As soon as he drew his claws and his fangs got larger, a loud shriek escaped his lips that shot an aura towards all of the werewolves in the vicinity. Anyone within 25 miles fell to their knees at the sudden burst of unmistakable alpha aura. All they could do was cover their ears at the banshee like shriek that came from the Luna's chambers.
Her beta fought through it and directed his sword towards the tower. "The Luna is in trouble!" He yelled over the sound. Nobody else could get up nor move which caused a growl to erupt from his maw, he took a step and suddenly he shifted into a wolf. His clothing shifted like his skin and his sword vanished into an inventory that he produced through magic. Vanishing into thin air. And then he was running.
When he got there, the aura was gone and the window had been burst through, glass had rained down to the ground below and the Luna was laying stunned on her back on the floor. She had dodged the creature as it apparently dodged her.
The beta looked around the room and realized that the dead human's body was gone.
"What happened?!" He exclaimed.
She looked at the window and didn't say a word. But the beta didn't wait. He sniffed the air and then narrowed his eyes. He sensed a wolf that he couldn't recognize and then he was overwhelmed by the scent of death. He shook his head, covering his nose and he shifted back into his human form. "I told you that the corpse would begin to stink. It seems like someone took care of it already. Anyways, I suggest that you focus on your parent's legacy and be more careful with your aura, half of the pack was on its knees and that's not very mature of you. Even if you're upset. The best thing for you is to be far away from that corpse and quit thinking about happy endings." He said and then went to leave.
Layla didn't like his attitude. She was going to tell him that their problems would be solved if they just found Retsu, but instead she kept it to herself. It seemed like it would take effort to convince him that she was able to take care of herself. I'm going to have to find Retsu myself and I'll prove it to him that I'm not that helpless child he sees me as. She thought. She just narrowed her eyes. "I never agreed to accept your help." She argued. "To produce an heir." She clarified.
"Be reasonable." He countered. "You are running out of time. I promised your parents I would take care of you." He said. And then he did leave.
She let out a sigh and walked to the open window. "I'm going to figure this out."
Retsu ran on all fours but not as a wolf, instead he ran like an odd humanoid creature, and shrieked as he went until he arrived in the forest. His hunger made him feel like he would blackout at any moment and he was afraid of who or what he would eat when he lost control. If what he was going through could be called control.
He should wonder what he was, but that was on the back burner right now. Food! A voice inside him urged him. Smells were everywhere. Food! Food! FOOOOOD!
And then to his horror his mind went dark, only showing flashes of images of his claws tearing through flesh and his teeth biting into flesh and no matter what he ate, he was still just as hungry.
"No! No! No!" He cried in his mind or out loud, he couldn't tell. "I don't want to hurt people!"
But it tastes so good. His mind exclaimed.
Free! Free! Free!
And then the sound of a shotgun stopped him in his tracks. He felt himself hit the ground and everything finally stopped.
When he woke up, his head was throbbing. His hands were normal again, but they were sticky. He was covered in blood and his leg had been blown off. He hoped it was his blood but he knew better.
As he looked at himself he thought of one thing, "I'm a zombie." He muttered. But then again, can a zombie realize who they are? How did I stop? He wondered. If his blood could run cold, he would freeze right now and remember what he had done, but he couldn't. And his blood was already cold. His mouth was dry. He heard the drip of something and the voice inside his head once again said something: thirsty
"No." He told it. "I'm not drinking whatever that is. His nose told him it wasn't water. "I will figure out how to control you."
You don't even know what I am. It said sinisterly.
"What are you?"
Thirsty.
"I'm serious."
Thirsty first talk later.
"No. Tell me what I need to know and I'll give you something to drink."
It didn't respond. But instead he felt his body struggling to stay human.
"What did the Luna do to me?" He asked it gritting his teeth. His teeth became fangs against his will. His ears focused on the drip drip drip in the background.
"I SAID NO!!! TALK FIRST!"
Drip drip drip drip
"No!"
You have to drink! Thirsty!
He sat on the ground and wrestled with himself for what seemed like forever. His body tried everything, it tried making him smell the cow carcass next to him. It tried transforming back into whatever he had become before. It tried reminding himself how dry his mouth was. He nearly gave in. But then he retaliated by forcing himself to vomit. The foul fluid didn't even seem unappealing. His body wanted to lick it back up. But he held firm. He reached out his palm and burned the food before him.
No! No! No! You're ruining it! His interior voice shrieked.
"I will burn any food you take without my permission!" He yelled at himself.
Ok! Ok! His body knelt down in defeat and dispair. Just stop burning it!
Retsu smiled in triumph. "What are you?" He repeated himself.
I am your wolf. The creature answered.
"But aren't I dead? I'm more like a zombie. Or is this how werewolves are?" He questioned.
It is because you are tainted. The creature smiled using Retsu's lips. You have gone insane.
"Tell me the truth or I'll burn your food." He commanded the creature.
Fine you are not insane but you are tainted. You are tainted with rot. Your soul is struggling to maintain your body because it has lost its connection. You are constantly hungry to satisfy your self consumption. You are like a crazed addict to blood and flesh. Even now as you deny me those things, you will notice your energy depleting.
"So I can die if I don't eat flesh?"
I won't let you die. If you grow too weak you will easily come under my control. The creature chuckled. You're welcome.
Retsu found this to be a very huge problem. His body was indeed becoming hungry again. He needed to find a reliable source of food and fast.
"How much time in between feedings will you give me?" Was his next question.
Haven't you ever heard of a zombie? When do they eat?
This wolf of his was mocking him.
Whenever it finds food, it eats. The wolf finished speaking. And then the smell of the liquid dripping filled his nose and overwhelmed him.