CHPT 291: Many Things Have and Will Change....

"[I'll just start with a story. My first day coming to the Shifter's Conclave. It was a gathering of all those blessed with the shape of man and beast. Our pack..and it's allied forces. WereWolves..Tigers, other Shifters I still have no name for...Vampire Covens and Lupines. The WereLions didn't like us. The greetings usually only ever came when territory disputes were on the cusp of becoming wars. Or when internal conflicts became large enough that other parties needed to step in. We were all close...but we also knew we were all different with differing interests. At the time I was a young boy-- not much older than yourself. I didn't consider the way the regal Vampire elders whispered and sniffled in disgust at the sight of the nomadic WereWolves of the plains. Or the way the some Lupines looked down on the rest as if we were the peak of existence. Ironic how we all fell the same....]"

Claude heard a tinge of sadness in Arne's accented voice, reminding him that it wasn't just him that died. But his closest friends...family even.

"[...Anyway. These inner social workings and politics that came with these meetings may have went over my head the first few times. But one thing that never did was appearance. Where I was born, I was taught that the way you looked and dressed represented a many things. A man of refined taste and manner on the outside was often the same within. This is something I believed strongly until I saw the first High Alphas of the Lupines.]"

"Why?" Claude asked as he stepped over a half eaten animal carcass. He didn't stop to think if it was him or not, he didn't want to know.

"[Well for that very reason. Appearances. Despite our beastial counterparts. everyone showed up to the Shifters Conclave as man and woman. Except the High Alphas. They were old....they radiated ancient energy in every aspect. Their very voices bellowed like desolate primeval instruments. They were in the prime of their health..but every aspect of them spoke of their age and experience.....their dominance. They wore it all like armor as they sat patiently at the meetings, unbothered by the many onlookers taking in their...different features.]"

Claude huffed in confusion, "You talk like they were transformed."

"[In many ways they were. You see, we are not like the Silver Cursed. We are not humans afflicted with something wild and uncontrollable. We are not human at all. We are Lupine. This fact begins to show itself over time. It will show on you over time...]"

Claude felt his mouth go dry slightly.

"[These High Alphas. They didn't look like men. After a lifetime spent morphing their bodies into the warrior-like form of the Lupines...and then changing back to human over and over again. It slowly began to leave certain traits after every change. Sure they looked relatively human, but they also looked rather feral. Some of them brandished their fangs permanently along with claws. Most of them even had a light sheen of fur cover them at all times. Their eyes always glowed, like an endless fire. They were giant-- and imposing, towering over everyone wearing their human skins. As a boy they terrified me. As I grew, i learned it was the byproduct of the gift of Romulus. Beastial Integration. We are a progressive Shape-Shifter race. I don't know what benefits come with it, all I know is that, over time...less and less of us changes. The power becomes permanently accessible.]"

"How long do I have?" Claude asked as he stepped further into the forest. Pieces of Rollan's home now visible in the distance, he could smell smoke and burnt flesh faintly, but nothing else alarming. He wasn't even shocked at Arne's words anymore as he stepped closer. His future wouldn't involve too many humans in theory anyway.

"[Decades at least. The more you willfully shift, the more you change. It's not a current issue, but I thought you should know.]"

"Well. I'd rather you tell me now then when its actively happening. I also don't mind the history lessons. Thanks."

"[No problem at all. Now, let's hope everything's alright at Rollan's natural estate.]" Arne replied as they stepped out of the dense woodland for the first time and found a clearshot of Rollan's home. The sudden smell of smoke made perfect sense.

Rollan was home. And doing the usual.

Another wooden scultpure stood like a natural statue in front of the home, lit ablaze and full of corpses. It was safe to assume HellBred corpses fueled the flames as they spit out icky blackness that blended with the sparking flames.

The tall dark-skinned man walked across the grass, blindly studying his handiwork as if he had perfect vision. He still needed to see how on earth he built them. But most importantly, he needed to see Ursula.

***

As he inched closer to the home, the scents of burnt flesh and acrid smoke was almost strong enough to incapacitate him while he listened to Rollan speaking to himself in-between drinks of whatever filled his dirty brown bottle.

When he finally passed the bushes filled with wooden pikes he'd lain on the perimeter of the home and stepped into the clearing. He felt Rollan take notice of him.

"Welcome back, Monsieur! It's good to know both you and your...somewhat human girl are alright, hm?" Rollan announced from behind the burning wooden statue.

"Yea. Sorry I left.....it's hard to control things..sometimes." Claude replied while he felt himself practically pass out in relief. The only thing keeping him standing was his embarrassment, noting again how poorly he was performing as a home guardian-- even if he dispatched of all the Monsters...and then some.

Rollan jumped out from behind the statue and side eyed him as if he could see while his nostrils flared repeatedly with the intake of whatever scents he wasn't sure of.

"...What?" He asked, still standing in the shadows of the outer forest.

Rollan straightened out, a look of minor disbelief on his face. "That's.....ehhh. That's some power you got there, loup garou..."

Claude looked to what he was referencing.

All across the field. New trees stood as if they'd been left to grow for centuries instead of a few hours. Like braided hair, the wooden tendrils twisted and intertwined before blossoming into the network of branches and verdant leaves that blotted out the sky above. Within each twist of wood and roots, HellBred carcasses were twisted beyond recognition.

Eyeballs hung from crushed skulls, blood dripped down the bark, half disconnected arms burst from the trees insides and clawed at the outside showing how hard they fought to escape when the trees were still growing with them held tightly inside.

In other places, wooden talons sheathed in green vines like veins burst from the ground. Like slash marks, they swayed in all directions, sharp ends tipped with HellBred Centaurs stuck like pigs. Where the wood punctured them roots emerged, working to keep them on the spikes for all eternity.

"Uh....yea..." Claude replied, unknowing of what to say.

Rollan took a few steps towards him with a light smile on his face, "Some power indeed. Especially for someone no older than a teenage boy."

"Wha-- Oh shit!" Claude thought in response as he looked down and found himself back in his human form. Complete with all his visible scars, lean bulging muscle and strong bronze skin.

During all his time spent talking with Arne, mulling over the nights previous events and coming to terms with how he'd changed mentally. He didn't think to consider any physical changes.

Rollan nodded along in silence, the look of deep thought and disbelief still plain on his face as he sniffed the air and let his head face each natural creation Claude made.

"Monsieur. This changes many things, you know?"