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12. Et subito, lupus factus est.

A distant howl cut through the air, followed by another closer to the campsite. Gale gripped his bow tighter, his primal fears fueled by lifetime experience. If a pack of dogs became bold enough to attack, it would be his job to strike them down before they could devour the others in their beds. More howls sounded around him, and he could hear faint yips as some of the animals greeted each other. Fourteen dark shapes emerged out of the forest, and Gale readied his bow, but waited. He didn't want to attract their attention, or give them cause to attack. They were still a considerable distance away, and weren't turned in his direction, but something about them set him on edge. Gale threw down one of his arrows, and it glanced off the tent. Pearl, Glimmer, and even Cobalt emerged, already wakened by the animals' cries. Gale gestured at the shapes, illuminated by the moon, and Pearl and Glimmer reached for their weapons. Gale studied them at a distance as the others assembled.

"Wait. I don't want to attack them unless it's necessary."

"Why the hell not? Imagine how pissed Cato'll be that we got some action and he didn't." Glimmer nodded in agreement, and Gale forced a smile on his face, berating himself. He needed to act more like a Career.

"Just wait a moment. Something's not right." At that moment one of the wolves stood on it's hind paws, and Gale could only stare.

"What the… Gale, wolves don't normally…"

"No. Mutts." It was the only logical explanation. "Which means we may as well attack before they do."

Gale loosened his first bolt. It arced through the air before drawing a pained cry from one of the beasts as it struck the animal's heart. The pack's leisurely movements became agitated, and enraged cries rose up. He downed another, and the mutts charged. Pearl hurtled toward them, headless of the danger, with Glimmer in hot pursuit. The pack did not take long to find its targets, and the animals turned their fury on the strange new prey. Glimmer's wicked mace glinted as it caught one of the dogs-things mid-leap. Two others had fallen to Pearl's spear before Cobalt arrived.

By then, the pack had re-grouped and surrounded his allies, and Gale didn't want to risk another shot. Instead he leapt off the Cornucopia, and darted into the fight. He cursed the Gamemakers mentally. Going hand to hand was just asking for trouble, but he had no other choice. The audience would never let him live it down if he proved coward. One of the beasts spun at him as he approached, and let off an unnerving screech before lunging, white jaws snapping shut inches from Gale's arm. Its jump had easily carried it twenty feet, and several of its companions turned to the new distraction. Gale drove his knife toward the beast's face, but missed hitting its shoulder. It screamed again, and jumped back, giving Gale enough time to dodge another, smaller, creature as it pounced. Gale thought quickly, and dropped his knife to loose a bolt into the offending beast. It fell back, dead, but another took its place instantly, and Gale realized he was surrounded as the first beast swiped at his side.

Gale smashed its head with his bow, but the beast continued its assault undeterred. Fangs grazed Gale's arm as he used it to block a bite aimed at his throat. Gale kicked the mutt's chest, and it relinquished his arm, falling to the ground. He pushed through the pain in his arm to send an abrupt arrow into the neck of the dazed beast, finally bring it down for good. He ducked as another animal leapt neatly over his head, and grasped at the knife lying at his feet to stab the mouth of another yapping animal. Its razor-sharp teeth grazed his hand, and tracks of blood made his blade's handle slippery. Gale turned and only had time to look up as a final animal lunged for the kill.

A spear took the aggression from its attack, but the beast's momentum carried the mutt into Gale and he was knocked to the ground. The smell of sweat and blood invaded his nostrils, but thankfully the staring eye inches from his face held no life behind it. With an enormous effort, he was able to shove the animal off of himself. Heavy breathing was the only sound that greeted him, and Gale sat back to take stock of his injuries. One beast had left a small gash in his sweatshirt with its claws, but thankfully it had barely drawn blood. The bite to his arm was moderately more severe, but Gale knew he was lucky the crushing jaws hadn't broken bone. His right hand stung whenever he bent it, but as long as infection didn't set in, it wasn't serious. He had hunted through worse injuries after an idiotic encounter with a grumpy badger.

Gale pulled himself to his feet and casually walked forward to retrieved his spent arrows, wiping the blood off on the animal's coats. The others stood panting, but apart from the way Cobalt held his foot, none seemed badly injured.

"That was fun." Pearl nodded in agreement, a breathless smile on her face. Cobalt was silent, but his hands shook slightly as knelt down to retrieve his spear from the animal it had stuck in. Gale gave him as small nod of acknowledgement at his kill, which the boy returned.

"What the hell were they?" Gale nudged one of the bodies with his foot.

"Part wolf, part something else. Did you see the way they stood on their hind legs?" Even dead, there was an ominous air about the mutts, and Gale leaned forward for a better look. Their bodies were thinner and longer than wolves, and each paw had surprisingly defined toes, with several-inch long black claws jutting out. Gale was torn from his observations by Cobalt.

"Oh God. Look at the eyes." Gale threw him a curious glance before looking down. Once Cobalt had pointed them out, the eyes did look particularly odd. Out of place on the lupine face. Gale quite place a word to describe them.

"I don't see what the… Oh." Realization dawned suddenly, and refused to go away.

"What?"

"Human. Part wolf, part human. That's what genes they mixed with them mutts, look." Gale's instinctive distrust of the mutts had been well placed, and if he were a dog, his hackles would have been raised at the sight.

"Fascinating. The Gamemakers modeled them after the other tributes." Cobalt knelt next to one of the bodies. "This one looks just like Ferris." Gale looked at the wolves which had surrounded him.

"Do you think they gave them any memories." Pearl, thankfully, look at least slightly uneasy with the idea.

"Must have. Look who went after Gale." Glimmer spoke up for the first time, and although she didn't seem concerned by the turn of events, she looked a little off. Her hair was messy, and some blood had begun drying near her eye. Gale glanced quickly at the bodies near his feet, but turned away quickly as he recognized a wolf-April in the dirt, snarl of hatred still etched on its face.

"Think we should do anything?"

"Like what, bury them?" Glimmer laughed and Cobalt turned slightly red.

"No I just meant-"

"Whatever." She gave an artful yawn. "Lets go back to bed."

They walked as a unit back to the campsite, the flood of adrenaline putting a spring in their steps. Glimmer and Pearl laughingly re-enacted Cobalt's expression at the first wolf's attack, and Gale smiled along offering mocking praise. After hastily patching their wounds, they chatted in the dark for a time. Once the excitement wore off, the other tributes went back to the tent. None bothered to offer to take Gale's place on watch, and he lazily made his way back on to the Cornucopia. The rest of the night passed without event, and Gale once again watched the sun rise.

Cobalt limped out of the tent first, and Gale gave him only a simple nod before climbing down and going to bed. It was still dark inside the Cornucopia itself, and his exhaustion quickly sent him to sleep. Sounds echoed around inside Gale's room, and he was repeatedly roused, only to drop back off. He snoozed all day, and half-heartedly watched the steady progression of the sun as it entered his domain.

Here's a nice short chapter to speed up your wait :) The quote is a little more obscure, but it means roughly "and suddenly he was made into a wolf." It's from a several thousand year old werewolf story from chapter 62 of the Satyricon. The werewolf bit is pretty short, only about a thousand words, and can be read without reading the rest of the book. It is a very weird, yet awesome, read, and a quick Google can find you an English copy. Good night, REVIEW, and Happy Hunger Games!