furwith

Fur and Fangs

The tall, green-eyed ex-pilot stretched his well-toned arms towards the ceiling and yawned. He fell back against the bed he�d occupied for the night, his eyes searching the room dully. Nothing had changed since he�d gone to sleep, and it didn�t surprise him. No one had bothered them since they�d stopped fighting. He was just getting used to it, but his attention remained razor sharp. His friends said he was too jumpy, but it was hard to change something you�d known all your life. Even his girlfriend believed he should relax more. The thought of her made him smile and roll onto his side. A beautiful brunette lay on the bed beside him; her gray -green eyes were still closed with sleep. He had met Amber two years after he�d become a Gundam pilot; they�d been friends long before Trowa had loved her. He leaned over and left a soft kiss on her lips before pulling away. He�d let her sleep for a while longer; after all, they were on vacation. The wilderness cabin that Heero had gotten proved to be a better get a way then any of them had suspected.
Trowa tossed his long legs over the side of the bed and pulled himself to his feet. Striding down the hall, he could hear one of Duo�s obnoxious jokes filtering from the kitchen. That meant that some one else had to be up listening to him, though it may not have been by their own will. The longhaired pilot had always had a sense of humor that no one else could quite understand; even the bloodshed of many battles could not drive away his love for fun and games. At least it had been assumed no one could understand, but Duo went and proved them all wrong when he fell in love with a fiery redhead that appeared to have a carbon copy of his humor. He pushed open the swinging door that separated the kitchen from the rest of the cabin; it waved itself shut behind him.
Sitting across the oak table from the brown-haired American was the ever patient Quatre. He smiled as Duo�s joke came to a close, ��And the moral of the story is, always look both ways before crossing the road.� The pale Arabian let out a small laugh as well as another smile, �That�s a good one Duo.� Jess�s sweet laughter held out longer than Quatre�s had as she looked up at her lover with bright emerald eyes, �I liked that one!� He grinned down at the pilot in his lap and gave her a kiss that anyone could recognize as more than a simple lip touch. Duo turned his deep cobalt eyes onto the silencer once he�d broken away from his girlfriend�s partially open mouth, �Morning! Do you wanna hear my ne�� He cut himself short, his gaze resting on Trowa�s shoulder. Pilot three completed the few strides it took to reach the fridge and opened it up, �No Duo, I don�t want to hear your joke, I�m not in the mood.�
Nothing in the cooler appeased his rolling stomach so he shut the door. Standing on the other side was Duo. Not hearing his approach, Trowa jumped seeing him there, �Damn it Duo, don�t do that! You know, you�re going to get yourself shot sneaking up on people like that.� He snarled this in Maxwell�s face, his anger suddenly hard to control. Trowa pulled away, surprised at his own outburst, he was not one to lose his temper so easily. Duo didn�t seem to take his threat into heed; he was still staring at the silencer�s bare shoulder, �Trowa, what the hell bit you?� He began to push past him, �Ha ha, funny. I thought I told you I wasn�t in the mood for jokes.� Death of Darkness caught his arm; all the humor had gone out of his voice, �I�m not joking with you. Look!�
He pulled his tall friend into the hall bathroom that they all shared. Flicking on the lights, Trowa realized that it was no joke. A semi-circle of jagged gouges ringed his pectoral muscle, on closer inspection he found each gouge to be a tooth mark. Considering the size the animal would have to be to make such a large bite, he quickly determined that it was to big for any normal creature to make. Nothing that lived in the forests around the tiny cabin could have possibly managed it.
Quatre appeared in the doorframe of the already crowded bathroom followed shortly by pilot seven. �What is it Trowa?� The noble�s eyes grew soft, not waiting for the answer to his first question; �Does it hurt?� Trowa shook his head as he examined his wound, a look of disbelief dominating his face, �No, but I don�t know why.� Duo peered at it curiously, �It looks like a wolf bite, but how did a wolf get in the house?� No one said any thing in reply. The wound had slight amounts of dried blood around it, but not as much as what was expected with such large gouges. As Trowa looked into the mirror, things began to spin slowly and a steady throbbing began in the back of his head. He gripped the counter to keep his balance, but the room was moving to fast. Briefly, he saw Duo say something to him, but the words he couldn�t grasp. The floor rushed suddenly towards him and everything went black.

Duo caught his comrade as he plunged down to the floor; he looked up at Quatre in shock. Jess took a step forward and questioned, �What happened to him?� The sandy haired ex-pilot knelt next to the unconscious teenager and placed his hand on the other�s forehead. �He might have picked up something through that bite,� His expression creased itself into deep concern, �He�s warm, lets get him into bed.� The dark pilot nodded the tail of his lengthy braid twitched with the movement. He readjusted his grip on Trowa�s wide shoulders and helped Quatre carry him back into his room. On the way, they passed a still groggy Heero. He frowned when he saw them coming, �What happened to him?� They moved past him to Trowa�s door, Jess answering his question as they went, �We aren�t quite sure. He woke up with a weird bite this morning and Quatre thinks he caught something �cause of it.� Quatre went on, to explain what she�d left out, �A person can easily retract diseases from animal bites, I�m pretty sure that�s what he got.� Amber was just climbing out of bed when they entered; she sucked in her breath when she saw them, �Trowa? What�s wrong with Trowa?� The explanation was given again as the pilots carefully laid the unconscious youth on the bed. Pilot six crossed the room to where her backpack lay and pulled a first aid kit from it. Upon seeing the syringe that Amber would use for rabies treatment, Duo decided to take his leave.
Death of Darkness put a comforting arm around Jess�s waist and led her down the hall, pondering all that had happened. �How on earth did something that big get inside of the house unnoticed and bite Trowa without him waking up?� Duo startled when Heero answered from behind them, �It�s possible that there�s an entrance it�s using that we don�t know about, as for not waking Trowa up, he�s the heaviest sleeper out of us all.� Pilot two nodded grimly as he took those facts into consideration. It made sense but it wasn�t quite along the lines of Duo�s thoughts. His thoughts were whispering more about men that changed into wolves in the light of the moon and how their legacy thrived through bites and scratches. He squeezed his lover tighter and pushed the ideas away.

It was nearly dark when Trowa began to stir. Amber replaced the cold washcloth on his head to help keep his fever down, �Evening hansom, gave me quite a scare.� Much to her concern, it had remained high and never managed to break. The silencer moaned and rolled onto his stomach, his face contorting with pain. Pilot six noticed this and sat down on the bed next to him, �Trowa?� He curled up tighter around himself; the pain of his organs shifting position came close to unbearable. A light fur began to spread down his back, but this was hidden under the heavy wool blanket that covered him. Amber reached over and grasped her boyfriend�s trembling shoulder to roll him onto his back, �Tell me where it hurts Trowa, maybe I can figure out what�� Sharp pain in her shoulder stopped her from saying more. The animal that ground its teeth into the ex-pilot was no longer the tall green-eyed teenager he�d been but moments before. Amber repressed a cry of pain and terror as the creature bit down harder. A moment passed and he released her, blood dripping slightly from his jaws. Pilot six backed away from him fearfully as he stood unsteadily on the bed. The blankets slid off him, revealing his complete and massive form. He tested the air with his new sense of smell and turned to Amber. A whimper escaped his throat as she trembled before him. Trowa concentrated everything on his human shape and slowly began to return to it.
Once changed, he looked up at Amber sorrowfully, �Are you alright? I didn�t hurt you to bad, I hope.� His sorrow changed to fear and confusion, �What�s going on, Amber?� She edged forward slowly and slipped her hand into his, �I�m not sure Trowa, but I think I have an idea.� Pilot six left his side to pull a leather bound book from her bag, she leafed through its pages as she returned, �I brought this to read if we told ghost stories, I figured it would be Duo�s request.� Trowa took it from her hands when she�d found the right page. Following the line of her finger, the silencer read a paragraph bordered by two unusual pen sketches of wolfs. He met Amber�s gaze with confusion, �but I thought those didn�t exist��

Duo nearly ran into Amber as he turned into the main hallway, a fresh set of teeth marks immediately caught his eye and pulled it to the brunette�s shoulder. His mouth dropped open as he gaped at it, �What happened? Please tell me you know!� Pilot six moved past him; �Why do you care? Went for a walk and some dog bit me.� Death of Darkness curled one lip in a silent snarl, �Probably the same damn thing that�s been getting in.� He disappeared briefly into the room he shared with Jess and reappeared holding a shotgun, �I�m going to go find that thing and shoot it before it causes any more damage.� Duo loaded the powerful gun and slipped the extra shells in his pocket, �Go clean that thing out, you don�t want to catch something like Trowa did.� She crossed her arms over her chest and watched as Shinigami took off into the fading light outside, �Watch out for Fang, he�s still outside. If you shoot my dog I�ll cram that gun of yours down your throat, you hear me?� Amber�s last words were a yell to compete with the distance Duo had already covered. Shaking her head, Amber went to go find the pair of scissors she�d been searching for in the first place.

The path pilot two walked upon was pitched into shadows as the sun dipped underneath the horizon. He paused momentarily to allow his eyes to adjust to the coming darkness and get his bearings among the trees and rocks. His shotgun felt comforting in his grip; the bites that had been showing up randomly had begun to etch fear into his heart. This new found fear caused him to jump at every sound in the woods around him. Duo sank back on his many years as a warrior for comfort; a simple wolf was nothing compared to the bases he�d tackled on his own. Then again, it was not man he was afraid of; he knew what to expect during a battle against mobile dolls and their masters. As a shadow darted in and out of his sight, Duo longed for his Gundam and the power it contained. �Man, if it was you and me Deathscythe, we just stomp on this thing and be done with it.� Yelps and whines came from farther ahead; they edged Duo into a steady jog. A deeper growl followed and the sound of two creatures fighting fiercely made him break into a run. The sounds ceased with one final cry of pain just as Duo came upon the battleground. Nothing was in sight. Dark splatters on the dirt were the only signs that there�d been a fight.
A patch of white fur in the undergrowth caught Duo�s eye, �Fang! Sounded like you were killing something.� He reached into the bush and grasped the large mutt�s collar; it came away far too easily. The dog�s red collar was stained a deep crimson and small pieces of flesh clung to it. Duo dropped it in shock and backed away from the dog�s mangled body, �Holy shit!� He continued to back up until something hard jabbed into his spine. A growl came from directly behind him; it was the growl of an unearthly animal, the sound of a tortured soul from the pits of hell and far beyond. Duo turned slowly, the beast came nearly to his chest even though it was resting on four paws. The eyes were deep pools of liquid sapphire, but there was a fire burning behind the calm blue, a burning that couldn�t be placed as any emotion. Duo was struck with a vague familiarity as he moved away from the unnaturally large wolf. The animal followed his movements with those eyes and moved to counter them, its claw tipped paws making no sound against the dried leaves that littered the ground.
Another growl rose out of its throat as he stalked pilot two. Sleek muscles rippled under the beast�s light brown fur, Duo knew it wouldn�t take much for it to rip him to shreds. For now he remained the creature�s toy and when it was through playing cat and mouse, he would be dinner. Death of Darkness shivered as he imagined the rows jagged teeth hiding within the long muzzle. Remembering his shotgun, Duo raised it to his shoulder and took aim, �I�m sending you back to the bowels of hell from which you came.� In saying this, he let loose the ferocity of the gun on the beast before him. The wolf yowled in pain as the bullets tore into his broad chest and shoulder. It looked up at Duo briefly, the pools of sapphire filled with a deep pain; it was a look of betrayal. The animal dashed off into the trees before he could reload for another shot. Dropping the shotgun shells back in his pants pocket, Duo listened to the fading sounds of the running beast. He tried to make connections between all the facts that lay before him. The things he thought up were too farfetched to even take into consideration. He raised his eyes to the night sky only to see the full moon drifting lazily overhead.

When he returned home, all was quiet inside the tiny cabin. Duo slipped into his room and reloaded his shotgun. Jess was sitting on his bed when he entered, her arms wrapped around herself as if to comfort. She looked up at him with frightened, pain stricken eyes, �You went after it, right?� He leaning his gun against the bedside table and sat on the bed next to her, the ancient mattress sunk a little under their combined weight, �Yeah. Why, what�s wrong?� She leaned into him heavily and gripped his shirt tightly with one hand; �Did you find it?� Duo wrapped his arms around her softly, �Yep, found the damn bastard and shot him. Why?� A sob escaped Jess�s throat as she pulled her arm away, revealing four horizontal slashes that bit deep into her delicate flesh, �It was here, inside. I tried to get away, oh god I was so scared!� He winced as he examined them, �Shit, Jess, I�m sorry�oh man.� Silent tears began falling down pilot seven�s cheeks, �What happens now?� He attempted a comforting smile, �Well, we go stitch you up and get a couple pain killers.� Duo wiped a tear away with his thumb, �It doesn�t really matter what happens, I�m not letting you handle it alone. Alright?� Jess buried her face in his chest, her words muffled by the folds of black cloth, �O.k.�

Duo wasn�t sure how many hours he�d been asleep when Jess�s movements awoke him. He groaned and rolled to face her, �Jess?� It came out as more of a mumble than her name, �Jess, what�s wrong?� She convulsed under the heavy blankets, jarring Duo out of his sleepy daze, �Jess?!� He pulled the blankets away in order to properly see her. What he at first thought to be her long red hair became more recognizable as fur. Pilot two�s eyes grew wide as he scrambled off of the bed, �Holy shit!� The deep crimson wolf struggled to get untangled from the sheets; she at last tumbled to the floor with a yelp of pain. Duo took an unsure step forward, �Jess, is that you?� The creature peered around the side of the bed, its emerald eyes shining with fire and pain. Jess whimpered softly but all that came from Duo was the smell of fear. He took another tentative step, his voice cracking along the brink of terror and sadness, �It is you, isn�t it?� The wolf bowed its head in shame before bolting from the room. Shinigami started after her, �No, wait!� He stopped in the empty hallway, unsure of where she�d gone. Slumping against the doorframe, Duo battled with his shame, �I won�t let you handle it alone�God what a liar I am.� A single teardrop fell onto the shaggy hall carpet; he held the rest at bay.

In the morning, as the sun peeked over the mountain range in the east, Duo went looking for coffee. In order to continue his search for Jess from the night before, he needed a few cups. He had just started his third as Heero entered the dully-decorated kitchen. As usual, it appeared as though he had already been up for several hours. The perfect soldier gave Maxwell little more than a glance, �Good morning Duo.� Sarcasm lay thick on his voice as he replied; �I don�t see what�s so god damned good about it.� He pulled himself up on the counter and swung his legs over the side, downing half a cup of the black liquid once he was up. This response pulled Heero�s eyes back to his friend, �God Duo, you look like you didn�t get any sleep.� He went over to stand in front of his comrade and laid a hand on his slim shoulder, �What�s going on? Are you worried about that animal that keeps getting in?� Duo shook his head, unable to make eye contact with him. Thin cotton T-shirt covered Heero�s typically bare chest, he began to wonder if it was hiding an unusual bullet wound, or perhaps the bite marks of a large wolf. He pulled away from his friend�s grasp and slid off the counter, �Heero, I went after that thing last night and what I found was no wolf. Another thing, Jess got scratched by it and she changed Heero, changed into something else!� Duo looked into pilot one�s deep blue eyes, searching for a sign of guilt, � The only thing that could have done this is an animal that couldn�t possibly exist, that�s exactly what I saw in the woods.� Heero frowned, �Maybe the shadows were playing with your head. After all, you took off after dark.� He shook his head, �No, I know what I saw. The full moon gave me plenty of light and I was there when Jess changed. Do you understand?!� The perfect soldier�s mood lightened considerably at this comment, �Are you trying to say that you saw a werewolf out there? Duo, that�s ludicrous!� Shinigami glanced over his shoulder as he left the kitchen, �Is it?� His gaze became a glare, �Or was what made those marks just a wolf the size of a horse?�
He stalked down the hall angrily, disappointed but not surprised that Heero refused to believe him. Heero has always been one to go strictly by the book, werewolves couldn�t be found on any of those pages. Duo paused as he passed Trowa�s room; the thought of a hospital hadn�t crossed his mind until now. As he was opening the door, Heero came from the direction of the kitchen, �Don�t be pissy Duo, it�s just hard for me to believe that�s all.� He shrugged, �Forget it.�
Lying curled up in the bed, a motherly Amber watching over her, was Jess. Duo started for them but received an angry glare from pilot six, �She told me what you said last night Duo.� Her words dripped with acid. Amber had been the one to watch over Jess when she was young and vowed always to protect her from harm. Duo had never received anything but hatred from her and couldn�t figure out why. Trowa came from the closet, slipping a muscle shirt over his bare upper body. He slid his cold green eyes from his girlfriend to Duo, �The point is, Jess was bitten and he didn�t know what to do. Case closed trial over, all right? We aren�t going to get anywhere by arguing over it.� Pilot two and six nodded in unison Duo suddenly became very aware of a presence in the doorway, �Anyway, I decided the best choice would be to take you guys to the hospital.� Quatre�s sad, soft voice came from the hall; �I just got a radio message that this valley is under quarantine." Death of Darkness glanced at him, searching desperately for another alternative; �They won�t help us at all? Send out a chopper or something? That�s it, game over?!� Quatre shook his head sadly, �I couldn�t believe it either, but if what they said is true, we�re on our own. I�m sorry, I did what I could to reason with them but�� He swallowed a few times, apparently upset by this, �I�m going to call a few places and get in contact with some people I know, to see if all this true.� He shambled off miserably. Duo turned back to the other occupants of the room, �Someone needs to tell him that things are going to be alright, but I guess we really don�t know if they are ourselves.� He sighed heavily and glanced up at Amber and Trowa, his eyes slowly traveling to Jess, �What do you guys know about the person who bit you?� Trowa shook his head slowly, �Nothing, the only thing I know is that you have the same hair and eye color when you change.� Duo nodded, �I noticed Jess still had her gorgeous red hair and cute green eyes.� He looked at her sleeping form longingly but Amber crossed her arms and glared at him, �You saw it, didn�t you?� Duo was snapped back to reality with force, �Yeah, I saw it. It had light brown hair and blue�eyes�� Pilot two�s mouth fell open in shock, his voice dropping below a whisper, �Heero! This morning he was wearing a shirt when we all know that he usually doesn�t when he�s around the house and I shot the wolf last night. Maybe he was hiding a wound. He also knew I�d gone out last night and I don�t remember telling him! It all makes sense!� A very angry and frighteningly familiar voice came from the doorframe, �It all makes sense except for one thing, you have no proof.� Duo looked over his shoulder slowly; desperately wishing he�d shut the door. The brown-haired Japanese glared at his comrade in arms with fury, �How do we know that you didn�t make that all up so no one would blame you?� Duo frowned and began to answer but was cut short by Trowa, �No, Duo doesn�t smell like a wolf, but you Yuy. Either you just rubbed up against one or you aren�t telling us everything.� Heero shifted his Persian blue glare to the silencer, but said nothing. Duo squirmed slightly in the awkward quiet that followed, feeling slightly guilty about his words. The perfect soldier frowned as the room swam out of focus, he forced it to become steady again, but became dizzy in the process. He wavered on his feet, suddenly feeling very sick. Heero doubled over onto the threadbare carpet clutching his stomach tightly. Duo stepped forward before anyone else had a chance to react, �Heero?!� He went to his friend�s side and pulled pilot one�s arm over his shoulder to help him up. Heero ground his teeth together and clutched his gut tighter. His eyes became wide, �Duo move, I�m going to be sick!� The warning came too late. Pilot one�s regurgitated breakfast covered them both in a spray of acidic juices, Duo grimaced in disgust, �Oh man, couldn�t you have waited?� Amber burst into laughter as Duo wiped a variety of mixed foods out of one cobalt eye, �Shut up!�
Pilot two helped his companion stagger into the bathroom, where he then proceeded to vomit again. Death of Darkness slipped into the shower while Heero emptied his stomach of the remainder of what he�d eaten. He peeled off his shirt and pants while the warm water rinsed him clean. A cold jolt shot through his chest, he reached down and pulled his silver cross off him and stared at it blankly for a moment. As he allowed the water to warm it, an idea came to him; his cross was of the finest silver. It would be a shame to melt it down, but�He let his thought slid away with the water. His boxers hadn�t gotten anything on them, so he left them be. After a few minutes, he stepped out of the shower stall, toweling his hair dry. Heero lay on the cold tiles groaning softly, Duo knelt next to him and began to pull off his filthy shirt, �Of all times to be sick Heero, you had to choose this one.� He nearly recoiled in shock when he uncovered a large semicircle of jagged wounds cutting across his friend�s abdomen. �Fuck Heero, you got it too?� Duo left the question open, not expecting an answer. As he removed the remainder of his shirt, another bite came into view. This one ran across his arm and shoulder. Four diagonal slashes also ran down his chest, it would scar his unblemished, smooth skin. Duo winced, �Shit, you got totally mauled. Did you know about these Heero?� The perfect soldier refused to answer; his Persian blue eyes stared past the longhaired American rather than at him. The water that ran off Duo�s jagged bangs dripped on Heero�s feverish skin, bringing him out of his thoughts, �I knew it was only a matter of time before it happened, I locked my door and window but somehow it still got in� I was thinking about what you�d said of all this. I�ve checked the house from floor to roof; there is no way for a wolf to get in unnoticed, unless it could pick locks. That led me to several conclusions. There is only one person left in this house without a scratch on them, how ironic is it that they are also well known for their ability to break in!�
Heero�s accusations hit pilot two hard, he�d never been blamed by any of his friends for something like this. Then again, nothing like this had ever happened before. He moved away from the perfect soldier as he sat up, �I�I didn�t�It wasn�t me!� Heero glared at him, �I researched this area, there has never been a record of a wolf sighting in its entire history. Your explanation of that wolf, I think you just modeled the idea out of your own looks. Brown hair, blue eyes, sounds about right to me!� Duo backed away from him, shaking his head; �When I went after that thing, I found it and shot it, but it got away! Don�t blame me for this Heero!� Pilot one opened his mouth to continue, but all that came out was a groan of pain. Squeezing his eyes shut, Heero leaned over gripping his stomach once again. Duo reached out in sympathy; �You may be an asshole sometimes Heero, but I�m not going to leave you like this.�
After depositing pilot one in his room to sleep, Duo attempted to return to Amber and Trowa�s room to see Jess, but Amber wouldn�t have it. She sent him away with out even hearing his pleas. Knowing there would be no changing her mind, Duo wandered off to find something else to do. He was just settling for a four-day-old newspaper when Wufei walked in the front door. Duo blinked a few times before registering that he was there, �Where have you been?� He already knew the answer; Wufei had left several days earlier to go meditate. It wasn�t often that he got an opportunity to do so. The Chinese warrior glanced at him without any expression, �I told you where I was going when I left, did you forget already?� Duo shook his head, �No, I remember� Heero, Jess, Trowa and Amber are all getting sick, I wouldn�t suggest going around them.� Wufei shrugged, �Not a way to spend vacation.� Pilot two shook his head, �I know, it sucks.� Duo looked at him curiously, wondering if a wolf didn�t always have to look as their human body does. He went back to his paper, but kept an eye on Wufei until he disappeared down one of the hallways. �Why do bad things always happen to paranoid people?� Duo questioned as he folded up his paper.
Duo went to bed with no more ease that night than he had any night in the previous two days. His shotgun lay by his side loaded with silver bullets made from his cross, a very small comfort but only enough for him to drift in and out of restless sleep. Only a few hours into the night, a very slight noise jarred Duo from his meaningless nightmares. Without rolling onto his back, he pulled his shotgun into hand. In a single swift move, he knocked the intruder away with the butt of the shogun and trained the barrel where he heard it fall. Searching blindly with his free hand, Duo found the lamp switch. The room was flooded with warm light, revealing a young, blond teenager cringing on the floor. He curled up tighter, clutching his head where Duo had struck him, �Oh god, please don�t shoot me!� Pilot two laid his gun aside and reached down for him, �Jesus Quatre you scared the shit out of me. You know I�ve been on edge all week, what the hell are you doing sneaking around my room?!� There were tears in Quatre�s eyes as Duo pulled him up, �I wanted to talk to you for that very reason, but I didn�t think you would already be in bed. I�m sorry.� Shinigami sighed deeply and took his gun back into hand, �It�s all right, I guess I�ve been a tad to nervous. I�m just worried about everything, that�s all.� Pilot four slid the gun from his grasp and examined it, his expression became one of sadness, �So this is what it has come to? You can�t even sleep without a gun by your side?� He tossed the gun against the far wall, out of Duo�s reach, �I am truly sorry that I had to get Jess before you, but you will be able to run with her soon if you like. I�m also sorry I had to make you my scapegoat Duo, but I had no other choice. You see, if anyone suspected me I wouldn�t be able to finish my work.� Pilot two began to edge away from Quatre, fear constricting his throat, �So, you were the one all along, the one that�� He couldn�t force out any more. A loud thud drew their attention to the door; large cracks ran down the center. Whatever had made them backed up for another charge.
The small Arabian�s face extended out into a muzzle; his ears made their way up the sides of his head and grew into sharp points. He turned his eyes back to Duo as the fire kindled behind their blue, �Just hold still, it will make things easier.� The last of his words melted into growls as he lost his ability to speak. Duo ran out of bed space to crawl across and fell with a heavy �thunk� onto the floor. He popped back up and dashed for where his shotgun lay. The same four-legged beast that had faced him in the forest and had taken his girlfriend from him intercepted his charge. The gun was only a few feet from him, but completely unreachable, blocked by a hulking piece of flesh armed with teeth and claws. The creature�s fur was not light brown, as Duo first interpreted, but closer to platinum blonde. The same color as Quatre�s hair.
The loud thud came again and the door splintered into several dozen pieces, standing in the wreckage was a wolf nearly twice the size of Quatre�s own form. The snarl that issued from its mouth made the hair on the back of Duo�s neck stand on end. He moved away from the new arrival, backing himself into the corner of the room. The creature�s emerald eyes shone with the same fire the burned inside of Quatre, he held Duo with them for only a moment before turning them onto the very creature that had made him. Trowa�s sleek brown fur bulged with the underlying muscle as he paced around what had been pilot four. A growl that could pass more for a lion than a wolf rolled from his throat just seconds before he launched himself at Quatre. They tore around the room, nothing more than flying fur and fangs. They crashed into the bedside table, knocking the lamp to the floor. The light was instantly extinguished, but was replaced by fire spreading quickly across the carpet.
Duo bolted from the room in a mad dash, to his surprise, neither followed. He darted down the hall to Trowa�s room, searching it desperately for Jess but the room was empty. He made his way further down the hall and began pounding his fists against Heero�s door, �Heero! Heero we got to get out of here! Heero! Open the door!� The blue eyed Japanese opened the door looking quite irritated about being disturbed, �What?� The American grabbed onto his pajama front and dragged him down the hall, �We�ve got to get out of here, this place is going to burn to the ground.� As if to justify his words, the inferno ate its way through the inner wall and raced to the ceiling. Duo slammed his fist against Chang Wufei�s door, �Wufei, wake up! We gotta get out of here!� His groan was barely audible over the raging fire and the two wolfs fighting in it, �Go away! I don�t feel well.� Pilot two sucked in his breath to begin yelling again, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him, �Leave him be Duo, I would worry more about you.� Death of Darkness whirled on his heel to tell Heero off but found himself staring down a muzzle, straight into the azure pools of fire that had been Heero�s Persian blue only a short while before. Duo swallowed down the bile that had risen into his mouth, �Shit��
Ripping himself from Heero�s grasp, Duo tore open Wufei�s door and slammed it shut behind him. There was a satisfying thud as Heero threw himself against it unsuccessfully. He turned quickly and jogged to the side of pilot five�s bed, �Come on Wufei, we�ve got to get out of this house before we both get killed.� Pulling the covers off, Duo was just in time to see jet black fur spread down Wufei�s back. A small cry of fear escaped his lips as the solitary dragon shivered into his new pelt. Not waiting or wanting to see him complete, Duo ran to the room�s only window and threw it open. Wufei had chosen the room that the ground swept down into a steep hill only a few feet from the window. It gave for an excellent view, but not an easy escape. His desperation overpowering his logic, Duo flung himself into the cool night.
Landing was no pleasurable experience, small sticks and brambles tangled themselves in Duo�s flesh and hair as he rolled down the hill. At the bottom, he sat up trembling. Picking out a few of the larger pieces, pilot two turned to watch the burning cabin. At this point, the fire had nearly engulfed the tiny house and its inhabitants. After pulling a tangle of brambles from around his arm, the longhaired ex-pilot stood and brushed himself off. Tears threatened to coarse down his cheeks as he imagined Jess caught inside as well, despite the fact that he�d looked, he felt as though it was his fault, �The damn fire ate them all, inside and out and the last thing I told her was a lie.� At this point, his tears broke free in a silent torrent down his face.
A horrifying sound caused Duo to cry out and sink to his knees, clutching his head in an attempt to block it out. It came from behind him, though the burning house was at his front. It was the sound of an unearthly animal, of a tortured soul from the very pits of the damned and condemned. It was a sound meant to freeze the blood in the veins of its prey, to tear at the heart with pure terror; it was the growl of a werewolf.

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