Howling at the Moon - [A Werewolf Adventure]

David, meet Goliath; Goliath, David (Auron)

"YES, HA! Eat it!" Tamara slammed her fist down on my fingers as if we were 'dapping' each other up. Except I wasn't 'dapping' her back. In fact, I wasn't even amused. I gave her a blank look as she danced her way around me and pointed, "Looks like I get to sit my butt right over there, get comfortable and watch my best friend whoop up on some wolf ass."

"Shut up Tamara before I kick you in the shin," I grumbled, readying myself for a shift.

"Ah, come on man, we have faith in you," Darion encouraged. I blew air between my lips as Lore walked to greet me.

"I swear if you touch me, I'll rip your beating heart from your chest and piss in the cavity that used to be your cardiac organ." Lore was slightly taken back and I could see it.

"Touchy, touchy," he said pouting a bit. "Fine, I won't touch you, child but if you would, please step forward and choose your opponent." He gestured with his hand towards the men who stood in a queue shoulder-to-shoulder. "Quite exquisite, is it not?" He smirked.

I mumbled, "Whatever that means, asshole uncle o' mine," I scowled.

"Auron, when did you become so hostile, so... violent? I'm sensing some animosity. What's wr-," I cut Lore off from his obvious and painful obliviousness with a strong growl. The best thing? I hadn't even shifted. I was still has human as the person next to me. Then again...

I could sense the changes of the mood of the crowd. The men across from me had shifted weight to different foot uncomfortably, except one. Behind me, even Tam and Darion had stirred a bit.

"Besides the fact you mur-" I began but I broke out into growl. I dropped my knees, sinking in the dirt as if I weight a ton. I drooped my head over the ground, the only thing stopping my face from planting in the ground were my hands. My hairy, black, grey and white hands. I was beginning to shift from rage. And it didn't hurt. Not one, bit.

From the corner of my eye, Lore took a few steps back, clapping as he did. "Well lady and gents, seems as if we have a show."

I shot a look over to him as the bridge of my nose flattened and extended, combing with my mouth. Fur seeped its way through my rough skin. My entire body re-sized itself. Organs flushed and reappeared in new areas. Bones joined in with others and new, fresh ones sprouted out. Teeth erupted from my saliva coated gums, a lot sharper than I last remember. Ears, padding beneath my paws and a tail all followed soon enough.

Inhale.

My heart pumped red wolf blood that circuited in my veins.

Exhale.

Senses sharpened. I could smell every distinct scent of everyone around me. I could hear their breathing, shallow and shaky, their heart rates rising. Deep into the woods where we fled from, I could see a butterfly perching on a branch as it slowly shook it's royal blue wings, black edgings and yellow markings that seemed to resemble a crooked smiley face.

I shook my mane and glared at Lore. I huffed a disrespectful at him, which he waved off, and turned my attention to the turds in front of me. I scanned through them, picking out flaws, noticing detentes in their bodies that would be of a slight advantage to me. Then, I spotted one who I thought I could easily rip apart. I bared my teeth at him and looked back at Lore knowing he would understand seeing as how developed and advanced he is as a wolf.

He raised an eyebrow, completely quizzical. "I'm not exactly sure if I'm understand you quite correctly but you don't want the weakest one?" I heard a swallow from the man I was referring to. Lore rubbed his chin to the side of his head and back to his chin before continuing. "Raul, step aside. Return to  the crowd." 

The so called 'Raul' hesitated at first and then stepped forward staring straight at me. I tilted my head. That literally annoyed me and to show it, I barked a grizzly bark, spit leaving my mouth.

Lore, amused, rushed Raul. "It would be wise to get the hell back there before he chews you up and you wind up looking like an empty tube of toothpaste." He shooed him off with a hand half hearted.

I wanted to turn Lore's skin into a fur coat more than anyone there but that made my tail wag and as soon as I realized it was, I immediately thought dark, grim thoughts which were successful in the cease of my unexpected, minor happiness.

Raul lowered his head and turned on his heels walking back to the edge of the clearing, the guy standing next to him patting his shoulder as he left.

"Then, If I'm not mistaken, Auron would like to challenge the big brute and I do believe the baddest of them all currently here would be-" Lore proudly stopped his sentence as a man took three steps forward, rolling his neck and popping bones as he did. 

"It'll be more than a pleasure to snap your neck. By the way, the name's Dom," with no more introduction than that, he began his shift.

Inhale.

Exhale.