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What is it that makes us human? How does one define humanity?

Is it the skin we wear, or things we build that set us apart? Is it our supposed intelligence, or how we place ourselves above all the other creatures on the planet? Or are we so deluded to think that its the simple fact that we walk and talk that sets us above the 'lower animals'?

What if the only defining characteristic of humanity.....is choice?

-May 18th, (E-Day + 9)

---

The rumpled and slightly dirty sheets slid slowly down Riku's frame as he pulled himself from the bed. Standing and stretching, he worked the few kinks out of his back, turning to look at the other occupant of the bed. The black-furred fox looked back at him, fur still slightly matted from their activities, with eyes that almost flashed with a hint of amusement. "Going so soon, hun?" the black vulpine purred.

"Er....well, I want to check on my friends," Riku blushed, trying to ignore the pleasant ache from his lower regions. Having taken care of the urges plaguing him theses past few days, the youth-turned-fox was glad for the brief reprieve from his raging libido, feeling as if he hadn't thought clearly since his transformation. "They will probably want to leave and such soon.....so....."

The black fox still laying in the sticky sheets simply chuckled, and relaxed back on his arms behind his head. "No matter. We did what you needed to do," he said, almost dismissively. "You ever want another round, you know where to find me."

Getting the sense he had been summarily dismissed, Riku blushed again and pulled on his shorts before quietly leaving the hotel room. Part of him felt...ashamed...at having been so cliche about the whole thing. Picking a guy up in the bar, and heading straight upstairs to plow each other with barely so much as a thought to the contrary. I don't even know his name, the vulpine thought, as he padded softly downstairs to return to the Den's main bar, where he had left his companions roughly and hour or so ago. Riku wondered what they had done to pass the time while he was upstairs getting his rocks off.

---

The area around the booth was silent for about five seconds, as Brandon's statement sunk in. Then, the tensions snapped.

"Are you fucking crazy?!" Auren roared, and without thinking, lunged at Brandon as if to throttle him.

Wide-eyed, the shorter youth darted back before his friend could reach him, nearly falling over the large equine that stood behind him. Nate had jumped up from his seat and grabbed Auren roughly, holding him back from tackling Brandon, although the wolf's face was set in a grim mask of unknown emotions.

"You're insane!" Auren spat, struggling to free himself of the muscular arms of his lupine friend so he could reach his other companions and physically knock the sense into him. "You want to throw your life away for some....some....fantasy?"

"Look around you!" Brandon shot back, his face red with anger. "All these people survived changing! There is a chance!"

Still struggling against the large wolf holding him, Auren snarled in rage. "And you're willing to roll those dice....just to get some bigger muscles?"

Brandon's face flushed even more, but this time it was with more than simple anger as Auren's word's hit home. "Its about surviving, Auren! If we want to survive all of this, we have to adapt! That's the simple fact!"

"Fact my ass!"

"Auren," Nate finally growled, although his voice was low and deep. The youth in his arms reduced his struggling, even though he still tried to force himself away from the wolf. "If this is what Brandon chooses..."

"Don't you turn on me too," the youth hissed, his piercing blue eyes shifting to the wolf. The look behind them....was that anger? Hurt? Betrayal?

"I'm not 'turning' on you," Nate snapped, trying desperately to keep his own rising anger and instincts under control. "But we have no right to force Brandon to do - or not do - anything. Its his life, his choice."

"Than-"

"Do not thank me," the wolf snarled, whipping his head to the shorter youth before him. Baring his fangs slightly, the simple display of lupine aggression was enough to make Brandon take another step back. "I said its your choice....I never said I agree with it."

Brandon's eyes flared as he registered Nate's answer, and his posture grew defensive once again. "But look at you, Nate.....you said you have come to embrace what happened to you."

"But I didn't choose this!" the wolf snapped, his grip on Auren tightening in reflex. "It was forced upon me, and now, I have been forced to accept it. Don't think for a moment this makes us the same, Brandon." Letting his gaze fall to the human he still held, Nate felt the multitude of emotions swirling around his head, almost to the point he wanted to collapse and cry. "What you decide to do with your body is your choice.....just don't expect us to accept it without our own views."

The words sunk in, and Brando drew himself up to his full height. "I am going through with this. You'll see.....it'll work out in the end." With that, he spun and tramped off towards the private rooms, the tall and silent equine following slowly.

Auren and Nate watched then go, before the youth ripped himself from the wolf's arms. He paced and snarled for a few moments, before his temper finally burst and he kicked the wooden table right off its legs, sending a loud crash throughout the club. "How could you just let him go like that?" he barked, turning on the wolf.

"Its not our place to force him either way, Auren," the wolf said evenly, even though he bristled at his friend's accusing tone. "To force our views or choices on him makes us no better than the ferals out there. And the last time I checked....we were still human, somewhat."

Auren opened his mouth to snap back a retort, but then closed it and scowled. He paced again a few times, clenching and cracking his knuckles, before he finally sighed and sagged against the booth. "I just.....I don't know what to do anymore..."

"Hey," Nate growled softly, sliding closer. He gently started to slide his arm around Auren's shoulder. "Its gonna be-"

"Don't! Don't touch me!" he snapped, slapping the furry arm and pushing the wolf away roughly. "I don't want to be comforted. I......I need some air," he sighed, getting up and striding briskly towards the door.

Nate watched him go, the slight sting of Auren's slap on his arm still throbbing. In the pit of his stomach, feelings of hurt welled up as the rejecting bark from his friend rang in his ears. Unbidden, his mind flashed back to that look Auren gave him only minutes ago, and the feelings worsened. Had he betrayed Auren by letting Brandon go? Or did Auren feel betrayed or alone period, as all his friends changed around him?

Nate whimpered as he saw his friend disappear out the entrance to the Den, all his conflicting thoughts and emotions from the past days whirling about inside him. Despite being the wolf he now was, it was like he had grown even closer to Auren in recent days, almost to the point where it surpassed the friendship that already had. But hearing Auren's words....seeing his reactions to the infection, and Brandon's actions....Nate wondered just how his friend really saw him now. The thought that Auren thought of him as anything other than the boy he had always known...that he was just another infected animal...it cut him to the core, more-so than he imagined.

If Nate didn't know better, he could have sworn this felt like.....heartbreak.

A familiar scent hit his nose, and he turned, only to see Riku hurrying towards him with a wide-eyed look of shock on his face. The fox came from the same direction Brandon had left towards, and the wolf guessed that had transpired, even as the vulpine slid to a stop beside him."I just ran into Brandon," he yipped. "Nate....what the hell is going on?!"

---

The tin can clattered off the pavement as Auren angrily kicked it ahead of him. The sound was eerily echoed off the empty buildings and streets around him, where there had once been a bustling city full of noise.

His right hand clenched around the handle of the metal bat he carried, almost to the point where his knuckles cracked. He had grabbed it as he left the bar without thinking, feeling drawn to the weapon as he ventured out into the dangerous city alone. Looking down at it, he spied the few drops of hyena blood on it where he had hit the man outside the bar, in attempt to save that poor canine woman.

Was she still a woman? he thought to himself. Even though she had fur and canine ears.....she was still human, right? Or did the infection make her....less than she was before? Or perhaps more?

Growling in anger, Auren smashed the remains of a newspaper stand with the bat, and resumed his walk.

The Wolf's Den was several blocks behind him now, the youth having not bothered to really look where he was going. He just needed to get away. Away from his friends....away from all the anthros.....just away. Coming to a stop, he raised his eyes to the sky and let the falsely-serene blue calm him from his thoughts. The arguments with Brandon still rang in his head, as did the images of the attacks he had seen. He thought about Nate who despite his new wolf body, was still the same guy he had always know.....wasn't he?

Is it really them who are changing, and becoming something else.....or is it me?

Sighing heavily, he brought his gaze back down to the ruined streets, then frowned in slight surprise. A few yards ahead was a sleek, black van that had crashed into several parked cars. Its back doors were wide open - one of them torn completely off - and its contents were spilled out all over the street. Normally, such a sight was all too common in the city, civilized life having come to an abrupt halt, leaving behind wreckage and debris from what had once been a normal day.

But something about this one caught Auren's eye, and he strode closer to investigate. There was something....ominous...about this van, and the youth's annoying curiosity drew him towards it. Sliding around a musky puddle near the back of the van, the youth eased himself inside to see if there was anything useful inside. The more he looked around the interior, the more he began to suspect that this was no civilian van. Official-looking papers littered the console, and as he peered into the front, Auren caught sight of a locked metal box beneath the passenger seat....one he had seen in his father's study enough times to know it was a gun box. The lockbox was stuck, wedged into the frame of the van from the impact of the crash, and Auren's halfhearted attempt to get it free was ended with a sigh of disappointment.

Then, he saw the briefcase.

The black, unassuming case was partially hidden by the rear bench seat, next to the remains of what was probably its owner's clothes. Carefully sliding the case out, Auren used a scrap of dry cloth to pull it into the open, noting that the briefcase too was damp from the fluids present in the van. Managing to find a dry spot on the rear seat, the youth wiped what he could off the front of the case, and fiddled with the clasp. The lock itself had been broken, but by what he didn't know, and after a few minutes of less-than-gentle persuasion, Auren managed to crack the case open.

Inside, it was apparent that whatever fluids had covered the case had also leaked inside, ruining most of its contents. All that remained when Auren opened the case were a few moderately legible pages and an unmarked vial, that looked to still contain whatever fluid it was transporting. The vial was about the size of the palm of his hand, with a sharp hypodermic needle at the end. The contents were almost the consistency of quicksilver, making Auren fidget slightly as he held it, starting to wonder if holding this thing was a smart idea. Slipping the small vial into the pocket of his jacket, the youth turned to the pages and tried to make out any words still left on the paper.

Most of the ink had been smudged or rendered completely illegible by the fluids that had soaked through, but there were still a few things Auren was able to make out. One was the familiar BioTech logo on top of the letterhead, giving him a twinge of unease in his stomach. The introduction of the nanites to the population had been their project....so were they to blame for all this? For that matter, what was the cause for all these mutations? Was it some sort of secret experiment, or was it really just an accident?

Eyes scanning further down the page, Auren managed to make out a few more words, but they only added to the unease he felt the more he read. Things like "Predator Project" or "prototype" stood out from the mass of smudged ink, along with "immediate transport". Touching his pocket where he had just put the vial, Auren felt a sense of vertigo the more he uncovered from the official-looking document. The rest of the text was indecipherable, and he finally gave up trying, now thinking it would be best to leave this place sooner rather than later. Crawling back out from the wrecked van, the denim-clad youth propped himself up on his bat and leaned against the van's exterior, stretching. Bringing his head back down to look at street level, his eyes scanned the area for trouble....

.....landing on the evil grin of a hyena standing next to him.

---

Wringing his hands nervously, Brandon sat on the edge of the bed as the large horse shut the door to the small room, and turned to face his smaller companion. The chesnut-colored equine gave him the barest look over, before striding over to the small sink and rummaging around for something. Brandon tried to take deep breaths, in attempt to resign himself to the fact of what he was doing. He wanted this, and by god, his stubbornness wasn't about to let him get out of it now. It felt like he had been fighting with Auren for so long over the matter, even though it had barely been a few days. He saw the reasoning behind his decision; to survive, you have to adapt. From what Riku had said, it was very possible that after transforming, your immunity to further infection increases dramatically. That alone should be worth it, right?

But....seeing all those ferals....

He was drawn from his thoughts when the large equine turned and took one step back towards the bed, holding a glass in his thick paw. Brandon looked at the milky contents, instantly getting a whiff of a strong, musky odor. Right away, his nerves grew slightly more tense. "Erm..."

"Here ya go," the horse nickered gently, handing him the glass. "Bottoms up."

Looking at the glass in confusion, Brandon raised and eyebrow. Was he trying to get him drunk first? "So....I just drink it?"

"Well its what ya want, isn't it?" The stallion nodded to the glass.

"I....er.....thought you were going to....you know...change me?" the youth blushed, trying not to think of this large horse and the implied acts that would be needed.

The chesnut-colored equine gave a soft nickering chuckle. "That's what the drink is for, kid." He raised an eyebrow. "What....you thought we'd do it the other way?" The stallion threw his head back in a laugh as Brandon went beet red from the insinuations. "Oh lordy....ain't no way we'd manage that, kid. I'd split ya in half before the end."

Face flushed red, Brandon shuffled in his seat, realizing what was really in his drink. "So....then this drink is....?"

"Mostly," the stallion shrugged, seeming like it was no big deal to hand someone a semen-infused drink. "The effect is the same either way, but alot o' people like you find this an easier route that trying to do the nasty with a stud like me."

"Right..." the youth gulped, swirling the milky beverage in his glass. Am I really gonna do this?

The large horse watched him for a moment, before sighing and leaning against the wall. "Now or never, kid. Either you want it, or ya don't."

Taking a deep breath, Brandon pushed all his conflicting thoughts from his mind. The arguments with Auren and the others....the horrible risks he was taking....and the doubts about whether he was making the right choice. All these thoughts were shoved to the back of his mind as he steeled himself, squared his chest, and threw back the drink.

The slightly warm fluid cascaded down his throat, and Brandon cringed at the taste, but forced himself to swallow it all down. He wanted this. Choking down the last of it, he tried to ignore the aftertaste as he felt the drink rush down his chest and hit his stomach. Instantly, he felt a warmth blossom through his gut, that slowly spread out further through his body. He gave a slight groan as his stomach twisted, and he shot the horse a worried look. "Taking it directly makes it work faster," the stallion said in an almost-bored tone as he watched the youth begin to change.

Shoulda....asked....about....that, Brandon thought as he curled up on the bed, cradling his knotting stomach. Regardless, it was too late now, and as the warmth spread through the rest of his body, he felt the changes begin quickly.

His skin rippled and itched as he watched a coat of golden brown - almost yellow - fur sprout from his arms, covering his hands and forearms quickly, and racing down the rest of his frame. The skin rippled even more as he felt the muscles beneath begin to engorge and grow, making his gasp at the sensations. His chest tightened and swelled, straining against the fabric of his clothes as his body began to grow, his legs thickening and bulging against his jeans. Brandon tried to fumble with the button of his pants, and just managed to tear them open as his growing body forced the denim off his changing legs.. His shirt was a total loss, ripping as his chest and torso ballooned out. As he watched, his hands grew thicker and meatier, unchanging in shape except for his nails. They grew hard and black, the hard surface getting thicker until it resembled a small hooflet, as his arms pumped up into large, thick muscles.

His legs took a different route, and with a sharp snap, became digitrade like the horse nearby. His feet grew smaller and smaller, getting compact until they became hooves. The ankle was almost stick-like, but moving further up, the muscles in his calves and hamstrings bulged outward, growing dense and thick. Brandon's legs were now nearly as thick as his human torso had been, evidence that this knew body would be good for running...as well as delivering one hell of a kick.

Groaning, he felt his gut clench almost painfully, and a note of panic entered his mind before he pushed it away. He wanted this. Grunting and groaning, he watched as his previously flat stomach bulged outward, becoming almost barrel-like, before he felt his body stretch out again, gaining inches in height. The rounded abdomen became more streamlined and toned, rippling abs appearing in his golden coat as his chest hardened and shaped itself into a rock-hard cliff of pecs.

With a stretching sensation, Brandon felt his mouth bulge outwards as his head was rearranged into that of a horse, his ears crawling up the side of his head and sprouting. His hair grew longer, but only down the middle of his head, as it moved down his neck to become his mane as the rest of it was absorbed into his new coat. His mouth itched as the teeth grew large and flat, and his nose grew huge to form his new equine muzzle. The more and more his body changed, the more relaxed and resigned he grew. There was no going back now, but would he have wanted to? He wanted this.

Panting and gasping on the bed, Brandon felt his body surge and grow a few more times, before the warmth left his extremities to return to his gut. He tried to lift his head, getting used to the new weight on his shoulders, when the warm tingling sensation rushed to his groin, and he let out a loud whinny-like moan. He felt the warmth his his balls shortly before they began to swell and bulge out against the skin, growing larger and fuller every second. His cock was wrapped with warmth as the skin covered it and grew thicker, forming his sheath, before it too began to grow. More and more blood pumped into his groin as his cock swelled and grew, getting to the point it felt almost too big for his new sheath. Then, the newly-grown length started to slide out from his groin, and he looked down to see his black-and-pink molted shaft stretching out and out. The head became flat and thick as more inches poured from his sheath, each throb outward being another throb thicker.

Unbidden, Brandon reached down with his large hand to grip the growing length, pulling on it and jerking it at the same time. The beer can-thick shaft throbbed and grew as he stroked it, getting fuller and thicker with each pulse of his heart. Below, his balls bulged and grew to the size of small melons, and he could almost feel the virile equine seed sloshing within. A final whinny of pleasure, and his cock throbbed to its full size, the 18-inches of stallion maleness flopping back against his stomach with a slap.

Panting as the changes came to an end, Brandon struggled to rise and look at the mirror over by the sink, gasping loudly as he finally saw himself. The golden coat of fur covered his entire seven-foot body, save a small brown patch on his nose between his eyes. His mane was the same dark-brown color of his hair, and it reached down the length his neck. His chest and abs looked like they had been chiseled onto his body, the ripped six-pack nestled perfectly below his rock-hard pecs. Brandon ran a hand over his arms, feeling the bulging biceps there, and he gave himself a small flex, grinning widely.

But the huge throbbing shaft that stood out from his groin drew his eyes the most. Reaching down to grip it and stroke the girthy length, he moaned and felt his newly-grown balls clench and pulse, knowing he was a stallion through and through. His new tail swished behind him, tickling his large rump cheeks, and he grinned uncontrollably as the best revelation came to him. He still knew his name, who he was, and everything!

It worked! he sang to himself. I'm still me...but I'm a freaking stallion! Wait until stuck-up Auren sees-

Without warning, Brandon was pushed back onto the bed, as he looked up into the eyes of the horse who had changed him. The chesnut-colored stallion grinned, and reached down to grip the newly-transformed horse's cock and rub it against his own bulging arousal. "Well....now ya look more like ya should," he grinned, stroking their cocks together. Brandon couldn't help but moan in pleasure as he new libido was stoked and prodded, now starting to understand how Nate and Riku felt. The brown stallion kept stroking their cocks as his grin grew wider. "Now maybe you'll be fit to ride, kiddo."

There was a brief hesitation in Brandon's mind, before another stroke to his cock washed it away and replaced it with the burning lust of a stallion in rut. He wanted this.

---

Auren jumped back from the face of the hyena as the canine yipped and laughed, only to stumble into another one right behind him. Whirling around, he tried to look for an exit, but instead, he saw more hyena bikers striding towards him. There was no way out as the six hyenas surrounded him, all laughing in their strange laugh.

"Well well....look what we found boys!" the largest, leather-clad hyena yipped. "A new plaything....or better yet....a new bitch for the gang!" The other hyenas laughed and yowled, coming to form a rough circle around the youth.

Gripping the handle of his bat tightly, Auren tried not to let his fear show, even though he knew he was surrounded and badly outnumbered. "You bastards aren't taking me without a fight," he growled in what he hoped was bravery.

One hyena in front of him sneered, and pulled a tire iron from his jacket. "Good. Makes things more fun."

Then they lunged.

Auren ducked and sidestepped, jerking the handle of the bat he held backwards to catch the hyena behind him in the gut as the biker swung at him with a chain. Snapping his foot out, Auren caught the same hyena's ankle and sent him sprawling forwards as the youth ducked to the side. The biker's chain had already been swung, and missing its target, it caught the biker who had been in front of Auren in the side of the head, making him yelp in pain as he stumbled and crashed into the chain's owner. The hyena in front had swung his tire iron at the same time, missing its target as well, as it knocked the chain-wielding hyena to the ground, out for the count.

As those two hyenas tangled up and fell, Auren spun to face the remaining four, each wielding their own weapons. One held a golf club, another tossed a small pocket knife back and forth between his paws. The third had another tire iron, and the big leader hefted-

"A machete?! Really?!" Auren yelped in disbelief as he saw the large, flat blade in the biker's paw.

The large hyena leader just threw his head back and laughed his odd laugh. "Wassamatter, kid? Afraid you gonna get cut?" He snarled and sliced at the air in between them. "Good....cuz that's exactly what I'm plannin'!"

With a lunge, he jumped forward and hacked at Auren, who barely manged and bring the metal bat up in time to deflect the blade. Metal screeched on metal as he snapped out his leg again to kick the hyena in the gut, getting a grunt of pain for his effort. Bringing the handle up, Auren lashed out with the blunt end to catch the biker in the face, sending him howling as he staggered a few steps back. A split-second later, the youth hand to jump back to avoid the slash from the smallest hyena's knife, the blade catching the hem of his jacket. His foot caught a piece of debris and sent him off balance, just as the tire-iron wielding hyena swung.

Auren grunted as the weapon hit him straight in the gut, and his abdomen seared with pain as the blunt object smashed into him. Then, almost unnoticed, a second sharper pain stabbed into his stomach, and he grit his teeth. Pushing the pair away, Auren whipped his bat again, striking the iron-wielding hyena right in the neck with an upwards blow, snapping his head back and causing him to drop like a rock.

As he fell, the large leader took his place, blood streaming down the side of his head and making his snarl look all the more vicious. He readied the machete he held for another slash, and Auren was forced to make a snap choice. Just as the leader hacked at him, the youth grabbed the arm of the hyena swinging the golf club and jerked him forward, using the biker's own momentum to pull him in. Blunt blade met fur with a sickening crunch, and the shriek of pain that followed echoed through the empty streets like a scream.

Golf-club hyena dropped, his shoulder laid open and gushing blood, and Auren threw himself forward in a roll to get some room. A loud howl of rage sounded behind him, and he spun just in time to catch the small knife on his bat, the shortest hyena stabbing and slashing at him viciously. A few of the strikes got through, cutting into Auren's chest and arms through the thick denim he wore, and his face contorted in pain and anger. Stabbing out with the blunt head of the bat, he caught the hyena first in the stomach, then then chest, and finally wound up a true baseball swing to his head. The short hyena never got to make a sound as the bat cracked his skull and sent him to the ground, where he lay unmoving.

Grunting in pain from his wounds, Auren turned to face the last hyena, the large leader of the group who brandished his now-bloody machete. The snarl of rage on his face screamed for Auren's blood, and the youth grit his teeth right back at him. The two squared off, prowling like wild animals, before the biker roared and charged forward. The machete hacked at Auren, who just barely managed to knock it aside with the bat. The counter strike lashed out, catching the hyena in the side, but the leather-clad biker snarled and pushed the youth away before he could follow up, slashing at his head again.

Auren jerked his head back, feeling the wind from the blade on his face, and he whipped the bat around by the end of its handle, using the longer reach of his weapons to strike out. This time, he managed to hit the hyena's arm that held the machete, making the biker fumble with his weapon as his elbow shattered. Taking the advantage, Auren took one step forward and swung hard. The bat impacted the biker's ribs, cracking them, and diving the breath from his lungs with a choked gasp. Another brutal swing, and Auren broke his leg, sending him to the ground.

The hyena whimpered in pain and looked up at the bloodied, denim-clad youth in resignation. His vision then went black with the blunt end of a metal bat.

Watching the last hyena fall, Auren brought the bat up and jerked his head around, looking for more. His eyes darted to every shadow and every flutter of debris, his breath coming in short gasps. There were no more. All six leather-clad hyenas now lay either dead or unconscious around him, the blood from their injuries staining the grey stone beneath them.

Hands shaking, Auren looked down at his bloodied bat, recoiling from the reality of what he had just done. He moved shakily over to a light pole, leaned against it, and threw up. Stomach heaving, he emptied its contents all over the side walk, before he had nothing left, and it became dry heaves. Struggling back to his feet, Auren managed to make it a dozen steps or so, before the pain in his gut returned. It felt like something was sticking in him, like a piece of metal or-

With a look of horror on his face, Auren dropped his bat and stuck his hand into the pocket of his jacket. He felt the cold metal of the vial within, and holding his breath, pulled it slowly out. The sickening feeling of a needle being pulled from under his skin made him grit his teeth, and he finally brought the vial out into the open. The plastic cover over the hypodermic needle had broken, allowing it easy access to pierce his clothing and get into his skin. The now-empty vial sat in his hand, not a drop of its previous contents visible, and Auren felt his stomach clench with both dread and an unknown warmth.

"Aww.....crap."

---

Of all the things he had gained since his transformation, Nate had to admit the sense of smell was quickly becoming the most useful. It was like everything around him was surrounded in this aura of its own unique scent, and Nate thoroughly now believed that humans might as well have been blind when it came to the world of smell.

As much as it had perturbed him at first, the youth-turned-wolf had committed to memory the individual scents of his friends, so that he could always pick them out amongst anything else. The more he became accustomed to it, the more natural it seemed. All he had to do was inhale, and instantly he could pick out the trails that said 'Auren' or 'Riku' to his nose. It was like having a flashing beacon in his mind that would always lead him to whomever he was looking for.

However, there were other implications with this as well.

Nate had never guessed how much the sense of smell was connected to ones emotions before. Sure, when someone wore nice perfume, or stunk of body odor it elicited a certain response. But being able to actually smell someone, not just what they were wearing, was almost like being able to learn about who and what they were, and what your reactions to them would be. During class, they had all learned about how some animals were attracted to one another by scent, and now, Nate was starting to learn first hand just how that worked.

Having committed his friends' scents to memory, Nate knew he could pick them out of a crowd in seconds. But he was unprepared for how their scents would make him feel....especially one scent in particular. The gentle warmth it gave him in the pit of his belly, or the uncontrollable grin he found stretching across his muzzle whenever the scent tickled his nose....it started to make sense when coupled with the odd thoughts and sensations he had been feeling these past few days. Maybe....just maybe, he really was starting to-

Catching his foot-paw on a overturned trash bin, Nate brought himself out of his thoughts and back to the task at hand, his furred ears flicking gently as he listened to the gentle clang echo off a nearby building. Shaking his head and getting back on track, he reoriented himself and resumed his pace, Auren's scent floating on the wind. It had been almost half an hour since his blonde-haired friend had stormed out of the bar, and Nate had finally taken it upon himself to go after him. He knew Auren needed the space to himself after the issue with Brandon, but being outside alone was cause for concern regardless. Pushing aside his other thoughts on Auren's mood regarding the whole transformation issue, Nate knew he was concerned for his friend above all. Anything else would be addressed in time.

One of the tiger bouncers had pointed him in the general direction Auren had stalked off in, and Nate set out following his friend's scent, intending to bring him back to where it was safe. As much as there were a multitude of other smells and things all over the neighborhood, Auren might as well have left a brightly lit sign indicating where he had gone. Nate's wolf nose picked his scent out immediately, and locked it in place, ensuring that it was the only one in his focus. Taking a deep sniff every few yards, the tall lupine was able to follow his trail as it wound down a side street and off into the adjacent city block.

As he walked, Nate wondered just what he planned to say to Auren when he found him. Trying to comfort him was probably out of the question, as was any sentence with the words 'Brandon' or 'infection' in it. Maybe he should just say he was worried about his friend? I came looking for you...because I- nah, he grumbled, searching for the right words. You had me worried......no, that makes it sound like I'm patronizing him. He padded on for a few more feet. You shouldn't be out here alone - psssh, what am I, his father? The wolf growled at himself, shaking his head. Why did he have to come up with an excuse? Surely Auren wouldn't be mad at him for following would he? He knew his friend would probably have done the same thing if their positions were reversed.

I care about you, so I wanted to know you were safe. Slowing, Nate pondered those words seriously for a moment. That didn't sound.....so bad.

Sighing, he shook his head again and resumed his walking, noting that Auren's scent was getting stronger, indicating his friend was close by. Picking up the pace, he hopped over an overturned food cart, wrinkling his nose at the smell of spoiled hot dogs, and hurried towards the side street where Auren's scent was coming from. The smell was definitely getting stronger, and he knew he had to be close, right around the corner even. Nate was just about call out in question, when another scent hit his nose and sent his mind into panic.

Blood.

Lunging forward, the wold broke into and all-out run, his worst fears flashing past his eyes. Auren's scent. Blood. Blood. Auren. More blood. No no no nononono! Skidding around a dumpster, Nate vaulted past the abandoned car and out of the alley, onto the surface street where he knew the scents were coming from. Please be there....please be okay....

Rushing past a bus stop, the tall wolf looked around worriedly, trying to pick out anything in the distance. A brief flash of blue against the grey of the city, and he spotted a lone figure by a smattering of wrecked cars. "Auren!" he howled, and raced towards him. The closer he got, the more potent the smell of blood became, as well as another scent he started to identify. Hyena.

Brushing his way past what used to be a suburban, Nate came across the scene where his friend was, and instantly took in the sights. A half dozen hyenas clad in the leather outfits of the biker gang they had encountered before lay around the small clearing. Some were dead, others simply out cold from their injuries. All were bleeding, the potent smell of fresh blood filling Nate's nose. Auren sat nearby on a bench, staring blankly ahead as the wolf hurried up to him, seeming not to notice or hear him, a bloodied bat cradled in his lap.

"Auren!" Nate called again, finally reaching his friend. The youth didn't even blink of flinch, still staring blankly ahead. Nate's eyes wandered over his form, taking in the cuts and wounds caused from the hyenas. "Auren," he said again, this time in a loud, firm voice. Touching his shoulder gently with a paw, Nate have him the smallest shake. "Hey....Auren...."

The blonde-haired youth stared passed the wolf, but at what he couldn't tell. "I.....I had to," he whispered in a small voice. "They......and I...."

Looking back at the bodies of the hyenas, Nate understood the gravity of Auren's condition, and his apparent 'spaced-out' behavior. "Hey....its okay," he growled softly, kneeling down beside his friend. "Its over....you did what you had to." Again, Auren just stared blankly ahead, as if the wolf wasn't even there.

Getting no response, Nate lifted his paw gently and cupped Auren's chin to bring the youth's face around to meet him, his other hand resting on the boy's lap. Spurred by the touch of the furry paw to his skin, Auren's eyes finally shifted and gazed back into the golden-brown eyes of the wolf beside him. "It's okay," Nate repeated.

"Nate?" came the soft question.

"Yeah buddy," the lupine grinned. "I'm right here." Though his eyes kept staring straight ahead into the wolf's, Auren's right hand slid off the bat and touched the paw that was on his lap, taking the dinner-plate sized paw in his hand and squeezing tightly.

"I'm right here," the wolf said again.

---

"Ow! Watch the claws!"

"Just....take it easy, tough guy," Nate sighed as he gently wiped away the dried blood on Auren's forehead with a rag. "Almost...there. Done." Setting the cloth down, the wolf leaned against the table and looked his friend in the eye. "Now, are you gonna let me look at those, or not?" His eyes looked pointedly at the collection of cuts showed past the rips and slashes in Auren's shirt and jacket.

Sighing, Auren sagged in resignation and began removing his dirty, blood-crusted jacket, assisted by the crimson form of Sam next to him. The red-scaled dragon had practically leaped over the bar when Nate had brought his friend in a few minutes ago, instantly seeing the state Auren was in. Without a word, he had retrieved one of his medkits and joined the muscular wolf as they tended to the youth and his injuries.

A hiss escaped the dragon as he jerked away his thumb as he grasped Auren's jacket, muttering under his breath. A tiny glimmer of steel flashed against the dirty blue denim. "Dang pin," he growled, sucking his throbbing thumb as he set the jacket aside.

"Hey, don't diss the pin," the youth grunted. "It was Reston's good luck charm..."

A low whistle came from Nate as Auren removed his shirt, revealing the series of cuts and marks on his toned torso. "Well, it looks like you could have used some of that luck, bud. Jeez....what did you do, offer to sharpen their knives for them?" A gentle smack against his head was his answer.

After snapping his friend out of his post-battle shock, Nate had quickly brought Auren back to the Wolf's Den in order to treat his injuries. Along the way, his friend had come out of the shell-shock like state he was in and gradually became himself again, much to the wolf's relief. He had to admit; he would much prefer moody, vocal Auren to the scared, nearly-traumatized version he had seen a twenty minutes ago.

Running a paw gently over Auren's torso, Nate shook his head at the angry red lines that stood out from Auren's lightly tanned skin. Accepting the disinfectant wipe from Sam, the wolf offered an apologetic smile. "Now....this is gonna sting...."

"No shi-OW!" Auren grit his teeth as the alcohol wipe burned his wounds, cleaning away the dirt and grime, even if it stung like a bitch. His left hand gripped Nate's other paw tightly as the wolf cleaned his injuries as quick and gentle as he could, the youth trying to ignore both the pain and the oddly-pleasant sensations of the wolf's paw against his skin. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Nate flashed a grin as his friend as he gently rubbed over the youth's abs. "Maybe just a little," he teased. "Guess I'm not the only 'pup' who needs to be patched up after all." The soft chuckles that came from both of them helped the pair to relax, the adrenaline finally washing away. Discarding the alcohol wipe, Nate took the proffered bandages and gauze pads as Sam handed them to him, and applied them to Auren's wounds as gently as he could.

Blushing beneath his fur, Nate tried to ignore the gentle stirring in his sheath as his paws wandered over Auren's toned midsection, never having been this close to his friend before. If he was uncomfortable, Auren never said anything as the wolf's paws slowly traced his bare torso, shivering slightly at his touch. The pair had grown silent as Nate finished applying the last bandage, his paws tracing ever so slowly up Auren's chest, as he brought his gaze to meet that of his friend. Auren was already staring back at him, the same soft smile on his face as he rubbed the questing paws gently. "Thanks," he whispered.

Nate just smiled, his ears folding back a bit as he pulled away, although his own paw remained grasped by Auren's hand. Sam gathered the used wipes and gauze pads up, before storing the medkit back behind the bar again. "Well, I daresay you won't refuse that room now," the dragon grinned as he surveyed the bandaged pair. Auren was about to speak up, a look of polite protest on his face, when the dragon growled and shook his head, pointing out the window. "Nu uh...sun's going down. There's no way I'm letting anyone head out after dark....especially two guys fast on their way to mimicking mummies. "

Chuckling, Auren inclined his head in resignation. "Thanks, Sam." The red dragon grunted and nodded, padding off to the bar to grab them a few keys, and Auren looked back at Nate. He was about to say something, when he spotted Riku sliding up to them, accompanied by a large, golden colored stallion. Looking over the horse, Auren paused when he saw the horse's eyes, and his stomach did a small flip. That, in addition to the sly grin on Riku's face practically cemented the realization. "Brandon?" he asked, causing Nate to turn around in surprise as well.

"Yeah," the stallion snorted softly, coming to stand with his friends. Noticing the bandages on his human companion's body, he ticked a thick finger gently. "You okay?" he asked in genuine concern.

"I'll live," Auren waved dismissively. Looking the equine up and down, he took in Brandon's ripped musculature, the baggy cargo pants he wore, and the stallion's sullen expression. "You?"

"I'm....all here," the horse said slowly, patting his chest. He wanted to say more, but at the moment, it was hard to find the words to say to his friend.

There was something unreadable in their eyes as he and Auren looked back at one another. Finally, Auren broke the silence that had gathered. "Too bad you didn't turn into a donkey...I could tell you what a jackass you are."

Brandon blinked, then folded his massive arms over his chest, eyebrow raised in amusement. "How long were you thinking that one up?"

"Longer than I care to admit," the bandaged youth shrugged, flashing him a small, but genuine grin. He nodded to the large horse that his friend had become, and Brandon nodded back. They were alright for now, but no doubt they would be having a lengthy conversation later on. Right now though, neither of them felt like getting into another fight. Sliding off the table, Auren grunted as his chest twinged in pain, echoing the headache he had, and making Nate practically jump to his side in worry. "Nngh....maybe a nice bed isn't such a bad idea."

---

Rolling over on the surprisingly plush bed, Auren suppressed a chuckle as he felt Nate's tail brush against his leg. The wolf next to him blushed through he fur, ears flattened against his skull as he mumbled something. "Umm....if-if you want me to move over..."

"Nate," Auren sighed with a smile. "You're already laying on the edge. Like I said the last five times; relax. You're not bothering me." To prove his point, the youth reached around the muscled lupine's torso and pulled him back onto the bed. Nate blushed even harder, feeling Auren's arms around his body as his friend pulled him back into the middle of the bed, and then got comfortable himself, rolling over so his back was to Nate's chest. "There. Much better."

The two rooms Sam had given the group were part of the original hotel of the Wolf's Den, and as such, provided a plush king-size bed in each room. At first, Nate had pondered if these arrangements might lead to some unease between them, but Auren just shrugged it off and hopped into bed without delay. Riku and Brandon had taken the other room across the hall, seeing that the larger horse and smaller fox would more easily be able to share a room instead of trying to fit the two larger forms of Nate and Brandon in one room.

However, when the realization that he and Auren would be sharing a room - and a bed apparently - Nate nearly felt himself get sick due to nerves. It was one thing to contemplate his growing thoughts and feelings for his friend on his own, but now that they were so close, his nerves were even more pronounced.

Whether Auren was aware of any of this, he didn't know. The youth seemed perfectly fine as they laid in bed next to one another, the large wolf taking up half the bed himself, even going so far as to slide closer to his lupine companion when they got comfortable. Part of Nate wondered if Auren was so relaxed about all this, because he felt the same. Or maybe, the closeness between them just appeared to him like a normal bond of friendship. Either way, Nate had to check his groin constantly to make sure he wasn't revealing his wolfhood as he laid so close to Auren, the youth just inches away from him.

Really...all he had to do was stretch out his arm and....

"Sleep well, Pup," Auren said softly, snapping Nate out of his thoughts as he made himself comfortable. The wolf managed to grunt a soft reply, not trusting his tongue in this situation. Shuffling into a comfortable position, Nate closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep, lest he keep himself up all nights with his thoughts. The tiniest shuffle caused his ears to perk up, and he could have sworn Auren moved just that much closer to the muscular wolf beside him, making another blush wash over him.

Even though Nate was retreating into sleep, Auren's own mind and body were still wide awake. From a combination of adrenaline, pain, and unease, the youth sighed and tried to clear his mind so that he could rest, but it was no good. The dull warmth from his lower abdomen was still present, as it had been ever since the fight. Again, Auren thought about the vial, and he fought down a wave of nausea. Running his hand slowly along the bottom of his abs, he could feel the tiny puncture mark where the needle had slipped into his skin. Should he have told the others about what happened? Then again, nothing else had happened to him, so maybe it was nothing after all.....

Either way, he pushed the thoughts from his mind and slid back against the warm body of the wolf in bed with him. Letting his wandering thoughts focus on something a little more enjoyable, Auren sighed again and let the gentle breathing of his lupine partner lull him to sleep. He had enough things on his mind to worry about, some very prominent things, and he resigned to sort them out first. He had to admit, sleeping next to the handsome wolf that was his friend wasn't as bad as he thought. It was even borderline nice. Auren thought he might even be able to get used to this...

As long as Nate didn't snore.