"Maybe helping the big feline wasn't such a good idea" Ben mused in his mind as he laid on his belly. Soft grass swayed between his paws while laying in the shade under the jungle's canvass. He needed to try and stay cool in the humid climate or else he'd risk getting heat stroke again from all his fur.

It had been two weeks since his little scuffle with the jungle cats. Unfortunately the Omnitrix was still broken so he was still Wildmutt. Scars began to form on his scalp, throat, right sensory gland, and possibly back of his neck, he couldn't be sure since he couldn't see back there. usually they would've healed immediately after the watch timed out, but with it broken and all. It didn't take a genius to figure it out.

He has been nurturing and feeding the panther everyday till she could properly walk again. Being Wildmutt really helped in hunting, he even caught a monkey once. Those little fuckers made his life hell on the first days he spent on the island, that was one more reason going inland was a bad idea. The sweet, cute, and cuddly little monkeys they showed on TV was a load of bull.

Ben continued feeding her and occasionally needed to use empty coconuts to get water from the river on the outskirts of the jungle for her. This continued on every day until it soon became routine.

One morning the panthress surprised him by licking his wounds that he couldn't reach and began trying to sleep closer to him ever night. Soon after a few more days she was back on her feet and able to walk again, but that was just it, she could now leave and go back into the jungle, but she was still here.

Which leaves Ben in his current predicament at the moment. Kat, what he decided to name her, was laying down beside him and affectionately rubbed up against his larger form. A slight purr was being produced from her vocal cords as she continued to visually show her affection.

"This is a little weird, even for my standards" Ben thought as Kat rubbed the top of her head under his chin. She got over the betrayal of her mate pretty fast, which unnerved Ben a little

He inched away from the unofficially named Kat, uncomfortable with her proximity and gestures. She was reminding him more of a house cat than the vicious jungle predator she was mere days ago.

He had tried getting rid of her a few times, but every time he managed to lose Kat, she would be back in a matter of minutes. He even tried sprinting through the jungle with Kat hot on his non existent tail, she began to slow since her calf was still healing and after he lost her for an hour he started his trek back to his 'camp'. When he returned, low and behold, sitting on her haunches was Kat patiently awaiting for his arrival.

Soon after Ben gave up all together on his efforts and just stayed at the 'camp'. He didn't mind really, company was something hard to come by even if she was an animal.

Kat snuggled her face deeper into Wildmutt's neck enjoying the comfort of his fur. At first she was scared, but also confused of the bipedal dog caring for her injuries. She began to feel deep admiration towards him after the first week and that's when she decided she would stay with Ben. Besides her last mate left her behind, but she gained a new and better one. Yup, Kat had been firmly gripped by the Florence Nightingale effect (1).

Ben laid there still sorting through his thoughts, until a low grumble caught his attention. He glanced down noticing it emitted from Kat's stomach. She looked up at Ben expectantly, he was confused at first but soon caught on to what she was implying. "So you're hungry, huh?" He gave an internal sigh "I'm starting to feel that you're becoming too dependant on me." Ben's stomach gave a hungry growl accompanying her own.

"I guess I'm a little hungry myself." He got up, turned, and made his way deeper into the jungle with Kat walking by his side.

23 min. later

Ben could be seen, more like unseen, in the thick foliage of a large tree sitting on a branch. His sensory glands began to pulse as if they had a life of their own "That boar should be here any second now." He had been wandering around for a while till he caught the scent of the wild pig. Now he was waiting with patience he probably never would've had a year ago.

Kat had disappeared some time ago and Ben felt a little worried, but knew the panthress could take care of herself. She had been living here way before he came along.

Loud snapping of sticks and movement of plants quickly drew Ben's attention. There below him was a fat, brown pig with small tusks and what looked like a black Mohawk going from its scalp and down its back. Snorting sounds were being produced from its large nose as it slowly maneuvered around rocks and through plants.

Ben's claws dug into the soft wood of the tree as he raised his hackles, ready to pounce. He was about to jump upon the unsuspecting boar, claws ready and muscles tensed, when small cracking sounds began to emit from the branch he sat on.

Quick as a blink of the eye, the branch broke from the weight and Ben fell right behind the pig. It squealed in surprise and terror as it began to run behind some bushes away from the large dog. Ben quickly spun off his back and back onto his feat "God damn it! Get back here you little porker!"

He would've began chasing after it, but a loud roar and a dying squeal stopped him in place. Ben began slowly walking forward and poked his head from the large bush. Kat was seen standing over the pigs' corpse, it looked like she had bitten its jugular if her bloody jaws and large whole in the pigs neck weren't obvious enough clues. She seemed to have witnessed his misfortune because she began making a noise that sounded like a snicker.

Kat couldn't help but giggle. She watched him try and fail at catching the pathetic bag of flesh and fat she just killed. He was so mighty and ferocious in their fight, but was now showing a funnier, goofy side of himself that she didn't know such a large predator would have. She stopped her little giggle fit and used her head to gesture him toward the kill for they could share, but he didn't budge from his spot. She looked at him confused, but decided to just begin eating.

Ben was wrong about Kat he'd give her that much "and I thought she was becoming dependant on me, well it's good she's not." He thought "I really don't want unneeded baggage while here."

Ben froze when she gestured to join her in the meal. Imagining the warm delicious flesh and blood from a fresh kill almost got him salivating till he shook his head wildly "NO! Stop thinking like that! I need to stay focused. I can just cook it on the fire back at the beach."

That more primal side of his and Wildmutt's brain has been manifesting itself more and more often. Ben was beginning to worry that it could go out of control and he wouldn't be able to form logical thought anymore. He felt something rubbing against his side that coaxed him out of his thoughts. Ben looked down and saw Kat, apparently done with her meal.

He must've been zoned out of it for a while because she seemed bored and it looked close to evening. Ben moved toward the half eaten kill and picked it up with his jaws, he couldn't use his hands since he needed them to walk. Warm blood began to trickle onto his tongue and he shivered in pleasure from the metallic flavor. He tried to ignore it and began a slow trot back to the beach with Kat in tow.

Back at the beach

"God must hate me or something because my luck cant possibly be this bad" Ben thought with a little depression. He fed the fire this morning with a few good sized logs, but the tide looks like it had risen and snuffed out the flames.

Ben dropped the dead boar on his old bed of leaves to ensure no sand would get on it. He then picked up the two small stones he used last time to start the fire and rolled them around in his left hand. He used his right hand to throw out the wet tinder and ash, replacing them with fresh lumber.

He got on his elbows and held the rocks in both his hands over the wood. Ben's hands were too big to fit the stones in his palm, so he used his fingers. The position he stood in was uncomfortable, but necessary if he wanted to get the fire started again.

Kat looked at him weird wondering why Ben was in such an odd position and was huddled over where the hot, bright flames use to be. She personally didn't like them at all, having seen it spread over a small part of the jungle before. It consumed everything like a monster, never satisfied even when full until it was killed by water or ran out of things to consume.

Ben continued hitting the stones together to earn him a spark. It had been over five minutes now and each time he came up fruitless he growled in displeasure. Soon he began striking them harder and harder in aggravation, suddenly they broke from all the force he exerted in his blows….. that's when he lost it.

He swiped the lumber out of the fire pit with the back of his hands, sending it over twenty feet away into the sand and slammed his hands down creating a small tremor. "WHY CAN'T I GET A BREAK! I'VE DID MY BEST AND ALL I GET BACK IN RETURN IS SHIT!" He let out a infuriated roar, venting out more pent up emotions.

After a long while, Ben just stood there panting, feeling a little less tense after that quick rush "God really must hate me…"

He turned his head and saw Kat behind him shivering in terror again. "Oh no, I forgot she was here." Ben slowly turned, trying not to startle her and walked up till he stood right in front of her. "I can't be so selfish and think only about my problems. She lost her mate because of me and I should take responsibility for what I did."

Kat stayed frozen still, shocked and scared of Ben's sudden mood swing. She kept her head low trying to show him that she submitted to him, hoping he wouldn't hurt her as he came closer. He was now looming over her again like he did a two weeks with his head right over hers. She waited for pain, but felt a familiar wet tongue on the side of her face.

Ben began licking her trying to apologize with his actions since he couldn't use words. She looked up at him seeming to under stand the gesture and began nuzzling into his neck again and licked the scar on his gland. She didn't understand his bipolar behavior, but forgave him.

"This seems like a little much, but I think I already gone over the line by liking the taste of blood." That's when Ben's stomach began to growl again.

He still didn't eat anything all day and without the fire he couldn't cook the boar that was still laying on the pile of leaves. That urge to eat raw flesh was beginning to rise again and his mouth watered like a faucet at the thought. Kat didn't help at all with fighting the urge by going to the corpse, ripping off a leg and offering it to him.

The boar leg reeked of blood and Ben couldn't help but lick his chops. "No, I need to stay in control!" Kat lifted her head as high as she could trying to give it to Ben which earned him another growl from his stomach. "But I'm so hungry"

The stench was so tantalizing he was starting to lose the will too keep fighting Wildmutt's instincts. "I'll only try a bite, ONE bite and that's it." Ben opened his mouth, but hesitated for a second before clamping down on the leg. The flavor, the blood it tasted so good and before he know it he ate the leg, bones and all.

As quick as a flash Ben began feasting on the boar, first going for the heart, somehow knowing that was one of the best parts. Bones turned to dust between his teeth as he violently shook his head side too side to rip the flesh off.

bright rouge blood stained his muzzle as he padded away from what was left of the bones and blood. After Ben's little hunger frenzy he suddenly felt exhausted so he continued walking into the jungle and laid in the soft grass, the sun was beginning to set anyway.

Kat was even more confused now. She watched him eat with such vigor as if he had never had meat before or was starving. She decided to just get over it, probably needing to get use to the big lugs strange behavior before it became normal to her. She just walked up, laid down, and snuggled into Ben's side while gave out a small purr.

The last logical thought that crossed Ben's mind sounded like he was disgusted and disapproving of his actions. "What's happening to me? I feel like I'm becoming some sort of animal." Blackness soon consumed him and delivered memories that were not of his own, but Wildmutt's.

(1: Florence Nightingale effect is when a patient starts having strong emotions toward their doctor or nurse.)

(A/N: There's the chapter and don't worry the poll winner still hasn't been decided yet so don't complain about me deciding before I said I would. If Gwen or any one else wins and not Kat I know what I'm going to do for future updates.

The poll is still up so vote if you haven't yet and remember to send me reviews. I wont know how well I'm doing if I don't receive reviews. I also changed it to M rated just to be safe)