Wolv

24 - Truth

Unless...

A bloodcurdling scream split the air as David stretched his paws out in front of him. Bones split as the joints along his legs shifted their positions, moving up or down his legs. The toes on his paws elongated and cracked loudly as the joints adjusted their shape.

Unless Kémé and the man who saved us...are the same. Spike's eerie last words drifted through my mind once more...

It was like watching Nadie's transformation, but in reverse. David writhed on the ground as his coat of fur thinned out and eventually disappeared, dropping clumps of severed fur onto the ground and exposing dark, olive skin. His fingers snapped a few more times until they were, in fact, fingers once more. He turned over his hands, inspecting his new form as the last of his bones clicked into place.

He was human.

Mostly.

His eyelids were still rimmed with black, and his feet were twisted in such a way that when he stood, his ankles didn't touch the ground. It was like he was standing on his tip-toes--much like my feet had been in the last days before my change. His legs weren't the exact shape that a normal human's legs should be; they still bore the faintest curves and resemblances to wolf legs. That said, anyone who didn't look closely wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

David licked his lips and exposed his new, blunted teeth. His canines were still noticeably pointed, but other than that, they seemed to have returned to normal. Short, black hair no longer than his former fur coat covered his head, and he ran an unsteady hand over his scalp.

"You good to go?" Kémé asked, completely unphased by what had just transpired in front of him. David nodded, and took a few awkward steps towards the boat.

"I'm fine, I just need a moment." He spoke in English, but slurred and growled out his words with his new mouth. He stretched out his arms, and cracked the joints in his back. "Thank goodness that doesn't take so long anymore!"

Kémé snorted. "That's only because you've had a lot of practice. Ugh, it took me an hour to shift back in Bloodvein."

"Hmph. That's still better than taking a day! I'm glad those days are over."

Something splattered against my fur. Oh, shoot. I quietly looked behind me at Hutch.

His eyes were wide, and his pupils seemed oddly dilated. I looked at my fur, than back to him. He'd thrown up all over me. He was seriously confused. Terrified, even!

Back at the boat, David had pulled the tarpaulin off and was dragging the aluminum shell down to the water, uttering a continuous stream of curse words as he stubbed his toes on the boat. Once he reached the edge of the creek, he folded a tiny outboard motor out from the boat and locked it into place.

"Hey, just be nice to her for me, eh? I think she got a little more pissed off than usual when I was there," Kémé called out.

"Why's that?"

"Hutch and the mutt barged in almost at the same time I did. I think she was a little overwhelmed by all of it."

David's eyes widened. "Hutch...? Frick, Kémé! How many times did they see your human form?!?" David pushed the boat out into the water and jumped in after it, shaking his head. "I wish you woulda told me that sooner. You really need to deal with them. If this gets out, everything we've worked for could go up in smoke." David swore angrily and reached down into the boat. He came up with an old, crumpled t-shirt, and threw it on.