Part Three

Aster avoided Satorius for the next few days, owing to his scheduled duels. The pendent he had been given worked perfectly and he was able to duel at night. He reveled in being human at night, but his forced hunt had unlocked another part of his curse. He now craved meat, raw or cooked. Whenever he desired raw meat, he had it delivered to his room and ate it in wolf form. The taste of blood and raw meat appealed to his wolf half and he found that eating this way kept his reoccurring nightmare of that forced hunt from surfacing.

I may want to hunt when I return to Duel Academy, he thought as he curled up in bed the night before his return. I also think I should warn Jaden about Satorius and his plan; that is if he hasn't lost a duel while I've been away.

Aster arrived on the island in time to see Satorius disembark from the boat as he descended from the helicopter pad. He shot Satorius a look of mistrust but Satorius merely smiled. "Welcome back, Aster. Excellent dueling lately."

"Thanks," he said grudgingly as he followed the taller man. "Where are you going?"

"To speak with Jaden."

"I don't think he's there." Aster sniffed a couple of times, having identified Jaden by scent before he had left for his duels. "His scent around here is a bit old. At least two hours."

"Is it? Then, perhaps you could sniff out where he went?"

Aster thought fast as he sniffed. He didn't want Jaden on Satorius' side! "Sorry," he lied. "I can't smell any further than a wolf can."

"No matter. I will wait for him to return." Satorius proceeded to the dorm, up the stairs, and into the room Aster knew was Jaden's based on smell; how Satorius knew, he wasn't sure. He leaned against a heating vent, figuring this would be a good place to wait for Jaden and give his warning. He was distracted when the door opened and Satorius exited with Hassleberry, both wearing duel disks! A duel? With Hassleberry? But why? Aster wondered, missing Jaden's arrival with Syrus and Dorothy, the card shop owner.

"Aster," Jaden called, catching his attention. "What brings you here, bro?"

"You." Aster tilted his head at the dorm. "But then again, it could be that duel over there."

"Hassleberry," Jaden said. "But who's the creepy guy in the cape?"

"His name is Satorius and he's been my dueling manager for years, but now I know that he's been using me." Aster sensed his anger rising but pushed it down. He didn't need to turn into a wolf in front of everyone. "Anyway, it looks like he's going after your friend as his next brainwashing victim."

"No," Jaden said. He passed the bag he was holding to Dorothy before running toward the duel while Aster moved closer at a leisurely pace.

The duel's end was what Aster expected as far as the victor, but Hassleberry did not join Satorius' side and when he revealed why, Aster felt a kind of secret connection. I'm not the only one who's got animal DNA in him.

"Aster," Satorius said and the pro looked to see a subtly pointing finger. "Come with me."

Aster felt a slight stiffening and followed behind him. Once they were alone, Satorius turned to face him. "Aster, it is time for you to use your curse as I had intended. Once you are alone with Jaden, you will change and bite him."

"No," Aster said firmly and softly.

"Pardon?"

"I won't do it. I won't let you use me anymore."

"You will do it. I made you a werewolf and that means you obey my commands."

"Jaden's…my friend. I won't hurt him."

"Your friend? How touching, but you can't fight fate, Aster. You and Jaden will be werewolves and help me in my ultimate plan." Satorius walked away and Aster stalked off to the forest where he changed and howled in frustration before exhaling. "I can't bite Jaden and I won't. He is my friend and friends don't hurt each other. Hassleberry just proved that one can fight fate and that's just what I'll do." He slowly exhaled again, changed back, and left the woods feeling better and determined to not let Satorius tell him he couldn't fight fate.

Aster busied himself with schoolwork, his career, and his nightly changes despite Satorius becoming a fellow student. He suspected there was some kind of sinister purpose to it, but wasn't sure what it was.

I can't worry about it right now. Tonight's the full moon and I'll learn if I'll become a monster or not. He headed into the forest and straight to the lake. There he stood, waiting, his heart pounding in anticipation. He watched the sky's reflection in the water as the sun vanished and then he looked up to see the moon.

He gasped as a pulse went through him and then he howled as he felt himself change. He found himself on all fours and found that he was a bit bigger and muscular with a bushier tail and the fur on his spine on end and when he looked into the water, his eyes were all gold. A wolf's grin appeared. I'm in complete control and fully aware. I'm just a bit bigger and have gold eyes. Aster tried to laugh, but only rapid barks emerged. He snapped his muzzle shut. I can't talk! Well, that's inconvenient. He heard his stomach growl and he barked a laugh. I can't do anything about speaking like a wolf, but I can do something about my stomach. He turned from the lake and raced into the forest to hunt consciously for the first time.

Aster awoke by the lake and sat up, rubbing his eyes and stretching his arms before a satisfied smile appeared. His first conscious hunt was far more intense and thrilling than his forced one, though he did have to admit reluctantly that his forced hunt did give him the skills and experience he needed to chase and kill his food.

It was a good night's work. I caught and ate a rabbit and later, a squirrel. Both were fast, but I was faster and I'm able to outthink them. Maybe I'll chase down another deer tonight. He got into a crouch and turned on his balls to get a drink of water, but he froze upon seeing his reflection.

He looked the same as usual except for his ears. They had distinctive points on them. He raised a hand to one, his fingers tracing the shape of it. They have the look of wolf ears. His fingers ran through his hair and he brought some to the side, falling over the tip. He smiled as he covered the other one. Perfect, but I'll need to clip it in place. It wouldn't do for the tips to be exposed in a duel. He rushed to the Slifer dorm to have breakfast before heading to school. He was aware of attracting attention by his presence and the amount of fish he had, but he ignored it, save for giving a friendly smile to Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry.

Satorius was lost in thought as he sat at the head of the breakfast table at the white dorm while the others ate. Last night was the first full moon of the month. No doubt Aster has found that he is fully aware of himself and cannot speak save for canine sounds. He likely finds his full moon nights enjoyable nonetheless. He has probably already discovered his pointed ears, a side effect of the full moon and one he will have for life.

Satorius' thoughts turned to Aster's behavior over the last several days. He no longer trusted Satorius and was being defiant of his manager's orders. Getting Aster to do as I command is not really all that hard. I simply have to point at him and order him. I've done it three times and he's responded every time.

He may consider Jaden a friend, but that doesn't matter. I simply have to point at Aster and order him to turn Jaden. He cannot resist my orders or fight against his fate. Satorius smiled grimly as he imagined having two werewolves to command.