The Feral Release
A fierce breeze blew through the verdant forest, rattling every leaf and branch in its wake. The powerful wave of air flowed through the forest before landing against the beige, brick buildings of the nearby school. Shortly after the wind flowed by it, a new rush of energy erupted out of the building’s glass doors as droves of excited students, eager to enjoy their weekend off from school, burst out from the building’s confines. Among the bustling waves of high school students migrating out of the building, one student in particular casually made his way through the group of students as he separated himself from the bustling crowd and made his way towards the edge of the street. He abruptly stopped at the edge of the sidewalk and silently stared at the nearby forest in the distance.Kyle sighed as he gazed at the local woods, anxiety creeping up within him as another pleasant, crisp, gush of wind flowed past him out of the forest as if beckoning him into its depths. Why do I always get like this? Kyle thought despondently. I can never shake this anxiety when that time is close. Even this mundane forest of all things somehow manages to drive me nuts. I couldn’t care less about the outdoors, but when it gets close to that time, it’s all I think about, and I get so clumsy and clueless, dammit, I wish I didn’t screw up as bad as I did when that teacher asked me that question… Kyle brooded as he mentally recalled the embarrassing gaffe he made that school day.“Hey! What’cha looking at?” A voice chimed out near Kyle, nearly causing him to jump and breaking his trance. Kyle turned around and saw his friend Alissa walking up to him. She was a slightly petite girl with light brunette hair which she had tied into a modest ponytail with the remainder of her hair cut short and hanging just slightly past her ears. They had known each other ever since they met as freshmen in their first year of high school. They chatted only sporadically at times over the years, but they had spoken on enough occasions to get to know each other and become unofficial friends.“A-alissa? Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t mind me.” Kyle said dismissively to her.“You ok Kyle? I know you goofed up bad back there in class when you cussed and mumbled something about a forest or something by accident when the teacher asked you a question, but it’s ok. I could tell you were out of it, I mean, we all have our off days, right? I know I do.” Alissa said to Kyle as she tried to console him as best as she could despite not knowing what was truly bothering him.“It’s alright. Thank you Alissa, I appreciate it. I’m alright now. You can go and enjoy your weekend. I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry about me.” Kyle said to her in a somewhat dismissive tone. Kyle’s response seemed to have irked her as she abruptly sighed and rolled her eyes as she retorted to him,“You don’t have to blow me off just for simply asking Kyle. I’m not trying to bother or annoy you or anything. Like, Kyle I…I worry…n-nevermind.” Alissa suddenly cut herself off abruptly and dropped her gaze to the ground with a look of embarrassment and dejection. Kyle, feeling a sudden, palpable sting of guilt, awkwardly apologized for his insensitive remark, saying to her,“I’m sorry Alissa. I really do appreciate you showing concern for me, I really do. It’s just…It’s such a personal issue that I really don’t want to drag you into. You of all people don’t deserve to go through the crap I have to go through.” Alissa raised her gaze up to look at Kyle again and her moody expression softened. “Tell you what, to make up for being a bit of a dick, even if I didn’t mean to, you can talk to me whenever you want, wherever you want. It’s the least I can do, I think.” Kyle said in a somewhat haphazard attempt to make amends. Alissa’s expression softened further, her lips slowly creasing into a gentle smile, and she cheerfully said to him,“Thanks Kyle. It’s sweet of you to try so hard to be considerate of me. Don’t worry, I’m not that put off by what you said. It’s just, you can be difficult to talk to at times.”Kyle shrugged and said to her in an apologetic tone,“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to block you off or anything. I just…have personal issues, and I’m sure you do too, so I try my best to not impose my problems on to you. I don’t want to be selfish like that.” Alissa nodded and said to Kyle,“It’s ok, I get it Kyle. I’m not trying to pry into your life or anything. Though…that reminds me, the actual reason I came up to talk to you, well…I hope it’s not too nosy or anything. I don’t want to bother you again.”“It’s alright Alissa. Go ahead. What did you want to ask me?” Kyle said to her with an upbeat demeanor despite a tinge of apprehension creeping into him at the prospect of what she might ask. Alissa seemed to sense his growing nervousness and gingerly asked him,“So Kyle, if you don’t mind me asking…it seems every once in a while, you don’t seem yourself.”“What do you mean?” “Well, it seems like, maybe once a month or so, like today for example, you just seem like, spaced out, or aloof or something. Like, you’re unfocused and clumsy, like, more than usual, at least, as far as I’m aware. You get what I’m saying, right?”“Yeah, I know what you mean. I’ll admit, every once in a while, I’m out of it, I guess.” Kyle awkwardly said to Alissa.“Right. Well, I heard around those times when you’re out of it, you seem to disappear for the weekend. Like the rumor I heard is that you go somewhere during the weekend, the campsite in the nearby forest was what they said. I overheard them saying they saw you there once, and they were speculating why you go there by yourself.” Alissa said to Kyle. Kyle suddenly froze up, his anxiety now erupting into borderline panic. “Kyle?” Alissa said worriedly to him when she saw his eyes suddenly widen with seeming fear and shock at what she just said. Kyle shook his head nervously and stuttered to her,“I-I’m fine! Wow, that’s a weird rumor. Where’d that come from? People these days, I swear.”“Did you go there or not?” Alissa said flatly to Kyle with such bluntness that it nearly made him flinch.“Y-yeah…yeah I was there, I guess.” Kyle reluctantly said to her. “so you WERE there!” Alissa said with surprise, her eyes widening in astonishment upon learning about Kyle’s hidden life.“Yeah yeah, I go there. So what?” Kyle said with a harshly dismissive tone in a flimsy attempt to brush off Alissa’s inquiry.“I thought you hated the outdoors?” Alyssa asked him.“Well, I do. I just need to get some fresh air, that’s all. It helps me de-stress and all. I’m not allergic to being outside Alissa” Kyle lied to her.“Yeah I know Kyle, but what were you doing out in the woods?” Alissa curiously asked again as she attempted to probe for the truth.“Just going for a walk really. Sometimes I just have to clear my head. Nothing else works sooo…yeah that’s what I’ve been doing.” Kyle lied again in a haphazard attempt to conceal the reason he was going into the woods. Despite his best efforts however, Alissa’s expression made it apparent that she could tell he was not being completely open with her. Alissa sighed and said to Kyle,“We’ve known each other and talked for a while now and, well, I don’t know how much you trust me or what you think of me. If something is wrong, you can tell me, it’s ok. I’ll keep it a secret between us if it’s personal Kyle, I promise.” Alissa said as she tried her best to reassure Kyle and get him to open up more. Kyle shook his head and responded to her attempt to console him in the most polite, considerate matter he could by saying,“Alissa. I really appreciate you looking out for me, I really do. I’ve never known anyone else besides family who’s worried about me as much as you. Thank you for your concern, but…I’m not ready to talk about it yet, I’m sorry.”Alissa frowned slightly at Kyle’s gentle refusal, but she politely responded to him in her same, cheerful tone, “It’s ok Kyle, I understand. I don’t want to push or pry. I just wanted to make sure you’re ok. If anything ever comes up or happens, I just want you to know, that I’m always here to listen and to offer a shoulder to lean on.”“Thanks Alissa. Thanks for putting up with me. I’m sorry for being such a mess at times like this.” Kyle said with an apologetic tone. Alissa giggled and said to him,“It’s alright! Thank you for letting me talk to you and for listening to me. Whatever it is that’s bugging you, I hope it goes away and that you feel better again. Let’s talk again soon! Kay?”“Y-yeah, sure.” Kyle said to her. Alissa gave him a playful wink and abruptly walked away as she started heading back for the weekend. Kyle stood there and silently brooded over the implications of their recent exchange. Great. Now I have to deal with her butting her nose into this as if I didn’t already have enough on my plate, Kyle thought despondently. He sighed in frustration as his situation grew ever more precarious. I, I don’t know if she thinks of me as a friend or not, but I can’t think of anyone else whom I worry for their wellbeing more than her. I guess that means I care about her a lot, and as much as she might think she’s helping me, I can’t let her get involved any further, she can’t know what’s happening, otherwise, if she’s there after I change, and if I lose control of myself, I…I. Kyle’s thought trailed off as fear gripped him with the icy constriction of iron chains at the prospect of Alissa getting hurt. He could not even fathom having anything bad happen to her in that situation. Just the mere thought of what could happen made him sick to his stomach. Kyle took a deep breath and shook his head as he tried to reassure himself and ease his anxiety by thinking to himself, she has a vague idea that I go out into the woods, but she has no idea when and where. I made it clear enough to her not to pry further, and as long as she honors that and stays away, as far away from me as possible, then she’ll be ok. She’ll be safe from that…other side of me. After convincing himself that he did not have to worry about his friend getting more involved than she should, Kyle decided it was time to start heading home himself and to prepare for what was to come that weekend. He gave one more glance at the nearby woods, his anxiety still present even after convincing himself everything would be ok. He could not shake the growing apprehension of what was to happen to him when that time finally arrived. Every month, he gazed at the forest when the time drew near with the silent hope in his heart that the woods would serve as his cage when his other self broke free. It was late in the afternoon that Saturday as Kyle drove into the gravel and dirt parking lot of the camping area of the local forest. He was a little tired even after sleeping in to make up for a restless night and was running late as a result of sleeping well after noon. He kept waking up during the night drenched in sweat with occasional tear and claw marks on his blanket and bedding. Kyle also noticed during the night that he was growling rather loudly as he roused. Kyle wondered if he had been vocally growling and snarling in his sleep that entire night. It didn’t help that his dreams felt strange and disembodied with him only being able to remember running endlessly through the thick fog of a dark, unrecognizable forest. As he parked his car, Kyle took notice of another car parked nearby in the lot that seemed vaguely familiar. Unfortunately, due to how late it was as a result of oversleeping, Kyle decided he had to forgo setting up the tent and just head out into the forest. As he made his way along the camping grounds however, he was startled by a familiar voice that suddenly called out to him,“ Hey Kyle!” Alissa yelled out as she ran up to him. Kyle’s heart sank when he saw her approaching him.Why is she here?! Kyle thought despondently. “H-hey Alissa! Didn’t know you were here! I didn’t think you were the sort to go camping or something.” “Sorta, I mean I talked with my older sister about it and, uh, I mean, yeah! I love camping! I’m glad I accepted my sister’s offer to take me here. The weather is beautiful this weekend!” Alissa said in a slightly clumsy manner to him. Kyle wasn’t convinced by her poorly framed ruse, but he had no idea what she could possibly be up to. “Well, it’s just as the rumors say! Here you are on the weekend during this month’s full moon, at least according to one of my friends who actually keeps up with a lunar calendar.”“What do you want?” Kyle said brusquely to Alissa. She seemed unfazed by Kyle’s somewhat hostile tone and merely responded coyly,“Oh nothing really. I just thought it was cool we could meet while my sister and I are out on a nice trip like this. It was a neat coincidence, well, maybe not actually since you did already confirm that rumor to me, but at least we can finally just do stuff together instead of just chatting at school!” Alissa said with growing excitement evident in her tone toward the end of her comment. Kyle suddenly felt his breath vanish, and a cramping sensation overtook his head, causing him to keel over slightly. “Kyle?” Alissa said worriedly to him when she saw him suddenly go pale. The very moment he stepped into the forest, Kyle felt a distinct, oppressive hunger gnawing at his conscience, but it was not a hunger specific to wanting food, but a different kind of hunger. A growing desire, an insatiable lust, so many indescribable urges coalescing into the essence of his growing hunger inside him that needled his mind with ever growing strength which relentlessly berated and tormented him as he resisted. His hunger pressured him with an ever growing ferocity to satisfy an unimaginable urge, an utterly bizarre desire that he could only describe as his inner being breaking out of his physical body and vanishing into the forest. Caught off guard by his body’s sudden, intense reaction, Kyle looked around to try and understand what may have triggered it. He took notice of the darkening sky as the sun had just started to set. He could feel his hunger growing ever stronger with every passing minute as it steadily drained his mental state. I don’t have much time left. Kyle thought anxiously. He fretted in his mind at Alissa’s unexpected presence, and Kyle dreaded what would happen if she were present once he changed. Before it was too late, Kyle decided he had to take action.“I’m sorry Alissa. Not today. There’s something I have to do first, and you can’t be there. I know that frustrates you, but I’m not going to argue about this. I promise will spend time tomorrow.” Kyle pleaded to Alissa.“But Kyle, it’s dangerous to go alone into the forest like that. I…I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Alissa said to him with concern in her voice.“I’m sorry, but, just trust me Alissa.”“But…”“JUST TRUST ME!” Kyle yelled at Alissa in frustration, causing her to jump. An awkward moment of silence passed between them as Alissa stared at him with wide, fearful eyes.“Ok…” Alissa timidly said to him as she stood there in shock at Kyle’s sudden hostility.“Thank you.” Kyle said to her in a huff, and then he immediately turned around and started running off into the depths of the forest, leaving her behind. Kyle felt guilty for verbally biting her head off like that, but he reasoned to himself that he had no other choice in quelling her persistence given the seriousness of his situation. He was out of time, and he had to make that loud and clear to her. This was Kyle’s justification, though in the end, he decided internally that he would do something to make up for being harsh towards her. Kyle steadily made his way through the thick brush and foliage of the forest at a brisk pace. He had traveled this route enough times for it to be familiar and routine to him. While Kyle did not think he was overexerting himself at the pace he was going, he nevertheless found himself panting more heavily as the hunger in him grew stronger. He periodically stopped to look around or over his shoulder to make sure Alissa wasn’t following him, then abruptly resumed his trek through the woods. The light started to fade away from the horizon as it became a brilliant auburn color, and Kyle’s breathing became harsh and ragged as his other self slowly started to rouse, clawing at his conscience as its desire to break free slowly awakened. There’s not much time left. I have to hurry. Kyle thought to himself with a sense of growing urgency as he quickened his pace. Finally, he had arrived at his intended destination at a grassy clearing deep within the forest. Kyle chose this place in the forest since it gave him multiple visible landmarks he could use to help find his way back as well as serving as an effective waypoint for exploring the surrounding forest. For good measure, he marked his territory on a nearby, large tree near the outskirts of the clearing with claw marks and his scent. Kyle stopped to catch his breath after finally reaching his destination, but even after several deep breaths, he still felt nearly out of breath as he continued to pant heavily while the desire from the famished beast inside grew more ravenous, growling ever louder inside his mind the longer he continued to resist its release. In a rush, Kyle started stripping off his clothes so that it would not tear or hinder his changing body once it started. He removed one piece of clothing after the other until he stripped himself completely naked, and he placed his clothes in a pile next to the tree he marked. The sensual feeling of the cool air flowing past his exposed skin caused Kyle to lightly gasp as the beast inside now moved with renewed vigor, growling eagerly inside his mind and soul with such strength and volume that he could not tell if it was just his mind or an actual animal growling near him. His breathing became labored, his panting now turning into deep huffs as his heart pounded loudly in his chest. The sky was now nearly dark with the last rays of the fading sun becoming no more than a reddish glow on the horizon, and with each passing minute, his heart beat increased in pace and his huffing became deeper and more ragged. It’s almost time. Kyle thought with mixed emotions of excitement and dread. He slowly walked to the center of the clearing, his breath occasionally catching and stuttering each time the beast clawed at his conscience with growing impatience. He stood silently in the center of the grassy clearing as he prepared for his inevitable fate. I’ve prepared for this as always. I never get completely used to it, but as much as I hate it, as much as I despise admitting to it, I desire this so much. It’s become a part of my life now, and I can’t even imagine living without this, this other part of me, this beast, this animal inside of me. I’m sorry Alissa, I hope you’ll understand that I must release this. When that time of the month arrives, I have to release this core of my being in order to live. Kyle thought to himself as he tried to reassure himself and steeled his nerves in anticipation of the fated time. Kyle had no idea how or why he was a werewolf. He was never bitten by a wolf nor had any strange encounter or anything to ever explain why this would happen to him. He recalled the strange events that had happened to him over the years that had foreshadowed the coming point when his life would change forever. As a young child, he was often told that he sometimes growled in his sleep. In his mid teens, he started having problems with inexplicable tears and what appeared to be claw marks in his bedding. Friends and family remarked that when it was around the time of a full moon, he seemed very restless in his sleep with constant tossing and turning all the while growling as if he was having a bad dream. All those strange events over the years gradually compounded over time and culminated into that one fateful night where the beast inside had finally awakened, and transformed his body and much of his mind into a fierce, feral, wolf beast. Kyle now started to see slivers of luminous rays of moonlight filtering through the trees as the moon gradually began its ascent over the treetops. He raised his gaze to the brilliantly white and silver, full moon as it cast its unearthly light over him. Kyle stared at the shining, celestial orb in a transfixed gaze, then, a sudden wave of heat washed over his body. He cried out as the heat quickly became painfully searing, and his body had become as rigid as stone. A loud howl bellowed out in his mind, then, the wolf inside pounced, his mind momentarily becoming blank as the awakened beast ripped through it, tearing into his soft humanity. Kyle fell to his knees and groaned loudly as he wrestled internally to try and preserve his human mind from being completely devoured by the freed beast. When he managed to muster some control over his thoughts, he cried out again as a violent shudder rocked his body, and he fell onto his hands while beads of sweat dripped from his drenched, burning skin. His torso heaved again, and he found himself groaning uncontrollably as the muscle and bone in his upper back began to flex and contort. Muffled cracking erupted from his back as he felt his spine rise and arch. A slight spasm of pain sparked from his mouth, and he suddenly felt a strange sensation emerge from his canine teeth as if they were falling out, but they were merely extending out of his gums to form his new feral fangs. An ache welled up in his gums as his remaining teeth receded into them while they were simultaneously replaced by sharp, carnivorous teeth. Kyle gasped, wincing as a sudden, stinging pain pierced the tips of his fingers. Dark claw nails punctured the soft skin of his fingertips as his human nails slid back beneath the skin. He grunted as his shoulders hunched and loud, muffled cracks and pops sounded along the length of his back as his spine realigned. He felt the spinal bone arching upwards and pressing out against his skin and tissue, causing the shape of his spine to protrude from the surface of his skin. He shuddered as his back hardened rock solid, then, the entire length of his back convulsed as a loud crack broke the air. He felt his spinal cord suddenly become stretched taut, then the tense muscle fibers eased and his back became loose again as a dull ache welled up from a newly formed nub protruding from his lower back. The release of tension from his newly reformed back spurred Kyle to moan deeply. As viscerally intense and somewhat painful as it was, a slight smile crept onto his face as he continued to moan in pleasure, enjoying the feeling and sensation of his body being slowly changed and altered. His moaning stopped abruptly when a fearful thought jolted his mind. N-no! I can’t enjoy this! At least, not too much. If I embrace this too much, I’ll lose myself completely and won’t be able to come back. He thought to himself as he tried to wrest with his urges in vain. Another sudden convulsion overtook his body, causing him to lose his balance and roll onto his back as his torso spasmed. He groaned loudly as a mind numbingly enormous pressure erupted upward from his chest, prompting him to arch his back and bare his chest out to the night sky in response. Kyle gasped repeatedly as waves of spasms coursed through the muscle tissue and sinews in his chest and abdomen. He grunted and groaned as the pressure continued to mount, powerful surges that felt as if they would snap his rib bones free from his body. Kyle could not explain it, but it felt as if some parts of his bones were segmented, which he could physically feel as quiet popping noises sounded out from his chest as it shook slightly with each release. “A-AAAH!” Kyle cried out as he felt the connective, cartilage-like tissue attached from his segmented rib bones began to stretch and contort with his rising chest, a sensation that felt like sharp, painful cramping or growing pains. His chest heaved forcefully as it guided and reshaped his bones while the muscle sinews and tissues now contracted to form and shape his round, barreled out wolf chest. When the visceral sensations finally subsided, Kyle laid his head back and moaned as he started to feel the various strange sensations of his organs rearranging inside of him. I can’t ever fight this. It’s useless. It hurts when I resist, and it feels good when I surrender. It feels too good for my weak, human self to resist. The way nature handles my body like this, I can’t deny her. He mused in his mind as he continued to enjoy his changing body, parts of his conscience receding into the primal depths of the wolf mind almost out of his own volition. He could feel the familiar, prickling, tickling sensation of hair growing across his body as his pelt started to form. The stinging now touched his toes as claws started to pierce their tips. Spurred on by the sensations of this sudden change, a low growling emerged in his mind. Instead of resisting it, Kyle found himself flipping over off his back and onto all fours, growling vocally as if in affirmation to its call. He growled again as a powerful stretching sensation seized his feet as they steadily expanded to form his wolf hind legs. More cracking sounds sprung from his lower body as his hips and thighs reshaped to form his bestial legs while a subtle pain lingered from his lower back as his tail slowly grew out. The feeling of being on all fours sparked Kyle’s hidden primal desires to flare up and swallow his human mind. He could not stop growling and snarling with each physical, visceral change of his body. Thoughts and memories of his hunting and roaming through the forest swamped his mind, awakening dormant feelings of nostalgia and liberation in his heart. Even when Kyle still feared the animal part of himself taking over him, he found himself welcoming the warmth entering his mind like an old, primitive friend. His hairy hands and feet now begun their change as the fingers and toes devolved into shorter, muscled stubs with his thumb and big toe finger rising above the length of his limbs as it was slowly reduced into insignificant spurs. Kyle gave himself a look over and observed his changed body with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. His body was now fully changed and adorned with a furry pelt colored with a fluid mixture of light and dark brunette hair. Kyle felt a sudden twinge inside his brain, and he raised and dropped his newly formed tail with such childlike glee that his animal side nearly prompted him to bark at it in affirmation. With so much of his body now changed into a bestial wolf, now all that remained of his former human self was his face which would soon fade. Sensing the final change taking place as the familiar stinging, stretching sensation touched his expanding ears, Kyle thought to himself, It’s finally time. No matter how hard I try, no matter how hard I fight it, the physical release from my difficult human life to the simple wolf life, it’s too liberating, too freeing to resist. I forget sometimes that I need this release, that I need to be free, but I don’t want to give up my humanity completely, not my human mind at least. If I’m honest to myself though, I feel like I’m losing that battle. I fight hard to keep part of my human mind intact when I’ve changed, but now, I’ve gotten to a point where I’ve come to accept the animal part completely taking over. I don’t know how or why I’ve become at ease with the possibility of my animal self completely consuming my human soul. I don’t know how it’s come to this.As Kyle brooded to himself in his thoughts with his coming predicament, he became distinctly aware that he was nearly out of time as an intense pressure begun to well up within his face. No, I want this. I can’t deny who I truly am anymore. It doesn’t just hurt physically when I try to resist the change, but it’s hurting me spiritually now too. I’m going to keep trying to preserve my human mind while I’m in my wolf body, but I’m also prepared to let me become my true self. I’m sorry Alissa, my friends, mom and dad, but I’m an animal, a beast…a monster. Kyle cried out as the segmenting in his skull now broke loose, the bone fracturing as his face began to stretch. Intense, earthly smells of the forest filled his nostrils as they flared open with his nose darkening and moistening as it steadily developed on the tip of his expanding face. His mouth ached again as his sharp teeth arranged themselves alongside his growing muzzle. Kyle’s eyes were shut tight in reaction to the barrage of intense sensations permeating his changing face and ears. Prickling sensations now added to the sensory overload as hair grew and coated his face. When his now pointed, triangular ears completed their ascent to the top of his head, it signaled the end of his transformation and his human self. With one final, violent shudder, his newly shaped head cracked into place, and his transformation was complete. Kyle opened his eyes, revealing golden, ancient eyes now in their place with all traces of his former human self gone. Kyle swung his head back and howled towards the full moon in celebration of his rebirth. He bellowed his ancient song of awakening for what seemed like an eternity, then, his howling finally subsided, and he lowered his head back down as he observed his surroundings. His ears twitched as he heard the numerous small animals and insects scurrying through the brush around him. He was eerily silent for a moment, then, a voice chimed out in his silent mind. Feels like I still kept my human mind intact, sort of. Kyle looked around again as he soaked in the now familiar surroundings with his enhanced senses and altered state of mind. Feeling hunger set in, instincts now seized hold of his thoughts, and he thought to himself as the impulses started to take control, it is time I hunt. I must live free. Immediately after this thought, Kyle’s feral heart took control, and he ran off into the forest, bounding gracefully through the darkness beneath the pale light of the full moon. Peering quietly from around a tree trunk at the edge of the grassy clearing, Alissa saw Kyle bounding into the surrounding forest, vanishing into the darkness. She exhaled with a deep, lingering sigh of relief after restraining much of her breathing to shallow breaths the entire time to ensure he didn’t hear her. She sat there on her knees behind the tree motionless with her jaw hanging open and her eyes wide in shock. Did…did what I see, was that real? Did that just happen?! Alissa thought to herself with shock and awe. Alissa could not believe what she had just witnessed. She would have never imagined in her wildest dreams that her closest friend Kyle was actually a werewolf. Just the fact of discovering this secret about her friend shocked her to her very core even more than discovering that werewolves were real. “So this is what he didn’t want me to see.” Alissa whispered to herself as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. She felt somewhat guilty for following him and spying on him the way she did and also felt rather dirty for seeing him naked in a seemingly personal event. Despite her mixed feelings with her actions, she felt relieved to finally know the truth behind Kyle’s strange pattern of behavior. “So my close friend, the one I care about the most, Kyle, is a werewolf…I wonder what I should do now?” Alissa said to herself out loud to help her come to terms with the reality of her discovery. Alissa had not seen any werewolf movies or read into the superstitious lore on them, though she was aware of what they were and how they were typically depicted. Yet, despite their common portrayal as horrifying, murderous monsters, she did not feel a threatening aura from him, even when she could palpably sense his emerging, feral nature. In fact, she found herself feeling even closer to him now that he knew more about the deeper side of his character and soul. Alissa felt compelled to want to comfort his alternate self whom she could tell was suffering from having to hide from the human world however way she could. He’s a werewolf, but he doesn’t look scary. Actually, he looked kinda cute, like a big ole dog or something. Alissa thought amusingly to herself. As she mused to herself on how best to now support her friend with his second life, she could not help but feel increasingly uneasy as the night wore on. She started to wonder how Kyle would respond if he ran into her and discovered she was spying on him the whole time. Alissa felt particularly nervous when she started to wonder how he would react while he was in his feral state considering that her intrusions were upsetting him greatly. Not taking any chances with risking injury to their precious relationship and not knowing for sure the nature of Kyle’s wolf self, she decided to get up and quietly head back to her sister’s camp for the night to think more on it later. “I honestly don’t know much of anything about wolves. After this, I should learn more about them, and I’ll learn more about Kyle in the process.” Alissa said quietly to herself as she stretched herself out after sitting still in a confined space for so long. After loosening up, she promptly started her quiet journey back with thoughts of Kyle’s wolf identity permeating her mind the entire night. The warm rays of the morning light saturated the school grounds in its golden haze as Kyle made his way through the droves of bustling students. While he was walking across the campus to his next class, Alissa ran up to him, waving and smiling at him while carrying a saran wrapped paper plate in her other hand. Kyle smiled and raised his hand to her in response as they approached each other. After a moment of greeting each other, she held up the wrapped plate of brownies she cooked and offered it to him. “I made it myself! I put a lot of work and care into it. I hope you find it good!” Alissa excitedly said to Kyle with bubbly delight. Kyle smiled again and took the wrapped plate of brownies from her.“Thanks! That’s really nice of you Alissa. Man, I’ve never been given a gift like this out of the blue before, um, I hope you don’t find me being weird about it or anything.” Kyle said to her as he graciously thanked her with a tinge of sheepishness in his voice. Alissa beamed at him and nodded silently to him in response. “Hey, about the other day, I’m…I’m sorry for snapping at you like that. That was completely dickish of me to be acting the way I did towards you like that.” Kyle said with remorse to her. Alissa shook her head and said back to him,“It’s ok Kyle. I went too far and just acted like some creepy stalker or something. I shouldn’t have butted my nose in as far as I have, and, to be honest, I made those brownies as an apology for trying to break into your life like that.”Kyle’s eyes widened in surprise, and he said to her in a hurried, apologetic tone, “I-I should be the one apologizing! I know I was being weird, and you have every right to know what’s happening. Why should I chew someone out for merely showing concern for me?”“That’s kind of you to say Kyle, but everyone has their boundaries. I should have known better, and for that, I’m really sorry.” Alissa said to him with her gaze now drooping towards the floor in shame.“Alissa…” Kyle said to her with his words trailing off, unable to find the words to help ease the pain he had carelessly inflicted on her heart. Alissa then abruptly shook her head, shaking off her earlier forlorn expression and smiled warmly again as she happily said to him,“It’s ok Kyle! Even if you did screw up there, you more than made up for it the next day, like you promised. We had so much fun exploring the woods together! It was amazing how knowledgeable you were about the forest. I honestly had no idea you were like that, and I learned so much from it too!”“Y-yeah! I had a great time too! I’ve gleaned a lot about nature during the time I’ve spent with it, and it does honestly feel really good to share all of that with someone. I’m really glad that it made up for me being a prick earlier.” Kyle said to her as he smiled sheepishly with a combination of relief and embarrassment. He then let out a slight sigh of sadness and his cheerful expression faded.“Kyle?” Alissa said to him with a look of confusion.“It’s ok! I’m fine. I Just forgot about something important I have to do later, that’s all.” Kyle said to Alissa in a rather flimsy attempt to reassure her. Her comment about their time camping in the forest last weekend unintentionally triggered his initially buried fear and worry, causing it to rise to the surface for a brief moment. While he did enjoy his time as a wolf, Kyle could never come to fully accept his werewolf side out of a deep seated fear that if he embraced his life as a wolf too much, it would end up overpowering and burying his human side completely. With every transformation he had month by month, year by year, he steadily found his wolf self more intoxicating as the presence of his human mind diminished less and less. With each change weakening his human self further and further, he drew ever closer to his worst fears becoming reality. Kyle’s greatest fear was when that dreaded, fated day would finally come, after he had changed into a wolf, he would not change back into a human again the next day after. On that dark day, his human side would finally die, and he would remain as a feral wolf, forever.To make matters worse, when he had returned to the familiar clearing during his time as a wolf, he had stumbled upon Alissa’s scent. He had no idea if she saw him change or not or if her scent managed to drift all the way to his area somehow, but regardless of how he sensed it, the reaction his wolf side had to it was visceral. He suddenly found himself in a sort of drunken stupor that managed to even overwhelm the human part of his mind. A powerful, primal fire erupted inside of him, and he lost control of his body momentarily when it tried to run through the forest in the direction the scent came from. Thankfully, well before he ran into the scent’s source in his uncontrollable tsunami of his lust, his time as a wolf came to a close, and he started changing back into his human self, his powerful urges immediately abating. The wave of indescribable feelings that came next upon this shocking discovery overwhelmed him. Fear, horror, dread, disgust, repulsion, disbelief, every viscerally, fearful emotion imaginable now tormented him to no end. There was never a time where he feared for Alissa more than any other time in his life. He had no idea what would truly happen if he encountered her while in that state. The unspeakable things his feral self might try to do to her sickened him to his stomach, but even more unfathomable were the thoughts of what would happen if she somehow managed to anger him. He mentally blocked such thoughts from progressing any further as it would cause him to break down and shudder uncontrollably with self loathing. There had never been a time in his entire life where he had felt more than now that he might truly be a monster. Kyle blinked as Alissa snapped her fingers in front of his face in an attempt to break him out of his trance. “Earth to Kyle. What’s wrong? You’re totally blanking out on me dude!” Alissa said to him with growing worry. Startled, he shook his head feverishly and said to her,“S-ssorry. I sorta spaced out there. Didn’t mean to make you worry like that.”With a look of worry still present on her face after Kyle’s unconvincing statement, she sighed and said to him, “Kyle are you sure that everything’s ok? I’m not going to pry, but I’m dead serious when I say that I want to help, any way I can. I promise I’ll honor even the darkest secret you tell me. I swear my life on it.” Kyle found himself slightly taken aback by Alissa’s sudden passion in her last statement. When she saw the odd look he was giving her, she quickly said to him, “I-I mean, you can trust me with a secret. Really! Sorry, didn’t mean to get carried away there with my usual dumb, dorky self. N-nevermind. Forget what I said. I’m sorry for making this weird.” Alissa blushed immediately after awkwardly blurting out her comment.An awkward smile of incredulity crept into Kyle’s expression, and he said in a soft tone to her, “Thank you for being a great friend Alissa. Unfortunately there’s not much you could do to help with my present issues, but as soon as I need your help, I’ll make you're aware as fast as I can. I promise.” Alissa’s expression softened upon hearing his response. She simply said “Ok” to Kyle in affirmation with a gentle nod of her head. “So, I don’t feel like I deserve to eat all of these brownies, but I don’t want to turn down the work you put out for me, so…why don’t we share these together? I think it’s fair that neither of us has the chance to over indulge when we were both screwups in the end, right?” Kyle candidly suggested to her. Alissa’s face suddenly lit up, her eyes widening as a sudden hotness touched her cheeks.“YEAH! I mean, yeah. That sounds great! I’m totally for that Kyle!” Alissa enthusiastically said to him. Immediately after Alissa’s comment, the bell sounded as it signaled the start of class. In a flustered panic, Kyle said distressingly,“C-crap. I forgot about class! I’ll see you after school Alissa!” Kyle said hurriedly to her before running off in a mad rush towards his class as Alissa watched him on, not caring if she was late to her own class or not. When Kyle was out of sight, she whispered under her breath out loud,“I will become your shewolf Kyle. I will be your alpha and omega. I won’t let you suffer being alone any longer. I will always strive to be with you, always.”Immediately after quietly vocalizing her proclamation of devotion, she turned around and started walking off towards her own class as both of them silently grappled with their coming destinies inside their hearts....
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