Chapter Five- Recorded

The smell of death woke Zane from a sound sleep. His eyes cracked open and squinted at the early morning light. They focused on a dead wolf and he sat up quickly and scrambled away from it. He looked down to see that his uniform was torn, dirty, and bloody. His arms bore scratches from where the cloth had been torn. His eyes went to the wolf to see scratches and bite marks as well as the torn throat. He swallowed hard at the conclusions he was drawing.

I have no memory of last night but I have a good idea of what occurred. The wolf and I fought and I killed it. I don't recall it, but the body and the state of my clothes indicate a fight. Zane stood and headed back to the dorm, stunned. He didn't remember last night, leading him to conclude that he must have been thinking like a wolf. God, did I walk on all fours or just two? I…think it was two as now I'm having flashes of running and the height indicates two legs. Also, my schoolmates thought correctly: I did think like a wolf and will do so every full moon for the rest of my life. He entered the dorm, got to his room, and into the bathroom. He leaned toward the mirror.

There were scratches on his cheeks with dried blood under the marks. He washed his face and hands, applied a bandage to both scratches before throwing away his clothes, putting on clean ones, fixing his hair, grabbing his bag, and leaving for the day.

Zane was distracted throughout the day as the morning's images flashed through his mind. His claws were a constant remainder and he had briefly considered cutting them before deciding not to; with two more full moon nights to go, it was likely he would need them.

It was after school when Syrus met up with him with an expression of worry and anxiety. "Zane, I overheard some first-year Obelisks talking about some howls they heard last night."

Zane sighed. "That was me, Sy. I really did think like a wolf. I recall brief flashes, impressions really, but nothing else. I pretty much have no memory of what I do. I fought and killed a wolf last night. I know this because I woke up to the smell of death, the body of a dead wolf, and my clothes torn and covered in dirt and blood."

"So that's why you've got bandages on your cheeks? Because the wolf scratched you."

"Yes and he also got me here and here." Zane tapped two spot on one arm that was concealed by his sleeve.

"You really thought you were a wolf?"

"Yes. I recall running and judging from the view and height, I was on two legs. That's all I recall."

"Oh, big bro. This part really is a curse."

"It is. I can't remember what I do when I'm thinking and acting like a wolf. I had planned to clip my claws but given that I have two more full moon nights, I'll wait until after to do them."

"Good idea."

Zane, uncharacteristically, held out his arms, Syrus walked into them, and the two enjoyed a brotherly embrace, one that Zane felt he needed, given everything that had happened to him lately.

"He does have a wolf's mind on the full moon?" Jaden asked at dinner.

Syrus nodded solemnly. "I can tell that it's tearing him up inside. I can imagine how scary it must be to not remember an entire night and he won't remember tonight or tomorrow."

"What about his career?" Chumley asked. "He'll need a manager who knows the truth in order to keep full moon nights open for him."

"I'm sure he's thought of that, right Sy?" Jaden asked. "I mean, your brother's a smart guy."

"Yeah, he is." Syrus swallowed his last bite, got up, and said, "I'll see you later," before dashing off for the Obelisk campus, his PDA in his jacket pocket and fully charged. The two brothers had talked about Syrus recording Zane tonight so he could see what he did.

Syrus snuck into the woods near the boys' dorm and waited in hiding as Zane entered. His intense eyes easily found Syrus and he led him deeper into the woods. "Syrus, try to keep a safe distance. I can't say how I'll act around you."

"Right." Syrus stopped behind a bush and activated his PDA as Zane stopped in the nearby clearing. Syrus adjusted the video setting for night recording and hit 'rec' as night fell.

At first, Zane just stood there and then he howled and vigorously sniffed the air. His head turned to his left, away from Syrus, and trotted off on two legs with his brother following at a distance, his video recording zooming in.

Zane was unaware of Syrus following as he was focused on the scent of prey. His trotting slowed and he crouched as he stalked toward the focus of his hunt. His claws kneaded the ground and he growled low in his throat. He remained where he was for a few minutes before exploding out of hiding. He raced after a rabbit before pouncing on it, seizing the neck in his mouth, and biting down hard. The rabbit went limp and Zane released it to howl in success. He then crouched over it to eat, his claws ripping it open. He ignored everything else around him as he filled his belly, including the video recording him.

Syrus stayed hidden, eyes on the screen as it recorded. He was stunned as seeing his brother behaving like an animal. If it wasn't for the ears and tail, one would think Zane was being a wild, uncivilized man. Of course, Syrus knew better. This is horrifying, he thought. Zane really is thinking only as a wolf. He probably wouldn't recognize me if he saw me.

Zane's head then shot up, his nose flaring, and he turned in Syrus' direction. He slunk toward him in a crouch and Syrus fell on his rear and scrambled backwards, his device still recording. His breath came in fast and hard as Zane came closer and he kept pushing back as Zane came through the bush, still moving in a crouch. His eyes were locked onto Syrus and the younger boy blinked as he realized that Zane seemed cautious instead of threatening.

"Zane?" he said softly and cautiously. "Do you know me right now?"

Zane moved closer, still cautious. He didn't really know Syrus as his brother, but rather an unknown creature that smelled intriguing. He also smelled fear from this creature, but not a lot of it. Zane, for no reason he understood, felt kinship with this creature. He continued forward, the focus of his attention had stopped moving, allowing him to get closer. His nose flared as he sniffed Syrus' face, hair, and clothes. His head jerked back slightly. He could detect his own scent on the other in addition to its own unique scent. It confused him. Why was his scent on this creature? It wasn't a wolf like him and wasn't like anything he knew as prey or a threat as he understood it. Yet, he drew security just from its presence. He slunk up beside the creature, curled up against him, and slipped into a contented sleep.

Syrus clicked off the recording and his PDA as he silently sighed in relief. He had been afraid the whole time Zane had approached him. He had bumped up against a tree and tensed as Zane came right up to him and started sniffing him. He saw Zane's head jerk back and wondered why. Did he smell something confusing? How is he viewing me? Prey? A threat?

Syrus watched as Zane moved to one side of him, laid down, and curled up next to him. Soon, Zane was asleep and Syrus was calm again. Zane didn't see him as food or a threat. Perhaps, deep down, he sees me as a source of comfort or security or he knows me as his brother. Syrus smiled at Zane's sleeping form before he too fell asleep.