FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Lykos - Lone Wolf

Chapter 3

The pack kept watch over the apartment building and waiting all of the next day for the man to emerge, but he remained homebound all day. It wasn't until Monday morning that the man left the security of his apartment, heading for work, them following him from a distance and learning where the man worked.

Ben found that the noises and smells of exhaust from the traffic around him seemed to grate on his nerves more than usual, even for a Monday, and every time he was boxed in by other cars on the road, he felt jittery, wanting some avenue of escape and a sense of being trapped would begin to overtake him. He pulled into his workplace with relief and began the tedious task of recording the changes to Agnes Bergman's home loan, followed by an updated mailing address for Hector Garcia's account, and so on, and so on. The sounds of his coworkers melted into a drone that made him envision a massive flock of birds for some strange reason, and every time his phone rang unexpectedly, he jumped, then had to fight to calm himself down. Work was always stressful, but today it was wearing on his nerves like never before.

Lunch time couldn't have come sooner, and after heating up his meal of chicken breast with corn from home in the microwave, he took it out to the lawn outside the building, feeling relieved for the first time that day. As he sat and ate, he took in the sounds of nature around him, as well as the smells of the cut grass, the trees, and the small man-made stream that flowed across the decorative lawn with a newfound interest. Strangely, he felt much happier being outside than stuffed inside the cramped, oppressive office building, and had to force himself back inside once his lunch break came to an end.

By the end of the day, Ben's coworkers had begun talking about his sudden change in behavior, a few of them speculating that he might have started taking drugs, which fueled a secret debate as to what kind they were and when he had started taking them. Ben had always been distant with his coworkers, never sharing much about himself and keeping his distance from everyone. He was never rude before, but now he seemed to become jumpy and short-tempered with everyone.

The end of the day was a welcome relief and he headed directly home, where he made up some hamburgers and fries, then sat down to watch more of his favorite tv shows. After a few hours, though, he became antsy and the smallness of his apartment seemed to press in on him, so he got dressed and went for a walk in the park across the street. He was halfway through it when a man of mixed race approached him. "Can I help you?" he asked, having seen the man walk right towards him and reached into his pocket for his Taser.

"Perhaps we can help each other," the man said evenly.

Ben grew angry. "Fuck off! I'm not into drugs and I'm not looking to screw a hooker!" He turned to walk away.

"I'm not a drug dealer or a prostitute," the man said quickly. "I need to talk to you about the encounter you had the other night... The one in the woods."

Ben stopped, turning back to the man in shock. "How did you know about that? I never told anyone about the bear!"

"Bear?" the man said, looking confused, then his expression changed to one of comprehension. "It wasn't a bear that attacked you."

"Then what the fuck was it?" Ben asked irritably. "It was too big to be a dog, that's for sure, and only bears are that big and hairy!"

The man shook his head sadly. "It wasn't a bear. And judging by your reaction, I dare say it's safe to assume that you're not a hunter?"

"I don't even own a gun, and who the fuck would hunt at night?" Ben asked the stranger. "What's hunting got to do with anything?"

"You're not a hunter," the man repeated to himself thoughtfully. "Good," he added, looking deeply relieved.

"Are you crazy, or something?" Ben asked, taking a step back.

"I'm not crazy, but what I'm about to say might make it seem that way," the man said with a wry smile. Ben gripped the Taser more firmly in his hand. The man saw the gesture and paled. "I'm unarmed and I have no desire to hurt you. Guns won't be necessary," he said quickly.

Ben pulled the Taser out and showed it to him. "It's not a gun, but I'll be more than happy to turn you into a pool of quivering jelly drooling into the grass if you don't hit the road."

"Please, there's no need for violence. We can address this peacefully."

"No deal. Start walking or I'll Taser your ass," Ben answered darkly, his anti-social manner revving up.

"A Taser!" an Asian man exclaimed in realization, popping up out of a nearby bush. "THAT'S why I smelled ozone in the clearing!"

"Dammit, Ken!" the man exclaimed, sounding exasperated. "I told you to stay hidden!"

"He was threatening you, Jack! Don't you even think of hurting him!" the Asian man added to Ben.

"'Cause if you do," another man with brown hair said, moving out from the cover of a nearby tree, "We'll make you very sorry you ever laid a finger on him!"

"Son of a bitch!" Ben snarled, raising the Taser defensively.

"There's no need for violence!" the half-black man implored.

"Like Hell there isn't!" Ben snapped. "You guys picked the wrong guy to mug!"

The brown-haired man charged, but Ben zapped him before Ken struck his arm, forcing him to drop the weapon. He turned on his second attacker, who grappled with him. The third man rushed over to him. "I'm sorry it has to be this way," he said, and before Ben could react, the man blew a handful of powder in his face. Ben was so shocked at the move that he inadvertently inhaled, sucking in some of the dust, which had a strange, herbal smell to it.

Ben's head went fuzzy and reality seemed to have decided to begin melting around him. "What did you--..." was all he was able to say before he fell unconscious...

*****

Ben awoke slowly, reality swimming back into focus with great effort as his vision cleared and the honey-colored blur before him resolved itself into stained pinewood paneling and a ceiling fan poking out of it, the light of the sun coming in through the open window making the wood glow like honey in the sunlight. He groaned, his head feeling like it was stuffed full of cotton, and he moved to sit up. That's when he realized that he was tied down, his wrists and ankles strapped to something. Alarmed, he snapped to full alertness and looked to see that he had been tied to the posts of a metal bed by chains around his wrists. "What the fuck?" he exclaimed, and began to pull, trying to free himself.

"That won't work," a man's voice said. Ben looked up to see a youngish-looking man with blonde hair staring at him from the chair that was set up at the end of the bed.

As Ben looked at the man, he had the feeling that they had met before, but couldn't be certain. "Let me go! This is kidnapping!"

"Why did you hurt Luke? Why did you attack my pack mates and keeper?" the man countered, sounding hurt and angry as he glared at the man with resentment.

Ben had to take a moment to think back, but he remembered the encounter from last night, assuming it was the following morning, that was. "That's what people get for trying to rob someone," was his only reply.

"Why would we want to rob you?" the man asked, tilting his head to the side in an odd manner that reminded Ben of a confused dog.

Ben looked at his captor with a blend of annoyance and confusion. "For the usual reasons," he answered sarcastically.

"Good, you're awake," another man said as he came into the room, and Ben glared at the biracial man from last night with a swelling anger.

"Do you have any idea just how illegal it is to kidnap someone like this?"

The man sighed. "I wouldn't have had to resort to such drastic measures if you would've only listened last night instead of shocking poor Luke the way you did."

"Is he any better?" the blonde man asked with concern.

"He's still grumpy and slightly sore, but he'll be fine," the second man told him soothingly. "I guess electricity can affect your kind almost as well as mine... Though I have to admit that I've never heard of a werewolf being Tasered before..." He shrugged. "I guess it's true what they say, 'You learn something new every day'."

Ben blinked, convinced he'd heard the darker skinned man incorrectly. "Look," he said slowly. "Let's make a deal. I hate cops and would rather avoid all the questions and legal proceedings, so how about you let me go and we all forget this ever happened."

"A fair offer," the man answered thoughtfully, "but we need to talk before we can even begin to consider releasing you."

"If this is about your mortgage, I can't help you. Even if I had access to your loan I couldn't make any changes without my manager's approval and we don't get along well enough for me to get away with something like that, even if it WAS legal," Ben told him.

The man stared at him in puzzlement for a moment, then blinked and smiled in amusement. "This isn't about a loan and this isn't even my house," he said with a chuckle.

"It's mine," the blonde man said. "Mom and Dad gave it to me when they decided to move to Montana. The pack shares it to save on expenses."

Ben stared at the man in confusion. "Well if this isn't about real estate or money, then why did you kidnap me?"

The biracial man sighed. "Because we need answers. Before all that unpleasantness last night, I had started to ask you about your encounter in the woods the other night. You seem to believe that it was a bear that attacked you, correct?" Perplexed and curious in spite of himself, Ben nodded his agreement. "Well it wasn't a bear... It was a direwolf."

Ben frowned, feeling lost. "What's so dire about a wolf?"

The dark-skinned man chuckled in grim humor. "A lot, I'm afraid. A direwolf is a werewolf who is dangerously imbalanced, the animal and human sides at war with one another, driving the poor creature insane and twisting the body into a mockery of the power of the wolf."

Ben stared at him for a moment, his mind derailing. It took effort to speak again, but when he did, it was in a quiet tone. "Can I have some too?"

"Some of what?" the man asked with a frown of uncertainty.

"The drugs you're on!" Ben snapped sarcastically. "Are you crazy?!? A werewolf?!? How stupid do you think I am?!?" At the shouting, another man appeared in the doorway, tall and well muscled, but seemingly timid, what with the way he practically crept up to the doorframe. Ben did his best to ignore the man, even if he DID look hansome, keeping his focus on the man who had apparently drugged him. "You must be crazy to think I'd swallow horse shit like that!"

The second man sighed. "I wouldn't be telling you anything if I didn't have a way to prove that I'm telling you the truth, ah... Um, what's your name?" he asked, realizing that they hadn't even had introductions. Ben just glared at him, saying nothing. He sighed. "Fine, I'll start. My name is Jack, this is Kyle, he turned to see the big man ease his way into the room, "and this is Steve. You are?"

"Up to here," Ben sniped, trying to gesture above his head with the flat of his hand, but the chain stopped his hand from moving, making him frown with annoyance. Jack just sighed and rolled his eyes, then looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Fine! It's Ben, okay?" he snapped.

"Ben," Jack said with a nod, then leaned against the dresser. "I know that this may all sound like the rantings of crazy people, but werewolves DO exist, and so do direwolves. It was a direwolf that attacked you and drew blood from you, and now you are a wolf as well."

Ben snorted. "And just how do you know that?" he asked smugly, not buying into the delusion for an instant.

"Because you didn't die from anaphylactic shock when you were infected. When a werewolf or direwolf bites someone, they either turn or suffer a fatal allergic reaction to the lycanthropic infection and die within moments. Kyle here says that you've been changed. Were you bitten by the creature that attacked you?"

Ben paused, his anger derailing. "Well..." he said slowly. "I was clawed... And one of his teeth scratched my arm, but it's all healed up now..." he said, glancing up at his bound wrist.

Jack came over and examined the man's arms. "There's traces of mild irritation here, but that would be consistent with a werewolf's healing rate..."

Ben scoffed. "You're not still trying to sell me on the whole 'werewolves are real' bit, are you?"

Jack turned to look him in the eye and smiled, then turned to Kyle. "I think he could do with a demonstration," he said simply.

"Okay," the blonde man said, hoping to his feet. He reached down and pushed down the waist of his jeans until they rode low on his hips, then seemed to concentrate for a moment before his body began to move in ways that were unnatural. His fingernails grew longer, turning into sharp claws as hair covered the backs of his hands and arms, while the teeth in his open mouth grew longer and sharper as the jaws swelled slightly, making more room for his growing fangs as it stretched into a short, blunted proto-muzzle with an upturned, darkened nose. His ears grew pointed and somewhat fuzzy, while his facial hair, especially his sideburns, grew thick with hair, giving him a set of mutton chops. His chest hair thickened noticeably, and movement behind him revealed itself to be a long, luxurious tail covered in fur that began to swish around behind him as his eyes changed from green to gold. The changes stopped, and Ben stared at the man who now possessed canine characteristics, making him look like a cross between man and wolf.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!?" Ben exclaimed in shock, trying to back away from the creature before him. "No way! That's impossible!"

Jack looked at the man with a sympathetic expression. "It's very true. Werewolves are indeed real and you were turned by a creature similar to this."

"I'm nothing like a direwolf!" Kyle growled in annoyance, his voice possessing a feral, animalistic growl.

"My apologies," Jack answered, feeling bothered that he had insulted the creature inadvertantly.

Ben took a moment to get his brain working again. "No way! I'm not some fucking monster!"

Jack sighed. "Then how did your wounds heal so quickly? Have you noticed that sudden sounds startle you? What about your sense of smell? Has it become stronger? And your hearing as well? What about your appetite? Do you find yourself craving meat more than before?"

Ben fought hard not to let it show, but he had indeed noticed these things, now that he thought back on it. It had all seemed so natural that he hadn't even considered what all it could mean. Then he remembered the ring. *It's made of silver... Oh shit!* He began to tremble with shock. "I... I'm not a monster," he said weakly. "I... There's got to be a way to get rid of it!"

Jack shook his head sadly. "There's no cure for lycanthropy. I'm sorry, but you're going to be like this for the rest of your life. We will do our best to help you adjust, but there's no going back. Even if you try as hard as you can to suppress it, you are now as much wolf as man, and during each full moon, the wolf will be in control."

Ben looked up at the man in panic. "I'm not a killer! You can't make me murder anyone!"

Jack looked at him with pity. "Werewolves are not murderers, and we have ways of keeping you and everyone else safe during the full moon. You won't become a killer if we have anything to say about it, so just try to calm yourself."

Ben looked at the transformed man before him, who looked at him with a surge of pity, but seeing something so unnatural before him, as well as the horror of the situation, made Ben feel sick to his stomach. He closed his eyes to shut out the sight of the creature, wishing that it would go away.

Kyle's tail drooped, feeling disheartened by Ben's reaction. Jack sighed. "Kyle, put it away for now," he said gently. Kyle nodded and changed back to his human state. Ben shuddered. He could hear Kyle's flesh moving; the skin, bones and tendons stretching and shifting in ways no natural body should move. He would've covered his ears if his hands were free. Instead, he had to fight to suppress a whimper of fear.

Jack took pity on the man. "Ben, you need to understand something. The creatures you're thinking of are what we call direwolves. For a direwolf, the man and the beast are at constant war with one another, which makes the animal side, for all intents and purposes, go insane. While the wolf side is in control, a direwolf is little more than a savage, twisted creature full of hate, fear and bloodlust who will destroy anyone and anything it comes across. But werewolves like Kyle and Steve are different. For them, there is harmony between the human side and the wolf side, allowing them to exist as a whole being, free from the insanity and destructiveness that plagues the existence of a direwolf.

For werewolves, it is different. They can be safely around people most of the time. During the full moon, they gather in safe places where the wolf side can run free without worry of harming the general public. But even then, they are not monsters, and we will do everything we can to make sure you avoid becoming a direwolf."

Ben could hear a trace of doubt in the man's voice and looked up at him nervously. "You're lying. You don't really believe that."

Jack sighed. "I need to be honest with you, Ben. I've never heard of a direwolf turning someone before. I know how it works for werewolves, but for direwolves? We just don't know. A direwolf is created when the man and the animal struggle against one another. A werewolf can become a direwolf if he's not careful, but I don't know if you will become one yourself because you were sired by one of them. All I understand is that harmony between both halves of a werewolf is necessary for them to remain in control."

"Harmony?" Ben asked weakly.

"Yes; a person must be balanced in mind and body to remain in control," he began, but paused when he saw a change come over Ben's face, an expression of doom and resignation. "What's wrong?" The man didn't answer. He looked down at his chest with a look of utter hopelessness.

"You might as well kill me know... Before I hurt someone."

Jack looked at Ben in shock. "Why in the world would you say that? There's still hope-" he began, but Ben shook his head sadly.

"Just kill me now and be done with it," the man said bleakly.

"Ben..." Jack began, lost for words and shocked at the sudden change in the man. "You can't give up. All we need-"

"-Just kill me and be done with it," Ben interrupted, and said no more despite repeated attempts by the keeper to console him. Ben wouldn't speak again, instead staring at the wall to his right with a fatalistic expression of hopelessness on his face.

After several tries, Jack was forced to admit defeat and left the room, taking the wolves with him. Out in the hallway, Steve looked at Jack with eyes wide with fear. "He won't... He's not going to become a direwolf, is he?"

"I don't know," Jack answered, feeling worried. "I don't understand why he's acting that way and he refuses to talk about it. I just..." He shook his head sadly. "I just don't know..."

*****

Jessica knocked on the door frame, but the 'guest', for lack of a better term, gave no sign that he had heard her. Sighing in mild annoyance, she walked in to find him laying on the bed, staring at the open window with a bleak expression on his face. *He looks like a prisoner waiting to be executed,* she thought to herself, frowning. She sighed loudly.

"Nice day outside; you should be out there enjoying it... You know, enjoy the day before we get some snow." Ben reacted with less enthusiasm than a log. "Are you hungry?" He ignored her. "Are you thirsty? Need the bathroom?...Are you on fire?" she asked, showing a rising surge of annoyance. "You know it's considered polite to at least acknowledge when someone's in the room with you!" she snapped.

"If you're not here to kill me, then go away," Ben answered dully, his gaze never wavering.

"Why are you so eager to die?" She asked, half in worry and half in frustration.

"Because I'm a monster. Just do it already."

"Don't talk stupid! You're not a monster if you don't want to become one. You're acting like an idiot."

He finally turned to her, his face looking deeply hurt by her words. "Just go away," he said thickly.

"Why are you so convinced that you'll become a direwolf?" Jessica asked, her tone softening.

"Because that's the way it always goes. Leave me alone," he said in a defeated tone of voice.

"Wolves aren't meant to be alone," the woman replied softly.

"I'm not a wolf... I'm a monster."

"No, you're not... You're a quitter," she replied, growing annoyed all over again.

Ben gritted his teeth and turned his head away from her. "Just get out! Leave me alone! I don't expect you to care, let alone get it!"

"Sorry, but I haven't even made it yet," she replied snootily.

"Made what?" Ben asked, turning back to her with an annoyed expression.

"The confetti. You know, for your pity party?" she answered testily.

Ben gritted his teeth. "Just shut up!" he snapped. "Leave me alone!"

"Stop acting like this is a death sentence!" Jessica replied hotly. "You keep this up and you WILL become a direwolf!"

"I'll become one no matter what! Just be glad it's not the full moon right now, or I'd already be picking chunks of you out of my teeth."

She stared at the man in shock and fury, then walked up to him and slapped hard him across the face. "Fuck you!" she said bluntly and stormed out of the room, leaving Ben's

face stinging sharply from the impact...

*****

"Thanks for coming," Jack said as he let Ino into the house.

The woman nodded. "It certainly sounds like you're having difficulty with him. It's bad enough that the direwolf has escaped, but that cannot be helped. James is under the impression the boys are to blame."

Jack scoffed. "That's ridiculous!"

"I am inclined to agree, but you know how James can get, He is a willful, stubborn alpha; too full of pride to admit when he is wrong. And now we have a new wolf to deal with... Where is he?"

"This way," Jack said, leading the way to the guest room. Ino stopped in the doorway and looked at the man with a frown. "Remove the chains," she told the younger keeper, who moved forward and pulled the keys to the locks out of his pocket, then began to unbind Ben from the bed. The man sat up, rubbing his wrists to soothe them as he looked up at the woman with a trace of curiosity. Jack pulled a chair up to the bed, and Ino set herself down into it to rest her weary joints. "So," she said slowly. "You're the man who faced a direwolf and lived to tell the tale. Word has it that you used a Taser on the creature," she spoke in a firm, commanding voice the brooked no argument. "Quite an impressive feat."

"Who are you?" Ben asked, making the woman frown.

"My name is Ino, and I am the head Keeper of this region. All other Keepers in the area answer to me."

"Keepers?" Ben asked, curious in spite of himself.

"Keepers are the protectors of werewolves; we serve as their guardians and keep them from causing mischief, especially during the night of the full moon. Now about the direwolf, how do you feel about it?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Feel about it?" Ben asked uncertainly.

"Do you care about the creature? Do you wish to be with it, by its side?"

Ben winced away. "Are you crazy? No way! The farther away from me that thing is, the better!"

"Good," Ino said with a nod of mild approval. "Then you have a will that is strong enough to avoid enthrallment."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She looked him in the eye for a moment, then opened her purse and rooted around inside of it. "When a lycanthrope bites someone, the recipient will often form a dependency on their sire. The sire becomes their alpha, and they form a deep loyalty to that person. Those with a strong enough will are capable of shrugging off that dependency, and thereby remain independent of their sires. Since you have no sense of attachment to your sire, it proves that your will is strong... That or you're simply too stubborn to submit."

The woman found what she was looking for and pulled out a small vial of liquid that was a pale beige color.

"What's that for?" Ben asked, frowning at the vial in her hand.

"Medicine, of a sort," she answered.

Ben sighed. "Look, I'm not into Chinese mysticism, okay?"

Her eyes snapped up to meet his with a frown. "I'm Japanese, not Chinese," she said crisply.

Ben felt foolish, blushing. "Sorry, I didn't realize. I'm not racist or anything, it's just that all Asians look alike to me," he said sheepishly.

"Yes.. And that's exactly what makes you racist," she told him dryly, making him feel even worse. She held out the vial. "Drink it," she ordered.

" What is it?" he asked, eyeing the vial suspiciously.

"A potion of my own devising. It will help to awaken the wolf within you."

Ben backed away in horror. "Are you insane?!? Get that shit away from me! You want me to turn into that thing?!?"

She tilted her head. "Do you want to become a monster?" she asked bluntly.

"No! But that doesn't make any difference! I'll still become one whether-"

"Be silent!" she snapped. "I'm a very busy woman with several other things I should be attending to right now, rather than catering to the insecurities of a new wolf. Drink!" she ordered, thrusting the vial into his chest.

"I-..." he stammered, beginning to tremble. "I can't do this... Things are already bad enough for me as it is." He fought hard, but a tear escaped from his eye to trail down his cheek.

Ino sighed, seeing just how upset he was. *Perhaps this requires a more gentle touch,* she thought to herself. She went back over what all Jack had told her. "Jack told me," she said slowly, leaning back in her chair and leaving the vial on his lap, "that when he told you that a werewolf's mind and body must remain in balance to avoid becoming a direwolf, that your attitude changed sharply." She eyed him appraisingly. "Are you seeing a therapist? Are you on any medications?" she asked.

Ben stared at her in shock. "How do you-? No, no meds. My condition isn't severe enough to need pills and I stopped going to therapy. All they want to do is make me talk.

Talking doesn't solve anything, anyways."

"What's your diagnosis?" she asked.

"APD," he replied, then when she looked puzzled, he elaborated. "Avoidant Personality Disorder."

"I've heard of it," the woman said slowly, "but it hasn't been covered in great detail. What is it?"

"Well," Ben said with difficulty, taking a shuddering breath. "It's basically being so worried about how others think of you and treat you that you go out of your way to avoid being around people. Every time I'm around people, I can't help but wonder why they hate me so much... It's like I'll never be good enough for them. Like..." He swallowed hard, his eyes misting up. It was so hard to talk about, especially with a stranger, and he hated thinking about it, but he forced himself to continue. "I don't get it. Why don't people like me? Why do they hate me so much? It seems like no matter what, I can't do anything right! It's like they look at me think 'Why does he even bother? Can't he take a hint and get lost?' And when I ask them about it they look at me like I'm crazy! I.. I hate it! It's better if I just keep away from other people. It's the only way I feel safe."

Ino sighed heavily, nodding to herself. She changed tactics, working to ease the man away from his pain by slightly redirecting the focus of his thoughts. "What about your family? Do they know about this?"

Ben shook his head. "Mom died when I was four... Pancreatic cancer. I was an only child."

"And your father?"

"He-... We don't talk anymore."

"Why not?"

"...Let's just say that I'm not the kind of person he wants for a son."

"Is it because you're gay?" she asked bluntly.

Ben stared at her in shock. "How did you know that?"

"When you get to be my age, you start to pick up on things. There's always small signs... Slight nuances of mannerism that even the most masculine of gay men like you possess. But that's none of my business. Whoever you find yourself attracted to is not for me to judge."

"He... My dad disowned me when I came out to him."

"Then that man was a fool and you're better off without him in your life," she said bluntly. "My grandnephew Kenchi," she said, nodding towards the door, "Is gay. Luke is a very nice person; a young, respectful man, and makes Kenchi very happy. In the end, that's all that matters to me."

Ben was stunned but said nothing as he didn't know who this Kenchi was... Unless it was the Asian guy who had talked about his Taser...

"I'm going to give you some advice," the elder told him slowly. "Advice based upon years of experience and what I know of medicine. If your therapist felt that medication was unnecessary, then your condition is not about a chemical imbalance in the brain, but based solely upon your life experiences and attitude. No one is loved by everyone. There will be people who will hate and judge you, but there will also be people who will respect you. The trick is learning to tell the difference. If someone doesn't fawn all over your every word, that does not mean that they think poorly of you."

"I don't want people to fawn-" he began.

"-Yes, you do," she interrupted bluntly. "Your father... He wasn't a very affectionate man, was he?"

"No. He said that real men don't act like that."

"What kind of man was he? What was his profession?"

"He was a military contractor. We moved around a lot... I had a hard enough time as it was making friends, but friendships never lasted very long, either."

She nodded sagely. "What you seek is approval. You never received it from your father, so you look elsewhere for it. Whenever you have had doubt as to whether or not someone likes you, you falsely come to believe that they think poorly of you and become withdrawn, I would wager. You need to stop punishing yourself for every falsely perceived critique of your character you believe you receive."

Ben stared at the woman, feeling stunned. "How the Hell do you know all of that?" he asked, shocked that this complete stranger seemed to know him as well as he knew himself.

"It's my gift," Ino told him simply. "I can read people. See what lies in their hearts and minds without having met them before. It is not mindreading, as you would think of it; I refer to it as soul reading." She leaned forward in her chair. "I see great self-doubt within you. You think so poorly of yourself that you believe that the worst will always become reality. You have an unjustly fatalistic view of the world, and most especially of yourself. As long as you continue to believe that to be true, you will never be at peace, and that doubt will turn you into a direwolf."

"What will happen then?" he asked.

She stared into his eyes. "A direwolf is pain and rage made flesh, without reason or pity, as far as the beast is concerned. The transformation, from what I know, is incredibly painful. The direwolf will essentially kill you as it tears it's way out of your body, and when that happens, your human self will effectively die, your human mind retreating into unconsciousness as the mind of the wolf awakens. Once the fury of the wolf, or the power of the moon, has waned, the direwolf will begin to die and you will be reborn inside of its body. You will have to tear your way free, killing the wolf as your human side is reborn, causing the creature as much agony as it did to you when it tore its way out of your flesh. This will happen every time you transform, resulting in a never-ending cycle of violent, painful death and rebirth. The wolf and the human will be forever separated once this process ends its first complete cycle. Once that happens, you will become doomed, and only death can release both sides of you from your shared torment.

"As for a true werewolf, those like the others in this house; the human and the wolf are in harmony. They are a single being, each side working with and complementing the other. For them, the transformation is peaceful; a gentle flowing from one form to the other as the body changes shape in what I am told is a calm and pleasurable manner, and the minds and hearts of both are in unison. For a werewolf, there may be a small distinction between the human and the wolf, but in such cases, they consider themselves partners, of a sort. For them, they are both man and wolf, whereas in a direwolf, they are two opposing forces, violently at war with one another, struggling for supremacy of the body they share."

He shuddered. "Do you want to become a direwolf?" she asked. He shook his head. "Then you must make peace with yourself. You must understand what you are and come to terms with it. If you do not, if you fight against the wolf within you, you will become a direwolf. You are afraid, but the time has come for you to meet the wolf within you."

"How?"

"Drink the potion. It will carry you into a dream state where you will meet with the other half of your being. Then you, both of you, will have to decide whether to live in harmony or declare war against one another. Only you can decide." Ben hesitated. "You must do this," she told him firmly. "The longer you struggle, the harder it will become to accept your nature and make peace with yourself. Do not let fear seal your fate. Chose your own path; do not let it be chosen for you."

Ben sighed, seeing the wisdom of her words. He opened the bottle. "What's in it?" he asked.

"The primary ingredient is lotus."

Ben raised an eyebrow at that, but kept silent. He quickly swallowed the contents and nearly retched. He began to cough as Ino took the vial and stopper from him, joined them together and put them back into her purse. "It's not meant to be pleasant," she told him matter-of-factly. "It's meant to be effective. Lay back," she said, "and close your eyes."

Ben did as instructed, and was unconscious within moments. Ino looked down at the lad with a sad expression, feeling pity for him. "I hope you make the right decision," she said gently, showing a rare display of tenderness as she smoothed his hair down, then left the room...