Chapter Four- Full Moon
Sheppard's eyes moved from the ears to the eyes, and the tail that flicked to one side. "So, just the eyes, ears, tail, and senses of a wolf?"
"I have claws too." Zane held up a hand.
Sheppard looked at them for a moment. "All right. We can change your pictures and edit your profile. It will be interesting. You calling yourself a wolf duelist but using a machine deck."
"That may work to my advantage. My opponents may think I use a deck with a dark or wolf theme and may build a deck to counter it. Then, they will be surprised when I reveal my deck…unless they thoroughly check my profile."
Sheppard chuckled at this as he opened a drawer and extracted a camera. "How about we take those pictures now?"
"Sounds good." Zane provided Sheppard with various poses for him to choose from before he left to go to class and have his classmates admire his wolf features as they had been for the last two days.
But today started off differently from the other days. It was subtle and Zane didn't really notice it until later on. Zane had been busy with note-taking and his sense of smell. The scents he picked up were fascinating and he spent time with individual ones to figure them out.
It was the class before lunch when Zane noticed something was different. His classmates were edging slightly away from him and anytime he glanced at them in a curious manner, he was given frightened looks in return. He was confused. Why were they now afraid of him? He was still the same Zane he had been, he was just half-wolf. That was all.
But, perhaps that is the reason, he thought. I was cursed and now that my change is done, people don't know if I'll act differently or not and that uncertainty prompts them to shy away from me. This realization was stunning to him. His schoolmates acted like they didn't know him anymore. It hurt that they viewed him that way. It was possible that they too thought that Zane would behave like a wolf.
Wolves are social creatures, just as people are. They are also protective of their pack. I admit, I usually put Sy down while we were growing up, but I do love him and will do anything to protect him. I certainly proved that in my duel with Camula.
Not everyone kept their distance from him. Those who had guarded the Spirit Keys with him still talked and sat with him as did Atticus. They were just as awed by his tail as everyone else and stunned by his claws which he said he was going to clip and file tonight.
"Sy," Zane then said. "No one is saying why they're edging away from me or giving me frightened looks; at least not within earshot. I have my suspicions, but I'd rather hear about it."
"They're just rumors, Zane," Syrus said. "They think that your personality will totally change and that you'll be aggressive like a wolf. That's why no one wants to be near you right now."
"Right now. Meaning, what?"
"The full moon," Jaden piped in. "Some people think you'll turn into an actual wolf or have the mind of one."
Zane rolled his eyes and his tail tapped the ground. "That is ridiculous. I am half-wolf, not a werewolf." And yet, he thought. I might exhibit some wolf behavior. I'll find out tonight.
Night had not fallen when dinner came around, but Zane was feeling some wolf desires. He wanted to howl, run, and curl up in a ball when bedtime came. He suppressed these feelings, telling himself that now as not the time for them. Zane did not suppress his desire for raw meat, though. He made the request to the chefs who looked shocked and disgusted at this, but gave him what he wanted. He got a glass of water to go with his meat-only dinner and sat alone to eat it. He took a bit and found that he liked the taste. He chalked it up to the moon and his wolf half.
"Seriously, Zane?" Atticus asked as he joined him. "Uncooked meat?"
"I can't help it," Zane said calmly. "I felt a desire for raw meat. A hunger, really."
"It's also a very wolf thing too."
"Yes and I also feel urges to howl and run. I do intend to attend to them tonight."
"Uh, okay. Its sounds strange to me to hear you talk about these urges."
"I imagine so and I apologize."
"I accept." He scratched behind one of Zane's ears. "I still would want to hear about it."
Zane gave a soft whine at the scratching. "That feels so good. I'm going to miss that when I start pro dueling."
"Not the same when you have an actual itch, huh?"
"Definitely not."
Zane headed for the woods near Obelisk Blue and hunted for a clearing so he could witness the sunset and the moon rising. He found one and watched overhead as the sky darkened and a white glow fell on the clearing. He turned and looked up at the moon.
A growl came out of his mouth and a feeling of aggression washed over him. He threw back his head and let out a loud real wolf howl before he sprinted off for a run. He ran on two legs at a wolf's speed and he was being controlled by the urges and thoughts of a wolf. Zane thought of himself as a wolf instead of a half-wolf.
He stopped at a river, panting from his run. He crouched down and drank as a wolf would. He then stood, sniffing the air and listening to the sounds of the forest. He heard the sounds of animals, some appealing to him as prey. But he was not hungry right now; maybe later.
He sniffed as he wandered aimlessly, yet enjoyed exploring the area. He smelled a variety of things and his wolf mind filed them away for future reference. A breeze sprang up, ruffling his ears and tail as well as bringing a myriad of scents to his nose. He breathed deeply to take in and sort the scents.
His body then tensed and a growl came out. He smelled another wolf and he turned in the direction from which the smell had come. He was ready to fight if he needed to; it depended on what the other one did. His ears heard crunching grass and the slow approach of steps as if the owner was stalking toward him. He stood still and tensed as the wolf came into view. His intense gold eyes locked onto Zane's intense blue ones. The two of them stood still, regarding one another.
The wolf then crouched and lunged toward Zane but he ducked and, as the wolf sailed past, he lashed out with his claws, striking the left side of the body. The wolf howled in pain before landing, whipping around, and charging toward his opponent. Zane met the charge and the two went down where they rolled, wrestled, and fought for the dominant position. Zane, in his wolf mind, used his teeth as well as his claws, the latter causing more damage than the former. He growled, snarled, and howled as he tussled with the wolf. Both saw the other as a threat to his territory and were determined to kill the other or get the other to accept defeat and leave to claim another area.
Zane soon found himself on his back with the wolf on top, growling in his face. Zane's face twisted in fury and he swung his left hand up and across the wolf's throat. His claws left deep cuts in the throat and the wolf yelped as he leaped off Zane.
Zane leaped to his feet and charged the wolf who was distracted by his injured throat. Zane's claws slashed anywhere he could reach and the wolf's cries thrilled him and drove his aggression even higher. The wolf put up some token of resistance to his attacker but ultimately it wasn't enough. Zane tore the throat open completely and the wolf collapsed, eyes blank and unstaring. Zane licked the blood off his claws before giving a howl of triumph that echoed into the forest.