Inherent Instinct (In Another Life Part Five)

Chapter Seven

Night came, and Serana woke first, to find Elayn leaning against the mouth of the cave, fast asleep. She almost hated to wake her, but there was no telling how long luring and fighting the Monster would be, and they would need every moment of darkness that they had. Claude carried the deer and when they arrived at the tree in the ravine, they cut it open, scattered the offal, and stuffed it full of the herbs Serana had gathered. While Elayn and Claude sang, she climbed the tree. Salem simply flowed up it like water. There, they sat, watching the two werewolves below.

Elayn, golden even in the moonlight, tipped back her head and sounded a howl clear as glass, that sent shivers up Serana's spine. Claude, red-furred and huge, joined her, and for a moment Serana felt the song of the moon that Elayn had told her about once. It was beautiful, nearly bringing a tear to her eye.

Then the moon, a sliver in the sky, turned blood red. Birds flew from the trees to the east, calling raucous warnings.

Claude was the first one to change his form and start up the tree. Elayn was quick to follow him, but almost not quickly enough; a massive, furry shape barreled through the trees, a shadow with red eyes that skidded to a halt as it saw something. Elayn made it to a branch just below where Serana perched, and all of them held their breath as the Monster started sniffing.

Either Salem's magic was as effective as they hoped, or the Monster was quickly distracted by the carcass below the tree where they hid. Either way, it didn't start attacking the tree to get to them, and instead began devouring the deer. Elayn's hand, which gripped the branch Serana was on, clenched so tight her knuckles turned white, and Serana reached down to put her hand over hers.

The wet ripping and tearing sounds seemed to stretch on for hours. The moon, still bloody, was starting to go down in the sky when the Monster finally finished. Serana held her breath as the Monster looked left, then right, as though deciding. It took a few steps to the second direction, before its paw gave out under it, and it slid to the ground.

Elayn let go of the branch long enough to pump her first. She started to slide down the trunk of the tree, but Serana stopped her with a sharp wave of her hand. They should wait a moment, just to be sure the herbs did their job.

Several pulse-pounding moments went by, before Claude cursed and started down the tree. The others followed him quickly, to stay in the shadows of Salem's magic, and as soon as his foot touched the ground, Claude was changing shape. He stalked over to where the Monster slept, then--

And the Monster woke, fangs flashing, catching him in the shoulder.

–—————

It was funny, how time could slow to flow like molten glass just as things were going wrong. It seemed an eternity as Elayn halted her change when her eyes caught movement from the Monster, as the beast reared up and bit into Claude. It was so huge that it stood and Claude's legs dangled limply in the air. With a shake of its head, it tossed him aside, and slowly turned to Serana.

Something had been brewing in Elayn's chest from the moment the Monster came into view. It was a pressure, hot and fierce, that made her want to scream from its intensity. Intensity that pounded more fiercely with every second that passed, that surged to a boiling point when the Monster grabbed Claude. But when it turned its gaze on Serana? The pressure broke, and her head fell back as a scream tore her throat. The cry became a howl as her muscles stretched around a frame of her bones breaking and reforming into new shapes. Time grew meaningless as the red haze descended, and she only knew her enemy.

An enemy that now looked at her with contempt scrawled across its face. It roared in her direction, and Elayn felt the redness expand, until it all but eclipsed her vision.

Except… She wasn't all gone. Not like the last time. There was still a piece of her, buried deep but shining clearly, that would not be distracted. The blood called her to a frenzy, but she did not answer.

Instead, she leapt at her enemy.

This form that the Beast Master had forced her into had the strength of her four legged form and the mobility of her two legged. And she was fast, which she hadn't noticed the last time she took this shape. The Monster was too, but not quite by a hair. As she flew through the air, the Monster darted to the side, and her teeth clipped together through empty air. The Monster dove in to snap at her when she landed-- only a split second too slow, and Elayn was springing clear as soon as her clawed and distorted hands touched the ground. She took a controlled tumble that brought her back up to leap at the Monster's back, heel impacting its forehead as she jumped. She twisted when she hit, digging her claws into its fur and flesh so she could pivot and land her jaws around its neck. She bit down hard, feeling skin give way and blood rush over her tongue.

It wasn't enough. She didn't get a good grip of its spine, and so was thrown when the Monster reared up with a roar to toss her off.

When she landed, it was hard, against the trunk of a tree smaller than the one they had hidden in. The impact knocked her senseless for a moment, and in that moment the Beast rushed in on her. She threw up an arm, which it latched onto at the bicep, and screamed when it jerked its head from one side to the other. Her arm didn't come off, but just barely, and she nearly lost herself to the red again in the agony that followed. In retaliation, she swung her other arm and clawed at the Monsters face, and it released her with a bellow of pain. Red bled down its face, obscuring its vision, and it shook its head hard to clear its eyes while Elayn gathered herself for another attack. The arm it had grabbed wasn't responding, but she only needed the other, and her teeth.

She attacked again, throwing everything she had at the Monster, feeling a thrill of success when her jaws closed around the Monster's vulnerable throat. She ripped and shredded with her teeth, holding on until it fell to the ground. On top of her.

When she regained consciousness, Serana was shoving desperately at the corpse of the Monster, yelling something. “-- it Elayn, you'd better not be dead, I will kill you if you're--”

Claude, who Elayn didn't notice until he spoke, approached. “If you give me a moment,” he said, sounding strained. “I can help you free her.”

Serana didn't say anything, which told Elayn how worried she was. She just couldn't do anything about it, too stunned from the pain wracking her body. Eventually the two of them managed to haul the incredibly heavy carcass off her, and she finally sucked in a lung full of breath.

“Oh thank the spirits,” Serana whispered, falling to her knees to pull Elayn's twisted form into her arms.

She found enough strength in herself to grunt in pain, and Claude said, “Carefully. We heal fast, but not that fast. What in heaven's name is she?”

“I'll explain later,” Serana told her. “We need to get her somewhere safe.”

Claude was explaining the way to his pack's den, then he leaned down and hauled Elayn over his shoulders, and the pain made her slide into blackness.