Post by Cole on Apr 14, 2006 1:11:58 GMT
Had the sudden urge to write this tonight, given that it’s the full moon, after all XD Aheh-heh. Not really much to it, but you’ll figure out what it’s all about pretty quickly, I imagine.
* * * * * * * *
The boy collapsed to his knees, doubling over in pain as he panted, green eyes screwed shut tightly as tears fought to escape and run down his face. His entire body screamed in agony as he felt it starting; beginning… and tearing him apart from the inside — attacking him where he was vulnerable. Unable to hold it back, he let out a choked cry, curling in on himself as he trembled madly, hair a matted, damp mess atop his head; coppery-brown spikes sticking out at odd angles. His entire body was covered with a fine sheen of sweat as he gasped, nearly collapsing completely to the floor as a new wave slammed him from within. He felt a crack, and whimpered, gritting his teeth so hard he thought they might break in his jaw. The tears he had been fighting to hold back streamed down his cheeks as he braced himself against the floor with one shaking hand.
“Easy, Cole… easy…” The soothing voice came from his left, soon before a feminine hand touched his shoulder in a comforting manner. “Breathe through the pain… just like we told you.”
The thirteen-year-old knew what was happening to him, but that did little to ease the agony he felt. Even after all he had been told about this event, he had never anticipated it hurting this much; they had warned him of the pain… but the sheer intensity was making his head swim. Unconsciousness was so tempting.
“Don’t fight it, son,” came a second voice to his right, as a man crouched beside him. A supportive hand landed on his other shoulder, mirroring the first touch. Cole felt their hands, and took in a deep breath, trying with everything he had to just let it happen. It felt so natural to fight something so excruciating… but even before he had been told to simply allow it, he had known he shouldn’t try to stop something that was — to them — so ‘right’.
“It will hurt less with time,” he had been told, several times… by varying members of the pack. He had taken their advice, in its varying degrees, and stored it in his young mind, to be used when he needed it.
Now, he needed it. And now, it was fighting against him; refusing to be remembered.
His mother and father, on either side of him, soothed him quietly. Cole Stanton could feel the eyes of a selected few upon him as he struggled on the floor. The older werewolves were here to help, he knew… not ridicule or judge. They were at hand if such assistance was needed. The cool breeze out in the woods brushed against his face as he lifted it, and not without struggle. It played across his skin, almost like an icy hand, and whipped through his hair… calling to him. He felt the light of the full moon shining down on him, and a far-off howl caused another crippling wave of agony to explode within him. His cry broke off after a mere second, catching in his throat as he felt, and heard cracks from within his chest and abdomen.
His bones were breaking. They were reshaping… remodelling themselves to accommodate something much larger, and more powerful. His heart thundered madly, compensating as his blood raced through his veins wildly. Panting desperately, he clutched at the ground with the hand bracing him, his other arm supported across his stomach as he felt the cracking and snapping spread. It swarmed to his shoulders and hips, and he gasped loudly, sinking lower towards the ground.
“Easy…” his mother, Emily, whispered softly, stroking his damp hair back across his head. “It’s coming, Cole… let it come.”
I’m trying…
Words would not form in his throat, or sound from his mouth; he didn’t even so much as try. He knew how hopeless it would be, and so did his parents. They didn’t expect any response from him, as he struggled and tried to allow the process.
Cole felt his left shoulder crack abruptly, and his entire body dipped dangerously to the side… even as the right followed suit without warning. He nearly buckled to the ground entirely before a strong, protective hand caught under his chest, and held him up. His father, Theodore, did not lift him, but did not allow him to fall either; he simply supported, keeping his son in some semblance of upright.
Heat burned through his body, causing his breathing to quicken even more. It felt as though his limbs were on fire, and flames burst inside of his chest; his throat was hoarse, and so, his sounds of anguish went unheard.
Don’t fight it, he told himself, a flicker of his inherited stubbornness kicking in. Let it happen. Encourage it. Feel it, and it will come.
Closing his eyes completely, and taking in a shaky, deep breath, he set his jaw. Come on, he called within himself. Come out…
From the depths of his being, he felt a rush; a power clambered up from the very pit of his stomach, scrambling up towards his chest as his legs ached madly, matching the discomfort in his arms. As the sensation rose and spread, he felt his eyes water fiercely again; his entire jaw throbbed. His mouth dropped open in a silent gasp. The feeling surged upward, racing for his skull… and from within himself, he heard a roar.
Suddenly, his entire body jerked and arched backward. His father’s hand retracted at once; not startled, simply understanding. Cole’s head dropped back… and he felt it. For the first time in his life, after waiting for so long, he truly felt it.
It started at his chest, spreading steadily outward… almost eagerly. As his torso started to expand and change shape, his hair became darker; beginning at the roots, black coursed over his skull, and his spikes became even more feral than usual. His limbs contorted as his chest cracked one final time, and then, as one, they started to thicken, and lengthen. Cole’s body hunched forward again as his knees snapped back, a new joint forming in each leg. His shirt tore at the shoulders and neck, before his hands and feet twisted, fingers and toes becoming claws. Even with his teeth gritted, he could feel them growing; sharpening into fangs… wicked incisors and canines. He opened his mouth wide, but no sound came out. His eyes burned behind their lids, before the heat rushed through him again; he felt the thick fur breaking out all over him, even as the remains of his shirt dangled from his changing form.
“That’s it, Cole… you’ve almost done it…” The pride in his father’s voice was perhaps the last thing he needed to keep going; see it through to the end.
From the sides of his shifting head, he felt his ears move and grow, becoming tall and pointed. His spine arched as vertebrae popped and enlarged, supporting his increasing mass. To his left and right, he could still smell his mother and father, but he could sense that they had moved back… given him space. Even as the rest of his torso and limbs finished growing and twisting, his face undertook its own transformation. A thick, strong muzzle pushed forward, his canines becoming even larger as the rest of his head followed through. Around his skull, a kind of mane tumbled to just above his jaw, and finally… the form shook. Jet black fur was tossed about the significantly larger frame, four huge paws supporting the weight of the sizeable creature standing in the place of a kneeling, buckled-over boy.
The werewolf opened its now-amber eyes, bright like the moon. It looked left, and then right, panting, as Cole Stanton, now in full lycanthropic form, took in the smiles of his mother and father. The other pack members around the clearing wore similar expressions, relieved and proud.
Filled with a sudden feeling of satisfaction, the black werewolf rocked up onto his hind legs, and threw back his head, howling to the full moon.
~Fin~