Marinelycan originally had this attached to the last chapter, but I thought I could rewrite it a little and make it into a small horror piece. Hope it turns out well, everything in the following was written originally by marinelycan

Apologies for the delay. It's an insane world we live in right now (I write this horror story as Christmas music play in the next room), plus personal life and work kept me very busy, lots of news happening. Hope you can understand why this, like many things in the world, has been delayed. Stay safe everyone

Warning: Horror elements, blood/gore, war violence, and peril

Pursuit of Agony

Three weeks…

Three brutal weeks of endless fighting and bloodshed. Three weeks of unbearable screaming and endless terror, fearing everything from late-night assaults to bombing raids. Ash felt like her sanity was about to slip when they finally received some reprisal for their endless fighting.

They were pulled back from the line after pushing the Germans away from Moscow until the city was no longer on the horizon. They were still close but at least "Comrade Stalin" could rest easy without the worry of being hit by an artillery shell. Ash tried to find comfort in knowing that along with the egomaniac, thousands of innocent people were kept safe from the Nazi's wraith. The German's were spent after their month-long siege, they were practically running from the soviets at this point.

For their defense of the flanks, Petr was promoted to Segreant Major, just short of an officer. Able had recovered from his wounds but was still held in the reserves until he was feeling a hundred percent. Anton…was quiet. Normally nothing would have made Ash feel better than having their whining squadmate be silent for a day, but after a week of him keeping to himself, she was starting to worry.

Still, there was no time to care for her injured friends. Along with killing Nazis, they were also saving who they could. They found a lot of civilians hiding in destroyed towns, refugees risking being blown up inside buildings rather than freezing outside. Ash made the risky decision of giving up her overcoat to a shivering toddler who was wearing nothing but an oversize shirt. Ash would be cold, but her bodark side wouldn't let her freeze to death. Something her comrades might find suspicious, but all she could think about at that moment was of the boy whose tears were frozen solid on his cheeks.

Sights like that made the killing easier for her. When an SS officer broke from his hiding spot in the snow, he was a good 70 yards away. He was probably at a hundred yards when Ash's bullet hit his head. Ash was praised for her shooting ability, everyone marveling over her making incredible shots with a rusty gun and its iron sights.

Ash didn't want to say shooting came naturally to her, but it does. There was something…familiar, practiced about it? Noting the wind breeze, calculating the flight of the bullet, and keeping her body nice and steady before pulling the trigger. Her enhanced vision helped her to spot her target and calculate how far away they were while her other senses helped her to gauge the wind speed and detect any potential targets. Her body was used to becoming still in an instant, a technique she learned from stalking prey. Despite her great shots, she was no pro, she was still trying to enhance her rifle and there were still times where different factors prevented her from hitting all of her targets.

Even though fighting off the Nazis had become an everyday occurrence, she was grateful for the pullback, grateful for the rest, and even more for the captain who asked for volunteers for night watches.

For the first time in months, she was tasting freedom as she ran through the dark forest in her bodark form. The moon shone brightly on her before being hidden behind low overcast clouds, but she didn't mind. As a bodark, any predator that caught her scent will know to get out of her way. For the first time in a long time, she was alone. No more hiding from friends, no more transforming and huddling in basements or in a closet, for the first time she could say she was free.

Her large feet pounded on the ground as she ran through the trees, remising how it looked so similar to the forest back home. The tall trees, the snow-covered landscape, and, of course, the soft silver glow of the moon. But the one thing that was missing, the one real thing that really set Nome apart from the rest of the world, was the howls of her pack.

She slowed to a trot before sitting down on her rear and sighed.

Home truly felt like it was on the other side of the world. If she ever got out of this mess, she'll never leave Alaska again. She stared down at her giant paws and held them out. Staring intently at the large digits tipped by wicked claws.

She had the power to leave, to flee, and make it home on her own. But it would cost the lives of her friends. If by some miracle they weren't executed because of her desertion, they would probably be killed in the war. She wasn't one to boast about herself, but she doubts they would have survived the attacks on the flank if she wasn't with them. Moscow probably would have been lost as well.

And not just Able and Anton. But Petr, Oleg, and even Tromfin: she didn't know much about them, but she was willing to risk her life for them. Just as they would risk their lives for her. To abandon them to a fate of torture and death is unthinkable. No, it would be irredeemable.

A low whine finally escaped her as she brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly. She wanted to go home, to get away from all these nightmares. To forget the pain and devastation selfish humans can cause. She'll even be willing to live wild with her mother's pack and forsake her human self if it meant escaping this torment.

She closed her eyes and tried to escape into the peace of the forest. Just let the sounds of nature lull her mind into serenity.

…

Absolute silence, a bliss…

…

Wait…a forest is never silent…

Ash opened her eyes and looked around her. It wasn't until now did dark realization dawn on her.

The woods were quiet, as quiet as a grave. No snorts or howls of nocturnal animals. No owls, no predators, not even a gust of wind to move the branches.

Suddenly a memory cropped up from a time not too long ago. Of her encountering another forest where she heard and saw nothing. A forest where everything appeared…dead.

A deep unnatural shiver filtered down her spine as she slowly rose back onto her feet and glanced around. The calmness she first felt when she ran into the forest was gone, replaced by paranoia and fear. Something was terribly wrong; she can feel it in the air. She had planned to take her time returning back to camp, but now she felt an overwhelming urge to run back to her friends.

She turned to leave but froze when she heard it.

A howl, long and low. A wolf on the hunt.

Again, she felt a sense of familiarity yet foreignness as well. Something that was supposed to be familiar instead sounded wrong. She can't explain it but the sense to run was overwhelming and she heeded it.

She turned and was about to take off when she froze.

Red eyes, eyes blazing crimson were staring back at her. The eyes of her family, eyes that she longed to see and missed during this horrible trip.

But these eyes weren't wide and welcoming; they were squinted, cold, and worst of all, filled with hunger.

Confused, she turned to run again, but barely took a step before seeing more eyes glaring back at her. She was surrounded and as she turned on the spot realized that they were closing in on her.

Her breathing intensified and she felt her emotions starting to get the best of her. She reflexively reached for her gun before remembering she didn't have it, she was a bodark now. This fact for some reason terrified her even more. As a cursed creature she shouldn't be afraid of anything, nothing would be foolish enough to attack her. Unless they were…

She couldn't believe it, she thought it was a trick of the moonlight, but finally, these creatures stepped forward and she saw what they were.

They were without a doubt bodarks. Like her family, the creatures who bore the body of wolves and yet were large and possessed the form of humans. They ranged in color from a light brown to midnight black, a shade similar to her father's coat. They were about six of them, two of them were about her size, but the others, the males if she were to guess, were taller by ahead and had a larger mass. None of them were as big as Tom, something she should be thankful for but she was having trouble finding the bright spot in this situation.

This by itself was a huge surprise to her. Although she thought about it before, she never believed she would encounter other bodarks, other shapeshifters like her family before. She always thought there would be peaceful contact or reverence in the discovery.

But that's not the case here as she just as quickly sees the differences. Whereas her coat was cleaned and clear, theirs was dirtied; covered by mud, twigs and red strains that she quickly suspected were blood. Their canines were bare as they growled at her, the deep rumbling echoing a challenge that she feared she couldn't answer.

There's no way she could win a fight, she should run, but where? Her only option at this point was to run directly at them and hope to breakthrough. She looked to one of the females and felt her body tense as it prepared to leap forward, but she was stopped by the laugh.

It was a laugh unlike any she had heard before. It contained neither cheer nor passion. There was clear amusement in it, but it sounded inhuman to her, unnatural, almost manic.

The laugh turned into a cackle before a shadow directly in front of her moved. Ash leaped back in surprise, she didn't see any eyes there and assumed there was nothing there. But she was proven wrong as something stepped forward and Ash felt her jaw drop. Why she didn't scream even though she felt like it she would never know.

The…thing in front of her wasn't a bodark, it couldn't be. It had a fur cover body, a light brown coat, and had the telltale head, feet, and tail of a wolf, but those features were obscured by the horror she was witnessing. It weaved forward like a snake as it emerged from the shadows before standing on its two back feet, revealing itself to be nearly seven feet. Even as it hunched over it easily stood above her. White bone protruded from all over its body, looking like the monster was turned inside out. Ribs protected her center, bone jointed from where its limbs are jointed, talons protruded from the feet and the claws were latched onto long, hairless hands that looked human but clearly wasn't. Every time the thing moved there was a slight crinkle like the bones were breaking with every movement.

Worst of all were the eyes. It didn't glow red; it was shining in a grayish hue. She could scarcely see the pupil, but it looked shattered, broken in some way like a burnt-out lightbulb. The eyes were open wide and it was staring intently at her.

Ash shivered involuntarily as the cackling started again, this time clearly originating from the horrid thing in front of her. The muzzle jumped up and down rapidly like it was chewing on a bone and that was emitting the horrible sound.

"The offspring," it rasped, surprisingly Ash when she heard a female voice and that it was speaking English. "How wretched-looking, almost exactly like her."

The last word was said like a jeer, causing the other bodarks around them to either growl or release their own warped cackles of laughter.

Ash felt her throat dry but does her best to speak.

"Who are-" she stumbled over the Russian words, taking a moment to collect herself before switching to her native language. "Who are you? What do you want from me?"

The look of amusement vanished from the monster's face, the smiling muzzle became a grim line of disappointment and disgust.

"You do not know me?" the thing hissed. "She didn't tell you who I am? She never spoke of Kila before? She just made the pack forget me?"

Kila? Ashe desperately dug into her mind, trying to find the connection. Kila…it does sound familiar. Was it something her mother said? No, it was something she picked up from the pack, maybe she heard someone whisper the name there at one point. Wait…

"The pack?" Ash asked, trying to remain in the center of the circle and keep an eye on the encroaching bodarks. "Aleu's pack?"

She instantly regretted the words. Kila suddenly howled in rage, the sudden motion catching Ash and some of the other bodarks off guard.

"Never mention that traitor's name!" she barked. "She may have the pack, but I will have her daughter!"

Ash's eyes widen as she recognized the threat.

"W-wait," she said as she held up her hands. "Can't we-"

"Grab her!" Kila ordered, the Russian command again causing Ash to pause, but the other bodarks were ready.

All she saw was a blur before feeling claws sink deep into her skin and slam her to the floor. Ash cried out in pain. She had tussled with her siblings before and just a few weeks ago she was covered in metallic shrapnel, but having a bodark's claws dig deep into her flesh was a new kind of pain she wasn't used to. She struggled, only to whimper when the talons tore deeper into her muscles.

"Yes," growled Kila. "Hold her."

Ash heard the footfalls as the thing, the monster made its way towards her.

Her chest filled with ice and she had trouble breathing. She was helpless, that thing was going to be on her soon.

She looked up to the bodarks that were holding her down and gave them a pleading look, a last-ditch cry for help.

Instead, her pleas were met with what could pass for jeers on her captor's face. One of them even lolled out his tongue at her and licked his chomps.

Ash stared up at them and suddenly felt…felt…rage.

These bodarks were still people, men taking on a bodark's form and they were acting as arrogant as the Nazis. Images flashed through her head: the maniacal invaders destroying villages, the stories of sobbing peasants, a shivering boy with frozen tears.

Not all monsters wore the red patch, but that didn't make them any less monsters.

The comparisons, the realization of what these bodarks are and what they are doing finally compelled her to action.

She had no idea what prompted her to do it, her anger or her desperation she couldn't tell, even hours later when she would look back to the event she would shudder at what she did and would have no explanation for why.

Before either of her tormentors could foresee what was happening, Ash threw her body upwards, feeling the talons cut deeper into her, but she didn't care. The sudden movement caught the smiling bodark off guard, he didn't have time to close his maw when Ash caught his tongue between her fangs and pulled.

There was a horrible tearing sound and the bodark howled as he quickly released Ash and covered his mouth as blood squirted out of it. The other tormentor was momentarily stunned, not used to seeing his prey fight back. With one arm now free, Ash swiped at him with her claws. She was aiming for his eyes and missed, but the blow was enough to force the bodark off of her and effectively free her.

"No!" Kila roared and Ash barely had time to see the mad monster leaping at her.

She quickly rolled to the side, barely being missed as Kila left a crater where she lying not too long ago. She tried to run while on all fours, hoping the sudden attack will distract the bodarks and allow her to breakthrough.

A yelp was torn from her as she felt a hand grab her ankle, squeeze it to the point where it felt like it was going to pop before throwing her into the air. Ash's eyes went wide as the sudden feeling of weightlessness, but the sensation passed as she crashed onto the floor.

She gasps in pain at the hard fall, her limbs shook as she tried to stand but then a heavyweight slammed into her and she was pushed face-first into the snow. She cried out as felt claws tear into her back, coming close to clipping her spine.

"Not so fast," Kila hissed into her ear, slobbering falling onto Ash's head. "I can't touch Aleu, but I can still make her suffer for what she did to me."

Ash's confusion was replaced with pain as Kila made another swipe at her back.

"You're going to wish you never left home, pup," Kila hissed with another swipe. "I'll make sure you suffer every day of your-"

She trails off as she cocked her head to the side. Gritting her teeth to try and repress the agony, Ash carefully turned her head to see what it was the monster was listening to. It wasn't long before, and everyone else there heard it.

The unmistakable whistle that every soldier came to fear.

With a mighty boom, the first artillery shell landed not far from where they were fighting. A second later, another shell exploded not too far away and brought a tree down. More and more explosions began peppering the forest, causing the bodarks to panic.

Ash tried to move, but Kila bit into her shoulder, wrenching another growl from the red-furred bodark.

"No, no," Kila was hissing, almost pleading. "Let me have this, I'm so close-"

Whether it was God, fate, or plain luck, Ash wouldn't complain. The next shell that landed destroyed a nearby tree, the force of the blast propelling a piece of a tree limb through the air and impaling Kila in the side. The impact sent her toppling over to the side and finally allowed Ash to move.

"Get her!" Kila screamed. "Get her!"

Her back was killing her, her shoulders were aching and most of her body felt numb, but Ash forced herself to run on all four. Explosions continued to surround her, peppering her with splinters and sparks, threatening to catch her fur on fire, but she kept moving. She didn't even check to see if anyone was chasing her, she had to keep running.

Run or die.

The soviet officer looked over the smoldering remains of what once was a cluster of trees. Nothing but splinters and ash remained as the morning sun shone brightly on the destruction. The soot and upturned dirt left an ugly scar on the snow-covered land.

His critical eye scanned the ground before spotting an anomaly and pointing it out. An orderly quickly ran forward, high stepping through the still-hot coals of the fire as he retrieved what looked like a piece of cloth, partially burnt and still smoking.

The officer took it from the man and briefly examined it. Coarse material and its greyish hue matched the jacket of a German soldier. Coincidence maybe, until he saw the button on one side, one swipe at the smear confirmed it was imbedded with silver, the last confirmation he needed it was indeed a Nazi officer's coat.

"Well, aren't you lucky comrades?" the officer finally said as he turned to his audience. Standing directly in front of the officer were Ash, Anton, and Trompfin; all three had their hands bound while behind them stood guards watching their every move.

The officer barely had any sleep in the past month, now that things were finally calming down he was looking forward to getting at least five hours of peace. The peace was ruined when his three nightwatchmen called in an artillery strike. And for what? For seeing shadows in the trees? They were lucky he didn't have them shot.

The officer first addressed the two men.

"Here is some evidence that you actually hit something last night and didn't waste ammo like any rational commander would assume you did and would have immediately had you executed for," he said.

Trompfin and Anton stiffen at this and their eyes showed fear, but that slowly faded away as the officer nodded and the guards behind them undid their bonds.

"Let that be a lesson," he said as he stepped up to Trompfin and glared openly into the young man's eyes. "And don't fire unless you have my authority or an army of Nazis are marching in, understood?"

The terrified soviet nodded his head vigorously and the American beside him nodded as well.

The officer then turned to the last person in line, the most problematic part of the equation.

The young soldier that everyone has started calling Ash looked terrible.

The young women looked worse for wear and it was no wonder why. With her uniform turned up, soot-covered and no jacket, it's a wonder how she wasn't frozen solid. Or maybe she was and the shock has numbed her response. Her hair was dirty and stuck up in wild directions and her clothes looked like they were shredded with razor blades. But her eyes, which usually blazed in battle were a lot dimmer, dare he say dull. Maybe the war had finally broken her but he doesn't think so, he was certain she was just in shock. The patrol he sent out early in the morning found her in a hastily dug foxhole just a few yards away from the bombardment. Aside from her report, she hadn't spoken a single word.

"Normally I would punish a soldier who would go off on her own, even if it was for recon as you claim," he said. He couldn't believe she was trying to desert; she obviously cared too much for her comrades to try that. "But I suppose surviving an artillery barrage is comparable to a punishment so you're free as well."

Unlike her teammates who showed obvious relief at the words, Ash remained still as she was freed, her eyes just shifting to the still-smoldering remains of the woods.

Ignoring her for a second, the officer regarded the rest of the men present who were watching the proceeds.

"You are all relieved, you're returning to Moscow for-"

The officer was cut off by a great cheer the men released, but their smiles disappeared as the officer continued.

"For travel. We're going on the offensive and you comrades are going to lead the glorious motherland's counterattack against the invaders."

He was certain there would be some grumbles as they turn away and slowly begin collecting their equipment. With his job done, he turned around to head back to the HQ when a small voice called to him.

He turned and saw it was Ash who was finally giving him her full attention, eyes still wide and scared.

"Sir, are you sure there's nothing left?" she asked.

He was confused before realizing what the young woman was referring to. He gave a wave in the direction of the smoldering woods.

"There is nothing there," he said. "If there was an enemy patrol or…bodarks as the young comrade has said, they have been obliterated."

With a dismissal gesture, the officer strode away. Leaving Ash behind still feeling afraid and very doubtful that the artillery barrage was indeed strong enough to kill a bodark.

She in turn glanced to her friends, more specifically to Tromfin. The young man was too busy examining his wrists to give her any mind, but she needs to talk with him later. He was the one who called for an artillery strike the other night. Not because he saw enemy soldiers, but because he thought he saw shapes moving in the woods. This was followed by howling which led him to believe there were monsters in the woods.

Or rather bodarks.

She felt another shiver go up her spine. Now not only does she have to worry about a pack of bodarks coming after her, but she also has to be wary of her teammates. If she remembered what her father had said, bodarks originally came from Russia, so the people here must know of their existence.

And should her new friends find out what she truly was, what will they do with her?

Kila was enraged as she slashed a fallen tree log with her claws. Behind her, the remaining five members of her pack cowered at the display. It was daylight now and they had reverted back to their human bodies, leaving them vulnerable to their cursed leader's ire.

'So close,' Kila moaned in her head. 'The runt was right there and she got away. I almost had her!'

In her mind, she can picture the young woman. A perfect copy of her mother if Aleu ever had the bodark curse. The comparison boiled Kila's blood. As far as she was concerned, this pup was Aleu incarnate. Everything her mother did, she did herself. Including her exiling Kila, forcing her through her hardships, and bearing this curse.

Her paw formed into a fist and the next hit shattered the tree truck.

The cursed pack was hiding deep in the woods, recovering from last night's misadventure. At first, it was fun for the other bodarks, like any other hunt they have been on. Until their prey fought back, made them hurt, and invertedly led them into a killing field that claimed one of them.

Alexi was a minor bodark who they all laughed and jeered with together. He became well known when he stole a German coat and paraded around with it, growing very fond of it. Even when they discovered the silver buttons on the coat and knew it could weaken him or even harm him should it cut his skin, they laughed it off, believing themselves invincible.

His death came as a shock to everyone. For so long the pack roamed as if they had nothing to fear, no one to adhere to. As free as the curse permitted them.

Alexi's death just showed how very mortal they still were. Watching their old alpha be torn apart by Kali was one thing, watching humans invertedly kill their own was another.

"She's heading back to the city?" Kali snapped at them.

"Y-yes alpha," stuttered one of her subordinates. "I watched her from the forest edge. She and most of the other soldiers were marching back. I-I tried to follow, but they moved away from the woods."

Kali felt her form begin to shake.

'Fools,' she thought.

"Then you should have followed them," she said in a barely repressed whisper.

The bodarks looked among one another a moment.

"How?" the subordinate asked and instantly regretted asking.

Kila whirled around and roared at them.

"Idiots!" she screamed. "You have human skins! Use them and follow her into the city!"

"F-follow her into the city?" another bodark asked as they once again looked at each other. It has been years since any of them had interacted with humans. They have been living more like animals than men for years.

"Steal some clothes and follow her," Kila instructed with malice clear in her eyes. "Do not lose her, I will follow as best as I can. I expect one of you to report back to me every night and tell me exactly what she is doing."

The pack still looked unsure.

"Obey me," she warned them as she took a step forward, causing the group to huddle and cower before her. "And if you even think about abandoning the pack," she leveled her black-grey, malice-filled eyes with them. "Crossing the ocean won't save you from me."

That's it for this year, the next chapter should be out next year. Stay safe everyone, count your blessings, and have a happy New Years