Chapter 2

                "Don't have to answer," Kisten says indignantly. He walks up behind me, mocking her with how close he was. Eli gently places Koatsu on the floor, pats his head softly smiling sadly. Eli flash stepped behind me and grabbed Kisten from around the neck harshly pulling him away. He didn't really struggle, just smiled haughtily. I couldn't handle it. My mind was reeling from shock and loss and now my friends were fighting! The change was stimulated at that instant, my body crumbling in on itself. I flew to my knees and groaned in agony. My bones broke and lengthened, my screams were drowned and muffled by the floor as I bury my face against it. In a few minutes  my face inlongates and shapes into a long muzzle with sharp teeth the size of computer speakers. Her size was 6'2 just about taller than Eli. She was only inches taller though. The ground felt like sharp glass biting into my skin. The long black fur that spilled around me was slick with rain and sweat of human. A whimper escaped as I stood up and towered them, as this had been happening they were still fighting. Kisten throwing his weight around and smacking Eli with stuff he found or ripped off the ground. Before what he last threw could hit Eli or she could block it, I leaped in front of it. The boulder smashed into my ribs and I felt them crack, the sound made my ears go back in pain. As my body hit the ground with a thud, my feet buckled under me and were folded against my chest and stomach. The pain soon began to subside as Kisten walked over to check if I was alright.

          Within seconds I was up and lunging at his neck. It was the damned wolf instinct to attack and go for the damned neck. He leaped away and sidestepped, but tripped over the boulder he had just chucked, kind of ironic ain't it. He got what he deserved as his body fell and hit the floor. My body forced the change again, instead of jaws snapping at his throat it was my fingers grabbing it.

"Why do you guys always have to fight?! Why? Why now?!" I crumble to the floor sobbing in anguish,"I just lost Koatsu and all you guys are doing is fighting?!" I leap up and run away. Grabbing my chest as it starts to throb in pain. My heart was bursting. So was I dying? Was this the end? Would I be in the ever after with my Beloved Koatsu? No! I would not let something like this destroy my life. My body flings forward in an attempt to go faster. I can hear Eli chasing after me, her frantic heart desperate to find me. Her love of me and my safety, the only thing keeping her sane. She needed me, to hell with Kisten! No...She doesn't need me. I leave and her life is going to be just fine. And then Kisten's voice filters through my babble, he sounded worried and anxious. Good! He deserved it. I kept running, running as fast as my long legs would allow. My sides hurt and burned like the pits of hell. Oh god how I wanted to stop and let them find me. Let them baby me. Let them tell me how much they were worried about me. I just couldn't, pride kept me going. I ran past the creaky old trees that dotted the forest just outside the downtown district. The trees got creepier and creepier as I ran by. At length the pursuit of my friends halted, they were tired and knew, deep down that I can handle myself. The noises that rang through the trees said otherwise. The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up making me on edge, If anything happened I'd probably snap like a stressed stick. A hiss ran through the brush and echoed loudly in my ears. I could have sworn that I saw three heads on one huge f*****g body the size and shape of a Rotwiler. F**K!.. ran through my mind and disappeared as did the creature. It was just...Gone.Then I was shrieking in shock and startled out of my flippin mind.

    Out popped this ginormous Cat. About the size of a German Shepard but quite a cat. As soon as I got a whiff of its scent, I knew it was a female. She was gorgeous. All white, with a dark blood red outline under her eyes, the eyes the color of a really really light blue, almost white but tinted with blue. Her tail was fluffy, but oddly it was all black, it kind of looked like it didn't belong to her body at all but was cut off and pasted to her behind from a different cat. Like some kind of act of god to make people laugh. B*****d. But she was gorgeous in all aspects, the mother predator, in all her dominant glory. She stood there proudly, but she had this sympathetic look in her eyes. Like she understood the pain I was going through. Within seconds she was prowling towards me, her paws the size of my face, meaning she was still a baby if anything, she would get bigger. The cat came within inches of my hip, that's how tall she was at the moment apparently. Her throat rumbled in a purr, shocking me more than necisary.

       Without any hesitation, I gripped her fur loosely. It was soft as silk, running through my fingers as if it was air. Her purr deepened in tone, letting me know I can go on and pet her. Her eyes looked like they were crying blue. She nuzzled her head against my leg. My tears at that point decided to spill down my tan pale cheeks and plop into her fur.

    "Ardwin..." I spoke the name so softly no one could hear it, I doubted I had said anything. But the large cat looked up as if startled. So I said it again.

"Ardwin," With a soft look on my face I realized what happened. I guessed at her true name, accidentally bonding her to me. She lifted her liquid blue eyes on me and meowed, only it wasn't a little mew more like a MROWR... A f*****g dino roar apparently.

    Actually, now that I thought about it, that couldn't have been her. Her lungs are to small to produce that noise, even her diaphram wouldn't be able to. I spun around and saw the Cerberus looking thing again, only it was closer and it was black. Its heads were huge, as was its body. The teeth dripped acid like saliva, dripping heavily onto the floor where it congealed into a goop.

"Bleh," I couldn't help but say. It growled at me as if offended. My hands went up in mock surrender, knowing the thing would charge me no matter what. It took a large step forward but Ardwin growled deeply at the Cerberus. Making him or her back up considerably. She growled again, taking a step forward. Man even if I was a huge dog like the damn Cerberus, who by the way towers my wolf form by like ten feet, I'd be scared shitless of this huge kitten. She was puffed out twice her size and looked like a giant rock with claws. Her teeth were larger than I had expected or even guessed at.

"Ardwin...please be careful," She turned to face me, her face completely lacking the anger her body held. She nodded and for a split second a voice in my head said ," Don't worry for me my love, I will protect you like a familiar should."  Then all was silent as Ardwin turned towards Cerberus again.

"What is your name Cerberus?! I know you can understand me. We are almost the same, you and I.." The Cerberus lifts its Muzzle up to the sky and let out an ear splitting howl, it sounded like it came from the pits of hell itself.

"You know exactly whom I am pitiful wolfling!" It was the type of voice you heard from old movies, the type that made your skin crawl and your hair to stand on end. The cat was still growling and the Cerberus was being unhelpful, so I gave Ardwin the sign she can have it. Her body exploded into action as if shot from a gun. She was on the Cerberus in seconds, clawing at one of the head's eyes. She got to two of the heads before the third one bit her on her haunch, dragging her off the thing. I growled angrily, taking a step forward. Ardwin hit the floor hard, a thud ringing through out the forest. A few minutes pass and I can hear the sound of my friends rushing towards the sound. But a new comer comes rushing out of the darkness and bashes the Cerberus so hard in the head that he flips the creature onto its back and then it rolls back onto its stomach.

"You will pay for that!" It screamed at the new comer with flowing hair. Cerberus turned tail and ran away.

"Ya! And don't come back!" I called after him/her. New comer turns to look at me and gives me this look. Like What the f**k?.

"The only thing I could think of...What? like you have something better." I hurrumph and look away.

"Nice to know your still alive...Cloud," I turn back and smile widely at him. I loved him like a brother, sometimes even more, but never would I allow that to destroy the foundation of our strong friendship. Cloud stepped close and picked me up into a huge hug, spinning my form around. As he set me on the floor Eli comes busting through the trees with the crazy look in her eyes that tells me she was ready to rip someone to shreds. Kisten was in front of me in a flash, growling at Cloud angrily, also there was a touch of jealousy to his voice that was odd and peculiar. I push him away from me and stand in front of Cloud shielding him from the glare rays of Kisten.

"Will you chill with the protectiveness! He's my brother. Not by blood but by friendship. Leave him alone or I wont have any problem ripping your balls off and making you wear them as necklaces," To prove my point I growled savagely at him. Kisten took only one step back. One. That's all.

Cloud's almond shaped eyes narrowed angrily at Kisten.

"And you are..?" He asked calmly, the only inclination to his mood was the burning in his eyes. The breeze that flew by us, brought every ones hair floating up and around their shoulders. Clouds hair tickled my cheek because of how long it was and how close I was too him. It made me blush out of embarrassment. Something I never do.

    "Um how about we all go back to my cottage?" I look to Cloud,"Would that be alright with you?" Before he could answer Eli cut in,

"We only have three beds." She wasn't mean, she wasn't nice. Just stating a fact. What was with her attitude. She was always nice. Eh, I'll get her to be the same as when she used to be. A giggle escapes my lips making three sets of eyes turn to me.

"Um-Um carry on then, yep yep, cherry oh!" Everyone busted up laughing. Well at least I'm good for one thi-- "Holy s**t! Ardwin!" I desperately looked everywhere for her, I could make out her soft presence, it was fading slowly. She was badly hurt. I just couldn't find her. OH! There she is! I ran towards her and placed my hands against the wounds on her body. At an instant my hands glowed as if lit from inside. Minutes pass, the grass under me flows against the breeze that's just picked up. My hair floats softly in the wind. Ardwin's fur moved restlessly.

Cloud came over and picked her gently up."We can heal her later when we get out of the cold and the possible rain," He said as he looked up at the sky covered in clouds. Heh...clouds...Cloud.