Hunger's Wrath

The hunger clawed at her insides, relentless and unforgiving. By the fifth day, Nova's reserves of strength and willpower were wearing thin. The forest provided little in the way of food, and her inexperienced attempts at foraging had only resulted in a handful of bitter berries and half-chewed roots. The emptiness in her stomach grew heavier, her thoughts clouded by a need she couldn't suppress.

That night, beneath the pale light of the crescent moon, the hunger finally overpowered her reason. Her body trembled with exhaustion as she crouched near a small clearing. The rustling of leaves and the distant crackle of underbrush set her senses ablaze. Her head snapped toward the sound, and her eyes narrowed. Something was close—something alive.

She didn't remember the moment she shifted. One instant, she was crouched in the shadows, and the next, her limbs elongated, her muscles rippled, and her skin gave way to thick fur. Her thoughts dissolved into a haze of frenzy and predatory drive. She was no longer Nova; she was the wolf.

Her large, lupine form moved silently through the trees, her nose leading her toward the scent of a wild boar grazing nearby. The beast was enormous, its tusks glinting in the faint moonlight as it rooted through the underbrush. Nova's hunger surged, overriding any trace of caution. She lunged, her powerful jaws snapping at the boar's flank.

The boar let out a deafening squeal and retaliated with surprising force, its tusks slashing through the air. Nova's inexperience betrayed her. She miscalculated her attack, and one of the boar's tusks caught her side, ripping through her thick fur and drawing blood. Pain shot through her, sharp and searing, but it only fueled her desperation.

The struggle was fierce, a brutal dance of claws, teeth, and tusks. Nova's raw strength began to overwhelm the boar, her powerful jaws finding their mark. With a final, feral snarl, she brought the creature down. The fight was over, but at a cost.

Her side throbbed with pain, her blood soaking into her matted fur. She collapsed beside the boar's lifeless body, her breaths ragged and shallow. The hunger subsided as she fed, but the pain in her side remained, a constant reminder of her vulnerability. When her mind began to clear, she realized with growing dread that she couldn't change back. The wolf had taken over, and her human form was out of reach.

Nova limped through the forest, her movements slow and labored. She felt trapped in this alien body, her thoughts a chaotic mix of fear, guilt, and instinct. The moon hung high above, its silvery light casting long shadows as she searched for shelter. She found a small cave tucked into a hillside and crawled inside, curling up against the cold stone floor. Her injuries ached, and her mind raced with unanswered questions.

For the first time, she felt the true weight of her isolation. She was no longer human, no longer the girl her parents had raised. She was something else entirely, something she didn't understand. And as the night wore on, Nova realized that whatever she was, there was no turning back.