Chapter Seven- Angry Accusations

I can't believe it: Sy's a werewolf and he let Chazz bite him. Jaden glanced sidelong at Syrus who was several seats away, head down and busily taking notes. Syrus had refused to look at anyone all morning…save for Chazz. The brunette sought out Chazz and spotted him looking at Syrus with sympathy. Chazz noticed Jaden looking at him and fired a scowl at him. Jaden promptly looked away.

When the bell rang, Syrus grabbed his things and left the room. Jaden rose and was about to leave when a long-nailed hand landed on his shoulder and Chazz saying, "Hold it, Jaden." He turned to face him.

"I suggest you get over Syrus' decision. Your reaction hurts him and he's probably thinking you hate him."

"What!? I don't hate him!"

"Tell him that. I don't want him to regret becoming a werewolf as there's no cure for it. He enjoys being a werewolf and I can tell he's interested in learning more tonight. He's not going to hurt or attack you or Chumley. He's still the same Syrus, he'll just be more confident over the next month." Chazz brushed past Jaden and left the room.

Syrus continued to look down and leave the room before Jaden could say anything. He thought about what Chazz had said and realized that he was right: Syrus was still the same; still the friend he had met earlier in the year. I let my perception of werewolves color my reaction. I need to apologize, but he's not giving me a chance. I must have really hurt him and I feel really bad about that.

"So, moonlight isn't necessary?"

"That's right. I wanted to make sure you changed and that's why I picked a clearing." He saw Syrus glanced down at his hands and then at Chazz's. "Something else on your mind?"

"Well, I noticed that my nails haven't changed."

"I didn't get longer nails until about a week and a half after the full moon. That's not all, though. I got stronger and have sharper senses. Plus…" He pushed his hair aside to reveal the pointed, almost wolf-like ears.

Syrus looked impressed with what he heard and saw. He liked the idea of having sharper senses, being stronger, and having pointed ears. The burning and anger from last night was felt and Syrus went to his hands and knees, an intense angry growl coming out of his mouth. He felt extremely angry this time and a desire to exercise this feeling bubbled up inside him as he shifted to wolf form. He threw back his head and howled loudly and angrily. A second angry howl sounded through the air: Chazz. He let out another intense angry growl as he turned and was about to leave when Chazz called, "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere to take out my anger," was the barely controlled answer.

"Your…anger? Why are you angry?"

"I'm angry because of my friends' reactions!"

"Whoa there." Chazz leaped over to block Syrus' path. "Sy, attacking them will not help. It'll just make it worse. Calm down. Deep breaths."

Syrus closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He felt his anger abate until only the primal one was left. He opened his eyes and looked at Chazz. "Okay, I feel better," he said sounding normal. "I'm still mad, but I don't want to attack them."

"That's good. I think we should channel your aggression into something else."

"Good idea. Chazz, can I hunt tonight?"

"Go for it, Syrus. I'll watch from the sidelines like you did last night."

Syrus raced through the woods, his prey's scent in his nose while his ears heard it running ahead of him, hooves pounding the ground. He growled happily, his mind focused on the thrill of the hunt. His claws were exposed giving him extra traction and speed.

Chazz followed alongside a parallel path, watching Syrus. It had been scary earlier; he didn't think Syrus would be angry during the change. His friends' reactions apparently hurt so much, it angered him. Luckily I was able to calm him down and suggest something else to do. I was thinking of suggesting that he hunt if he hadn't asked to. He trotted along his path. Hunting is just what Sy needed to channel the residue anger he still has.

A quick movement caught his attention and he looked to see Syrus flying gracefully through the air, land on the back of a doe, and bite down hard on the neck. The doe stiffened and tumbled to the ground in a heap while the sky blue wolf jumped off before the doe fell. Syrus howled at his success.

"Good job," Chazz commented as he emerged from the underbrush.

"That was so…cool!" Syrus exclaimed. "It was such a thrill, chasing her down."

"And now we can eat and gain back the energy and calories we lost changing and chasing." Chazz laid on one side of the doe while Syrus laid on the opposite side.

Syrus chewed on skin and muscle, delighting in the taste. He knew that in human form he would have balked at eating wild animals, much less raw. But as a wolf, he had no problems eating like this as wolves can handle raw meat just like any other carnivore.

"Enjoying it?" Chazz asked.

"Oh, yeah. A lot." Syrus licked his muzzle before digging in again, all anger gone and joy a being a werewolf evident. "Uh, Chazz? I remember you eating a lot of fish lately."

"Yeah. I had been craving meat and fish is the best we've got at our dorm. It's likely we'll want a lot of fish in our meals. But for now, I'm thirsty."

"Me too." Syrus stood as did Chazz.

"Follow me. There's a river where we can get a drink."

Chazz and Syrus slept late as it was Saturday. They weren't concerned about missing breakfast as they had snacked on the doe throughout the night whenever they got hungry. They emerged from the woods and went to change clothes. Syrus yawned as he went upstairs. The thought of going back to sleep after changing clothes appealed to him and that's exactly what he did.

Syrus came back to consciousness by someone calling his name. He opened his eyes and blinked to focus on Jaden's eyes peering over the edge. "Oh. Hi, Ja," Syrus yawned.

"You okay, Sy?"

Syrus, desirous to talk to his friend, answered, "Yeah. Just didn't sleep the whole night through."

"How come?"

"I woke up hungry sometimes."

There was an awkward pause before Jaden blurted out, "Sy, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you or upset you. I just was shocked that you allowed yourself to be bitten."

"I guess I can see how that would be a shock. I forgive you."

"Great. So…what's it like?"

"It's amazing. I love being a werewolf. The speed, the grace, the sharp senses, all of it."

"I'm guessing that Chazz is teaching you?"

"More like answering my questions and demonstrating how to hunt. He let me do it last night."

"Hunting? As in killing and eating?"

Syrus chuckled at the uneasy tone in Jaden's voice. "Of course that's what I mean. I burn a lot of calories and energy when I change, so I'm hungry when I'm done and need to eat."

"You make it sound so normal."

"Ja, I'm a wolf during the full moon. Hunting for food is normal for wolves."

"Okay. So, you up for some lunch and watching some duels?"

"Definitely."