2 Chapter 2

'Trees?'

Thick broad trunks extending proudly into the sky for dozens of meters. Those emerald leaves shimmering in the sunlight.

Every piece of logic I knew told me that I had to be dead. My injuries were too severe to be treated, the sensation of melting away into nothingness was still fresh and vivid in my mind.

Yet my sight had returned in all it's glory. In fact my vision seemed to have been significantly enhanced. I could see every feather of the bird resting in some distant branches as if were right in front of me.

I noticed too that my sense of smell had improved. The smell of blackberries staining the birds beak caressed my nostrils and gave rise to a rumbling in my stomach.

Hunger urged me to rise and so I did, standing unsteadily upon my feet as an influx of new and unfamiliar sensations assaulted my mind.

My body felt both heavy and light at the same time. The ground beneath my feet somehow comforted me as a mother would their child.

Swaying, I took a step forwards.

'Something's wrong.'

I knew it at once.

Slowly, I looked down.

Those legs. Strong and powerful, covered in thick black fur.

They were the legs of a wolf.

Horror rose in my chest.

My mind raced faster that it ever had.

'What does the rest of me look like?'

The smell of water, only a few hundred meters away, was hastily picked out amid the dozens of unique smells I could currently register.

I stumbled forwards. Each step brought me greater speed and soon I was running wildly through the forest.

I still stood on two legs, but my powerful curved limbs carried me forwards faster than any human could run.

A premonition struck me.

Branches swatted harmlessly against my strong hide as I ran. A low growl escaped from my lips as I burst through into the clearing where the source of the smell lay.

A shallow pool of clear water.

There I saw my reflection.

The beast towered tall. The thick fur that grew across it's large body could not hide the powerful muscles rippling beneath its skin.

'A werewolf.'

The unforgettable grey eyes of the wolf that had kept me company in my final moments stared back at me unblinkingly.

I stood motionless.

As the seconds passed I felt something build within me until it became a burning and unbearable urge.

A wildness gripped my being and I allowed myself to surrender to instinct.

As if responding to the instincts engraved within my new self, the clouds parted to reveal the moon shining high above.

Saliva dripped down onto my chest from my gaping jaws. Long and predatory canines glinted in the speckled light.

The howl surged out from my chest, drawing strength from the entirety of my body and echoing so loud that the trees shook.

My chest rose and fell like a huge set of bellows, warm air that reeked of blood and carnage rustled the fallen leaves on the forest floor.

I lifted my arm and clenched. The thick rope like muscles tightened with such force that I feared my former feeble human arms might snap in half.

This new body of mine was strong as it was monstrous. The unknown force that had fused my wounded body with that of the wolf's corpse had eliminated anything not suited for a true predator.

Just swinging my arms through the air carried a cruel and bloodthirsty charm, I instinctively knew how to consume the least amount of energy necessary in order to unleash a deadly attack.

The wolf's memories of countless hunts had been integrated with my own. The most notable of it's memories was a desperate fight with a huge black bear.

A glancing blow from this huge beast had killed one of its companions in an instant. Several members of the pack were lost that day to the bear's furious rampage.

Something within me was disgusted by the notion that any predator could be more powerful than I.

The wildness of the wolf was part of me now, but my human intelligence remained the dominant force.

The bear in the wolf's memories was stronger than me, this was a simple fact.

Bears were walking mountains of muscle with thick hides and even thicker limbs. Without targeting the weaker less guarded areas of its body, they were simply unkillable by conventional means.

But my speed far exceeded that of the bear. Wolves were patient and agile hunters, I would have no problems using my sharp claws to harass the stupid beast until it died of bloodloss and exhaustion.

I cast a final look at my reflection. The sensations from my stomach were urging me to hunt and replenish my strength.

The transformation from man to my current self had relied upon the existing flesh and blood provided by the wolf's corpse and my own.

Despite the outwardly powerful appearance of my current body, in truth I was only at 60-70% of my true strength. The wolf's instincts within me were horrified by the complete absence of any fat reserves. While I would not have any problems in a short fight, any length of extended combat would leave me struggling to even breathe.

I needed to hunt.

Lifting my snout to the clouds, I inhaled deeply. The various smells of the forest rushed to me and provided me with dozens of pieces of information.

With my eyes shut in order to concentrate on using my new sharpened senses, I sorted through the smells until I found the one I was looking for.

'Deer.'

5 miles to the east. A herd were grazing.

Anticipation of the hunt filled me with bloodthirsty excitement. Imagining my teeth sinking into that warm flesh sent a shiver of pleasure down my spine.

I snarled and dropped to all fours.

The wind whistled behind my ears as I ran. The action of pushing my body to its limits brought me a joy that I had never felt before.

Trees appeared to distort and blur all around me. It was a trick played on my mind as a result of my incredible speed.

My transformation had resulted in my strength roughly tripling. It would not be difficult for me to lift a grown man by his neck and pin him against the trunk of a tree.

However brute strength was not what made wolves adept hunters. It was their phenomenal hunting instincts and lightning like speed that allowed them to dominate the vast forests.

My transformed speed was incomparable to my former self's. The wind seemed to gather upon my paws and propel me faster and faster.

The wolf that had killed me was a young and powerful alpha. He was only a fraction slower than the head of his pack.

My speed exceeded his with ease. I estimated that I was 50-60% faster.

This didn't sound like much, but in reality the difference was like that of a child and an adult.

The herd entered my sights. The delicious smell of meat grew more delicious and overwhelming with every beat of my paws against the earth.

I howled with glee and dove torwards an unprepared stag, his eyes flashed with panic but it was far too late. The rest of his herd scattered in an instant.

'Delicious.'