EDIT: REWRITTEN 7-12-2022
WARNING! Graphic depictions of body horror and gore! I changed the story warnings to "Graphic depictions of violence" just in case.
I just want to make it clear that I chose the title of this chapter because of its connection to the moon, plus it kinda fits.
I finally have a direction for this story and I'm so happy. Like, it's good. I think it's good, anyways XD
Anyways, enjoy! Er, or don't? ^^;
~Star
When Camilo was younger, he broke his leg after attempting to "prove" he could fly. Mirabel had said he couldn't, and so he had to demonstrate how wrong she was. He had climbed up the tree in the backyard and had confidently launched himself into the air.
The pain had been horrible, the worst he'd ever felt in his short life at that time. Since then, he'd learned his lesson in humility and made sure to not break another bone in such a manner. Once was enough for him.
This was worse—it was much worse.
It wasn't a transition or shift; there was no subtle tingle or rush of warmth as his body seamlessly and flawlessly rearranged itself into a new yet familiar shape. It was a transformation and it was harsh, painful, and cruel. Every nerve ending in Camilo's body was alight with agony. Stuttered gasps and pained cries clawed their way out of his hoarse throat everytime a bone snapped in half, only to expand and reconnect into a larger inhuman frame. He howled in torment as he writhed on the ground, helpless to stop it. He curled onto his side to alleviate the pain somehow, only to cry out in horror as his spine popped and he lost sensation in his legs for one terrifying second. It came back in the next moment, but the relief was short-lived as his spine stretched and grew, contorting in a way that had him seeing white. Rolling onto his stomach, he screamed around gritted teeth and clawed at the earth as he felt his skin stretch and rip apart, blood spilling and wetting what remained of his flesh. It healed in the next moment, as if he'd eaten his tía's cooking, only to repeat the cycle of stretching and tearing and bloodshed and healing, over and over again.
'Make it stop!'
The excruciating pain rapidly pushed him to the brink of insanity. A familiar hunger accompanied a red fog that threatened to take hold of his mind with promises of release and relief. Camilo desperately reached for it.
'Make it stop! ¡Por favor!, make it stop! Ma—'
Camilo stopped thinking all together as red overwhelmed his vision.
~o.8.o~
Agustín was tumbling out of bed as soon as the first screams sounded. Bleary-eyed and without glasses, his sleep-riddled mind struggled to keep up, and it took him a moment to recognize the screams.
Isabela and Mirabel. 'Where's Luisa?!'
Julieta was right behind him, handing him his glasses as they rushed out of their room.
"Luisa?! Isabela?!" Agustín yelled as he slammed their door open. "Mirabel!"
"What happened?!" Julieta cried out frantically at his side.
Agustín vaguely noticed his cuñados and suegra running out of their rooms at the commotion, but his focus was on the children below.
"Papí— Mamí!" Mirabel was distraught, looking between her padre and her sisters. Isabela was running to the back door with Luisa. "I don't— Casita threw Camilo—"
A blood-curdling scream pierced the night air, rendering them all silent and immobile for one horrible second.
"Camilo!" Pepa and Félix screamed in tandem. They dashed down the stairs, following the clamoring grandkids that rushed outside ahead of them. Their screams of alarm only frightened them further. Pepa only had seconds to register Dolores facing Casita as she shielded Antonio from whatever was happening, his hands over his ears—before her breath stopped in her chest, her wide green eyes zeroing in on the carnage in front of her.
The transformation was coming to its horrific end, and the sight would forever be burned into her memory. All three were on their hands and knees in some fashion or another, and Pepa easily identified which one was Camilo based on the tattered remains of his clothes. She couldn't look away as his body grew and expanded amidst the grotesque orchestra of skin tearing and bone breaking and mending in rapid succession as thick brown fur grew along his form. His lower body took on a more beast-like shape as his legs and feet became similar to that of a canine's, a tail sprouting from the base of his spine. His upper body remained human in shape and musculature, the increased muscle definition and the sharp-looking claws at the tip of his fingers emitting a deadly aura. His face was the last to shift, his mouth and nose elongating into a snout and head of a canine she had never seen before but was somehow familiar. When it was over, the creature that had once been Camilo threw its head back and howled into the night. It was loud; enough so that Dolores wasn't the only one covering their ears. Seconds later, two more howls joined in before all three collapsed to the ground, trembling and panting.
It was the longest two minutes of Pepa's life.
The night was unusually quiet after all the noise, the normal nocturnal sounds absent. It left the Madrigals in horrified silence as they struggled to process what they had witnessed, leaving them in varying states of distress. No one noticed when it started to rain, even as the raindrops seeped into their clothes.
At the forefront was Isabela and Luisa. Isabela was slightly in front of her trembling sister, shielding Luisa with her body. Luisa held her hermana's hand tightly, fear clear in her wide eyes as her gaze flicked between the three strange beast hybrids. Isabela kept focused on the newly turned creatures, her expression fierce even as she cried. Alejandro had transformed into a black furred beast, while Juanse had blondish fur.
Behind the two, Pepa and Félix were both on their knees. They held onto each other as they cried, powerless to do anything to stop Camilo's suffering. Julieta was with Antonio and Dolores, making sure the youngest of them saw as little of this as possible—it distracted her from her own turbulent emotions. His silent tears as he pressed his face into Dolores' chest were a testament to their failure. A tearful Agustín held Mirabel in his arms, comforting his hija as she sobbed brokenly into his chest. Further back, Bruno and Marlena held tightly onto Alma. Bruno had his hood up and muttered under his uneven breath as tears wet his cheeks. Alma, for her part, could only gasp irregularly as she cried silently. Marlena had a white-knuckled grip on both of them, her eyes wide with fear as silent tears flowed endless down her face.
As the Madrigals struggled, the beasts stopped trembling. Strength regained, a deep and bubbling anger swiftly boiled to the surface. The brown canine hybrid—easily the largest of the three—unsteadily pushed himself onto his hands and knees before settling onto his haunches as he crouched. Slowly, his head rose towards the moon in a mechanical manner, and the rage reached a crescendo beneath the ethereal beams as a vicious growl ripped from him, red tinting his vision.
"Camilo?"
Félix gasped in alarm when the brown-furred creature-hybrid-thing that had been Camilo snapped its head towards him, a beastial snarl sounding. Glowing amber eyes held no recognition in them, only a burning rage and madness as the beast slowly turned towards them in a low crouched before stalking towards them, drool dripping for its maw. He numbly watched it tense just like Parse did before the jaguar would pounce.
Seconds before he launched himself at his hapless prey, a sudden burst of warmth from his chest caused the canine-hybrid to inhale sharply as it radiated throughout his whole body. It gently rolled over his vision, chasing the red from his sight and the blind rage from his mind. Like a trickling stream struggling through frost, coherent thought returned to him through the fog still holding onto his mind. He shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind.
'I… Yo soy…'
"Camilo?" Pepa hesitantly called when the beast sat back on its haunches in a decidedly less intimidating manner. Hope replaced her fear when its ears perked up at his name, the madness from before fading as recognition lighted those amber eyes.
'Camilo. I Camilo. Mi mamá.' Camilo thought in a happy haze, his eyes wandering over the group quite a distance from him. Mi papá, mi primas…' His tail began to wag.
"A wagging tail is a good sign, right?" Luisa whispered to her hermana when she found her voice again. Isabela let out a shuddering breath, and smiled with a nod.
"Yeah, it is." Isabela replied softly. "I think—" Her words were cut off by a shriek when Camilo's ears suddenly pinned back and launched himself at them with a fierce growl.
'Luisa!' Isabela moved without thought amidst the screams of her family as she shielded Luisa with her body. Using her Gift never crossed her mind as she held her arms out and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the pain.
It never came.
Instead, the sound of solid muscle colliding with dense muscle and fur sounded as growls, snarls, and pained whimpers erupted. Startled, Isabela looked up to see a pile of flailing limbs and muddy fur flying. She cursed under her breath.
In their overwhelming relief at Camilo recognizing them, a fatal error had been made; they had forgotten about Alejandro and Juanse, and it nearly cost Isabela and Luisa their lives. Camilo had not, and managed to force the other two away from his primas and stood on his hind legs, towering over everyone else in the immediate area.
Isabela stared at the furred back of her primo as he let loose a terrifying howl-roar in challenge, and realized—
'He's…he's protecting us.'
Both sisters gasped when Camilo launched himself at Alejo and Juanse, the fighting restarting anew. Whatever made Camilo recognize them had not happened to Alejo and Juanse, the two fighting like mindless beasts.
Isabela focused on remaining calm, and turned to Luisa. "Camilo will keep them busy," Isabela whispered to her frightened hermana, "let's get closer to Casita."
Luisa's gaze finally moved away from the fight and towards her sister, her tawny brown eyes wide with fear and tears. She gave a jerky nod, taking Isabela's hand as her sister slowly led them away from the brawl. They froze when the black beast turned in their direction, only for Camilo to aggressively shove its head into the ground.
Isabela swallowed dryly.
Seeing all three so close together, it was easy to notice the difference in sizes. All three had grown ridiculously taller and broader, the blonde werewolf standing at at least seven feet tall. The brown one, Camilo, was by far the largest of the three at ten feet. He used his larger mass to his advantage, viciously biting and clawing as he forced the other two into submission. Despite the violent display, Alejo and Juanse sported far less injuries than Camilo did. His fur progressively darkened with blood, but the injuries didn't impair his momentum as he kept up his defensive assault.
Isabela didn't want to watch, but found it hard to look away.
The victor was decided when Camilo grabbed Juanse tightly by the scruff of his neck with his right hand and viciously slammed him into the muddy earth. The stunned beast gave a startled yelp and struggled, only to stop and whine sharply when Camilo dug his claws further into his neck. Camilo was already crouched over Alejo's prone form, his jaws locked firmly on the scruff of Alejandro's neck, gripping tightly as he jerked his head to the side twice in warning. His left hand was digging painfully into the black hybrid's back, drawing blood as he kept him in place. Every time they moved, Camilo would tighten his hold or jerk his head to the side in warning. For many minutes, there were just the sounds of growls, panting, and whines that filled the air.
High on adrenaline, Camilo did his best to calm his racing heart. The entire fight, he had been running on instinct. His gaze flicked up to his primas briefly. 'Safe.' Relief swept through him at their unharmed state, but he did not relax his hold on the other two. 'I keep safe.' Alejo trying to move had Camilo's attention snapping back to the beast beneath his jaws, and he growled in warning. Their rage burned his nose, the spicy pepper scent piercing through the petrichor and nearly choking him. Despite that, Camilo did not falter in restraining them. They were his best friends, but they weren't themselves and Camilo would not allow them to hurt his familia.
After a few more minutes, the angry scent gradually shifted to that of an acrid scent that screamed 'fear' at Camilo. He sneezed harshly and whined in a soothing manner. Slowly, he retracted his claws from their flesh, but kept his weight on them. Releasing Alejo's neck from his jaws, Camilo barked.
Juanse stopped struggling altogether at that, his scent shifting from fearful to a thick and cloying scent. Camilo titled his head to the side. 'Confused…?'
When Juanse whined in an inquisitive manner, Camilo let out a soft playful howl, his head tilting upward with the sound. His tail started to wag when Juanse wagged his own, causing Camilo to pause. Camilo turned to look at his own tail as it wagged slowly, the sensation both odd and familiar.
'Strange.'
Camilo released his grip on Juanse when the blonde hybrid slowly pushed himself onto his hands and knees. When curious amber eyes no longer clouded by madness met his own, Camilo further relaxed. 'Friend.' His tail wagged a little faster and he yipped. Juanse sneezed playfully before rolling onto his back and exposing his stomach. The rest of the tension left Camilo at the display, and his ears stood alert as he leaned forward to sniff at Juanse. Satisfied with the lack of anger and fear in his scent, Camilo refocused on Alejandro.
Camilo sniffed at him, and sneezed at the subtle spice in Alejo's scent. It wasn't quite anger, but it wasn't happy, either. 'Annoyed?' The black furred beast had stilled beneath him a while ago, and had remained still during his interaction with Juanse. Camilo rumbled thoughtfully before he pushed down on Alejo's back playfully, and got a growl for his efforts. It completely lacked the viciousness from before, and Camilo's tail wagged at the hint of annoyance in it. He laughed in amusement, the sound coming out in an odd type of whine that had Alejandro's tail wagging.
Camilo got off of Alejandro, sitting on his haunches on the damp earth as he watched the slightly smaller beast push himself up. Once again, golden eyes no longer clouded by rage looked at him and Camilo relaxed completely. His tail wagged faster, his whole body shaking with excitement and relief. He crouched low, snapping his jaws playfully in the air at both of them as whiny snarls emitted from him without his say. Alejandro seemed to roll his eyes before he pounced on Camilo, and the two began to wrestle as playful snarls filled the air. It took only a few seconds before Juanse joined in, and it was once again a pile of limbs and fur—this time, the sounds were lighthearted.
In the middle of the tussel, Juanse forced Camilo onto his back and paused before sniffing aggressively at him. The coppery tang of blood hit his nostrils and he sneezed, letting out a sharp whine as his ears pinned back against his skull. Camilo merely shoved Juanse's head away and huffed, swatting playfully at him. Alejandro took advantage of the distraction and tackled the blonde canine, giving a victory howl when Juanse yelped in surprise.
As the trio continued to wrestle with one another, the Madrigals watched on.
"Are they….playing?" It was Marlena who asked in disbelief.
"I…I think so." Agustín replied, unable to take his eyes away from the scene. Exhaustion suddenly gripped him in the wake of the relief filling him. The fear from before was nearly gone, with amusement tentatively rising within his chest. He allowed a tired smile to pull at his lips. "Looks like—"
He froze, dread consuming him when he saw a figure approaching the three large beast hybrids.
"Milo?"
I'm excited for the next chapter tbh. That's when the plot will kinda start to pick up! OwO
Already in 4 chapters and still only on the first day. Why must I include so much detail? But I feel like it's worth it, and I hope you do to.
Until next time, ¡adiós!
~Star
Edit: Think of Van Helsing (the one with Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale) werewolves with tails! But the transformation is definitely Underworld inspired!
