Chapter 6

Danny lay contently back in his hospital bed and watched his parents leave the room. His stay was turning out a lot more bearable than he had expected. The young halfa was almost never alone, being periodically visited by friends and family, even a TV with cable got moved into his room.

The boy began to heal rapidly after he recovered from the blood loss, his shoulder was another story though, thick layers of gauze were strapped around it, but even that didn't stop it from constantly bleeding. Despite the seriousness of the wound, he would get to return home in another week.

A nurse strided into the room carrying a tray with two pills and a glass of water. Danny stared at her awkwardly as she hastily put the tray on the bedside table saying in a low voice, "the doctor wants you to take these," before rushing back out the door. "What's with her," he thought, swallowing the medicine.

That night was the first one Danny spent at the hospital not being able to sleep. His body was frequently racked with involuntary spasms, and he was sweating uncontrollably. The young halfa pulled the sheets in closer and flinched back. For some reason he seemed extremely sensitive to touch. The sheet was like blanket of metal weighing down on him. For a moment he considered pushing the emergency call button, then decided against it. The situation couldn't be that serious.

Danny sat up and brushed his dark hair back, it felt like sandpaper on his face. The halfa gasped in surprise and looked at his hand, the skin on the bottom half had turned black and rough, like the pad on an animal's paw. Danny began to look himself over frantically; thick chestnut fur covered the teenager's entire body, including his face. He felt the pointed tips of his ears and flinched again, why was everything he felt so exaggerated?

The moonlight shone through the half shuttered window, cutting the images of his wolfish body into thin strips. Suddenly the light disappeared. Danny rashly turned to the window, someone had shut the blinds. Alarm flared in him as he fearfully scanned the room, looking for the intruder. The halfa began to shudder as his ghost sense sent cold breath running across his now sensitive nose. He realized it hadn't changed shape at all, but the skin was like that on his hands and feet, just more wet.

The foggy silhouette of a ghost appeared by the bedside. Glowing red eyes stared at the child before them. "Hello Daniel," Before Danny knew what was happening, intangible hands strapped a belt-like object around his waist and locked it together. He looked down, it was the Specter Deflector. The ghost pinned him roughly into the pillows by the throat.

His young victim was completely at his mercy. "What do you want?" The intruder drew his face closer to him threateningly, Danny recognized him instantly.

'What's wrong little badger, not feeling well?" Vlad said, running a teasing finger across the wolf boy's furry cheek. He winced under the power of the slight touch. "What do you want?" Danny repeated. "Oh, please Daniel, stop trying to act brave. Injured, sick, and unable to turn into a ghost," he waved the key to the Specter Deflector in his face, "you'd probably just hurt yourself even more if you try anything wise."

The younger halfa wasn't listening, he could feel his energy draining away quickly under the pressure the older ghost was putting on him. Vlad raised his eyebrows as Danny's breathing became increasingly labored under his powerful grip. Releasing him, he said, "It's amazing how much effect a few pills can have on someone, huh?"

Danny sat up and massaged his throat for several moments, suddenly his eyes widened as he understood what the older halfa was telling him. "You…. You drugged me!" he exclaimed hoarsely. "Your tiny teenage mind JUST figured that out?" Ignoring this, he continued, "You overshadowed the nurse! What did you do? What's wrong with me?"

Vlad clamped a hand over the babbling teenager's mouth. "Shut up Daniel! Do you want the entire hospital to hear us?" Danny gave him stubborn glare and nodded as much as he could manage. Rolling his eyes, he told the child. "Think about it, you're a werewolf, get it? Do you want that to be revealed to the public?

"Gee, I didn't realize I'm a werewolf." Danny thought sarcastically, but he knew his enemy was right. He should lie low about the situation. The boy pushed Vlad's hand away. Surprisingly, he didn't resist. "Why are you here?" he hissed. "Really Daniel, you can be very dim witted sometimes."

Without warning, Danny swayed dizzily, putting a hand to his forehead he moaned, "Oh man, what did you put in those pills?" Vlad shoved him back in the bed saying, "I'll make this simple, you are going to tell me why that wolf attacked you and where it is now, and don't try lying to me, I can tell when you are." "Let's see, in the past, you've cloned me against my will, put me in my friends in danger, you spend all of your time plotting," Danny counted on his fingers, "and you ACTUALLY think I'm going to just give you information without wondering what you're up to?"

Vlad said nothing; he just covered the boy's mouth and simply pinched him. Pain shot up the younger halfa's arm, only the gloved hand holding his jaw together kept him from screaming in agony. Finally, escaping from his grasp, Danny gasped, "WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO!"

"I should've explained Daniel; those pills I gave you amplify the sensitivity of your nerves tenfold, whether it's the slightest touch, or pain," he paused and imitated a tweaking motion with his fingers, "you're going to feel it a lot more than you really should. I'm sure you've noticed you're at a great disadvantage, so I suggest you cooperate.

Danny frowned and looked to the opposite wall of the room. "Daniel." Vlad said, pulling a small glass bottle out of his pocket. The younger halfa ignored him. "Daniel." He repeated, this time in a sharper tone. Finally he turned to face Vlad, who showed him the vile in his hand. "I have the antidote; all you need to do is give me answers." Danny gaze lingered temptingly on the frothy orange fluid in the bottle before flickering away; he wouldn't back down that easily. The older halfa grew impatient and pinched him again. He watched Daniel grit his noticeably sharper teeth and focus on the ceiling. He had to admit, the boy had courage. They stayed in that position for several moments, Vlad began to wonder if the drug was wearing off. Then he saw the stream of tears flowing down Danny's wolf cheeks.

"Well?" he pressed, the teenager looked at him. The pleading look in the boy's watery blue eyes told him everything. Daniel would need no more persuading.