Endangered Species

I was on the floor, writhing in pain. I’d shoved the chair out of the way; I wanted to stay within view of the General and a few others outside the door. I didn’t need to bang into anything as my body changed. After a few more cracks as my body continued its transformation, Major Burkett’s professional curiosity started to outweigh her fear. “What is going on with you?”

“It’s a first for me,” I said as I panted through the pain. “I’ve been told it takes twenty minutes and can be extremely painful. I can verify that.” POP! Fuck! “When I’m a wolf, it can come out scared or aggressive. In the Pack, the Alphas closely supervise human turns. The stronger wolves can settle the new ones down.”

She caught on immediately. “And you have no one to settle you.”

POP! Shit, that hurt! I steeled myself to the breaks happening more frequently now, only thirty seconds apart or so. The pain from one barely faded before the next arrived, and my change was accelerating. “Exactly. You won’t be in danger until I’m a wolf as long as you stay clear of me. I’ll be in so much pain I won’t know what I’m doing.” POP! SNAP! Two in a row! Fuck me, that hurt!

My skin felt like millions of needles were poking through; looking at the back of my hand, I could see fur pushing out.

The Doc carefully approached and took my hand to check my pulse. “You’ve got a pulse of 180 now, Angela. You need to calm yourself down.”

Another bone popped, my ankle lengthening. “Get these scrubs off me while you still can,” I replied. “They hurt, and they will only get in the way.”

“Those men are watching you.”

“I’m sure they’re looking forward to seeing a naked lady with fur popping out,” SNAP! Fuck! “Everywhere. Just do it.”

She found a pair of shears in one of the drawers and cut the scrubs off. I barely noticed as the changes to my body continued. They started at my hands and feet; the lower legs of the wolf were far different, so there was much to change. It wasn’t long until my hips and shoulders started to reshape and realign. My chest got deeper, my waist narrowed, and a tail started growing from my back.

My spine realigned in a series of cracks that sounded like popcorn, and then it was time for my face and head. That’s when the pain reached a new level, and I lost touch with reality as my mind entered the darkness.

The darkness is where I felt her.

I could not see my wolf, but I could sense her. I looked around, the inky blackness revealing nothing. I could feel the wild coming from behind me. I turned around, raising my arms, just before the wolf crashed into me.

It knocked me onto my ass, but I had a grip of the fur on her throat. She was growling and snapping, desperately trying to kill me. Newly emerged, she was scared and fighting for her life.

We’d talked about this battle with the humans. If she won, the wolf would remain feral. As we fought for dominance, I knew nobody was coming to help. I had to be strong enough to hold her off until our minds could combine.

I risked getting bitten by letting go of her throat and sliding my hands up towards her jaws. It was crazy, but it worked; my fingers could wrap around her muzzle, and I twisted my body and rolled on top of her. I moved around until I was on her back, my legs wrapping around her body to keep the sharp nails away. I pushed her head down with mine, demanding submission. “CALM DOWN,” I thought to her. “We aren’t enemies! Share with me!”

My wolf struggled mightily, not giving up. She fought to get free, eventually loosening my grip. I had to let her go. I rolled away before she could snap at my hands.

My wolf gathered herself, let out a howl, then leaped for my neck.

She never made it. A glowing figure appeared between us, effortlessly catching the beast and wrapping it in her arms. Her hair was white, her dress silver, and her identity unmistakable. “Calm,” she said in a voice that penetrated my soul.

The wolf quieted, and I rolled up to one knee. The Goddess Luna began to stroke the fur on her back as her eyes, glowing like a moonstone, took me in. “Come here, my child.”

I knee-walked closer, feeling the cold as she took my hand and brought it to the fur of my wolf. “Am I dreaming?”

“You are in my realm, my Angela. Bring your forehead to hers. She is strong and loyal, and you will need each other’s strength in the coming days.”

I did what she said; the merging of our minds happened without struggle or pain. It was like a new window opened in my mind, and I could feel her power. I opened my eyes to see the Goddess alone with me. “Where did she go?”

“She is in you now. You must return now. My people have lost their way, and you will show them.”

“How? I know nothing!”

She smiled and covered my eyes with her hand. “You’re doing fine, my beautiful werewolf. I am with you.” I felt a kiss on my forehead, then blackness again.

This time was different. The smells assaulted my senses because they were so strong. I might be in a hospital dumpster from how bad it smelled of alcohol and disinfectant! I could feel the cold floor beneath me, my mouth open, my tongue hanging out as I panted heavily. Opening my eyes, I saw I was still in the room, but everything looked different. It was sharper but less colorful, and I could make out details I’d never seen before.

Details like the movement of each silver-gray hair on my front paw as my skin pulsed underneath it.

I raised my head off the ground, rolling onto my stomach as I looked around. My front legs were the same color, as were my back legs and body. I caught my breath as I looked around the room. Outside the window, the General’s eyes were big as he watched me gaze back at him. Other officers rotated behind him, each taking a quick look at the new wolf.

I heard the mumbling of a prayer. I cocked my head to find the source, turning to face the door to the bathroom. I could see evidence of a struggle in the room; chairs knocked over, the bed shredded, and deep scratches on both doors from my claws. While fighting my wolf in my mind, my wolf had been destroying the room. I had to wonder how much longer I had before the General would have ordered me killed.

I got to my feet. I slowly padded over to the door before sitting down again. I whined a few times, then pawed the door three times. “DON’T OPEN THE DOOR YET, MAJOR. WE DON’T KNOW IF SHE WILL GO WILD AGAIN,” the General shouted.

How could I convince them? I jumped up on the bed, turned around three times, then lay down on my stomach with my head on my paws. I watched the door, occasionally wagging my tail. It took a few minutes before the General allowed the doctor to come out. I didn’t move, not wanting to scare her. I began wagging my tail furiously as she slowly came my way.

“What a beautiful animal you are,” she said as she stopped in the middle of the room. She was carrying the metal bar from a towel rack as a weapon, just in case. “Such amazingly violet eyes, and that fur! It almost glows!”

My wolf basked in the praise, and I raised my head slightly and tilted it. She came closer, eventually reaching out with her closed hand, presenting the back of it to my nose. I took a good sniff, then gave her a lick. “Nice puppy.”

Having someone scratch behind my ears felt fantastic. It’s no wonder dogs love it. Doc sat down next to me, checking my heart rate and looking me over. I licked her chin when she finished the examination, staying put as she went to the entrance door. “General, I’m not a vet, but she appears to be a healthy wolf that weighs about a hundred and twenty-five pounds. Wild female wolves don’t get over sixty. It’s Angela in there, sir.”

There was one thing more I needed to do, and I remembered what the class on wolfiness said about shifting from one form to the other. We had the wolf and the human in our head, and our body would follow whichever one we let have the lead. I let out a yip, then closed my eyes as the Major turned to look at me. I asked my wolf to step aside and felt my body shift in an instant back to my human form.

Thank God only the first shift hurts! I was prone on the bed. I reached for the torn-up sheet and pulled it around my body as I sat up. “That wasn’t fun,” I said out loud.

“You’re a werewolf! I can’t believe it!”

Doc was checking my vitals as I looked at the General through the window. “I’m not lying to you, sir.”

He nodded. “Major, I’m letting Midshipman Summers out. We’ve got a lot to discuss.”