Panthera Pardus

Chapter 13: The Boy Who Cried Wolf

John slowly became aware of his surroundings. His eyelids were reluctant to open, so he used other senses. A steady beep tracked his heart rate. However he wasn't in a hospital. A standard issue hospital bed would never have springs trying to jab out his kidneys. That and wherever he was smelled dusty and unused. He tried to move his arm to shift on the bed, but met resistance. Groaning, he finally opened his eyes. A small room, bare except for the bed, medical equipment sitting nearby, and one chair met his gaze. Thick leather cuffs around his wrists also met his gaze. "Fuck," he groaned as the past day or so came back.

He pulled at the cuffs around his wrists and ankles to little effect except to irritate the raw skin further. Grimacing at the pain, he went slack, panting. Where the hell was Sherlock? For that matter, how long had he been here? John tried to relax back into the bed, but it was difficult. He really wasn't sure how long it had taken for the blood transfusion, but it couldn't have been more than a couple of days, right? Sherlock would probably be here any minute. He wouldn't leave him here.

The heart rate monitor's beeper sped up slightly as John's breathing quickened. Gritting his teeth, John tensed. He knew he was on the verge of a panic attack, but that wouldn't help anything. He needed to stay calm, rational. Closing his eyes, he tried to picture himself as being at home, in his own bed. It didn't quite work what with the springs poking into his back, but the forced deep breathing exercises did help to lower his heart rate. Slowly, he came down from the edge.

That was, until the door squealed as it opened. John's eyes snapped back open and his head jerked over to see Moriarty followed by Seb. Moriarty was wearing a different Westwood suit and Seb was in different clothes as well. "Johnny boy!" Moriarty called out, raising his hands slightly, a disturbing grin on his pale face. "Glad to see you made it through! You worried us a little there before the bonding agent could be administered, but here we are."

"What the hell have you done to me?" John asked, his voice cracking from dehydration and overuse from screaming.

"Improved you," Moriarty smiled. "Seb," he snapped his fingers. "Cuffs."

Seb moved around to un-cuff John's limbs. John thought about striking out, but he felt so weak it could hardly make a difference against a behemoth of a man like Seb. Slowly, John sat up, cradling his raw wrists.

"Excellent," Moriarty clapped his hands. "Now, it's time to see just who you are. Everyone is different you see. You can introduce shapeshifter genes from a man who can shift into a lion or a bear, but the new shifter is unique. Everyone is different." He was smiling like a boy, but his eyes were alight with a manic kind of glee. It was obvious he didn't care if John was actually all right, so long as he got to do his little experiment.

"And what if I don't want to?" John rasped.

The manic grin grew wider. "Then we'll have to make you. Seb," he snapped his fingers again, and Seb began removing his clothing.

John paled a little as he realized what was happening. "You wouldn't kill me," he said, not taking his eyes from the man as he started to grow orange and black fur.

"If you won't shift for me, you're useless anyway," Moriarty shrugged.

John shuffled back on the bed as the now fully formed tiger crouched low. "Wait! I'll do it. I'll shift." John eyed the tiger as it relaxed back onto its haunches.

"Excellent!" Moriarty clapped his hands eagerly and crossed one leg over the other as he sat in the only chair.

John warily glanced over at the tiger once more as he concentrated. He didn't quite know what he was supposed to be doing, but concentrated anyway, even going so far as to close his eyes. However nothing happened. He didn't feel any different.

"Well?" an impatient Moriarty asked.

"I don't know what to do!" John growled, opening his eyes to see that Moriarty had shifted position so that he was leaning forward on his knees.

Moriarty sighed and shook his head. "I swear if you're some kind of useless animal, I'll make you into shoes." The dark haired man looked up and rested his chin on his folded hands. "While it helps to know what you're going to turn into, obviously we don't know that. Focus instead on yourself, on your breathing, on your body. Or else I'll allow Seb here to do as he thinks best to teach you how to shift."

John frowned at the tiger who moved again to crouch down. Letting out a long breath before closing his eyes. He relaxed back on the bed, allowing his limbs to go boneless at his sides. His breathing slowed and he almost felt ready to fall asleep. A weird sensation, like his organs were moving inside him made John frown a bit. It didn't hurt, but it was definitely not normal. He was changing; he knew he was, but he wasn't quite sure how, and he was afraid that if he stopped concentrating it would stop. "Beautiful… Canis Lupus..." a low murmur broke through John's concentration a minute or so later. "And in a rare color too."

His eyes opened to see Moriarty crouching, close to him. However the coloring was off just a bit. It was like everything had been dulled, and there were certain colors he couldn't see, like the red in Moriarty's red and navy tie. What are you talking about? he wanted to ask, but all that came out was a low whine.

Startled, he jerked back, limbs jumbled together and uncoordinated, not to mention the awkward way his clothes fit him now. There were four legs with four paws all trying to work to get him on his feet, but after spending thirty-seven years with only two feet to worry about, it didn't quite work out. Instead he landed on the floor on the far side of the bed with a heavy thump.

He lay still for a moment, trying to take stock of the changes in his body. A heavy panting met his ears as well as a low steady breathing on the other side of the bed. And the smells! His olfactory department was on overload from all of the different smells surrounding him. Dust, mold, and mildew were the primary smells in the room, but there was also the stench of sweat and fear. John couldn't say how he knew it was fear, but the acrid way the sweat met his nostrils just connected with his brain as fear. It was a second before he realized that the sweat and fear was from him earlier when he'd been writhing on the bed. Rich leather, expensive cologne, and fine silk and wool met his nose as Moriarty walked around the bed.

A low growl met his ears, and once again, it took John a second to realize that the sound was coming from him. Moriarty only smiled down at him though. "A magnificent specimen," he commented. "You'll make a fine addition to my collection. Seb's not the only one, you know."

John managed to climb to his feet, kicking his jeans off as he did (the shirt was beyond his capabilities though), his hackles raised and his teeth bared at the man before him. He crouched low, instinct and fear making him defend himself. He launched himself toward the man in the Westwood suit, but never made contact as the air was pushed from his body when it hit the ground a half a second later. DANGER! GET AWAY! his instincts screamed at him as he whined, trying to get out from under the large creature pinning him to the floor.

Moriarty tutted as he slowly approached. "That wasn't very smart, Johnny. We'll have to break you I see, but that can be fun too," he grinned as he crouched down by John's head.

Large claws dug into his shoulder as John tried to wiggle away from Moriarty's hand. However it was futile and the consulting criminal's hand petted gently through the fur on John's head. "You know, I have just the thing to get you started," he commented, rising from his crouch and walking back over to a bag sitting on the floor near the chair. He rooted around a bit before pulling something out and returning to where Seb had John pinned. John looked up to see a collar of some kind dangling from Moriarty's hand. He tried to wiggle away again, but a low growl and long sharp fangs against his neck stopped him. Moriarty, oblivious to John's panic, deftly fastened the collar around John's neck, the small black box on the device pressing sharply against his throat. "Excellent," he smiled manically as he stood. "Alright, let him up, Seb."

The pressure left John's side and he scrambled to his feet, backing away from the tiger for extra insurance, his tail tucked between his legs. He had a tail? John turned slightly and saw that there was indeed a long furry tail behind him. He didn't focus too long on it though before turning back to Moriarty. "Try it," he said, stretching his arms wide. "I'll allow you this once."

John glanced over at the tiger then back at Moriarty. "Go on then. Seb won't interfere."

John crouched low, unsure of what he should do. Was this some kind of trap? "Attack me!" Moriarty commanded. "Or else I'll find Sherlock and make sure you watch as his blood spills across the floor!"

At this, John let out a growl and leapt at Moriarty. However a pulsing electrical current passed through his body and he lost all thought and concentration, resulting in him crashing to the floor in a twitching heap. "Oh that's delightful!" Moriarty clapped his hands. "Did you see that, Seb? How his eyes grew wide and his paws twitched? Fantastic!" He laughed as he crouched next to John who was panting.

"Just wanted to let you know what would happen if you disobey, try to get away, or attack me. Hell, I might do it again just to see that," he looked down at the small black remote in his hand with fondness. "It was quite amusing."

John whimpered as he tried to regain his sense of equilibrium. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on being human. This was too much; he'd had enough. However when he opened his eyes, he still saw through the same semi-color blind eyes as before. A whine left his muzzle as he glanced between Seb the tiger and a grinning Moriarty. "I imagine you just tried to revert to your human form? Hmm? Had a special gadget added to the collar. It prevents you from changing form. Brilliant, isn't it?"

John let out a low growl, but didn't move to attack Moriarty again. He'd learned his lesson. His escape would have to come at a different time. "Alright, now I need to go make arrangements for your transport. Didn't know what kind of creature I'd be dealing with. I'm going to leave Sebby here to make sure you behave. I'd really much prefer if he didn't have to break your neck though."

With that, Moriarty smiled and walked out the door. Seb followed till the faded door and sat beside it facing in towards the room, his tail curled around him and flicking against the dusty floor.

John slowly got to his paws and limped over to the window. There wasn't anything else in the room to act as a reflective surface. He pushed himself up on his hind paws, his front ones resting on the windowsill. The face that met him in the window was unfamiliar and disturbing to think that it was still him behind it. However when he opened his mouth, the sandy monster of a wolf looking back at him opened his mouth as well. Light whitish beige covered the bottom half of his muzzle as well as his belly and legs. However the beige mixed with a deep strawberry blond along his back and ears. His eyes were a silver blue that were sharp and intense, and his ears were pointed and at attention. One flicked back toward the tiger guarding the door as he shifted slightly though.

John shoved away from the windowsill and landed back on the floor. He turned his head a bit to examine the rest of his body, noting that he had shaggy fur and a long sleek form. His tail was long and fluffy, matching the rest of him. Over all, he was quite magnificent to look at. Even if he did look a bit ridiculous with a white t-shirt on. Grumbling a bit, he glanced over at Seb to see that the tiger was watching him. His posture was relaxed, but from what John knew of tigers, they could go from sleep to killers in less than a second. Better to not underestimate him.

Instead, John tried to figure out how to get his t-shirt off. He tried to reach around and tug at the collar, but it only started to rip the harder he tugged. Next he tried to roll on the ground a bit, try to make it roll off, but it only resulted in the white material bunching up around his front legs. He huffed as he stopped rolling around and just lay still. Rising to his paws again, John thought perhaps he could tug it off now. Except that the moment he tried to reach around, the massive weight of a tiger attacked him, laying him flat and pinning him down.

John yipped and struggled to get away. However the tiger held him firmly. A shredding, tearing sound filled the air and John paused his escape attempts to look back. Seb was releasing him and calmly walking back to his post beside the door. Looking back at himself, John could see that the shirt now lay on the ground in tattered ruins. It wasn't a very important shirt, just a plain white undershirt really, but the fact that it had been ruined for no good reason still irked him.

He glanced over at the tiger, back in his guard position, and was confused as to why he had helped at all. John wasn't sure whether to thank him or growl at him. Instead he settled for ignoring him as he jumped up on the bed and settled at the foot, his head facing toward the door so he could keep an eye on the tiger.

About an hour later, John was bored and contemplating ways to escape. He'd already thought about trying to jump out a window, but he was fairly certain that the injuries he'd sustain would prevent him from getting very far. The only other exit was through the door that was being guarded by a tiger. John groaned and shifted around at the end of the bed. He was still dehydrated and it was causing a bit of a headache. The collar Moriarty had put on him was tight and John had to concentrate to not let the fear of choking overwhelm him.

He wondered what Moriarty had planned for him. The man had mentioned adding John to his collection, which frankly made the wolf a bit nervous. He could just imagine that the man had turned people into shapeshifters to use as his own personal guard animals. Seb was a prime example of this, though the tiger didn't wear a collar like John, he could only guess at the level of brain washing he'd been subjected to. Living the rest of his life as a guard wolf wasn't really appealing to John, but he still had hope that Sherlock would come for him. In the mean time, John wouldn't pass up an opportunity at escape if he found one.

John's head perked up and his fur stood on end as Moriarty entered the room again, the manic smile still in place. "Ah good, you're still alive," he commented. "Time to get going, Johnny boy. Places to be, training to complete."

The dark haired man stood to the side of the door, clearly indicating for John to exit. Warily, the wolf hopped down from the bed, stumbling a bit as he did so (he still wasn't used to four paws). As he drew closer to Moriarty, he could visualize himself leaping up and ripping out his throat. If he timed it right, Seb wouldn't be able to stop him. However Moriarty pulled his hand out of his pocket just then and John could see the remote that controlled his collar in his palm. He hesitated, his tail going between his legs. "Don't even think about it, Johnny boy. I won't hesitate to use this," Moriarty said. "Now come on, Seb will be right behind you in case you do something stupid."

John hunkered lower, an instinct from the new wolf side of him that made himself look smaller and less threatening. He really did not want Moriarty to press the button on that remote again. Instead, he followed the man in the Westwood suit out the door and into the hallway. It looked like they were in some kind of old abandoned farmhouse. John sniffed at the air and could smell dirt, dust, and some kind of grain. When they reached the main floor and exited the house, John could see that there was an old-fashioned mill right next door. It looked like it too had been abandoned. "In the van," Moriarty opened the back door to a black van.

John hopped in without hesitation and settled on the blankets in the back. Seb hopped in as well and lay down on the other side of the van. John eyed him warily, but the tiger seemed content to simply act as a placid guard. "Excellent," Moriarty clapped his hands once. "Don't worry, it won't be a long ride. However the plane trip might be a bit long." He grinned as he shut and locked the door.

If John had been human, he would have paled. How was Sherlock going to find him if they took a plane to god knows where? He had to escape, but there was no way out. There was heavy duty cage grating between the front and the back of the van, which only left the door, which was locked. John lay his head down between his paws and whined. He would have to figure something out when they stopped again. For now, there was little he could do.

A/N: And here's the next chapter! Took a while to get it out, but at least it's only been about a week and a half instead of a month! Righto, a little look into what's going on with John. I seriously debated with the animal John would be turning into and almost made him into a hedgehog just to throw you guys off, but then decided that a wolf would be best. Really it does suit his personality to a 'T'. Also! Pictures! I have pictures of what John and Sherlock look like in their animal forms as well as a picture that I found that I imagine Sherlock and Mycroft would have looked like as cubs! Seriously adorable! Never mind that the brothers are a few years apart! lol…

Hopefully I'll be getting the next chapter out around the same time as it took for this one. However please keep in mind that I am the Maid of Honor in a friend's wedding this weekend so obviously there will be no writing until that is over with! I'm lucky to have been able to upload today!

TTFN!

*EDIT
To see the pictures go to archiveofourown works/644717/chapters/1601761 (Just remove the spaces)