Legend
Slowly I regained consciousness, flashes of pain still shooting through my tourtured body. I laid still as the pain slowly subsided. How long I lay there I couldn't say at the time, but eventually the pain subsided enough for me to take note of my surroundings. I almost wish I hadn't. As I opened my Eyes I found myself staring into the empty eye sockets of a panther skull. I would have jumped up and ran if my broken body would have permited it. But the slightest movement caused excrutiating pain all over my body. Slowly I reached out and grabed hold of the skull, intending to fling it from me, but as my hand touched the skull light flared all about me. Rage filled my entire being, banishing all pain. It felt as if a raging beast was let loose inside my soul. In truth, that is what was happening. The light died and I clenched the skull to my chest like a child. I sat there unmoving for a few minutes clasping the skull, the rage that filled me ebbing somewhat. I suddenly was aware of my surroundings with a keenness that defied reality. I was in the middle of a clearing. Tall dark conifers surrounded me on all sides. Wildlife teamed in the surrounding forest .... and I was completely aware of it all.
Suddenly I heard movement directly behind me. I whirled to see a man leaning on a long staff. I was so filled with rage I nearly attacked him. But something held me back. I watched him with glaring eyes to see what he would do. He stood there in silence for a few moments, an evil smile playing across his lips. As he stood watching me I sudden was aware of a furious hunger inside me. I hungered not for food, but for the kill. Never before had I been so compeled to fight and slaughter.
As the man watched his smile widened, as if he knew of my hunger and found it amusing. I almost attacked him again, this time in contempt. But again something held me back. After what seemed to be an eternity he motioned to me, waving his hand for me to follow. I hesitated for a second, but I felt that he somhow knew what I wanted. Slowly and silently I folowed him. He led me through the forest with such stealth and speed that I nearly lost him, even though I was only a few steps behind. We travelled through the woodland for what seemed like miles. Finally he slowed, and as I came to his side he pointed.
I looked and saw a massive creature standing in a thicket. It had yellow eyes, and long tusks protruding from it's bottom lip. Again the bloodlust welled within me. The man beside me bent close to my head. "Kill," he wispered. Almost before the word completely escaped his lips I exploded into a lightning flash of movement. I moved with a speed that I had never possessed before. I raced to the thicket, tearing through everything in my path in my need to kill. The beast, sensing danger, turned in just enough time to see a glimpse of me raging toward him. A glimpse was all he needed. He turned and charged with a ferocity that matched my own. He caught me with his tusks and threw me into a nearby tree. I was hit with enough force to kill a man, yet I was still alive. And not only was I still alive, the wounds from the tusks closed almost immediatly.
I sprang to my feet and flew into a fury. I turned to see the creature charging again. I began to feel a strange tingleing deep within me. The raging beast inside me had come again. But this time it's rage was unstopable. My body contorted in extacy. My hands and feet changing into paws with razor sharp claws. My face elongating into a feline countanence. I didn't wait for the charge. Not even wondering at my sudden change, I lept toward the beast, totally absorbed in the kill. My jaws clamped down on the soft neck and blood flew. I rolled onto my back with the force of the fiend's charge. My hind legs flailed and my claws tore into it's unprotected belly, shredding it's stomach like paper. The creature was dead well before I stoped mauling it. After I completed tearing out it's throat. I feasted on the sweet flesh. My rage calmed now as I fed.
When there was nothing left of the carcass but the bones I stood up, realizing as I did so that I had transformed back into a man sometime in the process of eating. I looked around, remembering as I did so that I had not come here alone. I saw the man gazing at me with languid eyes, that same smile playing on his lips. Slowly he walked towards me. I no longer felt any fear or hatred of him. For he was my mentor. He would be my teacher as I explored my new found freedom. For then I knew what he was, and what I had become. We are the things crawling in the depths of man's darkest dreams.
We are Werebeasts.
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