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"Corruption" - Part 2

Blood. It was everywhere: pooled in murky puddles on the floor, spattered all over the walls, caked on his front and arms in dark patches, and staining almost every piece of furniture in the room. The scent suffused the air and weighed it down like an invisible fog. Even its coppery taste still lingered on his tongue, though he'd been passed out for at least a few hours. Turning his head, he looked to his left and stared down at the source, the massacred corpse of an arctic fox crumpled on the floor. Mike's massacred corpse.

Theo slowly rose to his feet, groaning; his head was pounding so intensely that he could scarcely keep his thoughts straight. He knew on some level that he_had done this, and despite the fact that his mind was hazy, brief flashes of what had transpired hours before darted through his mind: tackling Mike to the ground as soon as he shut the door behind him; ripping his throat out and feeling the first gush of hot blood on his face; the arctic fox's pitiful gurgle of protest as he took his last breaths...Theo winced as the rest flooded in. It was too gruesome. He tried to block the images from his mind, but the sight of Mike's lifeless body next to him prevented them from fading away. He hadn't just killed Mike; he'd _eviscerated him.

Though his chest was tight from the intense guilt and disgust, Theo's survival instinct was overriding them. He had to get out; he had to get out now. Someone in the rooms adjacent to theirs might have heard their scuffle, brief though it was, but thankfully the door was locked. He could only hope that no one had called for help. For now, he needed to clean himself up, pack a change of clothes and a few essentials, and get as far away from campus as possible. As he dashed around the room with his duffel bag, haphazardly stuffing it with miscellaneous items he might need, Theo did a mental check of the bits of evidence he was leaving behind that might tie him to Mike's murder. Fingerprints? Unlikely to mean anything, since the two of them shared the room. Fur? Again, strands of his hair would probably be strewn all about the dorm. Blood? As far as he could tell, he hadn't been wounded; then again, given how quickly the wounds Ax had inflicted upon him had healed, it was possible that his blood might be mingled with Mike's. However, his saliva would almost certainly be all over the body (I...I ripped him apart...like an animal...) which was more than enough to implicate him in Mike's death. If he left now, he would at least have a couple days' head start.

Taking a deep breath to try to calm his racing heart, Theo opened the door just enough to peer out into the hallway. It was empty. Were any of his dorm-mates in their rooms? Like twin antennae, the fox swiveled his ears around; two doors down, there were a few people watching a movie, but the corridor was otherwise completely silent. Good, now to make it to the bathroom... The door was a mere 100 feet from his own, but it felt like there was an endless expanse between them. At any moment someone could decide to leave his room and spot him, bloody and disheveled, and then he would be done for. Unfortunately, it was a chance he had to take. Theo cautiously stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him, then made a mad dash for the bathroom. Again, he was surprised with just how light he felt, how natural running was for him. In what seemed like a split second, the fox managed to reach the bathroom, ascertained that it was empty with his keen hearing, and slipped inside unnoticed.

The hot stream of water caressing his body was as welcome as it had been this morning - has it only been a matter of hours since my first shower? - but he had no time to enjoy it now. Dousing himself with all of the shampoo left in the bottle, Theo feverishly scrubbed every inch of his body he could reach. Pinkish water swirled around the drain and disappeared, carrying with it the last traces of Mike's vitality. When it finally ran clear again, the fox let out a heavy sigh and turned off the tap, then stepped out of the stall and began to dry himself off with a towel. He would have preferred to use a blow dryer, as he had this morning, but that would have taken too long. Instead, he threw on some clothes despite the water still clinging to his fur and made to walk out of the bathroom, but he froze as he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the large mirror above the sink. Nothing about it was right. The softness inherent in the gentle curves of his face and body, as much as he'd resented being overweight, fit him much better than the harsh, hard lines of the fox staring back at him. Handsome though it was, his reflection looked cool, calm, and detached, and its eyes shone with a cold fire that seemed alien to him. Inwardly, Theo was terrified and overwhelmed with guilt, and yet the person in the mirror had the appearance of a cold-blooded killer. He was a cold-blooded killer.

At some point he would have to reconcile these self-identity conflicts, but now was not the time. Forcing himself to turn away from his disturbing reflection, Theo threw on some clothes and carefully slipped out of the bathroom and crept down the hallway towards his double. One last sweep around the room to make sure he had everything he needed and he'd be all set to go. In a few minutes he'd be free and clear. Just as he inserted his key and started to unlock his door, though, a cheerful voice called out to him. "Theo! Hey, Theo!"

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! He knew who it was without even having to turn around; could his timing be any worse? Panic-stricken, the fox's legs felt as though they were trapped in cement, but somehow he managed to pivot 180 degrees to face the German Shepherd greeting him. Voice quavering, he forced his lips to curve upwards into a smile as he replied, "O-oh...hi Zack. Erm, how are you?"

The diminutive canine let out a soft giggle. "Oh, I'm just fine! Did you only just now tumble out of bed? We had a quiz in Psych today, you know!" He clicked his tongue chidingly. "You really need to stop missing class if you want to pass; a significant portion of our grade is based on class participation."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Theo retorted. Zack wasn't that bad of a guy, to be honest; though his constant peppiness often got on his nerves, he minded the German Shepherd the least of all the other people in his suite. Still, since he was about to unofficially withdraw from school, he couldn't care less that he was on pace to fail his damn psych course. Gruffly, he continued, "Look, Zack, I'm really busy right now. Can we talk later?"

Eyes aimed at the floor, Zack's ears drooped ashamedly for a moment - and Theo did feel a tad guilty for being so curt with him - but the dog seemed to shake it off quickly. When he looked back up at him, the shepherd's facial expression was uncharacteristically serious. "Hey, Theo...you seem, um, different. You've lost a lot of weight too..." He trailed off, looking concerned, and then asked, "Is something wrong?"

Theo let out an exasperated sigh. The irony was frustratingly clear to him: only hours before, he'd confessed to Ax that none of his peers had shown him compassion, and now Zack was finally starting to take an interest in him. Whatever. It was too little, too late now; he was past the point of no return. Clearing his mind with a slight shake of his head, the fox replied, "I'm fine. I'll talk to you about it later, OK?" He tried not to sound as brusque this time, but his tone still had a bit of an edge to it.

Fortunately, the answer seemed satisfying enough, and Zack smiled softly and nodded. "All right, I'm going to hold you to that! I'll talk to you later then." The dog unlocked his door and went inside, quietly closing it behind him.

Theo resisted the urge to flip Zack off and tried to stifle the seething rage building up inside. The bastard had been given countless opportunities to reach out since they started here, and only now does he decide to set aside his own self-absorption long enough to give a damn about him? Fuck him.

Mind whirring with a flurry of angry thoughts, five minutes went by before the fox realized that he was still standing in the middle of the hallway, staring at Zack's door. This had to stop; he had to get out of the endless do-loop his frustration had wrought. Okay, Theo, time to get a grip. None of this will matter in a couple of hours. You'll be a fugitive, out on your own, and never have to return to this school again. This may be the last time you see Zack for the rest of your life. So...pull it together. He needed a moment of deep breathing to calm himself, but he managed to quell his emotions enough to turn around and head into his room.

Okay, now it's time to pack the rest of your stuff and get the fuck out of here, and..._Theo's plan ground to a halt as he realized that he couldn't come up with a place to go. He certainly couldn't go home, not now; how could he face his parents after murdering ('_and devouring...' he noted dejectedly) his roommate? Not to mention his encounter with Ax, the actualization of his homosexuality, and his...transformation. More practically, when the police inevitably determine that he's the killer, his parent's house would be the first place they would think to look. All in all, it was a stupid move. There were no friends trustworthy enough to harbor him as a fugitive, either, so the only option left was to empty his meager savings account and take a coach bus to...anywhere but here.

It was then that the fox caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar black piece of clothing on his bed. He'd missed it earlier because it was mostly balled up in his tussled comforter. When he pulled it out, however, he immediately recognized the black tee with the blood-red satanic insignia printed on the front: it was Ax's shirt. But why would the wolf leave it here? It's not like he had brought a change of clothes with him when he came in; he must have left with only his jacket to cover him. As Theo brought the shirt to his face for closer inspection, though, Ax's intention became immediately clear. One light whiff and he could 'see' Ax's trail exiting his room. Despite the desperate situation before him, the sensation filled him with a sense of amazement. It wasn't quite like seeing in the typical sense, but all the same the fox felt like Ax's path had just lit up in front of him, emanating a soft glow that was distinct amongst all the other scents pervading the room. He must want me to follow him, and...I need to see him. So much had transpired in just a few hours that he couldn't even process the myriad emotions surging through him, but one thing was clear: Ax had done this to him, and he needed to tell him what the hell was going on. In the absence of any better ideas, Theo carefully exited the room, closed the door behind him, and left his college life forever.

It was a brisk evening, but not so cold that Theo needed anything heavier than a light hoodie to keep himself comfortable. Knapsack slung over his right shoulder, the fox quietly slipped into a small copse bordering the campus, occasionally pausing to glance around to make sure he wasn't being watched or followed. The thick foliage blocked most of the dying sun's rays from lighting his way forward, but fortunately, he didn't need to rely on his eyes. Ax's scent trail stretched out in front of him like a silvery haze, weaving through the dense array of trees and gradually growing brighter as it neared its source. He was close. As sunset began to yield to dusk and the wolf's scent grew ever stronger, Theo felt his heart start to thump more loudly in his chest. He had no idea what he was going to say to Ax. Approaching this in a calm, nonconfrontational way would probably be best, but the fox was anything but calm. Currents of anger, anxiety, and desperation were coursing through his body like lightning; his fur was even starting to stand on end. His angst spiked even higher as he stepped into a small clearing and found a pair of glittering, violet eyes meeting his own.

The wolf's lips curled upwards into his signature toothy grin and stretched out a paw as Theo cautiously closed the distance between them. "Theo, darling, you made it! I knew you were a smarty," Ax drawled. "I take it you have my shirt, then? Would you mind giving it back? It's one of my favorite tees, you know."

The fox tossed the balled-up shirt over, gritting his teeth. What the hell was Ax playing at? Was all of this just some sort of perverted game for him? Barely concealing a growl, Theo opened his mouth to speak, but the wolf beat him to it. "Aw, what's wrong? Oh..." Ax trailed off for a moment, and then chuckled softly. "I see. I take it that arctic fox boy isn't doing so well now, is he? That's a shame; he seemed like a nice kid."

"You bastard!" Theo yelled. He suddenly slashed at the dark wolf's face, the only thought in his head that he needed to get rid of that goddamn smirk. His claws, sharpened after his transformation, found their mark and dug into Ax's left cheek, etching a set of parallel scratches into it. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

To Theo's surprise, the wolf didn't flinch. He didn't even blink. Instead, he leered menacingly at the stunned vulpine and narrowed his eyes. "Now, that's not very polite, is it? After all, that boy's death is on your head, not mine. Those are your hands stained with his blood."

The fox opened his mouth to shout a reply, but as he glared back at Ax, the words were caught in his throat and all he could muster was a low gargle. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably, wracked with the same excruciatingly strong urge that had overtaken him just a few hours before. The wolf was bleeding. Even in the patchy moonlight, Theo couldn't help but notice the thin rivulets of blood glinting darkly as they streamed down his face. Oh...god. No...not again..._It was taking all the strength he had just to keep himself riveted to the spot, resisting the overwhelming drive to leap forward and lap up the droplets beginning to slide past the corner of Ax's mouth and onto the soft earth below. Its luscious scent slipped past his flaring nostrils alluringly, suffusing his sense of smell to the point where he could almost feel his blood's warm, metallic taste on his tongue. Letting out a soft moan, the fox bit down on his lower lip and forced himself to stare down at the ground. _Why...what is happening to me?

Theo tried to cough out a plea to Ax, but when he looked up, he noticed the wolf wasn't there. All of the sudden, he found himself caught in a painful full nelson, a pair of incredibly strong arms hooked under his arms and pinning him from behind. "Theo, calm down!" Ax commanded, the moisture from his hot breath lingering in the fox's ear. Unassuaged by the wolf's stranglehold, Theo tried to break free, but he only held on tighter. "Dammit, fox, I said CALM DOWN!" Ax pulled back even harder and let out a grunt of exertion; wincing as he felt his bones start to creak with this last tug, the fox squeaked out a pitiful yelp and started to pant heavily. Finally, the wolf relented, and Theo collapsed onto his hands and knees.

He continued to whimper for a few minutes as he lay still on the ground, too sore to try to get himself to his feet. Ax was gently stroking his head, cooing, "It's OK, Theo. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you..." Despite himself, the fox found himself relaxing at the wolf's touch. The scent of Ax's blood was still thick in the air, but the pain and weariness were keeping that 'urge' at bay, at least. The rage that had compelled him to slash at Ax had been all but extinguished as well. If only he could curl up at the wolf's feet and sleep for a bit, wait for the pain to subside; the hand on his face that was gently combing the fur on his cheek and neck in place was so comforting that it wouldn't be hard. When Ax stopped and gave him a suggestive nudge, though, the fox slowly staggered to his feet, one paw pushing on the lupine's shoulder for support until his wobbly legs stabilized enough for him to stand unaided. Letting out a heavy sigh, he asked, "A-Ax...why d-did you do that?"

"Had to," he replied simply. "You're feeling better now, are you not?"

Theo was about to protest, but stopped himself. Whatever it was that had come over him, it was gone now. Even the pain was starting to fade; as far as he could tell, the wolf hadn't done much damage to him. "I guess so," he said, sighing. "...I wish you had been there to stop me before Mike came back. Maybe he'd still be alive..." Theo trailed off momentarily, suddenly realizing something. "Wait...how did you know about that?"

The wolf smirked. "Well, for one, you absolutely reek. Went a little overboard with the soap, did you?"

Ax held up a paw before Theo could issue a retort, and continued, "I watched your building from a short distance after I left. When I caught a whiff of that arctic fox boy's scent as he entered a couple hours later, it was clear that he was your roommate." He paused, tapping his chin reflectively. "I thought to myself: 'Hmm, there's a chance Theo will wake up and attack this poor fellow. What should I do?' I could have stopped him, of course. Alas, I chose to let things play out, and it seems that he met a sticky end." The dark wolf chuckled and licked over his pronounced canines. "Tell me: just how many pieces did you leave him in?"

"Y-you..." Theo's whole body began to twitch, exerting every bit of willpower to restrain himself from lashing out at the wolf's leering visage. "You saw? You knew? Why the fuck didn't you stop me? Mike is dead and I murdered him!" The fox snarled, baring his fangs as he batted away the tears of remorse from his eyes. There would be time to mourn later; if there were any way for him to redeem himself, it would be by taking care of this monster, right now. His body was still sore, but not sore enough to be much of a hindrance.

As the fox got in position to pounce, Ax merely lifted an eyebrow. "You want to fight? I don't think that's wise. While I don't want to kill you, I will if you force me to." Frowning, the wolf crossed his arms and snorted. "You're still so naïve. Why do you care so much about this 'Mike'? Who is he to you? You told me that no one paid attention to you, that no one cared. Were you lying to me?" When Theo hesitated to respond, Ax continued, "Exactly. I chose to let you kill him for three reasons." He held up three fingers. "One, to teach you that those people, everyone not like us, are expendable. Two, to get you acclimated to the new life you've chosen. And three," - he gave the fox a hard stare - "so you realize that you can never go back."

As much as he would have liked to spring forward and attack, Theo tempered his anger and took a step back. He didn't stand a chance against Ax in a fight; the wolf had managed to completely incapacitate him before he could even react, and that time he hadn't been trying_to hurt him. The dangerous glint in Ax's eyes was evidence enough that he wasn't bluffing, either. _'Don't you owe it to Mike, and yourself, to try anyway?' his conscience nagged, but the fox quickly dismissed it. There was a difference between bravery and stupidity, and he wasn't about to make a martyr of himself. Retribution would have to come later.

"Good choice," the wolf said, smiling and nodding. "You continue to demonstrate that I picked my apprentice well."

Theo raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Your 'apprentice'?"

"Of course. I wasn't going to just let you loose on the world as you are. Did you really think I'd up and leave for good without even saying goodbye?" Ax pouted facetiously. "That hurts, Theo."

The fox bristled, narrowing his eyes at the wolf. "Actually, you did say goodbye."

"I..." Ax started to protest, but for once he didn't have a clever retort. Instead, he merely shook his head and chuckled. "I can already tell we're going to have so much fun together."

"What do you mean, 'together'? What makes you think that I'm going anywhere with you?" Theo's lip curled upwards into a snarl. "You tricked me once. Whatever game you think you're playing, I'm not interested." His duffel bag had been thrown aside in the scuffle; tossing it over his shoulder once again, the fox turned around and started to leave, not even giving the wolf a last glance of farewell.

"I didn't trick you." Ax's voice cut through the night, all traces of levity in his tone gone. The fox froze mid-stride - that tone carried an implicit command - but shook it off and continued to make his way out of the clearing. No matter what he says, just ignore him. "All right, Theo. I'll stop." Don't listen... "If you want to be serious, I'll be serious with you." Eyes forward... "Don't be foolish." Just...keep...moving..."You will die if you leave now."

He was just a few steps away from the freedom lying past the trees along the edge of the clearing, but that last statement snared him. He would die? What the hell did he mean by that? He knew the wolf was probably just baiting him, trying to get him to come along with him for whatever nefarious ends he had planned out. On the other hand, if Ax was serious - and his tone of voice suggested he was sincere - could he afford to not hear him out? Reluctantly, Theo slowly turned around and glared at the smug-looking wolf. "All right, tell me. Why am I going to die?" He crossed his arms. "You don't think I can take care of myself? I hardly need you to look after me."

"I don't doubt your tenacity nor your resourcefulness," Ax replied smoothly. "In fact, I'm counting on them. It takes a strong survival instinct and a will of iron to live as I do, as we do." He undid the buttons of his trench coat and slipped it off so that he could put his shirt back on, and then languidly slid the outer layer around himself again. He gave Theo a smile and continued, "The problem you face now is der Blutrausch; it's already hit you twice. The only reason you are calm now is your roommate. Had you not fed on him a few hours ago, I would have had no choice but to kill you. Once it takes a hold of you, it never lets go until it's satisfied. I would not have been able to subdue you so easily."

"Bloot-rash?" Theo tried to pronounce the unfamiliar word. "Is that German?"

"Ja, ja," Ax said, chuckling. "Apologies. English is not my first language. 'Der Blutrausch' is my term for it; I suppose for you it would be 'bloodlust'. Regardless, you will be fine through tomorrow, but after that its effects will resurface. It will drive you to kill again, and when you are eventually discovered, they will put you down like a rabid dog. I have seen it happen many times before, which is why it is best to have a mentor, at least in the beginning."

Theo suddenly felt weak in the knees. He would never be able to escape this? Mike was only the first of many? The wolf must have picked up on his feelings, because when Theo looked up, his arm was outstretched, offering a paw with a gentle expression on his face. "Come, Theo. Let's go somewhere a bit cozier to discuss this. If you wish to leave afterward, I promise not to stop you. I do hope you at least consider my offer to help you, though. I can show you how to be truly free and to live as we are meant to live."

The fox stared at Ax's paw for a few moments, occasionally glancing up to see if he could detect any hint of deceit belying his geniality. There was none. Ears folded back, Theo hesitantly reached out and took the wolf's paw in his.