Feral

I was a wolf. I was a beast of strength and dignity. I possessed the grace and agility of a god. I was a wolf and I was damn hungry.

My gums ached for the flesh of the grazing deer in the clearing before me. I licked my chops to stop my saliva from overflowing my thick canines. My tongue was swollen as I panted and continued to absorb the deers rich musky scent.

The sun was starting to set and my limbs ached to devour a deer, even a small one. It'd been so long so since I'd eaten. I couldnt take it any longer, I sprinted out in a rush of adrenaline, thundering after the pack with rabid growls and snapping teeth. My lean muscle packed limbs easily overpowered a doe and I heartily lunged for her throat, relishing in the meaty crunch of bone and sinew.

Dropping my kill I quickly tore into its warm torso, searching for the life giving blood. guzzling down the thick rich meat with gusto I growled in content and success. The food gave me strength and I quickly dragged it to the bushes after stuffing my stomach full.

I slept in bracken across the way, my back to the tree and one eye open. It felt good to have a full belly.

--
It must have been a good hour or so later when the crackle of leaves and a warning growl jarred me out of sleep. I stumbled to my feet, stumbling from sleepiness. I returned a deep rumbling threatening growl at the small pack of wolves before me.

Killers. Biters. Traitors.

I flattened my ears, raised my hackles and used my superior size to intimidate. Their glossy coats and unmarked pelts shone as they continued to circle me. I watched their silent approach, noticing the significant differences between us both. My ribs and hips stuck out so far I might have just as well worn it outside my body. My smokey white and black pelt was matted and scarred from years in the wild. My ear had a nick in it and my claws were like burnished silver daggers in comparison to their complacent brown dull rocklike nails. Lastly, perhaps most importantly, my eyes were a rich scarlet that met their gold banded ones. They were outmatched with my experience.

The first one leapt to nip my foot. I lunged for his neck and grabbed his scruff. I swung him in a wide arc before slamming him into the ground in bloodlust. The other wolves snarled and attacked my back and legs but I barely felt it. The small wolf in my jaws whimpered pitifully as my long sharp fangs sank deeper into his flesh. I would've crushed his worthless throat if I hadnt been knocked with a crushing force. The small wolf was ripped from my mouth and I turned to face the new opponent. My pelt was stained with blood, but in my crazed state I barely saw straight.

Another glossy well fed wolf, bigger than the rest, bigger than even me threatened my form. Dark russet fur bristled angrily at me as he rumbled with dissaproval at my starved and dirty self. He lowereed to pounce on me but I didnt wait: I blindly charged his form. Snapping, snarling I chewed into any form I came in contact with. My claws dug into his chest and I tore at his shoulder with vim and vigour.

I payed no mind to his sharp teeth digging into my back as I ferally, mindlessly attacked. He managed to pin me to the ground, my soft underbelly displayed. His bloody muzzle lay clenched around my throat but I still thrashed and howled in anger.

Id rather be dead that captured by killers. Traitors. Biters.

One of the other smaller wolves was in his human skin. I snapped at his closeness and growled in panic at being surrounded.

"Shift." He ordered me in a hard tone. He cluthed his arm and it hung uselessly by his side. Probably broken.

I made a sort of choking noise that was as close to laughing as it got. The alpha - I assumed he was from the respectful look the others gave him - tightened his teeth at my neck and I got the feeling theyd be taking no prisoners.

I wasnt that keen on dieing. Not at their hands, not yet.

In a high whine I started the shift. In-human, non wolf, sounds of pain shrilly broke through my muzzle as bones broke and protruded from my flesh. I thrashed helplessly, heaving as the alpha backed off to curiously watch with his pack. I growled in anger at them. Hating the pain. Hating them for forcing it on me. Before I could even think about attacking, my hip snapped and expanded and I was lost once more to the feeling.

The pain.

The moon bore silent witness as my spine cracked and reformed. Screams of agony pierced the night till a few minutes later I was heaving on the ground. I rolled over on fresh tender skin and threw up bright, previously delicious, raw red meat.

Bright golden eyes, all three pairs of them met my scarlet ones with curiosity. Naked I could barely tear at the grass as I struggled and stumbled, like a new born deer, to my feet. I finally braced my muscles, shaking but standing, and glared at the werewolves before me. I glanced to my side. No more wolves.

I glanced back at their approaching forms and immediatly darted to the forest cover. My weak legs wobbled as I pushed them to a sprint. Pounding behind me I could hear the approaching forms as arms quickly locked around my waist, swinging me away from an escape. I clawed at the tan hands touching me until I was released. One of them threw a large shirt at me and I quickly wrapped myself up as they formed a diamond shaped guard around my red skinned
shaking form.

As the adrenaline left my body I whistled my breaths. My ribs were probably bruised. Peeking at myself, scrapes and bruises littered my skin. I hadnt been human in so long. My hair had grown long knotted and wild. My skin was dark and tanned, a few freckles lightly spattered my shoulders and torso. Thick tight tangled black curls hit my lower back. My nails were long and scraggly, but the biggest change for me was my weight.

Id been a chubby 180 before being bit but now I was probably an easy 50 pounds lighter with thick muscles in place of the fat. Delight was my first emotion but disgust replaced it. Was I happy to be a werewolf just because I was now skinny? Bitterness coiled in my stomach and I clutched at the thick upraised scar on my neck with a shiver. I'd never forget.

We'd been walking through the forest but now it abruptly ended and a squat wood compound lay before me. Cars lay littered around the area and they moved me towards the door and I cautiously followed. Where was I going? A prison? Torture chamber?

The doors were brushed open by the alpha and they wolves corralled me in, all bare except for shorts. Inside what felt like hundreds of stares pierced my dirty skin and I reeled back in horror. Before me stood hundreds, hundreds of werewolves. Little ones ran around and adults all sat in plastic chairs like humans. Fakers. I wanted to scream at the indignity. They were wolves in sheep skin, faking their humanlike qualities. I hated them all.

The alpha left the diamond formation to strongly walk towards the lit stadium in front where five others stood he gripped a sweet blondes arm and they smiled at eachother. What was this strange ceremony?

"Now that you've returned alpha, we may finish the bonding of mates." An older greying gentleman spoke, his hands ingulfed in what appeared to be boiling water. My guards kept my shifting form surrounded in the corner as I watched him retract a writhing silver snake like thing. I squinted and noticed it was some sort of jewel encrusted ribbon that writhed with life.

The first few couples held their entertwined arms out as the snake twirled around and left a white branded imprint on each partners bicep. When it reached the alpha, however, no coersion on the grey haired gent's part would get it around the their entertwined arms. I almost laughed at the alpha's and blonde's upset faces.

The man struggled to control the snake as it thrashed and knashed around. He finally dropped it and faster than I thought possible it shot out.. skimming the crowd and even hitting a few people it zoomed away.

Straight. Towards. Me.

I Screamed as it wrapped around my arm like branding fire and dragged me forward with unreal force, passed the gaurds shocked faces. I stumbled to the stage in only a t-shirt, where it constrained the alphas arm with mind. It double knotted tightly around us both before lifelessly dropping, thunking on the thick shiny grey rock adorning the middle, leaving an intricate bright scarlet pattern behind.

The blood drained from my face. What had just happened?