Sinner

Part 8 Acceptance

Gasping, I bend in half, clutching my abdomen tightly and trying to ride out the wave of craving. Gritting my teeth, I squeezed my eyes closed tightly and hastily thought about other matters nothing to do with food, meat, or flesh. But the craving does not go away. Instead, it grows stronger. My canines sharpen and I taste blood as it cuts the inside of my lip. My peripheral senses detect Keenan crouching and approaching me slowly from the side, cautiously creeping closer. His nearness seems to make all alarm bells go off in my body.

I want kill, to claw my way through the skin of a prey. I crave the smell of blood, and warm raw flesh in my mouth. These horrible thoughts circle my mind endlessly, almost driving me crazy. No. No. No. I don't want to kill anything. I don't want to feed on blood and raw flesh!

When I feel a touch on my shoulder, I glare at Keenan through narrowed eyes, and the beginnings of a low growl leaks out of my lips. My lips bare, exposing my clenched teeth to warn him off. Hugging myself tighter like a wound spring about to explode, I keep reminding myself I'm human. I'm not going to give in to these insane urges. They're temporary. They will pass. They Must pass.

Rocking back and forth like a panicked child, I can feel my emotions and control spiraling out of control. My skin feels tight, like it is about to rip open. A hot tide of rage flows through me, rapidly followed by a tsunami of hunger for flesh. A new wave of bloodthirst rips through me, making me arch backwards. A long shriek erupts from me as I desperately seek to bring my emotions under control.

My nails extend into sharp points and turn into claws which gleam black. Still hugging myself, they dig into my flesh. Raising my arm to my eyes, a caged animal seems to prowl under the thin layer of skin. The surface of my skin ripples madly. It stretches out, rises, bulges and sinks, like the surface of water. It is terrifying to watch. I screech in horror as I see myself turning inhuman.

A black mist wafts around me, engulfing me and making it difficult to breathe. Bones pop and re-arrange, causing excruciating pain and I bow my head in abject agony. I can feel my nasal bones lengthening. My jaw bones extending outwards. Gasping for air, I pant shallowly to minimize the pain radiating from my bone joints. My claws dig deep into the cushions. I want to slash my claws at someone, scratch my skin off my bones, do anything, to relieve this pain, this bone-crushing pain. I gnash my fangs at Keenan who is restraining me with his strong arms around me, effectively trapping my arms against my body.

Without warning, my skin splits and I howl in agony. Fur erupts from beneath the skin, covering me from head to toe. My back jerks forward and with a final audible 'pop' as the last bone slides into place, all the pain immediately stops. As if someone flicked a switch.

Pushing myself upright, I look down and see that I am crouching on all fours. Instead of hands, I see paws and forelegs covered in thick brown fur. Shreds of my clothing lay scattered over the floor. Angling my head, Keenan still has his arms around my neck, holding me in place should I run or swat at him.

Looking at me worriedly, he nuzzles his face into my neck before pressing his nose to my muzzle. I sniff the air, acclimating to new smells previously gone unnoticed with my human nose. Food, something spicy, the woods, the floral smell of camellias, and most importantly, the scent which keeps drawing my attention back repeatedly to Keenan...Pack.

Turning my head, I can't resist nuzzling my muzzle against his neck and lick his face. He laughs in surprise and with a tinge of joy. Releasing his stranglehold on me, he pats my head affectionately, "Congratulations, Kelly. It seems you survived your first change without much fanfare and ill-effects. Shall we go for a run?"