Ferocious

Chapter 5

The Unravelling

Even before Astro fully woke, he heard voices, the voices cleared and blurred and cleared again, making it not so comprehensive to him as he slowly woke up.

He could make out the words "unusual", "different", "scary", "not unheard of", "powers".

At that last word his eyes flung open, he looked around at where he was and found out that the room he was looked familiar but was still different in a way.

Also things seemed more vivid, the ceiling seemed to be more clear, the walls more smooth and the bed softer,

his senses were raised high, he could feel the softness of the bed soak in through his skin, he could also hear the rustles of insects under the floorboard, as well as smell the fresh aroma of flowers.

He could also detect Sheila's scent along with a couple of other scents that he recognised but chose to ignore,

there was Lucas, Leila, Keith, Sheila's Mother Fraya, and one other high ranked clan head Jose who is in charge of placement after development (this process confirms the development and then places the developed at their rightful form, Bi or Tri, and also to know if its a development with powers or without).

Astro lifted his head up to let them know he is awake only to find himself alone in the room.

'Hmm, where's the voices coming from?' he thought to himself and tried to listen in some more, then he heard light delicate footsteps like that of a stalking predator coming towards where he is, the door opened and Sheila walked in.

"oh you're awake" she stated but with a look of astonishment on her face, he could only wonder why she looked astonished,

Astro raised himself up to a sitting position as Sheila moved closer to sit beside him on the bed.

"we were just discussing about you and I was told to come check on you" she said to him.

"yeah, I heard, even thought you were all in the room" he answered her to which she replied

"no we're actually downstairs... How do you like my room though?" She put in to which Astro's head snapped up to look her face, his mouth hanging open.

"Wow, so this is your room?" He asked as he once again scanned the room seeing why he thought it was familiar, because it was the same building he'd been brought to when he was injured in the werepanthers incident, just a different room.

"yes dummy, and can you please revert? Its eerie seeing your eyes glowing all red like that" she said to him light toned but concerned.

"wait what?" He asked totally baffled but he began to realize why his senses seemed to be all over the place.

"c'mon, follow me and see for yourself" she said as she led him to the mirror in the bathroom.

He followed her but he wasn't with her, his senses were everywhere, he heard something scratching at the ceiling, then he heard footsteps so loud the person seemed to be walking on his head, then he heard flapping of wings, he could hear scrapping, he also heard dragging, he smelled smoke, he could smell soap.

He heard his name faintly, then more loudly as everything suddenly stopped and he became aware of his surroundings again.

"Astro..." Sheila called him again "the mirror" she said as she gestured to the tall wall mirror joined to the hand washing basin.

Astro wouldn't have believed his eyes if they weren't staring back at him,

his eyes glowed red, just the iris, he stepped closer to have a better look,

the whites of his eyes were now black, the iris red with a black dot that is his pupils which kept dilating and constricting as if it were a pulse,

then he panicked.

His breathing quickened and came in short gasps, he slowly started transforming without meaning to, his muscles gradually started bulging slowly as dark lines that would later turn to a fiery color started forming too.

Sheila grabbed him by the shoulder turning him away from the mirror,

"hey, hey! Look at me, you just gotta turn it off, relax, hey just stay calm, ok ok take a deep breath.." She said trying to calm him.

"I....c..c.can't" Astro answered still gasping, his claws had started to come out, extracting really slowly.

Sheila took his face in her hands made him look at her straight in the eyes then she plugged his lips with hers in a deep kiss that made everything that was wrong with the world right again.

Relief flooded Astro, he reverted straight up, then he put his arms around her, one at her back the other behind her head as he deepened the kiss even more.

***

Astro stood tall and poised as Jose (the clan head in charge of placement after development) stood facing him ready to place and assess him.

They were in the Chief of clans yard and present there too were his friends and a couple of clan heads including his Uncle and even the Chief of clan was present.

(This was rare, but what was happening to him was also rare so it had to be like that).

"Ready whenever you are" Jose said to him, then he looked over at where Sheila was standing along with his other friends.

She had calm him down earlier that day, with a kiss no less, she had also explained what he needed to do here.

So he knows what he needs to do, then ever so slowly he started changing, the transformation process really slow and measured as is required of him.

His eyes were closed as he started the change,

His muscles started bulging and his flesh ripped to allow more flesh, his bone structure changed to form that of a werewolf, snout, arms and legs mixed with wolfs features, fur sticking out in bristles dark and slick, till he fully transformed into a werewolf.

Then rather than try to finish the change, he let it keep on going because he felt as if there was still some transformation able to take place, then his legs bone broke suddenly with a loud c***k.

His eyes flung open already glowing bright red as he shouted in pain which came out rather as a growly roar and at the exact same time as he opened his eyes, thunder boomed from the sky and kept on rumbling.

Then more loud cracks followed in succession indicating more bones breaking to reform his body frame and skeleton structure.

Soon he was on all fours and the wolf's features took over completely hiding away the human features and tearing off his clothes from his body.

He turned into a very large full wolf, with fur and mane full and black as night, all four paws on ground with claws extended, his eyes glowing red and faint lines of fiery veins showing in some parts of the wolf's body.

At this point though, Astro could now see differently, more different than when in werewolf form, his sight was now like that of a predator, he could fix his eyes on a far away object and calculate how to get to it, stealthily if requires, his sense of smell was also with more precision.

He felt so much power packed in his wolf body, he felt like he could run thousands of miles without getting tired, he felt he could fight multiple foes on end and conquer them all.

The power was intoxicating and it made him wonder how those who were full wolf biforms could've endured and not give in to the l**t of the power.

He relaxed and calmed his mind, then the thunder stopped rumbling.

He sat on his haunches then Jose proclaimed "I give you Astroluz of the clan Cruz-a-liv, a triform endowed with powers, those powers are yet to be known, but we'll definitely find out what they are".

After he said that the Chief of clan stood up and pathed to Astro "See me at my place as soon as you can",

(pathing is a mental communication that is used with full wolves, in full wolf form words can't be said so instead they path, they speak directly to each others mind) some werewolves have that ability as well but its mainly an ability for full wolves.

After the Chief of clan got his message to Astro, he took his leave followed by the other clan heads, Lucas then came to Astro with fresh clothes so he could revert back to human form.

***

Astro and his clique all hung back together a little while more at the yard, talking about the event that took place not long ago.

"what does the thunder thing mean? I mean there was thunder the first time, but there was no rain and now today again there's thunder and no rain as well, I don't think that's a coincidence, it must be associated with your powers" Leila stated questioningly.

Then Keith added "what about the breaking of his skin in werewolf form, those red lines looking like liquid fire all over his veins and his glowing red eyes, everyone usually has a dull glow of their original eye color, those are really intimidating" he finished with a smirk.

"I think the Chief has something to say about all this" Astro finally said, "he told me to come see him when I can" he finished.

"you shouldn't keep him waiting then, he might really have something to shed light on all this, because every one of the clan heads are tight lipped about it, even Mom isn't saying anything" Sheila said in concern.

"very well then, I gotta go settle a few things at home though, so I'll catch up with you later wherever you are, you're a developed wolf now and I finally got a strong scent of you unlike before" Lucas said taking his leave.

"well I also got some errands, so bye" Keith said taking his leave as well.

"I'd just go with Lucas" Leila said as she followed her betrothed after sharing a kowning look with her twin sister, leaving just her and Astro alone.

"you came out awesome" Astro heard in his head and he discovered Sheila just pathed to him.

"how is that done?" He asked aloud, and this time she answered aloud as well.

"it comes naturally to full wolves, we can't talk while changed so we have that ability to carry our thoughts straight into another's thoughts, its easy and natural, just try talking without speaking out and aim for my mind".

Astro did as she said and after the third trial he finally got the words "you're really beautiful" pathed to Sheila and she blushed at that.

"thank goodness you aren't full wolf biform though, being a triform is like the best that could happen to you too, do you know triforms are rare too, they only come in like one in a hundred" she said to him.

With a puzzled look he asked "why did you say that?".

"Well if you were a full wolf biform we can't be together, we can't ask to be merged and betrothed because we are of the same kind of form, but now that we aren't, we can actually be together" she answered him.

He felt really happy at the thought of being betrothed to her and to also hear her say it.

"I'm glad you want to be with me" he said to which she answered without hesitation "Its you or no one else".

She surprising him so much with that statement he felt joy from deep within.

"I have a question though, why can't those of the same type of form be together?" He asked her trying to ease up the romance tension already building up.

"Well its done to keep the bloods pure, and to keep the birthing random as well as stop power revolts, imagine if those of the same type of form have been getting merged, they'd only give birth to children of their own type of form and a power revolt or civil war might ensue,

See it like this, if full wolves are merged they'd only give birth to full wolves, if werewolves are merged they'd only give birth to werewolves, soon the clan would be divided between families that are full wolf and families that are werewolf, and that can only spell trouble for the clan,

mixing the type of form though ensures both werewolf and full wolf children are born into a family, for a revolt to happen families would have to be separated which is something that can't ever happen that way" she answered at a stretch wisely shedding light to his long term question.

he had a sudden thought to himself 'this is something my parents should've explained to me if they'd been alive'.

Then he said to her "wow you're right, that does makes sense, hmm" then she pecked him on his cheek and said "you really need to go see the Chief of clan now, I'll see you when you're done with him".

He looked her in the eyes as he pathed "okay, see you after, and I Love You" then he took off without waiting for her reply.

***

"Come in" Astro heard in his mind right before he knocked on the Chief of clan's door.

He entered and met his uncle, Fraya, Jose, and Lucas' father as well as the Chief of clan all seated at a table, they'd been waiting for him.

"Have your seat" Fraya said with concern in her voice.

Astro picked up on the tension in the room, it was as thick as butter but not nearly as soft.

He sat and waited, the Chief of clan then spoke to everyone's hearing

"Astroluz, do you believe in repercussions, do you believe in karma, do you believe in consequences that follows actions?" the Chief asked in a way that showed he didn't really need the answers to them but Astro nodded anyways.

Then he continued "you have to understand that we do not consider this to be your fault in any way and we understand that everything that happened had to happen, I'm referring to the incident with the werepanthers".

Now Astro was getting confused, he thought they were here to talk about his being a triform and having unknown powers.

The Chief continued "but you have to know that on that day, you took a life, sent a soul to the nether realm without having undergone development, your own soul was still an open slate, unguarded because you hadn't developed".

Astro couldn't take it anymore, he was getting really scared and his heart was beating hard against his ribcage

"what is wrong with me, my soul, what are you saying?" He asked with a shaking voice.

The Chief held up a hand to calm him then said

"you are a triform, you always have been, that's why your development came late and you could even use wolf senses before you developed, but you weren't meant to have powers, the powers you now have are from the nether realm as a result of your soul which became tainted because of that incident, Astroluz you are a DemonWolf"