Thank you Dragon Rider Tayo, lightpaws, Taiyoukai Taika-sama, Chrosis, and ElricObsession for taking the time to leave me a review!
Pairings: Edward/Winry and Roy/Riza (later chapters)
Disclaimer: I have no ownership rights to FMA. I'm just
an obsessed fan, who wanted to write a story involving some of the
characters from the anime/manga.
Special thanks to: Hiromu Arakawa, Square-Enix, Bones, Funimation, and Viz, for bringing FMA to life
Extra Comments (Q & A)
lightpaws: There's
going to be plenty of conflict in the coming chapter's, and there is
even some self-conflict in this chapter.
To answer your second question; Yes. I always find myself constantly reading, looking, or thinking about werewolves. Anything that deals with werewolves, is something I want to know. Lycanthropy is my greatest obsession.
My own works? Yes, I am making some of my own werestories, but I don't think I'll ever be able to publish them. I'm glad you think I'm a wonderful writer, but I can never see myself above decent.
Chapter 4 - Challenge
Edward was awakened by sounds of suffering all around him. Screams and cries filling the heavy, wet air.
"What the hell is going on?"
Sitting up, Edward felt an odd taste in his mouth. At first, he discarded it as a severe case of morning breathe, but after letting the flavor sit in, Edward felt his stomach jerk. He slumped forward on his hands and knees, ready to wretch. Finally, his gut rejected its contents, making vomit run like water out of him.
Edward painfully opened his eyes for the first time since awakening. Staring in disbelief at what his system had purged, Edward couldn't help but gawk. Blood covered entrails lay piled in front of him, still steaming with heat. The unbearable stench of it filled Edward's nose, forcing him to cough and heave. Upon doing so, something slimy and round came up in his mouth. Disgusted, Edward quickly spit it out onto the heap of organs.
He knew he shouldn't look at it again, but Edward went against his judgment, presuming it couldn't be worse then what had already been brought up.
Resting at the very top of the pile was an eyeball, staring back at its devourer. It's clear, film coating revealed a blue-colored iris, a color that reminded Edward of the most important women in his life, since his mother had pasted.
"No."
Edward screamed, throwing his head back, blinded by rage and anguish, his voice resonating across the surrounding ruins of Central; a masterpiece of his destruction. Once the broken spirit began to cease his cries, he rose gradually to his feet and looked over the hundreds of bodies that were strewn about him.
A faint smile came to his lips, and he started to walk forward, stepping over a few bodies till he reached a turned over truck, which was being held up at a slanted angle, resting on a bent lamp post. Two pairs of legs dressed in military uniform, were pinned underneath the truck's frame. Somehow, Edward knew who they belonged to.
Lowering his head under the tail end of the truck, Edward could see Roy's torso protectively slumped over the body alongside him. Edward assumed it was Riza, but it was hard for him to tell, due to the fact that she was completely drenched in blood, staining her once blonde hair to a radiant burgundy. Neither of the two seemed to be breathing.
"Roy?" Edward whispered, hoping desperately to hear a reply. Nothing happened, however, and Roy remained silent. Wanting to get a reaction, Edward reached out and gently rested his hand on Roy's shoulder, admittedly becoming aware of how cold the colonel felt.
Water blurred Edward's vision, but only for a brief moment. He hastily wiped away the salty moisture, and whimpered an apology to both of them, knowing that their deaths were a result of his unconscious rampage.
Just when Edward was about to leave them, he noticed that there was something on the other side of Roy. Edward walked around to the front end of the truck and closed the open hood, giving him sight to blonde hair, tied up in a high ponytail.
"Winry."
Edward reached in without delay and pulled out Winry's body. She was unconscious, but alive. Surprisingly, not a scratch or bruise on her.
"I'm so sorry, Winry!" He cried, bringing her into his embrace. Edward's tears melted unto her soft skin, when he buried his face into the nape of her neck. He then cradled her tenderly in his arms, wanting so badly to take back what he had done to her, to Roy, to Riza, and every other innocent slain at his hands.
"I was so afraid that I'd hurt you!" Edward sobbed, rocking back and forth. "Please, forgive me! I'll never change again, I swear!"
"NEVER?!" interrupted a booming voice.
A sudden impact ripped Edward away from Winry, and sent him crashing into a mound of rubble.
"How dare you," Edward began, hatred filling his voice. "How dare you interfere with us?!"
Edward willingly gave into his fury, letting the demon inside him take control. His infuriation made him immune to the pains of changing, causing the complete morphing process to happen within a few seconds.
"You know nothing of what I owe to her!" Edward roared; standing up high on his haunches, beating his chest like the savage beast he had become. His loathing was so great, that he completely ignored the fact that his auto-mail magically transformed with him. Pulling back his muzzle, in an intense snarl, Edward opened his fiery golden eyes, giving his attacker an awe-shocking death glare.
There stood Edward's own blood brother, Alphonse, back to his original human form, with a blood-rusted broad sword firmly held in his small hands. Alphonse's innocent face written with pure hatred, and his warm-brown eyes blared with madness.
"This can't be! No, not my brother! Not Al! Why?"
Edward snapped his head to and fro in confusion, while his mind struggled to regain control of his still raging body. He continued to thrash, even as Alphonse rushed at him, pulling back the sword; readying himself to gore the beast, and skewer his brother into silence for all eternity.
"BURN FOREVER, YOU DECEITFUL CUR!"
Edward woke again, but this time in a hotel room; his clothes and bed sheet's dripping with rancid smelling sweat. His heart and lungs pounded hard in his chest, forcing Edward to grab his left shoulder, and roll over in agony. He yelled out into his pillow, hoping like hell that he wouldn't wake Alphonse, who was sleeping on the living room couch. Edward didn't worry about waking Winry, for he had rented another room for her.
Ten minutes passed by, and Edward managed to slow down both his heart and lungs, but they still ached.
"This is all because of that damn book." Edward thought, glaring over at the opened book on his nightstand. On one page stood the figure of a werewolf, with a young maiden hanging lifelessly from its massive jaws, all the while being stabbed by a holy knight. Then, on the other side of the page was an illustration of the aftermath of a werewolf attack: a canvas of half-eaten corpses. Edward knew that reading that book any further was a nightmare waiting to happen.
"But how would that explain what Al said?" Edward deliberated, still somewhat confused. Then Edward remembered what he'd said to Winry, the day after he'd changed.
"I'm not going to change again, Winry. I can control myself now. Last night, I just wasn't feeling to well, that's all. Trust me. Everything will be okay."
"Why did I say that to her? I'm such a damn idiot. " Edward questioned and then swore. "What Al said in my dream was right; I lied to her, and to him. I've been leading them on, painting a picture in their head's that everything will be perfect. I can't even trust myself anymore."
Not knowing what to do next, Edward sat up and dropped his head into his hands, with only the light of the moon to keep him company.
From out of one of Central City's many back alleys, Damis stepped forth from the shadows, and looked up toward the silver orb that lit up the darkened earth below it.
"How hauntingly beautiful you are tonight," Damis said aloud, staring up at the full moon.
A howl echoed across the base, reaching the ears of only three individuals, but only one understood what the primal voice had said.
"Try and kill me yourself, little puppy."
After Notes-
Sorry it took so long to finish this chapter, but there were a lot of different factors that caused the delay. This is another short chapter, but I'll try to make the next ones longer, if I can. There are going to be dramatic changes in the chapter's to come, so watch out! If you have any comments or suggestions, then please leave a small review, and thank you for reading.
With openness and respect,
Heza Ulric