The Wolf Beneath the Flesh

The air was thick with tension and blood.

Brendon's chest rose and fell rapidly as he crouched low, dirt smudging his face and sweat stinging his eyes. He'd taken more hits than he could count—his ribs throbbed, and his leg barely supported him now. The ground beneath them was cracked and trembling from the Chimera X-Prime's relentless attacks. The monster's breaths came out as distorted hisses and guttural growls, its pulsating muscles flexing under misshapen flesh stitched together from gorilla brawn, lion rage, and squamous squid tendrils.

Chief Tyson leaned against a cracked wall, one hand pressed against his bleeding shoulder. Blood soaked through the sleeve of his uniform, trailing in thick red lines. His breathing was shallow, and yet his voice came sharp and commanding.

"Brendon," Tyson barked. "Use it."

Brendon blinked through the pain. "Use what?"

"Your instincts. The beast inside. You're an anthro, and not just any kind— you've got the ancient instincts in you. You need to awaken."

Brendon looked at him, confused but listening.

Tyson's voice slowed, his words marked by years of weathered knowledge. "Every anthro has a primal form… a state where they shed the burden of rational thought and become what they once were. Raw. Wild. Unchained. It's not just strength or speed. It's... survival. Our ancestors lived by it. Fought with it. Died by it."

Brendon felt something stir inside him, a whisper from the marrow of his bones.

The Chimera X-Prime shrieked again, charging forward with crushing intent. Its limbs blurred, a fusion of biological genius and unrestrained savagery.

Brendon dodged to the left, claws extended. But he was slow—too slow.

The beast's fist slammed into his side, sending him skidding across the chamber floor, tumbling through broken crates and discarded lab instruments. He coughed blood.

"You're too soft," Tyson growled. "Let it go, Brendon. Let the wolf inside you loose."

The words echoed. Let the wolf inside you loose. Brendon can't believe the words came from Chief. Victor Tyson the man who always hated him, because he is a wolf. They never get along. But today not only he came for his rescue but also giving these piece of advises.

Brendon closed his eyes, tuning out the sounds of chaos. Inside his chest, something pulsed—a core of fire, a memory etched into his bloodline. It surged upward, from his spine to his skull, and his body convulsed.

Then... silence.

The next time Brendon opened his eyes, they glowed a fierce amber-yellow. His claws lengthened, curved like twin daggers. Fur erupted across his limbs, dark and coarse. His jaw sharpened, lengthening slightly, and a low growl rumbled from deep within his chest.

He stood, taller and broader than before—his muscles more defined, his posture more bestial. His tail flicked behind him with restless energy. His arms in front of him in a boxer position.

Tyson smirked weakly. "There you go, pup. Now you're waking up."

Brendon leapt.

The Chimera howled in response, charging again. The two collided midair with a shockwave that shattered nearby glass panels and sent paper swirling like a storm.

Claws met tendrils. Teeth gnashed. Flesh tore.

Brendon ducked under a sweeping arm and slashed across the creature's abdomen, drawing a gush of thick, dark fluid. The Chimera bellowed and responded by slamming a squid-like tentacle into Brendon's back, pinning him momentarily.

He struggled, kicked, bit, roared.

The roar wasn't human.

The Chimera staggered.

Brendon used the moment to flip behind the creature, launching off the wall and landing on its back. He gripped the creature's neck, trying to tear through the sinewy mass with claws and teeth. It thrashed violently, slamming into pillars, ramming backward into walls, trying to dislodge him.

Tyson tried to intervene, but stumbled. His injury had worsened. He clutched his shoulder and cursed under his breath.

"Don't die on me now, Wolf…" he muttered.

Then, without warning, the Chimera grabbed Brendon by the leg and hurled him across the room. He hit the wall with a painful crunch, bones screaming in protest.

The beast advanced toward him, snarling.

Tyson's eyes widened. He couldn't let it end here.

With a roar of his own, Tyson's muscles expanded. His body bulked up and his ox horns curved slightly more upward, glowing faintly.

He charged.

The ground cracked beneath his hooves as he tackled the Chimera with everything he had. The impact was like a cannon blast—Chimera X-Prime staggered, snarling in fury.

But it recovered faster.

It swung its monstrous arm and slammed into Tyson's injured side, sending the ox sprawling across the chamber like a ragdoll. He hit the floor with a bone-rattling thud and lay still.

"Chief!" Brendon shouted, blood dripping from his lip.

No response.

On the other end of the room, Robert—pale and bloodied—was slumped against a console, unmoving. His revolver lay empty beside him. The mind-controlled guards had finally overpowered him.

Grimm's laugh echoed through the chamber like poison.

"Come on, Brendon," he called mockingly. "This isn't your best. You're supposed to be a Mythriven. You should at least entertain me."

Brendon stared up from the floor, trembling.

Mythriven.

The word struck something deeper than bone or blood. It vibrated through his soul. A reality that he wants to defy. But for now he has to embrace it to end this madness once and for all.

His vision began to blur, not with pain— but transformation. The heat in his body intensified. His nails cracked and regrew. His fur thickened. His back arched and spine extended. His muscles bulged grotesquely for a moment before snapping into perfect, terrifying symmetry.

His form swelled—taller than a man now.

Seven feet tall giant.

Broad. Towering. Ferocious.

Brendon let loose a roar that cracked ceiling tiles and shook loose dust from the rafters.

His face elongated into a full muzzle, teeth gleaming like ivory blades. His eyes, glowing gold, burned with primal fury. Muscles rippled under taut black fur, and his claws could cleave stone.

He had become a true wolf— a beast of legend. The Wolf of the Woods. The nightmare beneath the moon.

Dr. Grimm blinked, finally uncertain.

"Well now… this... is going to be fun."

Brendon lunged.