside for two separate reasons, one to keep an eye out for Buffy and Angel he had a feeling they wouldn't get much of a warning and the other, he felt a powerful magical spark within the young woman and didn't want her exposed to strong magic's at the moment not until he knew more of what he was dealing with.
Joyce and Giles entered the building all seemed quiet then the zookeeper came out of sn employees door, dressed in the Sharman ceremonial robes. Giles looked on the floor and saw that the pentagram had already been drawn then something dawned on him, for the first trans-possession the pentagram would've had to been there as well, except that didn't make any sense unless someone else was trying have the spirit of the Hyena in them, he looked at the zookeeper and realization came to him, he turned to warn his wife but it was too late, the zookeeper/Sharman had already knocked, her out, and before he could call out to Willow his world went black.
Willow waited outside alert for any sign of Buffy and Angel or vampires, she had a hold on to her cross even though she didn't know how much good it will do her, but it was better then nothing. She heard what sounded like running feet and waited for a few more seconds to make sure she hadn't imagine the sound, when the sound got closer and she actually saw Buffy and Angel moving inhumanly fast, she ran inside to inform the others. She got halfway across the floor when the Sharman grabbed her from behind and held a knife to her throat.
"So your going to pretend to slit my throat and then put the spirit back in the Hyenas?" She asked hopefully but there was something about the guy and the lack of Giles or Joyce that made her nervous.
"Something like that" the tone of voice of his voice just made her all the more nervous.
Buffy and Angel ran in and stopped and when they saw Willow being held with a knife to her throat, she managed to yell that it was trap before the pack ran in and tackled them to the ground, the Sharman said an incantation, and all the packs eyes glowed before they got off Buffy and Angel looking confused. Xander looked up to see Willow in trouble he didn't even think just tackled the guy away from his best friend.
Buffy got up and took in her surroundings, Angel was up and brushing his clothes off, Kyle and the others were no where to be seen and Xander just tackled the zookeeper away from Willow, it seemed like he was back to normal, she saw the zookeeper push Xander away and faced Her and Angel. They took turns attacking him trying to keep him guessing, Buffy managed to get between him and the Hyenas he rushed her and she flipped him into the enclosure.
Everyone turned away as the Hyenas started to feed on the man, Buffy turned around and finally noticed something she failed to see before.
"Will, where are my parents?" she couldn't help be nervous but if that man had done anything at all well there couldn't be anything more she could do to him, the hyenas saw to that. Just as she started to panic her parents emerged from behind a door Giles supporting Joyce, she rushed over to help them.
Angel went over to make sure Willow and Xander were alright since Buffy was preoccupied with her family, he smiled at the picture they made and is smile grew when she looked over and gave him one of the most loving smiles he had seen from her before he returned his attention to their friends.
Xander seemed confused about the past couple of days, and felt that he had eaten something that hadn't agreed with him, Angel and Willow shared a small smile but decided to leave mentioning some of his actions until the next day. They all headed out to go get some rest.
That night Angel was lying in his bed, he couldn't really sleep all he could think about was what would've happened if he hadn't gotten to Buffy in time when Xander was still being controlled by the hyena.
"I would've stopped him" Angel sat up and spotted Buffy by his door, he lifted up his sheets and scooted over, she came over and climbed into his bed they had done this before after a particularly difficult patrol, they didn't do anything just held each other to reassure the other that they are ok. Angel felt Buffy's breathing even and let her heartbeat drift him off as well.
The next day the girls were filling in Xander about some of his recent activities, also how the deputy principal was taking over before they could find a new one.
The others headed off in one direction as Xander heading off into the other bumping into Giles on the way.
"You know Xander I was going over animal possession and never did I read about the person losing their memories" Xander gulped and paused.
"You haven't told them that have you"
"No and I don't intend to, though I warn you know you ever do anything to Buffy like you did possessed or not again, Angel wont have time to get you." Xander paled and nodded he watched the watcher walk off promising internally not to even look at Buffy with anything but a friendly look for at least a month.
TBC
Wow I know at the end I put Ripper in and he doesn't make a actual appearance until the second season, but with Buffy being his step-daughter I thought it would be acceptable.