Hey guys! Haha, took me a while to get this next part up, but I had to get ready for the horseshow I had yesterday! Anyway, it went well, AND you get the next part! What will happen to Nicole? Will Vitaliy be okay? Find out now! :D
Thanks!
Majic
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***Part Five*** (Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace; Papercut by Linkin Park)
I tried to slip to the right, away from my attacker, but the wolf was already upon me before I had a chance to. We both crashed to the ground, sending dirt and plant debris flying everywhere. Suddenly, I was on the bottom, lying on my stomach, and I felt his teeth clamp down on my neck, just barely missing my spinal column. That was when my fighting instincts finally kicked into full gear.
I arched my back, bucking up and throwing him off of me. As I stood up, I realized he was a good bit shorter than myself, and I could tell he was almost as young as me. Almost as young and almost as tall. He didn't know what he had gotten himself into.
He had hit a tree when I had thrown him off and was having a hard time getting back up. I towered over him for a moment, truly sizing him up, when he suddenly leapt up at me again.
I fell onto my back this time, and I knew I wouldn't be able to buck him off. I used my forepaws to keep him far enough away from my throat so that he didn't kill me, but he knew fighting techniques that could overpower pure instinct.
"You... will... die..." he snarled in between snaps at my jugular.
I felt my legs losing strength, and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold him off for too much longer. Then, an idea struck me. It was such a simple plan, that is, if it worked.
I slipped my hind paws under his stomach and then began furiously raking my claws up and down the tender skin there. Apparently not expecting this, he yelped and scrambled away from me, blood already beginning to drip to the ground.
I knew I didn't have much time before he would attack again; he seemed to like to stay on the offense. Well, it was my turn. Before he could move an inch toward me, I leapt at him, prepared to kill. Something, probably the instincts, told me to go for his neck, and I did. After that, he didn't stand a chance. As my teeth sank into his flesh, I tasted, for the first time, the sickly sweet flavor of blood, and I knew that it was something I liked. It was, in fact, the red wine of the animal world, and it was addicting.
I stepped away from the lifeless body that lay in front of me, red liquid dripping from my muzzle. It was the first time I had ever hurt another living creature, let alone killed one. I began to feel a bit guilty, and that overwhelming sense of not being able to control anything came over me again. I tried to shake it off, but I wasn't able to. I now wanted to get away from these canine instincts, but they just kept forcing themselves back into my brain. I looked down at the dead wolf again and at the blood on my paws. I had killed. How could I possibly live with myself now?
But that was life, my instincts told me. I am a predator, and predators hunt. And when a predator is attacked, they fight. To the death, if necessary.
Then again, I was still a human, in a way, and this was, in a way, another human, and for one human to kill another was murder. So did this make me a predator or a murderer?
~~~
He couldn't take it anymore. He had to know where she was, what had happened.
"Quintus, they shouldn't have been gone this long. Something bad must have happened to her. I just know it."
"Vitaliy, calm down. And quit pacing, you need to rest. Look, I know you want to do something about it, but there's really nothing you can do."
Then, both wolves turned their heads, ears perked forward, as Rahl, in his wolf form, made his way back into the clearing.
"Vitaliy? I didn't expect you back until after I was done patrolling. And- wait. Where are Nick and Nicole? They were both here when I left earlier. He said he wasn't going anywhere until it was confirmed that the Rhauruans had gone from the territory. Nothing ha-"
"She shifted." Vitaliy's head hung as he said this.
"What?"
"Nicole. She got upset by something that Pauler must have said, and it sent her over the edge. She shifted in her room, busted out the window, and ran off into the woods. Apparently, Nick and Pauler went after her, because I found where they shifted and ran off in the same direction as her."
"Vitaliy, I'm so sorry. But I'm sure they'll get her back. But what happened to you?"
Vitaliy was silent, so Quintus answered for him. "The Rhauruans attacked him. He said it was probably the alpha and one other wolf. They left him by the river, and I think that they assumed he was dead."
"Sounds like they're getting stronger. If they could handle you pretty easily, well, there's honestly no telling what else they're capable of doing to her."
Quintus whispered to Rahl, "Thing is, I'm sure they're more than strong enough to due some serious damage to her-"
Vitaliy didn't hear the rest of what the other wolf had to say before he got up and limped away into the woods, not sure of what he was seeking there.
~~~
Vitaliy.
The deep yearning to find him was fresh in my heart and mind again after the fight. The only problem was that my canine instincts sort of clouded the reason as to why I needed to find him. My human mind was telling me that I needed to get back to the house, but it was such a small voice compared to my drive to find Vitaliy. So, without another thought about it, I set about searching for a familiar scent.
It didn't take me long to pick up the wolf-scent that I was searching for, but it was hard to tell who it was because the scent of the blood that still clung to my fur filled my nostrils. But I knew I simply had to find him. So I followed the scent trail that I had found, hoping that it would lead me to the one I needed to find.