A new chapter!? From the Cow!? Man, I need a better username... Cowardly Author doesn't really give any cool nicknames. Anyway, new chapter! A bit of a time skip, but not too long. Only a day or two.

Let's hope for more than one review this time!

~Line-Break~

Apparently I sucked. Better than Aela expected, but I still sucked. So after beating the shit out of those bandits she made me spar with her.

And by spar, I mean she'd randomly attack me, sometimes with her knife, and I'd have to try and fight back. Try being the key word. The only time I even got close to winning was the time I grabbed a big branch on the ground and started twirling it around like a ninja, and then smacking her right in the face with it while she was distracted.

She broke the stick in half and started beating me with said halves, but it was worth it. She did ask where I learned it, and I told her the truth. Mostly. It was kind of hard to say that I watched a lot of ninja movies and started to randomly twirl broomsticks one day, so I gave a vague answer about a relative showing me. I don't think she bought it, but Aela didn't pry, either.

After seeing that I wasn't totally helpless in combat, she said I was ready to practice my 'true power.' So tonight I was going hunting with her, in Beast Form.

I hope I don't eat anyone.

~Line-Break~

It was going on now. In a few minutes, I would shed my weak human form. I would transcend my mortal limits! I would hunt, and fight with the strength of a hundred men! I would be INVINCIBLE! I would-

"Strip." Huh?

Aela looked at me like I was an idiot, something she did occasionally. Oh, I still hadn't responded.

"Strip? Are you kidding me, it's freezing!" I said, giving her my best incredulous look. I don't think it worked, I'm not good at expressions.

Aela gave a long, sad sigh, mumbling something along the lines of "stupid boy" before loudly explaining in an exaggerated manner.

"Shifting alters our forms. Our clothing will rip if we don't strip. You don't have many cloths, so lose them." And with that she started taking off her armor.

I stared, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. The only reason I continued to stare after 3 seconds (that's how long it took me to memorize the image) was because Aela gave me an amused glance. Thankfully it was cold-as-fuck so I didn't show much. I burned the image into my mind for a solid 8.5279 seconds before turning around and taking my cloths off. Hey, it was cold, and I didn't want the Huntress to think lowly of me. I had my teenage ego to worry about.

Unfortunately, I didn't know what to do next. How do you transform into a big hairy rage monster?

"Hey, uh, Aela? I-It's getting p-pretty c-cold-d, how do I t-t-transform?" I asked, my teeth starting to chatter. My body shook slightly, almost unnoticeable. For me that was very bad, I could stand out in the snow for hours without being too uncomfortable. It was really, really cold out.

"We all have our own triggers. Figure it out." Aela replied. I turned around, incredulous, but froze. It was cold. Aela was naked. Two things were standing at attention. A third was coming up to join them.

I panicked, wracked my brain for a solution, and came up empty. I didn't want to be embarrassed; I was a teenager, still "growing" in some areas. Thinking quickly, I blindly "reached" inside myself.

Instantly, I felt a pain overcome me. I hunched over, my skin tingled. Thousands, millions of thick, short hairs erupted all over my body. My bones seemed to snap, before partially melting and solidifying in a new position. My muscle fibers un-bound themselves, realigning in a new, more powerful, structure. My face elongated, and grew wider, teeth shifted from omnivorous to carnivorous, my nose shifted and grew hundreds of different smelling glands. My ears seemed to slide to the top of my skull, standing on end, while the inside grew extremely sensitive. I could now hear something from 7 miles away in the open fields of Whiterun. My tongue changed, got longer, my tastebuds shifted. My eyes seemed to roll through their sockets, and when they realigned the were much more powerful, beyond perfect vision. My spine hunched slightly, and my arms lengthened, hands ending in razor sharp claws. I instinctively dropped on all fours. My legs changed shape, and my feet became more like paws, allowing me great traction and turning when on two feet.

I looked into the sky, straight at the twin moons. My neck hairs stood on end as I raised my head to give a mighty howl.

I was interrupted from my drama, however, by Aela. She strode up next to me, her form slightly smaller than mine (which was weird because we were the same height), colored black but seeming to gleam red in the moonlight. With my powerful senses I knew she could defeat me, and against my will I lowered myself to the ground, submitting.

'Well that's embarrassing.' I thought. I quickly regained control of myself, standing on two legs. I stumbled slightly, and my tail (that's a little weird) stuck out, keeping my balance.

Aela snorted, and I felt a brief pressure in my skull, before her voice resonated in my mind.

"Your instincts are stronger than most, and that will help as much as hinder you." Something in my body language clued her into my shock.

"The more experienced werewolves can use telepathy in our Beast Forms. Soon, you will learn it as well. But for now, get used to your new body. We will run, get warmed up before hunting." And with that, she turned and walked away from me.

Suddenly, she gave me a sly look, something I didn't know was possible in a Beast Form. "It's an interesting trigger, I'll admit. Later, you'll need something other than me to transform, however. Stripping nude in a battle would be very... Cumbersome." And with that she took off into a sprint.

Well. Shit.

...

Wait, did she say 'later' just now?

~Line-Break~

My Beast form was... interesting. I was incredibly fast, more so than any horse; I could go easily 55 MPH (88 KMH) in a straight line over open ground. My senses were even more powerful, but I didn't have any trouble with them, which was weird. I could see into the darkest shadows, hear the heartbeat of a rabbit a mile and a half away, and smell Aela's tantalizing scent almost a quarter mile away; right next to an elk, herding it to me.

After spending a few hours running around, and doing some light 'play fighting' to get me accustomed to my form, Aela said we would hunt. She went out, tracking an elk, and would lead it to me. It was my job to stay hidden long enough to make the kill.

I asked why we couldn't just chase it down, being extremely fast and all, but Aela said something about not wanting to waste energy. I just thought she had a sadistic hunting fetish. Not that I would ever say that. No way in hell, err, Oblivion.

We had already practiced a few times, on rabbits for a snack. Strangely enough, the raw meat and blood didn't bother me like it should have. Another thing that I noticed was I was far more physically... Affectionate is too strong a word. I like to think I'm pretty stoic (even though I know I'm really more sarcastic, and I've been called a smart ass more than once), but when I'm in this form I can't seem to help myself from making ridiculous (to my mind) noises, and I even rubbed against Aela! That was embarrassing. Again.

My musings were interrupted as my sensitive ears twitched. I heard them coming; they were extremely close now. I got into a ready stance, making sure to stay downwind and in the shadows. Quickly, they approached seeing distance. Aela was sweeping side to side, sometimes getting close enough to give a small scratch. The elk was massive; if I were in a human form I could stand in its antlers!

When it was only 10 meters away, I sprinted at it at my top speed. It saw me, or heard me, and instead of changing direction like I expected, it lowered its antlers towards me and gained speed, ready to gore me! I slowed down minutely, and when we were as close as I dared, I grabbed the rack as close to the base as I could before pulling them up. The whole head of the elk was thrown up, leaving its neck unprotected.

I didn't even think, sinking my teeth into its throat, biting down with bone crushing force. The blood wasn't revolting like I expected. The taste didn't change, still that thick and hot metallic copper, but it was oddly enjoyable. It was a strange experience.

With its neck crushed and bleeding heavily, the elk let out a pathetic whimper that brought out a dark satisfaction from the back of my mind before dying. I released my bite, hearing Aela come up to me.

"A clean kill!" She appraised. Her lupine form seemed to exude pleasure, from what I couldn't quite see.

"But you could use more practice in your footwork. I heard you stomping around." Aela continued. My form sagged for half a moment, before I shook it off and resolve filled my being.

"Now, time to eat!" She exclaimed excitedly. And with that she dove into the carcass, almost literally.

I hesitated, would I really do this? The smell was heavenly, which was more than a little disturbing.

'Oh well, when in Rome...' I thought as I stalked towards my kill.

I never noticed the small bit of darkness that leapt from the shadow of a root, burrowing into my fur.

~Line-Break~

Not so far away, hidden underneath multiple Illusion spells to mask their presence, a shadowy figure observed the feasting werewolves. A sharp, dark grin was concealed by his cowl as he placed several spell books into the young Bretons bag. Soon, his master would make her move. Soon, they would be feared again.

After all...

We know.

~Line-Break~

Whew, that felt way longer than it probably was. Anyway, what do you think? I'm playing around with werewolves, finally, and there was a bit of a hunting scene. I'm not satisfied with a lot of it, but yeah. Here it is.

Wonder who that figure was? What could they be planning? Is it as ominous as I intended? Will our hero ever stop thinking with his dick? The world may never know. I could die before posting this, or be put in the hospital, or win the lottery!

Truly, life is mysterious.

Anyway, don't forget to review! I'll try to get more out soon, but I can't make chapters if I don't have ideas! Seriously, unless ff is fucked up again I only have 10 reviews while also having around 500 reads. That's crazy. Anyway, review please.