What the Beast Did
The world smelled so strong it hurt.
I smelled sharp trees, wet dirt under the snow, and a scary animal smell nearby.
My ears moved around, hearing tiny sounds far away.
There was too much noise and smell all at once.
My body felt strong and ready to run.
My feet were soft on the snow.
I ran without stopping, just because I could.
It felt good to use this new power.
The forest, which I knew well, now felt like part of me.
The moon was high up, shining white.
It felt like it knew what I was now.
It felt like we had a secret.
Even though it was scary, I felt like I belonged a little.
A strong, interesting smell made me stop.
It smelled like food and also felt like fear.
My body knew what to do.
I saw a small animal under a snowy branch.
A rabbit. I was super hungry.
The animal inside me said: chase, catch, eat.
My muscles got ready to jump.
But then, I felt something bad. Sadness?
The picture of Elara crying came into my head.
Could I really hurt another living thing?
The growl in my chest stopped.
The strong need to hunt fought with a small memory of being human.
The rabbit didn't know I was there.
I felt sick. This wasn't just being hungry.
It felt wrong. It felt like the animal inside me and the human me were fighting.
Who was really in charge? It made me feel cold and scared.
I moved back. I was still hungry, but I felt bad.
The rabbit ran away.
I felt like I needed to run too, away from the bad feeling inside me, away from what I had become.
I ran fast. The trees looked like black lines.
The wind sounded sad.
I felt like just an animal, without any thoughts or feelings.
But then, something strange happened.
I didn't want to smell other animals to eat.
I wanted to smell something else.
A soft, flower smell mixed with fear.
Elara. My animal nose, which was good at smelling wild things, also wanted to smell her.
Did I want to keep her safe?
Did I just want to know she was there?
When the sun started to come up, the sky turned light pink and yellow.
I started to feel different.
The strong power felt like it was trapping me.
My bones hurt, and my fur felt too tight.
The loud sounds and smells started to get softer.
I felt dizzy, and my legs were shaky.
I fell down. My strong body felt clumsy.
My fur felt like it was going back inside me.
My long nose felt like it was getting shorter, and my sharp teeth hurt as they changed.
I made a scary noise. What was happening?
Was I turning back?
It felt terrible.
My bones felt like they were breaking and moving again.
My muscles hurt. The world looked blurry.
I fell on the cold ground, crying a little.
The last thing I felt was my arms and legs getting shorter.
Then, I couldn't feel anything.
When I woke up, the sun was shining.
I was lying in the cold snow.
My body hurts everywhere.
My clothes were ripped.
I didn't remember anything from the night.
I sat up. My head hurts.
I felt scared. What did the beast do?
Not remembering was the scariest part.
Did I hurt someone?
Did I kill something?
It made me feel sick.
I looked at my hands.
They were human again, but they were shaking.
I stood up. My legs were sore.
I had to know what happened.
I had to find out what the beast did when I didn't remember.
The sun didn't make me feel safe.
It just showed me the scary unknown.
The beast was awake, and I didn't know what it did.
Did I follow Elara's smell?
Did the animal inside me go back to her?
That thought made me feel even more scared.