-'Hand In Hand.'-
Pairings: One sided B/X, some B/A, and W/X
A/N: [One shot] A response to malastor's challenge 'Xander wasn't the one to get possessed by the Hyena' Not your usual W/X
A/N 2: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews. So review me or feel my wrath.
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Buffy.
Timeframe: S1 AU The Pack.
Dedicated to the few remaining W/X'ers out there, you know who you are.
//////////////////////////////
Mr. Flutie was incensed as the four teenagers walked into his office. "I have seen some sick things in my life! Believe me! But this is beyond the pale! What is it with you people?"
The pack started to whine and circled him. The two males flanked either side of him while the two girls stood back towards the door to bar the exit. Kyle and Tor grinned as they neared the fat principle.
Mr. Flutie was starting to eye the four teenagers warily as they became closer. "Is it drugs? How could you? A poor defenseless pig?"
Kyle sniffed the air and yipped in excitement. Mr. Flutie cocked his head to the side. "It _is_ drugs, isn't it?"
Tor licked his lips. Causing the principle to back up a little more. "Umm, what are you doing?"
////////////////////////////
Willow growled hungrily as she watched Xander squirm in her vice-like grip. "Willow this isn't you. Please..."
The redhead cackled and slowly moved her face closer to his. "Oh, like you've been paying a lot of attention to me lately."
Xander's eyes narrowed as his best friend's face came within millimeters of his. He felt her warm breath roll off her tongue and across his skin as she spoke. "No, all you can think about is 'Buffy this' and 'Buffy that.' What ever happened to the days when it was just you and I huh? Before that blonde _slut_ came her and stole you away from me."
Xander struggled to get his arms free. "Willow, you know that's not true."
"Oh is it? Then how come you're only on time when _she's_ there. You only call me to talk about _her_. You only dance with me when you cant get _her_ to. You lousy little fuck, you don't care about me."
Xander screamed as Willow started squeezing his arms tighter. "WILLOW, PLEASE YOU'RE HURTING ME!"
Willow released some of her grip but made sure that he couldn't get away. "Oh poor Xander. Don't worry, I don't want to hurt you."
The brunette cautiously looked up into his friend's glowing yellow eyes. Willow purred and kissed his ear before whispering. "I want to make you feel things you never knew existed."
"Get off of me."
Willow sat back up, still holding his arms down, looking shocked. "Is that what you really want?"
"Willow, please..."
"We both know what you really want. You want a strong woman. Someone who can take care of herself. Someone who isn't afraid or better than you, don't cha? You like your girls strong."
"You're in trouble, Wills. You are infected with some hyena thing, it's like a demonic possession!"
Willow smiled and leaned forward again, letting her long red hair fall gently onto Xander's face. "Strong with a bit of danger, right? Like Buffy. Your Dream Girl. The one you fantasize about? Well, guess who just got dangerous."
/////////////////////////////////////
Mr. Flutie felt himself back into the wall as the four teenagers were nearing him. "Now, stop that! You're only going to make things worse for yourselves. I tell you how this is gonna work. I am gonna call your parents, and they are gonna take you all home."
He reached for his phone, but Tor got his hands on it first and tried to stare him down. Mr. Flutie's face narrowed and then gestured to be given the phone. Tor looked over at Kyle who nodded before giving Flutie the phone.
"Thank you."
Flutie started to dial but noticed there was no dial tone. He looked up to see one of the girls holding one end of the phone cable. Rhonda giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry..."
The principle's face exploded with anger. "That is it!"
He turned to Kyle and shouted. "You better move mister or else!"
Kyle grinned and looked at the other members of his pack. "Or else what?"
////////////////////////////////
Willow gently kissed Xander's nose and worked her way back towards his earlobe. "Do you know how long... I've waited... until you'd stop pretending that we aren't attracted..."
Xander kept on struggling and squirming, but it was futile. The possessed Willow was too strong. "Wills, I..."
Willow smiled and looked into his scared brown eyes. "What Xander?"
Xander felt his composure weaken. "Willow, I-I"
The redhead flipped her hair to one side and forcefully kissed him on the lips. "What?"
"I don't wanna hurt you..."
Willow raised both her eyebrows. "Oh really?" She dug her nails into his flesh and reveled as his screamed echoed throughout the room. When she was done she looked back into his watery brown eyes. "Now do you wanna hurt me?"
Xander felt his face burn red with anger and pain. His best friend since childhood grinned and massaged his arms. "Come on, Xan. I like it when you're angry."
Xander struggled and put as much strength as he could into fighting her off. Willow sniffed the air and grinned. "The angrier you are the better you smell. I always loved how forceful and protective you could be."
She moved in and kissed him roughly on the neck. "That's why I chose you to be my mate."
Xander watched in horror as Willow hungrily began to rip off his clothes.
"The man said no."
The redhead looked to the left to be blindsided by a large wooden desk. Xander could only lie there as Buffy walked over to his side and pulled him up. "And no means no."
/////////////////////////////
Tor laughed and pushed Mr. Flutie into his black leather chair. "You're about this close to expulsion, people!" He pushed the chair back and stood up. "I'm willing to talk to the school counselor, and we can discuss options..."
The principle made a move for the exit but the girls laughed and stopped him. He turned back around to see Tor climb onto his desk and growl at him. Mr. Flutie shouted angrily. "Get down from there this instant!"
He turned back around to be startled by Rhonda standing mere inches from his face. The girl smiled and scratched his cheek with her nails, causing him to fall back onto the floor in shock with his hand covering his face. He took his hand away and saw the blood running from the scratch. He looked back up to see the four teenagers laugh maniacally and circle him. Mr. Flutie then realized the situation that he was in. "Oh God no..."
Kyle grinned and nodded his head. "Mmmnnn Meat."
///////////////////////////////
Giles was busy researching in his office when he heard the library doors open. He grabbed his book and quickly ran out to see Buffy and Xander dragging an unconscious Willow into the weapons cage. Buffy grunted as the lowered her onto the floor. "Hurry up. We gotta get her locked up somehow before she comes to."
Giles grabbed his keys and ran over. "Oh, my God! What happened?"
Buffy sighed and sat down at the table. "I hit her."
Giles saw the nasty bruise forming on the girl's forehead. "With what?"
Xander sighed and kept looking at his unconscious friend. "A desk."
Buffy groaned and rested her head on the table's wooden surface. "She tried her hand at felony sexual assault."
Giles looked terrified. "Oh lord, Xander, the hyena in her didn't..."
Xander's face fell and shook his head, but kept his gaze. "No. No, but it's safe to say that in her animal state Wills idea of wooing doesn't involve a dinner and a movie. But right now, I want to know how to get my old Willow back."
Buffy nodded. "Yeah, but I'm a little more worried about what the rest of the pack are up to."
Giles suddenly looked slightly disturbed. "The rest of the pack were spotted outside Herbert the mascot's cage. They were sent to the principal's office."
Xander sat at the table and smiled. "Good! That'll show 'em. Right Giles?"
After not receiving a response, Xander became a little concerned and face the watcher. "Uh, _did_ it show 'em?"
Giles exhaled but remained silent, searching for what to say. Buff stood up and walked over to him. "They didn't hurt him, did they?"
Giles shrugged, still not exactly sure of what to say. "They, uh... ate him."
Buffy had to sit back down. Xander shook his head, still not believing what the librarian had said. "They ate Principal Flutie?"
Giles nodded and began to clean his glasses "The, uh, official theory is that wild dogs got into his office somehow. There was no one at the scene."
Buffy looked slightly happier as she remembered something. "But Willow didn't." She turned Xander. "She, she was with you."
Giles put his glasses back on and took a small breath. "Uh, well, that's a small mercy."
Xander nodded and looked back at the librarian. "Giles, how do we stop this? How do you un-possess someone?"
Giles stuttered and began looking around for a book. "I-I'm afraid I still don't have all the pieces. Um, the accounts of the Primals and their methods are a bit thin on the ground. There is some talk of a-a-a predatory act, but the exact ritual is, is, um..." He saw the book in the stack on the table and pulled it out. "The Malleus Maleficarum deals in particulars of demonic possession, which... may apply..." He started looking through a few pages. "Yes, one, one should be able to transfer the spirits to another human."
Buffy sighed and leaned back in her seat. "Oh, that's great. Any volunteers?"
Giles looked slightly crestfallen. "Oh. Yes. Good point."
Xander shook his head. "What we need to do is put the hyena back in the hyena."
Giles grabbed another book and began to look through it. "B-but until we know more, uh..."
Buffy stood up. "Betcha that zookeeper could tell us. Maybe he didn't quarantine those hyenas because they were sick."
Giles nodded. "We should talk to him."
The three of them look back at Willow lying unconscious in the cage. "Okay. But somebody's gotta watch Will..."
Xander interrupted her. "I will."
Buffy shook her head. "No Xander, I mean after what she did..."
Xander shook his head. "Nothing happened, you got there in time, besides, we need to have a talk. And this might be the only time I can bore her with the long version."
Giles put his hand on the young boy's shoulder. "Xander, are you sure? If she wakes up..."
Xander held out his hand for the keys. "I'll be alright. Go."
After a moment's hesitation Giles gave Xander the keys to the cage. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder as they left, now remember the tranquilizer gun is locked up in the cabinet in my office."
Xander nodded and palmed the keys into his jeans pocket. Buffy gave him one last smile before Giles drug her out of the library.
Buffy quietly whispered to Giles as they walked out the library doors. "Was that a good idea?"
Giles looked over his shoulder to see Xander watching the cage intently. He turned back to face Buffy and shook his head. "Probably not, but it's probably what he needs."
/////////////////////////////////////
Willow groaned as she regained consciousness. "Ugghhh. Blonde bitch."
"Glad to see you're still you."
The redhead turned to see Xander standing just out of reach outside the cage. He sat down and watched as Willow started to move around. "How are you feeling?"
Willow rolled her eyes. "Like somebody hit me with a desk." She took a second to look around. "What am I doin' here?"
Xander sighed. "You're... I dunno...waking up?"
Willow stood up and placed her hands on the cage, testing out its strength. "You guys got me locked up now."
Xander nodded. "Yeah. It was probably a good idea, what with the attempted rape and such."
Willow smirked and swayed her hips back and forth while arching her back, leaning forward into the cage door. "Don't kid me now Xander, its not rape if you want it. And _trust_ me. I could tell that you wanted it. You cant hide something _that_ big while I'm lying on top of you."
Xander shook his head. "I'm sorry Wills."
The redhead laughed. "Why? I'm not. I can stand up for myself. I actually got you interested in me and if it wasn't for the _bitch_ I woulda had it a long time ago."
"I want my old Willow back. The one the broke the yellow crayon in kindergarten but was too scared to admit it. I want to one that cried when she found out that the Easter Bunny wasn't real."
"You want the fucking doormat for your emotions. You want the little bitch that took shit and didn't say a word back."
"Wills. I actually thought you were interested in me, not some horny hyena slut. I wanted the good Willow."
"Well guess what? I _like_ being this way. I _like_ the power. I _like_ the strength." The redhead ginned and massaged her wrists. "I can see why you're so attracted to Buffy. It's all about the power. People want people with power."
Willow cocked her head to the side. "Why did she leave you here alone? You weren't good enough to tag along?"
Xander gave a halfhearted smile. "Because I told her to."
"Why?"
Xander sighed and walked parallel to the cage. "I just wanted to say that I don't blame you for what happened. You can't control it Wills. And I'm sorry that it was you and not me."
Will's frown inexplicably turned into an odd smile as she looked off into space. "That's okay Xander, we can still be together."
///////////////////////////
The zookeeper looked at the two people infront of him incredulously as he loaded his truck with animal feed. "The students have been possessed by the hyenas?"
Giles nodded. "Yes."
The zookeeper sighed and walked back towards the shed. "Are you sure?"
Buffy sighed and followed him. "Yes, we're really, really sure."
Giles cocked his head to the side and appraised the man infront of him. "Y- you don't seem enormously surprised by this."
The zookeeper shrugged and grabbed some more feed from the shed for his truck. "The zoo imported those hyenas from Africa. There was something strange about them from day one. I did some homework... That particular breed is very rare. Totally vicious. Historically they were worshipped by these guys..."
Giles interrupted him. "Primals."
The zookeeper nodded. "Yeah! Creepy guys! Now, they had rituals for taking the hyena spirits, but I-I don't see how that coulda happened to your kids."
Giles shrugged and looked back at Buffy before continuing. "Uh, we don't know exactly how the ritual works. We know that it involves a, um, um... predatory act and some kind of symbol."
The zookeeper raised an eyebrow. "Predatory act? Of course. That makes sense. Where did you read that?"
"Do you have Sherman Jeffries' work on, on cults and on..."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Boys? More important things?"
Giles raised his hand slightly. "Sorry."
The zookeeper nodded and walked back to his truck with the animal feed. "Look. I think we may have enough information so that together we could pull off a reverse trans-possession."
Buffy shrugged. "What do we do?"
The zookeeper threw the feed into the back of the truck and sighed. "We've gotta get those possessed students over to the hyena cage right away. I'll meet you there. We can begin the rituals."
Giles nodded. "W-well, we can guarantee one of them, but there are four more, and we have no idea where they are."
The zookeeper chuckled. "No, I wouldn't worry about that. After hyenas feed and rest they will track the missing member of their pack until they find him. They should come right to you."
////////////////////////
Pairings: One sided B/X, some B/A, and W/X
A/N: [One shot] A response to malastor's challenge 'Xander wasn't the one to get possessed by the Hyena' Not your usual W/X
A/N 2: God knows you can't write more unless you get reviews. So review me or feel my wrath.
Disclaimers: I don't own anything relating to Buffy.
Timeframe: S1 AU The Pack.
Dedicated to the few remaining W/X'ers out there, you know who you are.
//////////////////////////////
Mr. Flutie was incensed as the four teenagers walked into his office. "I have seen some sick things in my life! Believe me! But this is beyond the pale! What is it with you people?"
The pack started to whine and circled him. The two males flanked either side of him while the two girls stood back towards the door to bar the exit. Kyle and Tor grinned as they neared the fat principle.
Mr. Flutie was starting to eye the four teenagers warily as they became closer. "Is it drugs? How could you? A poor defenseless pig?"
Kyle sniffed the air and yipped in excitement. Mr. Flutie cocked his head to the side. "It _is_ drugs, isn't it?"
Tor licked his lips. Causing the principle to back up a little more. "Umm, what are you doing?"
////////////////////////////
Willow growled hungrily as she watched Xander squirm in her vice-like grip. "Willow this isn't you. Please..."
The redhead cackled and slowly moved her face closer to his. "Oh, like you've been paying a lot of attention to me lately."
Xander's eyes narrowed as his best friend's face came within millimeters of his. He felt her warm breath roll off her tongue and across his skin as she spoke. "No, all you can think about is 'Buffy this' and 'Buffy that.' What ever happened to the days when it was just you and I huh? Before that blonde _slut_ came her and stole you away from me."
Xander struggled to get his arms free. "Willow, you know that's not true."
"Oh is it? Then how come you're only on time when _she's_ there. You only call me to talk about _her_. You only dance with me when you cant get _her_ to. You lousy little fuck, you don't care about me."
Xander screamed as Willow started squeezing his arms tighter. "WILLOW, PLEASE YOU'RE HURTING ME!"
Willow released some of her grip but made sure that he couldn't get away. "Oh poor Xander. Don't worry, I don't want to hurt you."
The brunette cautiously looked up into his friend's glowing yellow eyes. Willow purred and kissed his ear before whispering. "I want to make you feel things you never knew existed."
"Get off of me."
Willow sat back up, still holding his arms down, looking shocked. "Is that what you really want?"
"Willow, please..."
"We both know what you really want. You want a strong woman. Someone who can take care of herself. Someone who isn't afraid or better than you, don't cha? You like your girls strong."
"You're in trouble, Wills. You are infected with some hyena thing, it's like a demonic possession!"
Willow smiled and leaned forward again, letting her long red hair fall gently onto Xander's face. "Strong with a bit of danger, right? Like Buffy. Your Dream Girl. The one you fantasize about? Well, guess who just got dangerous."
/////////////////////////////////////
Mr. Flutie felt himself back into the wall as the four teenagers were nearing him. "Now, stop that! You're only going to make things worse for yourselves. I tell you how this is gonna work. I am gonna call your parents, and they are gonna take you all home."
He reached for his phone, but Tor got his hands on it first and tried to stare him down. Mr. Flutie's face narrowed and then gestured to be given the phone. Tor looked over at Kyle who nodded before giving Flutie the phone.
"Thank you."
Flutie started to dial but noticed there was no dial tone. He looked up to see one of the girls holding one end of the phone cable. Rhonda giggled and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry..."
The principle's face exploded with anger. "That is it!"
He turned to Kyle and shouted. "You better move mister or else!"
Kyle grinned and looked at the other members of his pack. "Or else what?"
////////////////////////////////
Willow gently kissed Xander's nose and worked her way back towards his earlobe. "Do you know how long... I've waited... until you'd stop pretending that we aren't attracted..."
Xander kept on struggling and squirming, but it was futile. The possessed Willow was too strong. "Wills, I..."
Willow smiled and looked into his scared brown eyes. "What Xander?"
Xander felt his composure weaken. "Willow, I-I"
The redhead flipped her hair to one side and forcefully kissed him on the lips. "What?"
"I don't wanna hurt you..."
Willow raised both her eyebrows. "Oh really?" She dug her nails into his flesh and reveled as his screamed echoed throughout the room. When she was done she looked back into his watery brown eyes. "Now do you wanna hurt me?"
Xander felt his face burn red with anger and pain. His best friend since childhood grinned and massaged his arms. "Come on, Xan. I like it when you're angry."
Xander struggled and put as much strength as he could into fighting her off. Willow sniffed the air and grinned. "The angrier you are the better you smell. I always loved how forceful and protective you could be."
She moved in and kissed him roughly on the neck. "That's why I chose you to be my mate."
Xander watched in horror as Willow hungrily began to rip off his clothes.
"The man said no."
The redhead looked to the left to be blindsided by a large wooden desk. Xander could only lie there as Buffy walked over to his side and pulled him up. "And no means no."
/////////////////////////////
Tor laughed and pushed Mr. Flutie into his black leather chair. "You're about this close to expulsion, people!" He pushed the chair back and stood up. "I'm willing to talk to the school counselor, and we can discuss options..."
The principle made a move for the exit but the girls laughed and stopped him. He turned back around to see Tor climb onto his desk and growl at him. Mr. Flutie shouted angrily. "Get down from there this instant!"
He turned back around to be startled by Rhonda standing mere inches from his face. The girl smiled and scratched his cheek with her nails, causing him to fall back onto the floor in shock with his hand covering his face. He took his hand away and saw the blood running from the scratch. He looked back up to see the four teenagers laugh maniacally and circle him. Mr. Flutie then realized the situation that he was in. "Oh God no..."
Kyle grinned and nodded his head. "Mmmnnn Meat."
///////////////////////////////
Giles was busy researching in his office when he heard the library doors open. He grabbed his book and quickly ran out to see Buffy and Xander dragging an unconscious Willow into the weapons cage. Buffy grunted as the lowered her onto the floor. "Hurry up. We gotta get her locked up somehow before she comes to."
Giles grabbed his keys and ran over. "Oh, my God! What happened?"
Buffy sighed and sat down at the table. "I hit her."
Giles saw the nasty bruise forming on the girl's forehead. "With what?"
Xander sighed and kept looking at his unconscious friend. "A desk."
Buffy groaned and rested her head on the table's wooden surface. "She tried her hand at felony sexual assault."
Giles looked terrified. "Oh lord, Xander, the hyena in her didn't..."
Xander's face fell and shook his head, but kept his gaze. "No. No, but it's safe to say that in her animal state Wills idea of wooing doesn't involve a dinner and a movie. But right now, I want to know how to get my old Willow back."
Buffy nodded. "Yeah, but I'm a little more worried about what the rest of the pack are up to."
Giles suddenly looked slightly disturbed. "The rest of the pack were spotted outside Herbert the mascot's cage. They were sent to the principal's office."
Xander sat at the table and smiled. "Good! That'll show 'em. Right Giles?"
After not receiving a response, Xander became a little concerned and face the watcher. "Uh, _did_ it show 'em?"
Giles exhaled but remained silent, searching for what to say. Buff stood up and walked over to him. "They didn't hurt him, did they?"
Giles shrugged, still not exactly sure of what to say. "They, uh... ate him."
Buffy had to sit back down. Xander shook his head, still not believing what the librarian had said. "They ate Principal Flutie?"
Giles nodded and began to clean his glasses "The, uh, official theory is that wild dogs got into his office somehow. There was no one at the scene."
Buffy looked slightly happier as she remembered something. "But Willow didn't." She turned Xander. "She, she was with you."
Giles put his glasses back on and took a small breath. "Uh, well, that's a small mercy."
Xander nodded and looked back at the librarian. "Giles, how do we stop this? How do you un-possess someone?"
Giles stuttered and began looking around for a book. "I-I'm afraid I still don't have all the pieces. Um, the accounts of the Primals and their methods are a bit thin on the ground. There is some talk of a-a-a predatory act, but the exact ritual is, is, um..." He saw the book in the stack on the table and pulled it out. "The Malleus Maleficarum deals in particulars of demonic possession, which... may apply..." He started looking through a few pages. "Yes, one, one should be able to transfer the spirits to another human."
Buffy sighed and leaned back in her seat. "Oh, that's great. Any volunteers?"
Giles looked slightly crestfallen. "Oh. Yes. Good point."
Xander shook his head. "What we need to do is put the hyena back in the hyena."
Giles grabbed another book and began to look through it. "B-but until we know more, uh..."
Buffy stood up. "Betcha that zookeeper could tell us. Maybe he didn't quarantine those hyenas because they were sick."
Giles nodded. "We should talk to him."
The three of them look back at Willow lying unconscious in the cage. "Okay. But somebody's gotta watch Will..."
Xander interrupted her. "I will."
Buffy shook her head. "No Xander, I mean after what she did..."
Xander shook his head. "Nothing happened, you got there in time, besides, we need to have a talk. And this might be the only time I can bore her with the long version."
Giles put his hand on the young boy's shoulder. "Xander, are you sure? If she wakes up..."
Xander held out his hand for the keys. "I'll be alright. Go."
After a moment's hesitation Giles gave Xander the keys to the cage. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder as they left, now remember the tranquilizer gun is locked up in the cabinet in my office."
Xander nodded and palmed the keys into his jeans pocket. Buffy gave him one last smile before Giles drug her out of the library.
Buffy quietly whispered to Giles as they walked out the library doors. "Was that a good idea?"
Giles looked over his shoulder to see Xander watching the cage intently. He turned back to face Buffy and shook his head. "Probably not, but it's probably what he needs."
/////////////////////////////////////
Willow groaned as she regained consciousness. "Ugghhh. Blonde bitch."
"Glad to see you're still you."
The redhead turned to see Xander standing just out of reach outside the cage. He sat down and watched as Willow started to move around. "How are you feeling?"
Willow rolled her eyes. "Like somebody hit me with a desk." She took a second to look around. "What am I doin' here?"
Xander sighed. "You're... I dunno...waking up?"
Willow stood up and placed her hands on the cage, testing out its strength. "You guys got me locked up now."
Xander nodded. "Yeah. It was probably a good idea, what with the attempted rape and such."
Willow smirked and swayed her hips back and forth while arching her back, leaning forward into the cage door. "Don't kid me now Xander, its not rape if you want it. And _trust_ me. I could tell that you wanted it. You cant hide something _that_ big while I'm lying on top of you."
Xander shook his head. "I'm sorry Wills."
The redhead laughed. "Why? I'm not. I can stand up for myself. I actually got you interested in me and if it wasn't for the _bitch_ I woulda had it a long time ago."
"I want my old Willow back. The one the broke the yellow crayon in kindergarten but was too scared to admit it. I want to one that cried when she found out that the Easter Bunny wasn't real."
"You want the fucking doormat for your emotions. You want the little bitch that took shit and didn't say a word back."
"Wills. I actually thought you were interested in me, not some horny hyena slut. I wanted the good Willow."
"Well guess what? I _like_ being this way. I _like_ the power. I _like_ the strength." The redhead ginned and massaged her wrists. "I can see why you're so attracted to Buffy. It's all about the power. People want people with power."
Willow cocked her head to the side. "Why did she leave you here alone? You weren't good enough to tag along?"
Xander gave a halfhearted smile. "Because I told her to."
"Why?"
Xander sighed and walked parallel to the cage. "I just wanted to say that I don't blame you for what happened. You can't control it Wills. And I'm sorry that it was you and not me."
Will's frown inexplicably turned into an odd smile as she looked off into space. "That's okay Xander, we can still be together."
///////////////////////////
The zookeeper looked at the two people infront of him incredulously as he loaded his truck with animal feed. "The students have been possessed by the hyenas?"
Giles nodded. "Yes."
The zookeeper sighed and walked back towards the shed. "Are you sure?"
Buffy sighed and followed him. "Yes, we're really, really sure."
Giles cocked his head to the side and appraised the man infront of him. "Y- you don't seem enormously surprised by this."
The zookeeper shrugged and grabbed some more feed from the shed for his truck. "The zoo imported those hyenas from Africa. There was something strange about them from day one. I did some homework... That particular breed is very rare. Totally vicious. Historically they were worshipped by these guys..."
Giles interrupted him. "Primals."
The zookeeper nodded. "Yeah! Creepy guys! Now, they had rituals for taking the hyena spirits, but I-I don't see how that coulda happened to your kids."
Giles shrugged and looked back at Buffy before continuing. "Uh, we don't know exactly how the ritual works. We know that it involves a, um, um... predatory act and some kind of symbol."
The zookeeper raised an eyebrow. "Predatory act? Of course. That makes sense. Where did you read that?"
"Do you have Sherman Jeffries' work on, on cults and on..."
Buffy rolled her eyes. "Boys? More important things?"
Giles raised his hand slightly. "Sorry."
The zookeeper nodded and walked back to his truck with the animal feed. "Look. I think we may have enough information so that together we could pull off a reverse trans-possession."
Buffy shrugged. "What do we do?"
The zookeeper threw the feed into the back of the truck and sighed. "We've gotta get those possessed students over to the hyena cage right away. I'll meet you there. We can begin the rituals."
Giles nodded. "W-well, we can guarantee one of them, but there are four more, and we have no idea where they are."
The zookeeper chuckled. "No, I wouldn't worry about that. After hyenas feed and rest they will track the missing member of their pack until they find him. They should come right to you."
////////////////////////