82 SINS OF THE FATHER

"What will you do for power?" The words echoed. Whispering like spirits in the wind.

"Will you change? How much of yourself are you willing to lose?"

He could feel the long blades of grass on his skin. He could feel the cold heat of the full moon.

If he focused, he could see beings between the blades of grass.

Anubis stalked like death on the wounded. Locusts buzzed in his wake. Spirits unfurled from his open jaws. His golden jewels shimmered in the dark.

Then he was gone.

Replaced by an awkward, clumsy, arrogant wolfish thing. A thing in a torn toga with a hairless tail, and massive snouted head.

Lycaon.

"What makes a king?" He sneered as he hobbled through the grass— yipping at the flashes of lightning, "What kind of power?"

Something growled in the distance and chased him off.

"YOU!" Garm snarled like the fiery demon-dog he was. "You are FAILING….. YOU! Are no guardian! The gates to hell have been breached!"

A dozen other canine gods charged and chased one another for spotlight in Claude's busted psyche.

They all had their own words, verbal lashings and questions.

But they followed the same idea.

"What will you do for power?"

When facing the gods Claude always tried for respect and to understand how to please, but all he could think was his own question in response.

"What will power do to me?"

***

He opened his eyes to find the night sky looking back at him.

It was raining.

His bones ached. His forearm had its own hideous heartbeat that pushed against his vine mesh wrapping.

He exhaled and saw his breaths on the cold air.

He inhaled and smelled the musk of a dozen overworked bodies.

He inhaled and smelled the coppery odor of blood.

Memory struck in tandem with the flash of lightning.

They were stuck in a Proto-tangent— an age old magic prison used for subterfuge and torture by a warrior race of shapeshifters.

His father was one of them.

So was his mother.

He was supposed to be.

But…..

Claude's mind went back a step.

His father.

"My father is killing my friends."

Claude shot up from the grass. Claws extended and fangs bared.

The students huddled in the small clearing aimed their weapons at him.

Frosty, Ren and the island-dogs snarled at his side. Ursula— the mad Warrior gripped her axes tighter.

He took in the area.

On one side was Claude, Ursula and his hounds. Ursula's knuckles bled. Her eyes were pure white and the veins in her face bulged against her fiery red skin.

On the other side, were the survivors.

His friends.

Darius had a black eye. Chase had a swollen lip. A few other had bite marks on their arms. Which explained Frosty's pinked fangs.

It didn't take a genius to realize.

"Ursula and the dogs had to fight off the students."

Claude held up his hands, "You guys... what—"

"Your dog-monster ran off." Darius said coldly. "After he killed six."

"He's fighting it." Claude realized.

"But we know he'll be back when the howls come. Or maybe you'll take over." Darius said.

"Not happening. That doesn't even make sense—"

"Of course it does. You're one of them!" Someone spat.

"Look at me!" Claude roared, "I'm getting torn to shreds trying to kill every last one of these things."

"Except that one." Isaac said. Warren huddled silently next to him.

Claude was devastated by his voice. It shook between his sniffles.

"He killed Marion." Isaac said, nearly in a whisper.

Claude was back to shaking, "What….."

"Your friend killed Marion. Maybe Samuel was right." Isaac said. "Maybe you're a sympathizer."

"Maybe? He took arrows for that thing! We should kill them all and find Prof. Brennan."

Then Claude saw them.

At the back of the group.

Brink. He was missing arm. Naz was unconscious beside him with a nasty gash running across her face.

Claude stood up.

"Hey…. Hey—"

"Don't you fucking move." Enzo aimed his rifle. Stella held up his flank with her tamed feline.

Before anything could pop off, footsteps came fast. Jarringly fast. Reminding Claude that the ground moved at the command of the alpha.

"Someone's being sent here." Claude and the others turned just as Samuel and Tai came stumbling into the clearing.

They both were covered in scars and blood.

In Samuel's hand, he held a steaming Lupine skull.

"Samuel!"

"Address me appropriately." Samuel huffed.

"Leon..." Xander stood up.

"What?"

"You were right about him. He's with them."

Claude felt like he was living a horrid dream. "No. You don't understand—"

"I've always understood." Samuel said as he turned to Claude.

Ursula roared like a wild man.

"Shut-up! Sympathizer bitch!" Tai snarled. Literally.

Claude suddenly remembered.

"The Lupines want both of you. Jack took you….. Samuel. And here you are. This is planned. No, the plan is over." Claude realized as he watched Tai's incisors extend doggishly.

He could almost bet that beneath Samuel's helm was a furry face with fangs.

Then he saw it.

Samuel's entire left arm of armor was gone and beneath the blood and between the torn fabrics was a faintly glowing bite wound.

"Why did you send them here, Jack?" Claude questioned.

Then he remembered Jacks' words.

"Growth and development…. Hahahah…."

"I'm the third prospect…. If they haven't chosen any others. Isaac is untouched and Naz looks like she's dying so they're aren't choosing by Island Gauntlet rankings. Or they were and the others failed to be chosen." Claude thought. "That's why they sent my dad away. That's why there all here against me. I bet Jack sent the twins here at this moment. They want me to kill. To be unlike my father. They— or at least Jack and Aiko think I can be more. They want all three of us to…"

Samuel raised his sword to Claude. Tai gave him a power boost with a wave of his scepter.

"Samuel…. What did Jack say to you?"

"I don't speak to the enemy." Samuel replied.

"You're lying." Claude said.

"You're misunderstanding." Samuel said.

Claude could literally see his eyes glow within the visor of his helm. He could hear his exhales becoming animalistic growls, "You're the enemy."

Samuel reared his hand back to throw a ball of fire.

"ENOUGH!"

A voice seemingly coming from everywhere echoed across the long grass.

Everyone dropped to the ground as if the spoken word had a gravitational intensity to it.

Then the footsteps came.

A man stepped into the clearing.

Not a beast.

A man.

He was tall. At least seven feet tall and strapped with lean muscle that rippled beneath his tight bronze skin. All he wore was a pair of black pants. His black hair was tied at the back of his head in a braid.

He stood between the two student factions. Looking over everyone like a humanized god with his masculine beauty.

"It seems we've got ourselves a civil war of sorts here."

"…..w-who are you?" Someone asked.

"The mediator." He replied.

But Claude knew the answer. He knew by the way they submitted. He knew by the dominance the man exuded.

"You're Dolion." Claude thought.

"I'm hearing there's a sympathizer among you."

"It's h-him…." Burp pointed at Claude.

"You dumbass!"

"SILENCE PUP!" Dolion roared. Quickly, he regained his composure, but some of the students already realized it.

He noticed his own….. somewhat embarassing break in character and gave up with a sigh.

"Ok. I'll keep it brief. You bore me. You're far too soft in flesh— you break worse than the werewolves. So, I'll let you all leave. But someone has to stay." Dolion smiled. "It gets lonely here."

Suddenly they could all stand.

Samuel was the first to stand. "Everyone on your feet."

Claude was up next. Samuel raised his blade to him as the students rose.

The hate in their faces was nauseating. Enraging.

"Don't do this." Claude didn't need to feel the crushing weight of reality when he knew what it was. He could only ask. Fight.

"I don't speak to the enemy." Samuel repeated.

Dolion grinned.

He turned back to Ursula and found her unconscious.

In the distance, snakes slithered into the shadows.

Darius lifted her with the winds and brought her to their side where Finn caught her.

Tai looked back at them.

"She wasn't in her right mind." Darius said.

Claude was mute as they all stared at him. But he couldn't remain as thunders raged and winds howled.

He took more of Frosty and the island dogs traits. His muscles expanded. His fangs grew until they cut his lip. His voice dropped an octave as he spat, "So that's it? That's it!? You're all supposed to be heroes. You're supposed to save people…. PEOPLE! None of you even know what a person is if they don't have the same face as you. Just a bunch of spineless ass followers— all of you. You don't see what's happening? You won't even let me show you?!"

He didn't even fully know what he would show them. It wasn't a good idea. He was lashing out. Panicking as he felt death loom more intensely than it ever had.

"Goodbye, Claude." Samuel said.

"You won't be missed." Tai sneered.

"Fuck you."

"Well….. I guess that settles it." Dolion said. Then he pointed to the left, where Claude noticed a glowing ring on his pointer finger that pulsed. Behind Claude, the Tangent exit suddenly spun into existence.

The students made a run for it.

Dolion and Claude stared eachother down.

All while his friends left. Left him to die…. Or worse. His heart broke a dozen times over when he saw Frosty soaked from the rain standing beside him.

He held him close, "I'll keep you alive. I swear to every god watching. I swear...."

Dolion suddenly stopped smiling. "DROP— your gaze….. or I'll skin you alive…." His skin rippled and changed colors briefly.

Claude didn't lower his eyes. Defiance was all he had. Or he was falling into psychosis.

Dolion growled—

"Oi, Dolio…." Jack stepped into the clearing. Behind him, two Lupines on all fours, dragged in Salazar Grimm. Champion of House Ronin. His armor was gone. He still looked like a tank in under armor layerings.

Snake bites covered his hands and ankles. On his exposed chest, the words, "a gift" were written in blood.

"Check this out." Jack cackled, "A trade….. for a bite! I've never seen it! This was a good haul."

"So the Serpentmancer was in here. One of the students…. And now… they're a Lupine if Jack's words are to be taken literally.…. It's starting to look less and less like I'm the third prospect. I'm just part of the punishment. There's too much happening." Claude thought.

"Wheres the jester." Dolion asked without looking at Jack.

"Dier's got him." Jack said, "Which I thought was overkill."

Claude's eyes widened.

Jack laughed like a hyena, "Just kidding. He's not dead."

From the skies, a massive shape fell.

It hit the ground and erupted a mushroom cloud of debris and water droplets.

When the dust settled, the biggest Lupine Claude had ever seen stood before him.

The beast was ten feet tall and easily over a thousand pounds. Pure muscle and savage bone structure. His fur was curly and black. A mane of silver and black dreads fell around his shoulders with beads and human bones adorning them. His snout was shorter and thicker than the others— making him almost look like a giant nappy furred bear with dreads. And sabered fangs.

In one hand, he held Gil by the head. He was unconscious.

"I have the disgrace, Alpha." Dier said to Dolion.

Dolion looked to Claude.

"This isn't what she wanted. But I think this will hurt all the more." Dolion said before turning to Dier, "Drop him."

Dier did.

Claude and his hounds immediately swarmed their father.

Dolion laughed, "That won't help him. Get up... NOW!"

Claude trembled against his fathers chest.

"Come on, Clllllaude! Jack said you were smart. Aware! You should know not to turn your back to predators."

Claude didn't move. He didn't want to move. All the rage and high octane energy wavered and shifted into fear. Sorrow for his dead friends. He could smell them in the grass.

"GET UP! I want you to fight. I want you to pay for the sins of your father. He ran across the world to escape us. We will not let you run. I want you to fight— I want you to die a failure. As your father should've. As he will, right after you."

Claude looked up from his fathers unconscious body. Ears twitching.

"There he is…." Jack hopped around barking.

"Come on then, pup!" Jack said.

Claude opened his hands. His spear teleported into his grip. Blazing. Like everything in him as he looked at the nightmares given Wolven form surrounding him.

"Show me what you've got, Claude. It's all you can do…."

Claude spun around and threw his spear into the air.

The flaming pike soared.

"You missed." Dolion said.

Then they heard it. Their predatory impulses finally died down enough to hear the rustling in the wind.

Prof. Brennan caught the spear, expanding its flaming potential exponentially as he fell like a meteor.

Claude used the grass as a shield for him, Gil and his hounds. Underneath he used his own body as a secondary shield, keeping his promise to his brother and his other canine kin.

When the firebomb of a hero hit, he found himself repeating the same words. All while flames bit through the grass and burned him— to the bone in certain areas.

It did nothing to rupture his thought process. To slow the boom of his heart as he readied himself.

"I'll kill you all…."