Dreams and Waking Up

Dreaming.

I think that's what I'm doing right now but it feels...different. Usually, when I'm dreaming, everything's hazy and I can't make sense of anything happening, but right now everything is so clear and I can feel I'm in a dream.

The last thing I remember was the pain I was going through in the Cullen House like my body was crushing itself.

And then suddenly I appeared in this dream.

I was in a cave, and I was a Canine-like animal. I was big, I was strong, I was ferocious, and I was alone. I had no pack because I was the runt, the one who was cast away because it didn't fit their needs.

But even as a pup I refused to die. I worked my way up the food chain and grew beyond what others of my race could.

My life had been a constant cycle of running, hunting, and sleeping. Over and over for as long as I'd been alive.

That was until what I termed the two-legs arrived. Something I could recognize as Humans.

They were taller than me, had longer arms and legs but they were...weak alone. I had killed a few of them, it was particularly hard, and they weren't very nutritious.

But when I ran into a group of them...I can safely say there is nothing more dangerous than the two-legs when there are others with it.

This dream was weird. It was like I was experiencing another life but at a sped-up rate. Kinda like I was watching a slideshow and only being filled in on the nonessential parts in between the slides.

I envied their strength. Not the strength of the pack. I had long gotten over that. But rather the strength of their form. Of their weird paws that allowed them to hold things. Of their weirdly jointed arms and shoulders which let them throw things.

I wanted to be more like the two-legs to further my strength.

So I studied them.

I watched them as they hunted, as they threw their pointy sticks at beasts I could only kill if they were majorly weakened. I studied what made them, them.

I didn't notice it at the time but my life's activities evolved beyond my earlier routine of running, hunting, and sleeping. I now added studying the two-legs to my routine. Nor did I notice the changes in myself.

My hunting tactics evolved and I grew into a dangerous creature the likes at which struck fear into all the prey in the territory I lived in. Though prey animals are usually dumb anyway.

One day, I tried to walk like the two-legs, on, well, my two hind legs.

It wasn't impossible but my balance was too bad. But I didn't give up. I pushed onward and before I knew it, mysterious changes had happened to me.

My physique had changed. I could still run on all fours, but I was easily able to walk on two legs. My shoulders widened to keep balance and my waist and stomach started to mimic the look of the two-legs waist and stomach.

My body was changing. So I sought to change it even more.

I practiced picking things up with my paws. Again, it was hard, pretty much impossible, but I continued to try. Until finally, my paws changed into paws similar to the two-legs. Recently, I've been picking up on the different growls and howls the two-legs make when they speak to one another.

Maybe I can one day understand them if I try hard enough?

Over time I became more and more like the two-legs, my body having an uncanny ability to change. I couldn't control it, however, and I knew this was a one-way change - I could never go back to purely being how I was before.

But I cared not. I could finally understand the two-legs. They spoke of me. The Human who looked like a wolf.

I had indeed lost most of my fur and instead looked like a human with fur centered mostly around the sides of my body, arms and sides of my face*.

(*A/N - Think of the Noblesse werewolves or search Noblesse werewolf on Google.)

Even my snout had disappeared, replaced by a face that looked somewhat like the Humans' but somewhat more refined. I had tried to talk to the Humans but they lashed out at me because I was different.

I didn't get angry but instead understood why they were scared. I was stronger, faster, more durable...I was better than them. My strength and speed as a wolf were only amplified over my change into a similar appearance to the two-legs and this scared them.

So I went off to make more like me. I would return to my pack and make them turn into what I am.

A Lycan.

And I would rule the first pack of Lycans as it's alpha. We will not just survive, we will thrive.

. . .

POV Change - 3rd Person, Carlisle's Operation Table

Alex's body seemed to be liquefying itself as it deflated like a blow-up pool float with a hole in it.

Carlisle, seeing this, quickly started doing medical checks on all of the major organs in Alex's body before letting out a slight groan of frustration before speaking, "Esme, get me as much adrenaline as I have in here. Now!" Carlisle went on to start applying his hands to Alex's chest and pumping them slowly, trying to keep his heart beating.

His heart was currently very weak and every vampire in the room could sense that. But none more than Edythe who was frozen in horror.

Many thoughts passed through her head when she saw Alex looking like this. Thoughts that scared and shook her to her very core. She backed away slowly, shuffling her feet against the floor before finally her back was against a wall and she just slid down it until she was sitting with her knees to her chest and her eyes still wide open, expressing her volatile current mental state.

Esme gave the adrenaline to Carlisle like he asked before the doctor quickly started putting it onto a needle that was specially made. Once ready, Carlisle stabbed strongly down at where Alex's heart was and pierced through the skin. Though his eyes did widen at the toughness of the skin despite the body seemingly failing.

Once the adrenaline was injected, the process of his body breaking down started speeding up and it caused Carlisle to be put aside by shock. He had thought that the adrenaline would help boost his system back into order and assist his healing factor in stopping this.

But it didn't work.

Carlisle backed away with a hand to his chin and his brows furrowed in frustration.

"This is all we can do...whether he lives or dies is up to whatever's happening to him now," he started before sighing, "The venom's left his system so whatever's happening now is purely his body reacting to the venom and it's presence in his body--" Carlisle was stopped when a hand grabbed his white doctor's coat.

The hand was shaking and it was connected to a shaking arm who was connected to a shaking person; Edythe.

"Please...Please, Carlisle...help him..." her voice was cracking from the sadness flooding her. She was fully prepared to never see the boy again but seeing him like this is something she could never prepare herself for.

Carlisle looked down, saddened, and brought Edythe into a hug, "I'm sorry, Edythe, but...this is as much as we can do. We don't understand his biology and anything else we try could outright kill him. You've already seen how Adrenaline made it worse..." his voice trailed off before he carried on with a strained voice, "I'm going to need all of you to leave while I watch over him...so please go with Esme and the others, Edythe."

But Edythe just separated herself from Carlisle, ignoring what he said, before walking over to Alex's side and holding his surprisingly cold hand.

The coldness of his hand scared Edythe but she held strong and continued to hold his hand while standing there. Every weak pulse she felt made her feel like she was the one who was weakening.

Edythe wondered if she'd stuck around to speed to Alex that maybe things would have gone differently. Even if she and he never got together as she wanted...maybe he wouldn't have been reduced to this.

Despite knowing she'd done nothing wrong and that it was just a terrible random event, she couldn't help but feel anger at herself and regret for not just speaking to Alex when she had the chance.

That didn't mean she wasn't angry at Alex for getting into a fight with a Vampire out of nowhere, but it could wait until he was fine.

'He has to be fine' was all Edythe could repeat in her head.

. . .

It had been a few days by now and Carlisle had to lie to Charlie, Bella and Alex's dad, about how Alex was fine and was just staying over for the weekend. Bella knew this was a lie but no one would let her see Alex. Even as she pestered Edward incessantly, he didn't budge and instead told her Alex was fine, even if it was a lie.

Edythe hadn't left Alex's side and even when she needed to feed, she just hunted animals close to the house before rushing back in case she missed anything.

Possibly missing him waking up.

But every time she came back she was disappointed. Alex was still lying there with a surprisingly gaunt body which looked nothing alike to his very muscular and lean body he had a few days prior. Though it did seem to have solidified and his heartbeat was getting stronger by the minute.

Right now, Edythe was sitting on a chair while reading a book. She was only partially concentrating on the book, however, as she had Alex's hand in hers and she was constantly checking his pulse for any abnormalities.

Just as she was about to turn the page of her book, she felt Alex's heartbeat boom through her ears, like a drum beat.

Naturally, it was inaudible to the human ears, but to a Vampires, it was as clear as day.

Instantly, Edythe called for Carlisle who flashed into the room before checking through all of the monitors around Alex before doing manual tests with his Vampire senses.

"He's...he's coming back, Edythe!" Carlisle spoke in excitement, "His body is rapidly healing, I can feel the flesh regrowing!" he took her hand from Alex's rapidly growing chest muscles.

But something about his body seemed different as it was being regrown - it was like his muscles were being made out of something sturdier than before. What the others didn't know was that the last few days were being spent on his bone structure being re-made.

The energy which changed his physique had learned things from the Venom, and his heritage as a Lycan had been activated, resulting in a massive re-do of his bodies materials and it's structure.

His muscles were being rebuilt stronger, sturdier, and packing more punch per strand than they ever did before. His bones were like they were made of indestructible metal, being able to handle his full strength and more.

His muscle were coming back quicker than before as time went on and after a few minutes, the changes had been completed and he was back to normal.

Edythe took in his muscular form and couldn't help but admit that he looked even better than before.

But before anyone could get happy, hair began to sprout from his hands, covering his hands and fingers in a layer of thin silver fur and his claws came out of his fingers. The fur traveled up his arms and covered them before going down his sides and covering his sides in the fine layer of fur but it left his stomach and chest free of hair, apart from two lines on either side of his chest pointing inward.

The fur covered the top of his shoulders and his neck, before spreading up the side of his face and to his hair on the side of his head. The color of the hair started rapidly changing to the same silver as the fur and the hair became slightly longer and looked much wilder and unkempt.

Finally, his eyes snapped open and showed his practically glowing electric blue eyes. Though the pupils looked different as it was elongated slightly, making his eyes and overall appearance both human and inhuman.

Finally, his mouth spread in a smile, showing his sharpened canines which looked exactly like a predator's fangs.

Carlisle and Edythe looked at him with worry, wondering if he was okay, and rightfully so...because his smile was quite predatory.

But when he saw Edythe, Alex's smile went away instantly. Replaced by a slightly awkward grin.

"So...uhh, I guess I should explain what happened, right?" he chuckled a bit nervously before he stood up from the table, wearing some jogging bottoms Carlisle and Esme had changed him into.

But before he could say anything further, Edythe slapped him across the face so hard it made an audible boom and Alex's face snapped to the side.