A/N: Well, after much procrastination and doing nothing but stare at a blank screen for hours on end... and so forth, here it is. The 15th chapter in this somewhat irregular fan fiction! As always, I'm terribly sorry that I've taken so long to write this, but well, this is me... you guys know how annoying my writing habits are. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter, I'll try and get the next one up as soon as possible. But until then, thankyou to everyone who reviewed my last chapter:

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Thankyou all so much! Enjoy! Xxx


"You know, it doesn't have to be this awkward. Who wants to play a game?" Omega tries for the second time in a seemingly long journey through the Itex sewers.

"No," Max throws over her shoulders, ending all hope of conversation.

I glance up at my friend and offer a sympathetic shrug, before realizing that he probably can't see me in this light. Feeling stupid, I stare up at Max, who has taken the lead. At her right hand side, Echo is just keeping up. The way he's glancing around and scurrying next to Max, reminds me of a rat. I feel myself hating this guy even more.

"What does she see in him?"

I give a start and set my eyes to stare at Amity. She nods towards Max and Echo, and I look ahead at them. I shrug and keep my head down. Amity glances at me; she knows it's getting to me, but she lets it drop for now.

"I don't get it," I hear Angel whisper to Nudge. I tune in to their conversation; I hadn't really been paying much attention to any of the flock, in the desperate hope that when this was all over I wouldn't be tempted to reveal myself.

"I can't hear anything that they're thinking, it's like that mind block thing Jeb has," she sighs, and I hear Kith chuckle to himself. I don't even hazard a smile. After all, there was a small part of me that hoped beyond hope that she would hear

It was true that I missed them all like crazy, and that if I had found a cure for my lupine infliction, that I would be with them again in a heartbeat. But this was not the case, and I could not just go back. Besides, it was complicated. I have the Pack; they are my family now.

I think about Alpha and Nemo, wondering what they are doing, how they are dealing without us there. True fear rattles my mind as I ponder what might have happened to them. But, I don't let it show. Erasers can smell fear, and that's the last thing my small pack needs right now.

"So, um, did you grow up in Itex too?" Pup asks Angel quietly, slowly coming up to walk beside her. Angel and Nudge turned to look at him, their eyes wide. It was like they'd never had a serious conversation with an Eraser before, or even thought about it. It occurs to me then that they most likely hasn't.

"No… I was born there, but I can't really remember it. Max took me away when I was really, really young," she replies, studying him curiously. Pup sneaks a glance at Max, and nods his understanding. As I glance back at him I can see the tiniest tinge of jealousy.

"How come I can't hear your mind?" Angel asks out of the blue. Pup looks startled, but soon understands what she means.

"Oh, um, we have this implant," he stops and pulls down the collar of his shirt, to reveal the back of his neck. Angel stops too and has a good look. There is a small white scar there, where the incision had been made.

"The guys with the white coats; the men who took Alpha… they put these little computer chip things in our necks to make us live longer. It does other things too," Pup states, letting go of his collar before starting off again.

"Did it hurt?" she asks quietly, walking in step with him. In true Eraser fashion, he turns to her and flashes a cute little grin.

"I didn't die," he says, before glancing away.

I feel the tiniest bit of pride as I also look forward, knowing full well that it had been no bee sting or small scratch. It'd hurt alright, the damn scientists hadn't given them a drop of anesthetic, but Pup was brave. I could almost see Alpha glowing with pride, even if he was hard on him most of the time. Alpha was just like that.

As we walked on in silence, our feet soaked in god-knows-what, I thought about Alpha again. I slowly start to remember the very first time we met.

"Hey… hey! You alright in there, lightweight?" I growl and shove my head into my hands, not even wincing as my inhuman claws rip at my scalp. Everything hurts; everything burns. My breathing is heavy; I can hear it over the ringing in my ears.

I just want the pain to go away. I spit on the cold stone floor, trying desperately to remove the taste of blood from my mouth. It doesn't work.

"You hurt?"

I bark out a cold sounding laugh and drag my claws down my forehead, drawing blood.

"You care?" I hiss through my teeth, unsurprised by how cracked my voice sounds. I roll my shoulders, wincing slightly as old wounds around my wings rub. I get a sickening feeling just thinking about my once perfect wings. Like they represent what I was… what I will never be again. I look down at my wolf like hands and feel the pain flare up. I clamp my mouth shut, preventing the whimper from escaping.

"They've been talking about you; all those… 'scientists'," his voice also sounds cracked and bitter, and deep. I realize he must be another experiment, like me. I bring myself to look up. It's hard to see in the dark, but my eyes adjust quickly. He's a big guy, rough looking, with cuts everywhere. He's in the crate next to mine, and it's way too small for him. There's something else that's off with him. I can… smell it.

"Yeah?" I growl, still trying to figure him out.

"You're the avian they fanged, right? You're the 'true hybrid'." I growl in anger.

So that's what they call me? A 'true hybrid'? Just part bird, part wolf? Just a little experiment to see what happens! My heart is pounding viciously in my ears. All this pain, all this… rage; just so they can try out their newest idea?

"Hybrid! HYBRID! I'M A FUCKING MONSTER!" I bellow, as uncontrollable rage surges through my mind and I let out a roar, smashing my fists into the bars as hard as I can. I pull my fists away from the bar and just stare at my monster-like hands. There is silence. All I can hear now is my heavy breathing. And then out of the darkness, his voice rings clear with authority and something prudent.

"You're only the monster that you create."

I turn to shout at him, 'what would you know!'. Except now, he is fully morphed into one of the biggest Erasers I have ever seen. He is a wolf hybrid but there was something different about him. Just being around him I feel a little calmer, he has the strangest air of authority.

"They messed you up badly… but you can choose where you go from here."

I feel like some of the rage is slipping, like something is pushing it back, deep down inside me. I look at my hands again, but they're normal. For the first time in days, I was human again. I start to chuckle and sit down, feeling close to tears. The pain was dulling a little and I could almost think straight. I look up at the Eraser again, with something akin to wonder.

"What's your name, lightweight?"

I shake my head, and stare into his yellow eyes.

"Fang," I say, thinking about the irony of it all. He flashes a grin, mouth full of sharp teeth. Getting up he ducks over and sticks his hairy arm through the bars between us. As he does so, his claws retract and his hair goes back to normal. A human hand now sticks out towards me and I take it, shaking slowly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Alpha. Now, let's get outta here."