(MxM) Tales of a Shifter (P4)- The Blood

Chapter 40 - History

Chapter 40

Brandon woke up and instantly wanted to shatter apart.

The core of his body was on fire.

Brandon screamed slightly, as he clawed at his clothes. Clutching at his pulsing body and the searing stabs in his stomach and pressed his face into the bed.

He couldn't see anything. Or feel anything except for the sever hunger pain that resembled having his inner organs eviscerated by box cutters then doused in salt for good measure.

The Flame seared him.

It hurt.....enough said.

With a small sense of desperation Brandon began to open his mouth and call out for Ezekiel. He only called once or twice, before he hiked and smothered his voice in the bed. His entire body clenched on a scream.

A small part of Brandon knew better then to long for any physical comfort. But a larger part of Brandon couldn't help wishing that his Guardian would reach out, and touch him, and give him something to focus on instead of the Flame.

But after a long few minutes of silent suffering Brandon quickly realized that Ezekiel had left the room.

Somehow the knowledge that he was gone made the pain more intense....but Brandon was also relieved beyond words.

He was weak and he was getting weaker every day. The Flame was so strong. Stronger then him.

Brandon used to go months without feeding but, simply going more than a few weeks without eating fresh energy was now becoming as agonizing as starving himself for months on end.

Truthfully....Brandon knew that after he ran away from the Alchemists and stopped devouring people the Flame seemed to withdraw into a dormant state.

Oh, it was still quite strong and ravenous...but it also seemed weaker. The Fames Will seemed weakened by its lack of constant food, but this by no means made the pain or the hunger entirely manageable.

Now there had been a dramatic change in the way that the Flame was behaving and it was all Brandon's fault. Because Brandon had been feeding the Flame.

First Brandon had mistakenly feed on the dying Leopard Child at the Clan Celebration. Then Brandon had fed on a Ghoul using his bare hands to bring one of the lethal beasts to the brink of death....and finally Brandon had even mistakenly allowed the Flame to feed on Ezekiel when he had given Ezekiel his blood to save his life.

Normally Brandon had stayed far away from anything humanoid during his travels.

He had avoided both humans and Shifters like they were the plague. Choosing instead to use his powers only to help him hunt and kill wildlife.

Most of the time Brandon had hunted small. Bunnies and birds. Simply because, in a vindictive way, he enjoyed only allowing the Flame to eat the smallest amounts of energy that it could suck down.

He liked hurting the flame. He liked hurting himself. He deserved the pain.

But living with the Leopards....with Ezekiel, had presented Brandon and the Flame with a lush hunting ground of energy and temptation.

And unfortunately Brandon had slipped up. Now...the Flame was strong once more. IT was stronger than him.....and it was only getting stronger. Brandon secretly feared that strength. He feared what he would become or what he would do....once the Flame was too powerful for him to control.

Still with the prospect of being in agony and weak as a baby Brandon knew that he had to feed. On something. On anything. But....he simply had to feed.

Not because he feared the pain or because he wanted to wanted to run from it. Cold hard logic was all that he cared about.