Twisted (Editing)

Chapter 20

The night of the full moon crept closer. It was only in the afternoon that I went up to Jonah and asked him what was going to happen. He laughed.

"Who told you all those things? It's not going to be painful." I said nothing. He looked down at me, analyzing my face. "It's going to be fine. Every werewolf shifts."

"Not everyone survives."

"Honestly who told you this? The tutor? Witches have developed serums for even the most troubled shifters. I'll shift with you if it makes you feel better." It didn't.

I waited the rest of the afternoon, my stomach keeping me eating, for the shift to happen. Would I have any control over it whatsoever? The sunset in the sky and the moon came out. My skin started to tingle, my bones started to ache. Claws extended from my hands. I looked at them. The sensations passed. Was that all?

Then came pain.

I heard my bones crack and snap, only to reform. I shrunk, becoming closer and closer to the floor. My hands disappeared, so did my feet. They were replaced with paws. I screamed, but all that came out were howls and barks.

The door opened. Jonah saw me. "Already? That was fast." I yelped again. "I'll let you outside. You'll probably want to run around."

He opened the front door, following me outside as the cool night. In a few seconds, he was a wolf, with black fur peppered with some gray. I scratched at the ground. My hands, my legs, my face..gone. I laid down on the ground. I would go to sleep and wake up in the morning in my normal body. I didn't want this. I wanted to be human, normal. None of this was my choice and now I was a wolf?

I was poked hard in the stomach. Turning my head, I looked at the offender. He bared his teeth. What did he want? He shoved me again. I climbed to my feet, baring my own teeth. He snapped at my feet. I jumped back, howling. He snarled, snapping at my heels. I started to run. What the hell did he think he was doing. He chased after me, urging me faster as he bounded and snapped at my heels. He drove me into the forest, further and deep, faster and faster. I slowed, growling. He snarled and cocked his head to the side. I snapped back.

I sat back down. He started snapping again. This was just a ploy to get me moving. I laid my head down on the ground and closed my eyes. Teeth bit at the hair of my neck, pulling my upwards like a mother cat carried her kittens. I yelped. I bit at his ear. Leave me the hell alone, I would say if I could talk. I didn't want to run, I didn't want to be a wolf. I wanted to wait for my humanity to be restored. Teeth encircled around my leg and pulled me backwards until I stood back up. He barked orders. I shook the dirt out of my fur. My fur. My god, how my life had changed so fast. He bit at my ankles again.

I growled, in my mind daring him to do it one more time. He watched me with knowing eyes. He bit at them again. I lunged, aiming my teeth for his ear. Not enough to kill him, but enough to teach him a lesson, not only for the snarling but everything else in the last few days. Now that I had a little bit of the power he did, it was time that he got his comeuppance. We rolled in the dirt as I tried to latch my teeth into his ear. He rolled us over again and his teeth were at my neck, not biting hard enough to cause pain, but enough to be a warning. I snapped and snarled. If he wanted to fight, we would fight. God knows he deserved a beating for what he did to poor Ezra.

I leaped towards him and tried to sink my teeth into his muzzle. A dark thought came into my head. Could I kill him and run? Could I free myself that way? Would I even be strong enough to do it if I got the chance? I wanted to be free, but I would never get blood on my hands. I couldn't take another life. I slunk backward. He growled, angry. My paws hit the ground as I began to run in the other direction. He followed, howls loud and ringing in my ears.

I must've run more than an hour I finally slowed. My tongue hung out of my mouth. A brook babbled in front of us. I stepped in the water and lapped it up, letting the cold water touch my nose and soak my fur. I yelped in surprise as I was pushed into the water. He jumped in after me, soaking me completely with a splash. He swam towards me, tongue falling out of his mouth as he smiled a toothy grin. Was this playing? All of this chasing, running, barking, leaping? Did he find it fun? He nudged me gently as I paddled in place, telling me to follow him downstream. We ended up at a den, made of rock and fallen logs. My fur was dry, but I was cold and I couldn't shake the feeling of sleep creeping in. I dragged myself inside, closed my eyes and went to sleep.