Chapter VII: Primal

Nom Nom groaned softly, feeling a slight pain in his back as he tried to alter his position. Opening his eyes, he was astonished to see that it was already daylight, and it looked to be fairly late in the morning, judging by how high the sun already was. Though it hadn't been the most comfortable sleep, he was at least grateful that he had been able to sleep at all, and also for having managed to not fall out of the tree while he slept. He almost laughed out loud as he suddenly realized just how domesticated he was, considering his species was known for being tree dwellers.

Extending his arms over his head, he arched his back slightly and stretched. "Hey, Grizz, are you up yet?" he asked groggily as he peered down at the ground. He looked around in confusion when he saw that the bear was nowhere in sight. "Grizz!" he called a little louder as he began to carefully descend to the ground. Still, he received no answer. After dropping down to the ground, he immediately began searching for the bear, certain he was just out looking for food somewhere. As he came upon the clearing, he immediately spotted a large, brown mass of fur standing in the stream. "There you are."

Nom Nom picked up as his pace as he made his way over to the bear, noticing he had his head submerged beneath the water. "Hey, Grizz, come on, let's get a move on!" he called to him, though he still could not hear him beneath the water. "GRIZZ!" he shouted again but still he got no response. Rolling his eyes, Nom Nom scanned the ground for something light to throw at him. He scooped up a pinecone and chucked it as hard as he could, satisfied to see it bounce off the bear's rump. As he watched him lift his head from the stream, Nom Nom's eyes widened and he felt his heart drop into his stomach. He locked eyes with a bear that was clearly not Grizz. It huffed loudly through flaring nostrils, while baring its frighteningly sharp teeth, saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth. Though the most horrifying thing about this bear was its eyes. In those eyes he saw nothing but a thirst for blood, with no sense of empathy. This bear was wild, and right now it looked anything but docile.

"GRIZZ!" Nom Nom shouted, looking around frantically for his companion. "GRIZZ, I'VE GOT A SITUATION HERE!"

The grizzly narrowed its eyes and snarled, taking a step forward.

"GRIZZ, WHERE ARE YOU?! I NEED YOUR HELP! GRIZZ?! SITUATION! SITUATION!"

Nom Nom began to tremble, his heart pounding so rapidly he could hear it in his ears. He slowly started to back away, still holding out hope that Grizz would rush to the scene at any moment and fend the beast off. "GRIZZ!" he screamed again, his throat becoming strained. He stumbled and fell back onto his rump, his fear finally immobilizing him. He opened his mouth in preparation to call out for Grizz one last time, but his voice hitched when he saw the grizzly lift a paw out of the water and slam it down on the grassy bank. He stared at that paw, his hopes for a rescue dashed as realization set in. He stared at the large cut on the bear's paw for a full six seconds before slowly looking back up to stare into its wild eyes with a look of fright. "Grizz?" he squeaked, feeling every last breath of air leave his lungs.

The bear suddenly let out a loud, ear-shattering roar, spittle flying everywhere. Nom Nom scooted back on his rump as the larger animal began moving towards him, his quiet whimpers drowned out by the sound of the grizzly's loud snarling. He suddenly felt his paw touch something soft and wet, and he looked down to see his paw sinking into a thick mud puddle. Having no other options, he scooped up as much of the muck as he could and flung it at the bear's face. As the bear snarled and lifted a paw to try and wipe the mud from his eye, Nom Nom quickly seized the opportunity and jumped to his feet to flee, knowing he only had seconds before the bear recovered. He headed straight for the forest, never once looking back to see if Grizz was pursuing him, though he was fairly certain he was; he could hear his paws hitting the ground heavily as he began galloping after him.

Nom Nom did not allow himself to stop as he raced past the trees. He braved a brief glance over his shoulder, happy to see that the bear was forced to slow down as he tried to maneuver his way around the numerous trees and shrubs that stood in his way. Nom Nom lifted an arm to shield his face and pushed his way through some dense vegetation. Once he made it through, the ground suddenly disappeared beneath his feet and he felt himself dropping down a rather steep, muddy slope. He was only on the ground for a second before he was back on his feet again, though his legs were starting to feel like jello now.

His relief finally came in the form of a hollowed out log, which he quickly took refuge in. As he peeked through a tiny, golfball sized hole on the side of the log, he saw Grizz suddenly gallop into view and come to a halt just eight feet away from him. Nom Nom slapped a paw over his mouth as his sudden appearance nearly caused him to scream. He held his breath and watched silently, trembling heavily as he watched the grizzly survey his surroundings and sniff around.

A few tense seconds passed before the bear seemed to give up and lumber away and out of sight. Nom Nom closed his eyes and leaned back against the log, letting out a soft sigh of relief. Just then, a large paw suddenly broke through the top of the log, coming within just inches of the koala, who screamed loudly and shielded his face as he was showered with chunks of rotting wood. He was unable to move fast enough in order to avoid a claw slashing his shoulder, though he hardly felt it in that moment. Looking up, he saw Grizz try to fit his head through the hole he had created, snapping his jaws loudly. He managed to duck out of the way as he took another swipe at him and quickly rushed out of the log right before the bear tore it apart. He rushed for the nearest tree and leapt onto the trunk, scrambling to climb as fast as he could to the top. It seemed futile, considering Grizz could climb the tree just as easily as he could, but at the moment, it was his only option since there was no chance of him outrunning him.

Nom Nom managed to move out of the way right as Grizz's paw came down on the trunk, his long claws raking across the bark where he had been just a second ago. The larger animal quickly started making his way up the tree, taking multiple swipes at the koala as he came within his reach, ripping through branches and sending small fragments of wood flying everywhere. Nom Nom couldn't afford to be cautious with his climbing. He resorted to jumping to the next highest branch, as the bear was always within an arm's length of him, and any hesitation on his part would result in him being caught.

"Grizz, snap out of it!" he shouted as he continuously avoided being struck with his paw, but the bear was relentless with his aggression. Looking up, he saw that the tree did not extend much further, and it didn't look as though Grizz would have any trouble reaching him once he made it to the top. There were no other trees close by that he could jump to. He fully realized the hopelessness of the situation and let out a choked sob, looking down at the predator with pleading eyes. "Why are you doing this?!"

Grizz caught up with him instantly and took a powerful swipe at him, knocking him from his perch and sending him plummeting back down to the ground, his body taking a massive beating as he fell against thick branches on his way down. He attempted to grab on to one of the branches as he fell, causing his wrist to twist at an unnatural angle. He finally landed flat on his back, which knocked every last breath of air from his lungs and left him gasping like a fish out of water, eyes wide in shock. As he lay there trying to breathe more air into his lungs, he could vaguely see Grizz beginning to descend from the tree. He made a feeble attempt to sit up, but he immediately fell back down as he felt a sharp pain around his rib cage.

After dropping down onto the ground, Grizz immediately began lumbering towards him. Nom Nom made one final attempt at sitting up, but Grizz lifted a large paw and pushed him back down, his claws pressing into the koala's throat. In that moment, Nom Nom felt his will to fight fade, and he turned his head away, squeezing his eyes shut in preparation for his death. He could only hope that it would be a quick one.

The bear leaned down, opening his mouth as he prepared to rip his prey's head right off his shoulders. He paused when a sound caught his ear, and he looked up, noticing a young buck had leapt into the vicinity. They locked gazes for a moment before the deer turned and dashed away, triggering Grizz to give chase.

As the koala felt the weight of Grizz's paw lift from his chest, he managed to take in a shallow breath. He slowly began to feel the full pain of his injuries once the adrenaline began to subside. It took him several tries to get to his feet, his movements made more difficult by the pain he felt in his ribs. The thought that one of them might be broken gave him more reason to keep his movements slow and paced. Noticing red out of the corner of his eye, he looked down at the gash on his shoulder, noticing quite a large amount of blood had stained the fur on his arm. He continued staggering along, unsure of where he needed to go. While he wanted to put as much distance between himself and Grizz as possible, the thought of being alone in these woods terrified him. Having Grizz with him had been a comfort to him, ironically. Now he felt more helpless than ever.

Finding a dead tree with a hollowed out trunk, Nom Nom took refuge inside and curled up on the ground to rest. He had a glimpse at his aching wrist, noticing it had started to swell. He closed his eyes and whimpered softly, hardly convinced he'd live to see another day. If Grizz managed to track him down again, he knew he wouldn't be so lucky next time.

ooooooo

The first thing that registered with him as he slowly came to his senses was a horrible metallic taste in his mouth, and a powerful one at that. He might have suspected that he had simply bitten his tongue if it weren't for the fact that the taste of blood was so incredibly overpowering.

Looking down, Grizz's eyes widened in horror when he saw the partially-eaten deer carcass lying in front of him, its mouth open and tongue hanging out. Grizz looked down at his paws, noticing they were completely covered in blood. "Oh, no," he whispered, beginning to shake. He stood up and looked over the rest of his body, finding more blood staining his rich brown fur. "No…No, no, no!"

Grizz backed away from the carnage he had undoubtedly caused, bumping against the trunk of a tree. "I'm sorry," he whimpered as his eyes welled with tears. He was a natural born carnivore, he knew that, but he had spent the majority of his life eating processed meats, never once having to look upon the face of the animal he was eating. He knew it was irrational to feel this way, but he couldn't help it. Looking upon the pained face of the deer, its lifeless eyes staring into nothing, was just too much.

Grizz turned and fled the scene, a rush of nausea overwhelming him. As he resisted the urge to vomit, he ran until he came upon a small creek. He shoved his paws into the water and began scrubbing them vigorously, along with his arms and muzzle. "I didn't mean to," he whimpered. As the creek slowly turned redder and redder, Grizz continued scrubbing himself until the evidence of his 'crime' had been almost completely erased. What frightened him more than anything was just the fact that he couldn't remember it, and that he had no control over the situation. Not having that control was a horrifying thought, and even more horrifying than that was the thought that it could happen again.

Grizz suddenly stilled and he looked up as he felt his blood run cold. Nom Nom… He jumped to his feet and started running, calling out to the koala. "Nom Nom! Nom Nom, where are you?!"

The minutes passed, and his search turned up no results. He began to sob quietly as he continued shouting Nom Nom's name, his hope dwindling. His imagination quickly took over, and he envisioned finding the koala's mutilated body lying in the woods somewhere. If he couldn't locate his remains, then he could only speculate that he had completely devoured him, leaving nothing behind to indicate he had ever existed. Grizz knew he'd never be able to forgive himself, and the guilt would likely drive him to find the nearest cliff and throw himself over.

Grizz slowed to a stop, turning clockwise and counterclockwise as he looked all around him. "No…No, please," he whispered. "Nom Nom, please! If you can hear me, please come out!" he cried desperately. His legs finally gave out and he fell to his knees. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he cried over and over, covering his face with his paws. "Please be okay."

"Grizz?"

The voice was quiet and very hoarse, but he still recognized it. He whipped his head around and spotted the marsupial cautiously peeking his head out from a hallow tree.

"Nom Nom!" Grizz leapt to his feet and started to race towards him, but he slowed his movements when he saw the koala instantly withdraw back into the trunk with a look of terror. He continued forward, though much more slowly now.

"Stay back," he heard Nom Nom warn fearfully as he crouched down in front of the tree. Grizz was horrified to see that, while the koala was still alive, he had not escaped completely unscathed. Aside from his visible injuries, it was clear he was absolutely traumatized from the ordeal.

"Nom Nom, it's okay," he said gently, moving a little closer, which only resulted in Nom Nom pushing further back into the trunk.

"D-Did you de-crazy yourself?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Grizz might have laughed at that comment if he wasn't so traumatized himself.

"I'm okay now," he replied, smiling weakly. "You can come out."

It took a few moments for the koala to finally work up the courage to ease his way out of the tree, and when he did, Grizz was able to see the full extent of his injuries in better light. The most horrifying thing to look at was the gash on his shoulder, which had bled very heavily and had soaked almost all the fur of his arm with blood. All along his head were tiny cuts as well, and seeing him clutching his ribs made him fear he had internal injuries.

"Nom Nom, I-"

"What happened to you? You nearly killed me!"

"I…I'm sorry, I…I thought I could control it. I thought I could stop it from happening."

"Wait…You mean you knew? You knew you were going to turn into some werebear and you didn't tell me?! Don't you think that's something I should have known about?!" the koala shouted angrily.

"I didn't know if I would or not. I just knew there was a…possibility. The same thing happened to my bros when we tried living in the woods. They went too long without eating, and…became violent. They didn't remember, though…and I never told them what happened. I thought that maybe I could control myself and stop it from happening, but that's why I wanted you to sleep in the tree, that way if it did happen, maybe I wouldn't see you and would just go elsewhere. I thought you'd be safe."

"Why didn't you just tell me all this?! If I had known that, I would have just stayed up in that tree and wouldn't have come looking for you!"

"I didn't want to scare you," Grizz answered meekly, wincing.

Nom Nom snorted. "Oh, well thank you. I'm so very relieved to hear that! Oh, did I mention I might have a broken rib?"

While he still maintained his ability to shoot out a sarcastic retort, Grizz could see that the koala was still trembling with fear. He started to reach out to him, but the smaller animal immediately pulled back.

"No, just…don't touch me," he hissed, edging back inside the trunk.

"I'm sorry," Grizz whispered as he dropped his head in shame. In all honestly, he still didn't feel quite like himself. The taste of blood still lingered in his mouth, and much to his own horror, the more he tasted it, the more he began to crave it. The thought that he could revert back to his primal state made him seriously consider making a very drastic choice.

Nom Nom furrowed his brows when he saw the bear stand up and start backing away slowly, looking panicked. "What're you doing?"

"You're not safe around me. I don't want to hurt you again."

"Grizz, what're you-"

"We can't travel together anymore."

Nom Nom's eyes widened. "No…Grizz, h-hold on," he started calmly as he took a step forward. "Let's not do anything crazy. We can't split up. I don't even know where we are anymore. W'e've been thrown off course…again."

Grizz shook his head, continuing to back away. "You're not safe," he repeated, his voice cracking as the urge to cry returned.

"Grizz, you can't just leave me out here!" Nom Nom insisted again, his tone a bit angrier.

"You're better off alone than with me."

At this point Nom Nom became borderline hysterical. "GRIZZ, DON'T! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!"

"I'm sorry," the bear sobbed before turning to flee, never once looking back.

Nom Nom attempted to run after him. "Grizz, wait! Don't-AH!" He gasped and clutched at his side as he felt another sharp pain in his ribs, which halted his pursuit and instantly brought him to his knees. He looked up, peering through the trees helplessly as he tried to get a glimpse of the bear, but he was already well out of sight. He lowered his head and glared at the ground, his surroundings becoming distorted as tears blurred his vision. "You can't…leave me here," he whispered shakily. Gritting his teeth, he raised his head, pushing his vocal chords to their limit as he shouted, "YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE LEAVING ME HERE TO DIE! I CAN'T DO THIS BY MYSELF! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE ALONE!"

As his words were met with cruel silence, his shoulders slumped in defeat, and he lowered his head as he began to cry softly.

ooooooo

Grizz ran for as long and fast as his limited strength would allow. Once he was certain he could go no further, he finally collapsed to the ground, his ravaged breaths gradually transitioning to quiet sobs. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he repeated over and over again. He just couldn't allow it to happen. He wouldn't allow it. Given the choice between abandoning the koala or risking another attack that may very well leave him dead next time around, the former seemed like the better option, even if it wasn't exactly a good one in its own right. He knew leaving Nom Nom alone to fend for himself was dangerous, but the dangers of staying together were far greater as far as he was concerned. Nom Nom had gotten lucky once, but he was certain he wouldn't get lucky a second time if the situation was to repeat itself.

His thoughts shifted back to his brothers and his despair immediately escalated. He feared his baser instincts were slowly taking over. Though he felt like his usual self for the most part, he still feared he was unstable. Since he had no recollection of his primal state, he therefore had no idea just how long he had been in that state. Had it only been a few minutes, or had it been a few hours? What would happen if he were to revert back to that state again? Would it be permanent? It was probably a silly thought, but it still gave him pause. When it came to the safety of his brothers, there was no risk worth taking.

"They deserve better," he whispered as he wiped his eyes. "I'm a monster." He slowly staggered to his feet. I can't go back. I can never go back. The bear stumbled along through the forest, crying softly. "I'm sorry."

Author's Note: This chapter was originally supposed to be much longer. This was supposed to be the last chapter before the epilogue, but as I finally got around to writing it, I realized fairly quickly that it was just going to be too long for a single chapter. What I thought was going to be roughly 6,500 words turned into 10,000+. I really don't like for my chapters to be very long, so I decided this chapter was going to be split into two parts. And then 2 parts turned into 3 parts XD. There's just too much stuff that happens, and if I had tried squeezing it all into one chapter, I felt like readers wouldn't be able to appreciate what was happening, because the chapter would be revving up and then slowing down and then revving up all over again. I wanted people to savor every moment, and there was just no way that could be done if it were to be read in one sitting.

And...this is the chapter this entire story was built around. THIS was the scenario I had discussed with someone on tumblr. So...this was the most anticipated chapter for me and it was an exciting one to write.