Fangs

Special Chapter #2

Markus' POV

1878

(Continuation of Flashback Chapter 1)

Will led me down into the basement, briefly warning my other brothers to stay upstairs. He closed the door after us, surrounding us in complete darkness until he struck a match to light an oil lamp.

I watched him carefully as he wandered further into the room. "Why are we down here?" For as long as I could remember, I'd been told that this room was out of bounds. It was usually always locked whenever I tried to open it. "Will," I prompted when he stayed quiet.

A loud scraping of metal against the stone floor made me cringe slightly, and I glanced at Will as he opened a metal door. He returned my gaze only briefly before pointing into the darkened room. "You need to turn. Go in." He responded, his voice echoing slightly.

I eyed him suspiciously, but went into the room nonetheless. When it slammed shut behind me, I flinched and turned around to glare at him through the barred window. Before I could begin to argue, a searing pain shot through me, and I gasped and fell against the wall on the far side of the room.

The darkness of the cell - since there was no other word more fitting to describe it - sent my senses into overdrive, and the faint light from the oil lamp did nothing to combat the looming darkness.

The pain, unlike before, didn't fade, and instead steadily grew worse. I collapsed against the wall, my breaths becoming heavier.

"You're alright, Markus." Will told me, his voice echoing in my mind. "It gets easier with time. The first is always the most painful."

I closed my eyes tightly and cried out in pain. My breaths were shaky and a wave of dizziness swept over me. The constant headache I'd had for two days became increasingly worse, and the pain that overcame my body made me drop to the floor. As I lay there in agony, Will kept talking. I paid no attention to him or what he said, and in the midst of the pain, I angrily commanded him to be quiet before crying out in pain again.

The pain I felt was unlike anything I'd ever felt before, but before long it worsened. It knocked the breath from my lungs, leaving me lying on that freezing floor in silent agony. It felt as if all of my bones were breaking and twisting and contorting in the most painful way imaginable, and several times I thought it couldn't possibly get any worse. It always did.

Before long, I'd half-blacked out from the pain. Will's persistent voice faded to a mumble of echoed words that barely registered in my mind.

It gradually began to fade, and as it did I could tell something was wrong. For a few minutes I just lay there, waiting for the pain to diminish enough for me to stand. When I did, I frowned upon noticing I stood up on four legs, not on two.

Glancing up at the barred door, which was now a lot further away and taller than before, I saw Will staring down at me, the oil lamp illuminating his face. "Dark grey, I believe." He informed me calmly. I envied his calmness after the amount of pain I'd been in, so I glared at him. As I did, I growled lowly. Unintentionally.

The fact that I'd turned into a wolf hit me full force, and I unwillingly whimpered. If it was that painful every time, I'd hate being a werewolf for the rest of my now-immortal life.

"It'll get easier. And until you can turn without feeling any pain, you'll have to turn in here. It saves you wrecking the house or getting lost in the forest. You need to get your bearings before you join the pack officially." Will told me, watching me for a moment longer before his face disappeared from the barred window. "You need to turn back without any help or guidance. Call me down when you're you again."

With that, I heard his retreating footsteps echo through the basement before the door leading upstairs slammed shut, submerging me in complete darkness.

The pain flared up again, and I instinctively knew I was in for an unforgettable and agonising night.