Arcanum

Chapter 39: Lucas

Two months...
Two months in this damn territory and yes, I've learned a lot. About crystals, the people here, and Dodger.
Turns out Dodger is a prince from this land. But he was chased from it when catori rebels tried to kill him. Dodger simply lost his memory after a small incident when he fell from a cliff, and hit his head a couple times on the way down.
But staying this long in the territory, and having no crystal that can transform me into a catori, can drive me a little insane.
My father is probably the only man that has kept me sane. Him and his stories of his time as a general, and a renegade.
With last resort before I go back to the catori, we trapped a man and demanded him to spill. Turns out there is an old lady that knows of all crystals in this land. I could ask her to tell me if there really is a crystal that can transform me.
The people here are actually quite peaceful. It also helps that Dodger is their lost prince. Dodger sat on his own horse with a lot more confidence now.
"How far is the old lady?" My father groaned. I had noticed my father's obvious thinness. I was getting worried that he was getting older, but I guess it happens to every human.
"I think a hour from now." I said, and looked at Dodger, who nodded.
I looked back ahead, and heaved a sigh. It's been so long since I've felt the warmth Aiyana has given me. Sure, a lot of girls have flirted with me here, but I only measly ignore them. They're not Aiyana after all. I also don't want the mess that happened with the human princess to happen again.
We finally got to a small village. I asked a lady if she knew where the old lady was, and she pointed to an odd tiki. I said my thanks, and led us over to the tiki. As soon as I opened the flap to enter though, a wrinkled face poked out in front of me, and I jumped back.
"The crystals told me you were coming." The lady said to me, and I glared at her. Oh great, another old lady off her rocker.
"Enter!" She commanded, and went back inside. We all exchanged glances, and entered.
The tiki was amazing on the inside though. Crystals glowed from every corner. She didn't even need a fire. The crystals raw power was more than enough. In fact, I pulled off the long cloak I had over myself. It was pretty useful for containing heat, and it kept people away from me.
"Now, what piece of knowledge do you require?" The lady asked as she sat down. We all sat down too, and my father and Dodger looked at me, waiting. I silently gulped, and looked at the old lady.
"I need a crystal to turn me into a catori." I said to her, and she laughed loudly. We all stared at her quizically.
"Silly boy. A crystal isn't what turns catori into animals." She said and then got up and went to grab a book, obviously not used in a while by the amount of dust blown off it.
"Instead, it's a curse casted by a witch long ago. The curse was meant for just one human though. Of course, the daft thing bred with others, and soon it created an entire race and caused all the conflict." She explained, and I stared in shock. So.. It wasn't some type of magic casted from a crystal? Instead it was.. An ancient curse? I begun to feel a little wary. Until I remembered why I wanted this curse in the first place.
"Please give me the curse." I said to her, and her eyes widened.
"Are you sure, young boy?" She asked, and I felt slightly irratated by how she treated me like a small boy, but nodded.
She frowned, but went over to a big trunk. She pulled out a vial of some weird liquid, and she handed it to me. I stared at it strangely, but downed it. Almost immediately, I fell back and felt things go dark.
"Wh-What did you give me?" I snarled as I tried to stay conscious, but the liquid was far too strong, and I fell into the darkness.
~weird time skip to when Lucas wakes up~
I felt awful.
No, sick, twisted, and just... Not right.
I forced my eyes open, and was horrifide to find the same wrinkled face as before, right in front of me. Instincts kicked in and I aimed to hit her, but she was far quicker than she looked.
"Hazzah, you're a catori." She said, trying to sound enthusiastic, but failed.
"What are you on?" I groaned, and looked over at my dad and Dodger, who both had their jaws open.
"What are you staring at?" I asked, and stood up, but nearly shrieked when I felt something pull at my lower back. I immediately turned to inspect it, and froze. Fur? A tail?!
I shot up, and ignored my stiff bones and examined the tail.
It was the same tail that I had when I used the disguise. A black, wolf tail. Quite a big one too.
I slowly reached up, and was almost dumbfounded to feel two wolf ears on my head.
"L-Lucas you're a wolf?!" My father shouted at me, and I looked at him in fear. Now that I'm actually a catori, I felt weird. Nimble, strong, and wise.
"To transform, you have to concentrate inside yourself, and imagine a wolf running, sitting, and doing all these different things." The woman explained, and I nodded and closed my eyes. I concentrated hard on those thoughts, and soon I could hear my dad shouting curses and such.
When I reopened my eyes, everything was black and white.
I found myself on all fours, and I looked down at myself to see fur everywhere, and paws!
I looked at a mirror, and saw a black wolf with red eyes staring back at me.
"Whoa.." I whispered, and thought of my human self to turn back. I stood up, and looked at the lady with joy. Now I could marry Aiyana, and be a true catori.
"Thank you old lady." I bowed to her, and looked at Dodger and my father.
"Alright we must get back home asap." I said and walked out and pulled my cloak over myself and pulled the hood over my head, and smirked. It was sorta awkward with the ears now, and it hurt for a moment to sit on the horse, but it must be something to get used to.
I whipped the reins, and raced the horse towards the renegade's territory.