Unnatural Instinct: Transform

30.

You flood with relief. It's just one of the winged men—the dark one. He's carrying in another tray of food, looking at you with his eyebrows raised. You flush and lower your eyes, not sure whether to feel more embarrassed by your transformation, your nudity or what he must know you and Rush got up to last night.

You glance at the bed. It's a mess, the sheets all twisted up, pillows on the floor. Had he heard the roaring? You can even smell the sex. Can he smell it too? Feeling Rush's semen crusted up between your thighs, you squeeze your legs together.

If he notices, he doesn't say anything, turning away to put the tray on the desk. Your stomach growls.

'Where's Rush?' you say.

He turns around. 'On an errand. He should be back shortly.'

'Oh.' You force an uneasy smile.

'You've made him very happy,' he says.

You try to broaden your smile but it falls flat.

'Don't be afraid of who you are.'

'How can I not be?' You choke on the words as your throat promptly swells with tears. 'Look at me.' Biting your lip, you turn away, unable to bear his eyes on you anymore. You're suddenly compelled to grab onto your horns, as though for comfort, before snapping your hands away again. Instead, you claw your fingers through your hair.

'I am, and I think you're perfect.'

You snort and shake your head.

'You are one of the last of your kind,' he continues. 'Just like me.'

You turn to him in surprise. 'You're the last?'

He nods. 'My brothers and I. Our master—Rush—' he twists his mouth, clearly uncomfortable with saying his name—'saved our lives.'

'Saved you from whom?'

His eyes drift to the windows behind you.

'People?' you say.

His mouth thins. 'Humans—they destroy everything, the trees, the skies, the oceans, but most of all anything that is not like them.' He turns his eyes back to you, and they're dark with rage. The tops of his clawed wings arch over his head in a way that makes you take a step back.

'Demons, they call us. Monsters.' His wings start to open, spreading out from his shoulders. 'They hunt us, torture us, murder us; they keep us in cages. And they think they do right. They have the gall to think they do right!' He laughs darkly, then narrows his eyes. 'Look at me. What does your human side think of me?' His wings continue to spread, like a shroud of darkness that fills the room. 'If you think yourself so unworthy, what must you think of me?'

'I-I-—'

His wings have reached their fullest breadth now and they make the room feel small. His dark skin almost blends into them, making him seem more shadow than man. His eyes are bright. He might be scary but you can't deny his magnificence.

Like Rush.

Like you.

A tear trickles down your cheek. 'I'm sorry. I didn't know.' And you're not exactly sure who you're apologising to. To him? To Rush? To yourself?

He sags. The dark look in his eyes fades away as his wings start to lower. 'He saved us as you saved him. We owe you much.'

Folding his wings at his back, he turns to leave. You want to say something more, to have him stay a little longer, but the door booms shut and you're left alone again.

That cold feeling returns and you grip onto yourself with a shiver. Agitated, you pace the room. Where is Rush? Should you go out and look for him? But where to start?

You glance over at the tray the winged man left behind but you no longer feel hungry. Fear is like a poison, leaching out any normality in your system. You shiver again as that cold feeling in your stomach turns icy.

And it's definitely fear you feel. It's like you're having an anxiety attack without knowing why.

'What's going on?' you say as the grey light deepens to black.

You're starting to tremble. Spinning around, you hurry back to the window. The hair on the back of your neck stands up. What is that? Stars—it looks like a row of stars bobbing in and out through the canopy of the forest. You squint, trying to figure out what it might be, but you can gather nothing more. All you know is that you're starting to panic now.

Finally, you can't take anymore and you hurry to the door. Before you can open it, you hear heavy footsteps coming from beyond. They're familiar but harried. Something's wrong. You fill with dread.

You step back, giving him space as he crashes through the doors. It's the winged man, breathless and pale. 'We must leave,' he says, seizing onto your arm.

'What?' Startled, you try to yank your arm away.

'My brothers—they're dead.'

Your stomach flips. 'What?! What do you mean?'

He pulls you over to the window. 'The humans. The humans have killed them.' Gripping the window ledge, he glares at the bobbing lights. 'And we're next.'

You watch the row of stars and suddenly realise what they are—lights, from torches or phones ... or fires. 'What? How? Why?'

'Do they need a reason?!'

You turn cold. 'What about Rush? Where's Rush?'

Shaking his head, he seizes your arm again. 'All I know is is that we made a promise to protect you if anything should happen.' His forehead creases. 'Even if my brothers are dead.'

'I can't leave him. I can't leave Rush!' You yank against his grip, but despite your change, he's as strong as you are.

'You have to. You must! Once the humans are on to us, they won't relent. Why do you think my master resides in a castle like this?' His eyes flash. 'Fear drives them. Hate compels them. They'll stop it nothing to burn us down.'

'But why are they onto us at all?'

'The buck—their buck. You killed it.'

Your eyes widen. 'He told you about that? But I didn't kill it! And why should that matter anyway?'

'It's their forest. Their meat. It was gored by a boar and eaten by human hands. They know something lives in this castle. Something inhuman. Something that could eat their children ...'

But you don't eat them do you?

Not lately.

You clutch at your throat. 'So it's my fault?'

You remember how Rush had scanned the forest anxiously after your transformation. We should go back. It's dangerous for us out here.

Had he known even then the chaos you were to cause?

You jump at the sound of a dreadful crack! It's come from somewhere outside—and it's close.

'Rush!'