It was warm, very warm, as warm as the air around us. It was sweet too, or at least the smell was. The taste wasn't sweet in the slightest, but actually held a sharp iron flavor to it. Honestly, I'm sure anyone of us would be disgusted by it in the first place, yet we continued. But why? I ask myself as I shove more of the sticky warm substance into my mouth. I can stop at any time. Couldn't I? Tearing off another piece, I chew slowly as bits of fur and meat get stuck in between my teeth. Was I even that hungry in the first place?
Honestly, I don't think it would matter. Sometimes we were hungry and sometimes we weren't but it never changed for us. Even tonight, I've eaten plenty for dinner, yet here I am stuffing my face as if my life depended on it. It was all so…revolting. But it's so good… I feel my eyelids shut in pleasure as I hastily swallow another bite, yet at the same time, I wanted to throw it all up. Why did we fall like this?
Blood drips onto my thighs and chest in my drunken frenzy, some of it even getting caught on the ends of my long hair. I tear my eyes away from the scene in front of me, only to see six other people gorging themselves just like I am. The rest of STARISH ignored everything around them, all of them trying to get every last scrap they could find on the smaller than average deer. A runt… Probably not enough to keep us full this time around. My heart starts to race at the thought of being able to hunt again tonight and I couldn't help but grin.
It shouldn't be like this… We should- No, we… We shouldn't hunt again. We should track another deer or- No. No! We should stop… Even as I muttered those words to myself over and over, I still kept eating. I take one more glance at the others, to see if they've noticed. Something looked unfamiliar in their eyes, yet they didn't see anything but the corpse in front of them. Blood splashed and dripped onto their skin and stuck under their nails as they rush to eat as much as they can.
Otoya gnawed at the animals head, with Tokiya nearby, tearing the skin away from the throat. Syo and Natsuki stayed hunched over a leg, each of them taking their fair share of bites from it. Masato sat close by my side, digging through the ribs in the same manner as myself, while Cecil chewed at the shoulders. With each lick of my lips and audible swallow, I kept telling myself to stop, to convince the others to keep their sanity.
Should I give in? Should I just let the wolf instincts take over? I'd be able to cope with it a little more if I did, but the thought of being driven back to a primal state was too shocking for me to even think of. I should just… Let go. Let them take over, just this once. Just so I don't have to worry about it. And so I did. I curled away my human thoughts and manners, and let the wolf's come forward. For a moment, it felt as if I was miles away in my own mind. I felt as if I was no longer the one feasting over the carcass of a dead deer, but rather just watching someone else do it. I still felt the meat and blood slide down my throat and chin, but at least I didn't feel like I was the one in control.
I was a human standing over a wolf eating its meal. I made no move to stop it, and did nothing but watch, until I heard something off in the woods. It stumbled clumsily, and was in no way an animal. I try to listen more carefully but all I can hear is the cartilage and bones crunching in my mouth. I try to force back my wolf instincts once more, failing for a moment before finally being able to grasp my senses.
Though I continued my excessive eating, I was able to focus more on what was nearby. I could tell that it was close, maybe just a few meters from the clearing we were in. It brushed and touched nearly every bush and stray root, the sound echoing clear in my ears. No animal would cause this much noise… My eyes snap open and I finally stop stuffing my face. The others must have noticed too, each of them paused in their meal and looked up toward where the sound was coming from. In that moment, we each shared the same collective thought: run!
Even then we sat frozen on the ground, too scared to move away. We have to go now! If we stay… As the source of the sound came closer and closer to us, I finally snapped out of my thoughts before quickly shifting into my wolf form. The others follow suit but even then we couldn't run. And then she showed up.
Haruka, in a winter coat and a dull flashlight in hand walked into the clearing, as if she was looking for something. Us? She takes notice of us in the dark and quickly shines her light in our direction. We flinch under the bright ray, yet we still don't run. Even then I felt frozen in place as she gasped at our appearance and the decaying body behind us. I could only stare wide eyed as she darted back off into the woods, away from us, and towards the master course building.
Shaking my head, I turn to the others, "We have to go after her!" We waste no time in chasing her, though she got quite the head start while we stood in fear. She makes it as far as the path back home, before we finally catch up. I rush to stand in front of her as I shift back into my human form.
"Stop!" Unconsciously, I lower myself closer to the ground in a more submissive stance, one common with wolves. I raise my hands in a defensive way as she tries to step back, only to stop when she notices the others show up. Checking over my back to make sure no one else was around, I turn to her and say, "I-It wasn't what you think… We-"
"No, no. I saw you." Tears form at the corner of her eyes as she tries to step away from us. "You-you were over a deer. You were eating it..."
I shake my head as I raise a hand up to her. "No… We…" Stopping, I notice the amount of blood on my hands as they stained the pavement below me. Every centimeter from my fingertips to my elbow was covered in a thick layer of blood. "I mean… Yes, but…"
"Haruka…" Masato seems to follow my lead, also taking more submissive position as he lowers himself closer to the ground. Bloodied pianist hands held up his upper body as he whimpers in the back of throat. "W-We meant to say something, honestly…"
"I saw you…" She repeats. Tears stained the concrete just like the blood as she sniffles before hugging herself. She shook uncontrollably, fingernails digging into soft skin, the same ours had done moments before. My stomach growls at the thought of eating a deer, but I force the thought away.
Whether it was on purpose, or because the wolf's instincts still held onto us, the others lower themselves to the ground, none of us daring to change to our wolves as we held our metaphorical tails between our legs. Haruka continues her crying, as she tried to wipe away some of the tears.
Cecil, who remained quiet for the most part, slowly makes his way toward her. She takes no notice of him even as he moved closer, hands and feet still sticking close to the ground. Stretching out his body, his hand brushes hers before she quickly slaps it away, Cecil curling back to his original spot.
"Don't touch me! Don't you dare get close to me!" She screams. "I had faith in you! I thought… I thought you were better! I-I… I truly believed that..."
Without a moment's hesitation, I rush forward to pull her into a hug, keeping her close to my own beating chest. She struggles as she tries to break free, more tears falling from her eyes. "Shh…" I whisper. "It's okay." Ignoring me, she continues to struggle. My blood covered hands leave obscene marks on her clothes, her nose wrinkling at the scent.
Screaming, she says, "Let go! Let go of me!"
"Please… It's okay…" Slowly, but surely, the others come forward each of them attempting to calm down our frightened composer. She only whimpers and struggles more against us as more of the deer's blood stains her clothes. We speak in hushed whispers to her but she ignores them. With the wolf still holding on to us, we start whimpering for her to understand, yet she still ignores us.
"Haruka…" We start. She shook uncontrollably as she tries to break away again, tears and sobs coming from her very being. I can still feel the wolf inside me, telling me to move on and find a deer to hunt. I try to push the thought away but it continues resurfacing. I take a deep breath to calm myself, but all I could smell was the sweet blood of the deer. My heart starts beating quicker as the thought of killing another deer crosses my mind.
The wolf pounds against the walls of my mind as he snaps at me to go hunting again. My own voice echoes in my subconscious. You know you want to! You can't resist it anymore! Give in! Shaking my head, I step back away from the others. Though they show some confusion towards me, I can see them fighting off their own wolves as well. No! I won't… I can't…
Do it! Let go and let me hunt again! Let us hunt again! Gripping my hair, I fall to my knees as I try to force the wolf's instincts away. Haruka pauses her sobbing for a second to look me over, concern showing in her eyes. Don't you want to go after another deer? Aren't you hungry?
"No…" Shaking my head does nothing to clear my thoughts, as my grip only tightens on my locks of hair, a few strands rip from their roots.
"Ren…" Masato calls out to me, pain in his voice. I glance at the others, only to see remnants of the wolf in their eyes. We have to fight them off… The wolf continues his shouting, each statement becoming louder and more ferocious.
Do it! Kill another deer! You can't resist me for much longer! Looking up, I notice the others in a similar situation as me; each of them gripping their hair and trying to fight off their instincts. Haruka stood nearby, confused at our display and showing slight concern despite what she saw moments ago.
With a hoarse and strained voice, I tell him, "Don't do this… You can't win…" I already have. Like a tsunami, a feeling like fire spreads across my skin as the wolf takes control. Every inch of me was burning with unimaginable pain, my own bones slowly shifting to a more ideal body for hunting. The others scream in pain as they slowly start to shift as well. I look to Haruka, eyes squinting and vision blurred with red. "Haruka… Run…"
Without hesitation, Haruka bolts off down the road, back towards the Master Dorm. I smile, knowing that at least Haruka would be safe. Pain shoots up my spine again as my change continues. With as much pain as my first shift, my skin tore and shifted across unfamiliar bones. My face stretches out in front of me as my teeth grow in length and lose their dull edge. Forcing back a scream, I fall to the ground only to catch myself on clawed hands.
I'm taking over now! And just like that, I lost control of my own mind and will. The change was completed as I stood on four legs with the smell of blood on my mind. My body felt numb as it moved on its own, searching for its next meal. I could feel myself in the body of the wolf, yet I couldn't do anything to control it, leaving me watching and waiting.
Haruka is safe at least… Mentally sighing, I focus my attention on my wolf. You won, just go after your next meal...
It's a good thing I already found it then. The wolf turns his attention to the others for a moment, ears twitching in the soft breeze.
Without a doubt, each of them had lost their battle with their wolf instincts. No longer was I looking at the six other members of STARISH, but instead I saw six feral and hungry wolves. I'm sorry, guys. The wolf turns to look down the road Haruka has run down moments before. He took a few careful sniffs of the air as our stomach growls in response. Without a moment's hesitation, he bolts off down the road, towards Haruka.
Stop! What are you doing?! I try once again to break through the wolf's instincts but I'm forced back. I was trapped within the steel cage of my mind; the same cage that once held the wolf just mere moments ago.
Can't you smell it? There's a little lamb down this road. Instantaneously, I felt something inside me crack. My heart felt heavy with pain as the wolf finally catches sight of our composer. While pure anger surged up from me, it was soon replaced by pure unadulterated terror.
Please, stop! Don't hurt her! The wolf ignores me as he gets closer and closer, lips raised in a snarl and drool dripping from gleaming teeth. I could already see what he wanted to do to her; death's fangs would sink into soft plump flesh as it was torn away and swallowed hastily. Please… I'll do anything, just don't hurt her...
Another second passes before the wolf was jumping through the air, fangs aimed right at Haruka. It took one second for his fangs to sink into the skin of her arm, and another for Haruka to scream in terror. Pure unrestrained pain spread across her features as the wolf's weight pushed her into the ground. The others rushed forward as well each of them moving to sink their fangs into the soft flesh. She screams once more as they approach her, each of them visibly licking their jowls in anticipation.
No! Using as much strength as I could, I try to force back the wolf once more. Slowly, the wolf pulls his fangs away, as I slowly regained some of my senses back. I continue my persistent attempt at pushing him back, the wolf growling at every push against him. The moment I got my body back I looked Haruka directly in the eyes, whimpering in sorrow and pain. For a moment, it looked as if she understood a little, but all too quickly the wolf instincts took over again as I was forced back in my mind. In my mind, it felt as if the wolf had tied a chain around my throat and arms, cold steel bars keeping me from gaining any sense of control I wanted.
The wolf aims for the throat this time and as he bit down harder than ever before; I realized I had lost. We had lost. Instantaneously, I curled away into my inner mind. Blood drips onto the ground as they continue digging into their meal, paws dyed red and teeth with chunks of flesh wedge between them. I want to look at her face, just once, but I couldn't bring myself to. Instead, I let the wolf continue with his meal, tears falling down my cheeks with every bite he took. None of them stopped, not even for a moment. Like the night itself, it was clear that we had fallen from what little grasp of humanity we held. Haruka… I'm so sorry...
My eyes snap open as I gasp for air. I look past the soft covers of my bed at my body, only to see bright orange fur there instead of soft skin. With a yelp, I try to move away only to fall from my bed and land on the floor with a heavy thud. Shifting back as quickly as I can, my heart pounds faster as I hastily look around the room.
I lay sprawled across the floor of the too dark bedroom, my clothes loosely and messily hanging onto my body. With a yelp, a wolf bolts up in Masato's bed. It shakes its head for a moment before shifting back into a human. For the first time in a long time, Masato had pure fear etched across his face as he slowly looked to me for answers. "You too?" He asks.
I nod. "Where are the others?" With the most unnerving expression, he forces his covers back and rushes to the door. I waste no time in going after him as we rush out into the hall, neither of us bothering to close the door behind us.
With each pound of our feet against the tile, our hearts followed the same beat as we round corner after corner. We have to find them… We skidded down the hall as we desperately searched with what little wolf instincts we have. Those instincts told us that they were just down the hall, perhaps running off somewhere as well.
Rounding another corner, we recklessly collide into five other people. Masato and I quickly look between the panic stricken faces in front of us. Hastily scrambling to my feet, I gulp, "You guys too?" They nod frantically.
Cecil asks, "Where's Haruka?"
"Don't know," Syo pants as he tries to catch his breath. "Let's just find her." We all nod in turn as we bolt off down the hall once again, thankful that there were no occupied rooms on the current floor. It wasn't too late at night, and Haruka would sometimes wander the grounds or play in the music room before going to bed, despite our recent protest over how dangerous it is at night. Turning another corner, we bound down the stairs toward the music rooms. She might be there…
When we make to the hall leading to the variety of lesson rooms, our sense of smell told us she had been there but left earlier in the night. I growl in annoyance as we run up the stairs once more. We sprint down the hall towards the women's floor, skidding around corners and nearly crashing up stairwells.
As we make our way to a 'T' intersection, we skid to a stop in the hallway and quickly scan up and down it. And there she stood.
Standing in the middle of the hall in front of an open window, Haruka stood looking up toward the full moon, a faint smile on her lips. She wore a pale white dress which flowed from the breeze outside; the very picture of beauty. It was then she finally noticed us standing just a few meters away, each of us covered in a thin layer of sweat and gasping as we tried to catch our breath.
"Eh, what's wrong everyone? I thought you went to bed early."
Faster than the blink of an eye, we were there, arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace. Though we were each gasping for air, we did nothing to hide the grins on our faces. She yelped when we first ran up to her, but quickly calmed down when she saw that we weren't doing anything but hugging her; though she had a deep blush on her cheeks. Even then, we showered her with affectionate hugs, soothing pets, and even a few soft kisses on her hair and forehead.
"Did something happen?" She asked. "Is everything okay?" We were shaking as she looked between each of our faces, though it whether it was because of fear or relief, we couldn't tell. For a moment, we don't respond, instead continuing our small group hug.
We smile at her concern. "Yes," I tell her. "Everything's fine now… We're fine..."
And there's the last chapter! Please feel free to review and like this story if it interest you and be sure to check the original story on my profile!