A/N: Sorry, I've been busy working and haven't had a chance to update. Enjoy the update!

25. Transformation

I felt myself starting to slip into unconsciousness, and I cursed myself for even believing in such fallacies, and willingly drinking that potion. I then felt the world turn to darkness.

. . .

Rumplestilzkin felt something was not right. He felt it in his very flesh and bones, down to his very soul. Something was amiss. He looked at his newly found son, wondering what could it possibly be.

"Papa, what's the matter?" asked Bae, concern reflecting in his green eyes.

"It's nothing, my son," sighed Rumplestilzkin. "I had an omen. That's all."

The father and son walked back to the castle after finishing up a few errands and deals in town. Once they reached the Dark Castle, Rumplestilzkin threw open the heavy wooden doors, and called for Belle. But there was no cheery answer, no thunder of footsteps rushing to greet him, no warm embrace. Where was she?

"Something is not right," Rumplestilzkin said as he searched high and low for his love. "Bael, can you check the grounds? Maybe she went for a walk."

The young lad nodded, and walked outside. "Belle?" he called. "Where are you? Papa's been getting weird feelings, and I'm starting to also. Where are you?"

He paused by the beautiful rose bush, ironically, the same one that Belle had been admiring earlier. "Just like in the story," he whispered to himself. "Belle's been here, I can tell. There's a rose missing from this section; she must have taken one."

He scanned the grass, and with a sickening jolt, found a shredded pair of black pants and a ripped blue poet shirt. "Belle?" called Bae frantically as he ran to the tattered clothes. "Where is the rest of her? What happened to her?"

There was a low growl, and the feeling of something breathing down the young boy's neck from behind. He slowly turned around, and let out a scream.

. . .

The screams of Baelfire reached Rumplestilzkin's ears, and he ran down the steps of the castle in frantic haste. He tore out of the heavy wooden front doors in hopes of finding his son in time. The magician let the magic flow into his hands, ready to attack with all of his power whoever or whatever was attacking his son.

But when he reached his son, he found him sobbing over tattered clothes. "Boy, what's the matter? I heard you scream from all the way up in the Dark Castle. What's-"

"It KILLED her!" shrieked the young boy hysterically. "And it almost killed me too! If I hadn't screamed, I wouldn't have frightened it away! Oh God, papa! This is all that I found!"

The deal maker looked closely at the tattered clothes in Bae's hands. They were the exact same articles of clothing that Belle had worn that day. "BELLE!" wailed the Dark One as he fell to his knees. His son held him as both father and son wept over the remainder of the girl who had brought them together.

. . .

When I finally came to, I sat up groggily, and began to stretch. My breath caught in my throat as I saw a flash of dark brown fur. I began to panic and whimper, looking around, trying to find the threat. Then I looked down at myself, and I let out a high pitched whine. I was covered in dark brown fur, my clothes lay tattered underneath me. That witch had turned me into a bear. I scampered off into the forest, ashamed of my form. Then, I heard Bae call out my name, and I slowly walked up behind him.

I tried to talk, but it came out as a low growl, which then made the poor boy panic and scream. I knew if I didn't run off, Rumplestilzkin would come and kill me. I ran as fast as I could into the forest, realizing for the first time that I was now completely and utterly alone in the world.