Wrong Place, Wrong Time

Back pressed up against hard bark, Manley regained his bearings. His head swirled, throat parched, and legs weak. He drifted in and out of consciousness, until he woke flat on the ground. He slowly stood up and looked around.

The tree was still next to him, but slightly bigger than before. Manley quickly scrambled to a standing position with his back against the tree. Eyes furtively scanning the forest but there was no sign of the wolf creature. He could feel his heart thumping, he forced himself to take slow, long breaths.

After long tense silence, Manley decided to make his way to the cabin. He was as cautious as can be but in his exhausted state, the best he could do was pray he got home before anything got him. He hurried his lopping steps as the cabin porch came into view.

As he ascended the steps, shedding the frayed shirt, he then pealed off his shorts and entered the cabin. He immediately locked the door and sank to the carpet naked. After catching his breath for a minute, Manley made his way to the bath.

The cabin lacked any plumbing, but Manley had some rain gutters installed, they were connected to pipes that wound their way into the cabin. The gutters were imbued with the effect to pull in condensation from the air into the pipes, in the absence of rain, another effect to collect and clean water in the pipes.

Manley filled the bathtub, before slowly easing into the warm water where he fell asleep. Waking up, he took a shower, got dressed, then ate something before he felt like himself again. He sat at the kitchen table clenching his fist.

"Fuuuuuk…how! How could that have happened. I could've died, to a…what was that?" Manley stood up and pacing around and trying to think. "No, I am not taking this, that things got to die." He picked up his hunting rifle from the corner, then put it back. Manley then opened a draw, grabbed some shotgun rounds then his shotgun.

Manley raced through the woods, trying to make as much noise as possible to attract the creature. He didn't think he could sneak up on it, but if he could find it then he could kill it. As he cut through the forest, he could feel the wet leaves on his face, liquid soaked his shirt, he regretted not wearing a jacket.

He came upon a cleared spot in the forest and started to slow down. He moved stealthily forward; he could see a camp site in the distance. He walked up on a smoking firepit, two logs set around the fire, and a tent built out of sticks and leaves. He looked around the place, but he couldn't find anyone. The place looked recently deserted.

"Can I help you fella?" A native American man came out from behind a tree, still getting dressed.

"Who are you?" Manley tighten his grip on his gun but didn't aim at the stranger.

"That's what I am wondering about you, friend," said the man.

"I own these woods, so no, who the fuck are you?" Manley was on edge because of the attack and didn't want to waste time talking to this squatter.

"Own? I am Bill, this land belongs to my people, I say again, how can I help you fella?" Bill picked up a pack behind a tree and walked with it in front of him.

"Okay Bill the Indian, I am hunting a giant wolf creature, that attacked me in these woods. If you want to want, we can get to know each other, and I promise not to use you as bait." Manley chose the log up against a tree to sit, with his back on the tree and shotgun in his lap.

"Are you going to introduce yourself fella, or sit at my fire without an invitation?" Bill lay down his pack and started trying to get his fire going again.

"I am Manley, and I really do own these woods, so the wolf creature, seen it?"

"Mmm, I have, a creature of that description killed my family. If you've seen it and survived, then I am afraid you're as cursed as me." Bill threw some wood on the fresh fire and took a seat.

"Yeah, dead family…so you trying to kill it or what?" Manley checked his shotgun; he didn't want to deal with the gun jamming at the wrong time. The whole situation was making him nervous. Bill's calm and composed attitude was making him uneasy, especially after he tried to throw the man off, but didn't get the expected reaction.

"I suppose you will be my guest for the night," said Bill.

"What are you…" Manley looked up, the sun had set, and the night seem to descend quickly. "What the fuck, it was just the middle of the day." Manley got up, he looked at the sky and the surrounding forest. He turned back to Bill, but the man was gone.

"You've got to be shitting me, you don't want to play games with me, Indian Bill." Manley cocked his shotgun, ejecting a round. "Fuck that was stupid, I watched to many movies."

Manley moved away from the fire to not give away his position but then got back next to it. he couldn't see anything in the dark, so he chose to be next to the fire and be able to see. "Alright Bill, you got me, so what's next?"

"I am afraid, that is actually the case, like you, I didn't want this." Bill's voice echoed through the woods.

"Wow, you're really doing this creepy shit, listen dude, I am not in the mood for this. This was not how my day was supposed to go, why do I have to deal with this bullshit when I am just trying to—"

"Time, I lost a week before the change, it's only been three days. You are strong, stronger than me."

Manley tried his best to pinpoint where the voice was coming from but couldn't. "As funny as it is imagining you running around but speaking calmly, how are you doing that?"

Bill dropped from a tree and slowly walk into the moonlight that started penetrating the tree line. "It's time."

"What the fuck are you…Ahhhhhh."

TITLE Gained

Wolf Cursed

Manley could feel his body burn, then his bones snapped in his legs. Falling on his face, Manley looked up, he could see Bill start to change. The other man's body shifted from the bottom up, he sprouted fur, his knees inverted, and he fell on all fours. The man's facial expression didn't change throughout the whole process.

Manley was so mesmerized by the whole process, he ignored the pain in his own body, although the pain didn't ignore him. He was broken and rearranged, then his face started hurting. He could see his nose and feel his mouth growing on his face. He quickly tried to remove his shirt, but it ripped, his pants were easier as his legs change, he was able to get it off easily. The dark of the woods receded as he felt emotions overwhelm his brain.

MENTAL DEFENSE BASIC LV2 Gained

Manley, now a giant wolf, howled at the sky, Bill the wolf, also howled at the moon opposite him. The two, in concert, turned and started running through the woods. Animals in the forest, cowered in their caves, nests, and barrows. The two wolves were on the hunt for prey, their howls brought fear, but their passage was silent, fast, and deadly.

RUNNING LV8 Gained

The mind of the wolf couldn't understand what this knowledge that flashed across its brain meant. It stopped in its lope and sniffed the air, then the ground but nothing changed, it still couldn't understand. It started running again, sensing prey, the hunt began.

A White-tail deer broke through the woods, a giant wolf on its trail. Another massive wolf jumped at it from the side, but it avoided the tackle with a quick hop. The chase continued through the forest, until another deer cut across the first one and one of the wolves broke away to chase.

The first wolve pushed itself to move faster and started to catch up to the deer.

RUNNING LV9 Gained

This knowledge invaded its mind again but the wolve ignored it, enraptured by the chase. Closing in on its prey, the wolve jumped, sinking its teeth into the deer's back, it was able to bring the animal down with its weight. The animal struggled but the wolf held it till it exhausted itself.

After the struggle stopped, the wolf shimmied up and started gnawing on the deer's face. The animal's struggle redoubled, the wolf revel in the pain it caused. It continued taking bites out of the deer's face as the animal tried to buck it off, failing that, the deer tried to move its face away. Having difficulty reaching the deer's face, the wolf clamped onto its neck. The deer, in pain, eyes opened wide, the wolf's teeth sank deeper. The wolf tried to take as much of the neck meat as it could.

Critical Strike

EXP Gained 3

The wolf was once again confused, it wanted to know what was happening.

Manley "Buff" Hill Race: Human/Mutant/Werewolf

Age: 14 EXP. 327/4000 LV. 3

CLASS: Alchemist [Class Effect] +50% to craft(Alchemy) Skills TITLE: Mutant, Wolf Cursed

[Title Effect] Reality Manipulator, Involuntarily transform into a wolf at night

HP: 440/440 MP: 10/10 STA: 160/160

More information intruded into the wolf's mind waking Manley. He couldn't understand what was happening, he tried to lift his hand to his face but fell into a dead deer. Looking down, he could see over his snout, furry skinny legs where he felt his hands should be. Manley tried to scream, but the sound surprised him because he couldn't make the noise he should. The fear and disorientation caused his mind to recede, but he tried to fight it.

MENTAL DEFENSE BASIC LV3 Gained

The wolf shook its head trying to ignore the information, it got up, then started eating the deer again. The act of ripping into flesh, chewing on stringy meat, and blood wetting its throat was the wolf's only concern. Eating its fill, sniffing the ground, then walking around, it surveyed its territory.

The wolf tracked its way back to Bills camp, urinated on some trees, then found a spot to lay down. Another wolf walked up, lifting its head, the wolf could smell fresh prey on the other wolf's muzzle. The other wolf licked its chops then moved into a tent made of wood and foliage to sleep