Reign of Wolves

Chapter III

Fresh, clean air fills his chest as he steadily breaths. Daryan slowly opens his eyes, his vision blurry. He blinks against the gentle sunlight as it spills in. The sound of leaves tattering across the ground, fueled by a soft wind that accompanies the singing birds fills his ears. All is peaceful as his vision starts to clear. Trees litter the area, bushes slightly swaying as the wind caresses them, and...stone.

Daryan forcefully closes his eyes, and shakes his head quickly. As he opens them, he sees stone. Stone all around him. A cage....

Quickly jumping to his feet his head slams into the ceiling, causing his knees to buckle, and he collapses back to the ground, his head throbbing with an electrical, numbing pain. Holding his head, his heart starts to race as he looks around, fearing he is trapped in some cage. Surrounded by stone, there's a way out! What he thought was a window into the outside world is an opening just large enough to crawl through. The ceiling is but several feet high. His heart begins to slow. His breath steadying.

"Where the hell are my clothes?" Muttering, he surveys his immediate surroundings. Sitting naked in this cove, only a few weeds striving to grow, and there's blood in the dirt.

"What the hell happened?" Testing the dirt with his hand, the blood has dried completely. No other signs of a struggle are apparent. Checking himself for any wounds, a soreness in his shoulder emerges. Putting his hand on his left shoulder, he rotates it to stretch it out. His skin feels tight, and his fingers brush a rough piece of skin. Feeling further along, there's a broken circular pattern of rough skin. Trying to look, Daryan cranes his head, but can only glimpse a patch of skin that is light brownish in color, not much darker than his tanned skin.

"I'm not going to get any answers just sitting here. How the hell did I even get here? Where is here?"

An urgency tugs at his gut. An immediate need to figure out what transpired that brought him to this cove. And naked at that. But there was something more. Something was missing. Something that could not be grasped. It looms right there. Right on the edge of his consciousness. Grunting, he slams his fist against the wall. Frustration quickly taking over him as he tries to focus his mind. Focus on what is missing. Try as he might, he could not remember what was so urgent. Daryan growls and punches the wall in frustration.

"Why can't I remember?!" Growling, his breathing quickens, his heart starting to pound in his ears as a knot forms in his gut. Punching the wall, "What is it?! What am I missing?!" A growl escapes his lips.

Trying to focus his mind, trying to remember, he shakes his head, refocuses his thoughts, and tries again. The knot in his very core, his frustration, his anger, growing by the second. He inhales deeply, then let's loose a primordial growl. Long and hard his chest rumbles, bellowing forth a bestial growl that reverberates in the cove until there is no breath left to fuel this outburst. Chest heaving, his lungs burn, and sweat trickles down his skin.

"Calm," he growls. "Breathe," a long inhale, followed by a long exhale. "Think." Slowly he regains his composure. "Sitting here punching a wall will get me no where."

Glancing about one more time before, he turns his attention towards the entrance of this little cove. Listening intently to the sounds outside, leaves rustle in the breeze, and small critters are still scampering away. Breathing deeply he detects only the scents of the forest and it's natural inhabitants.

Slowly crawling out, he peeks around the edges of the boulders that make the entrance of his cove, knowing there might be someone, or something, downwind that he did not detect. Seeing, nor sensing anything, he crawls out and stands up. Confident that he is all alone, he nimbly jumps on top of the boulders that make the roof of his cove and takes a look around.

Stretching his sore and tight muscles, he looks around. There's something familiar about this land. Trees of all diameters stand tall and proud, some linked together by the the foliage growing out of the earth. There are no discernible paths. Just forest in all directions. He knows them somehow. But how? Trying to remember, his mind goes blank. His only memory a quick flash in his mind of a house and several people. The more he attempts to focus on the memory, the harder it is to bring it into focus. But there was a feeling. A feeling of urgency. Of loyalty. A connection. But connected how? Friends? Family?

"My memory is gone," speaking softly, "that much is clear." He takes a steady breath. "Standing here, naked, in the middle of some forest, woods... whatever, isn't going to bring them back." Carefully, Daryan surveys all directions relying on his instincts to guide him on the best course to take. But running naked through the woods may not be the best idea. There is no telling who he may run into.

Daryan glances at the sky before leaping off the boulder. He estimates it is just past noon judging by the sun's position.

Taking a deep breath in, he closes his eyes and focuses. The sound of bones fracturing and breaking fill the air. Daryan lets loose a low growl through his clenched teeth. His legs shoot out behind him with a sickening pop as his knees bend in the wrong direction, his shins breaking, angling forward. His head jerks up as his fingers claw into the dirt, brown fur beginning to cover his skin. Bones throughout his body crack and pop, his heart racing, a beastly growl vibrates in his chest. His mouth elongates, his teeth elongating. As his limbs finish transforming into those of a wolf's, his back flattens out with a series of wet popping sounds that send streaks of pain throughout his body. His fingers and hands shrink, bones breaking apart, deteriorating, and fusing back together. A deep rumble comes from his chest as it fractures and breaks, causing his heart to skip beats from the pure pain that racks his body. Keeping control of himself, Daryan snarls and lets loose a growl as he endures the agony that riddles his being until all is peaceful again.

Regaining his composure, he opens his eyes and stands up on all fours. He feels a new sense of freedom. A sense of power. A sense of supremacy. Clarity. 

A light breeze plays through his brown fur. He stares into the world with his steel blue eyes, determined to regain his memory.