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The L-Virus: Twist of Fate

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It didn’t take the small group long to shove past the numerous frantic staff, darting back and forth across the halls and reach the main gate of the command center, not long at all. Especially with the realization of a new, far more powerful threat and adrenalin to inform someone about it before it became too late. However, to Stacy and Khari, time seemed to slow to a crawl, every second taking a half a minute to pass due to their wolfish instincts in the middle of a danger zone. They could spot every detail and calculate every move they made far before it came to them in real time. It was an abnormal experience for sure, but neither of them could dwell on it for long as they had reached the main gate much more quickly than their senses told them they would.

With one last burst of speed, Himek leaped through the thin gap between the sluggishly-closing doors, tumbling a couple feet before standing back up. Ana was next, having no trouble at all fitting through. Then Ren, Stacy, and finally Khari, just before the giant armored panels shut completely. No one was allowed in or out.

The group huddled back together, terrified at the apocalyptic scene ensuing around them. Deafening sirens screeched uselessly from all directions, only adding more unnecessary noise to the sound bombardment. Gunfire radiated from every possible place at once, tracers whizzing through the ever-growing canyon of dust and smoke from the close-quarters battle. Humvees, jeeps, helicopters and tanks deployed from every possible station and building, only to disappear from sight in the bellowing veil, never to be heard from again. Despite the constant onslaught, though, several terrifying howls from within the blackened battlefield told that the wolves had the upper hand. They were winning against the fully-weaponized and technologically advanced humans in sheer numbers.

Himek whipped his head back and forth, searching for someone, anyone, that could protect the innocent lives behind him. It wasn’t long at all before he spotted a lone guard several meters away, darting across the then-battlefield with her enormous assault rifle at the ready. She bared no helmet and her armor was lacking, but at that point, Himek didn’t care. He had to get the four away from danger at all costs.

“HEY!” Himek hollered over the ear-splitting racket. Seemingly by chance, she caught the tiny squeak compared the warzone around them, turning in their direction and sprinting forward. In no time, she stood before them, once again towering over the five with the mass of a bodybuilder.

Dr. Himek wasted no time at all. “Get these four back to the refugee building before they lock it down! Also, find someone of a higher rank - it could anyone - and tell them we have a Code 6 situation, got it?!”

The guard took a moment to glance at the four civilians standing behind the doctor, glaring angrily at Khari and Stacy for a split second before nodding at the command. She motioned for the group to follow before sprinting off yet again, giving them little time to catch up. After another second, Khari paused yet again, noting the adsense of one person. She whirled around, finding Himek starting in the opposite direction.

“Dr. Himek!” she called out, her words just barely reaching the scientist’s ears before vanishing completely. He paused momentarily, turning back around and silently acknowledging her voice.

“Where are you going?! Aren’t you coming with us?!”

“I’m sorry, I can’t!” Himek answered, being forced to yell even louder as the noise only amplified as time went on. “I gotta go do something with the rest of the staff! But don’t worry, I’ll be fine! Trust m-”

He never got the chance to finish his words before an enormous blackish-brown mass rocketed from the ash and smoke, slamming into much tinier man like a wrecking ball. Time once again appeared to slow down, every frame passing by like a slideshow. But Khari couldn’t move an inch. She couldn’t do anything. She was completely helpless as she watched the poor soul be pinned to the ground and torn apart by the gigantic monster. It ripped and clawed and shredded with no remorse and soon, its victim’s screams had died.

Just like that, Dr. Himek was gone.

“Come on!!” a furious voice barked from behind the paralyzed wolf girl. Without a lick of hesitation, the guard leveled her weapon and opened fire, emptying its entire clip into the beast with as little mercy as it showed toward the helpless Himek. And soon, the werewolf was no more, reduced to nothing more than a mangled, bloodied heap, just it had left Himek. Khari felt a thick hand wrap around her right shoulder with an iron grip, but she didn’t resist. With the strength of a bull, the guard yanked her back, the young wolfess only partially following the motion of running away. She was still having a difficult time processing what she had just witnessed, and frankly, she didn’t want to. She couldn’t dwell on the topic of death for much longer. She needed to focus on surviving.

Khari rounded a corner she remembered from the first walk to the command center, finding Ren, Ana and Stacy standing impatiently by the wall, anxious and ready to bolt for the refugee building once Khari had caught up. Luckily, they hadn’t seen Dr. Himek’s fate take place. Unluckily, she’d have to break the news to them herself when the chance arose.

“Where the hell were you?!” Ren questioned as the apocalyptic battle drew closer. Rending the scream to a simple whisper.

“No time for questions!!” the guard roared, almost literally, shoving the four along to get them started again. Not like they needed the encouragement, especially with the sight of hundreds of ravenous Lycanthropes beginning to emerge from the blackened veil across the warzone. The thundered off, the survivor building coming into view within seconds. It was the home stretch. If they could make it, they were safe. It was only a few more meters.

Unfortunately, the seemingly simple task would prove to be far more difficult than they imagined.

A deafening explosion erupted from somewhere above, followed instantly by an ear-splitting screech, causing the five to glance up as they ran for the open doors. Ren noticed the cause far before anyone else, spotting a titanic construction crane swaying violently back and forth due to weakened supports. Then, it began to topple, crumpling under it’s own weight. In their direction.

“LOOK OUT!!” Ren shrieked as his mother and Stacy had charged ahead. He thrust out his hand toward them, palms out, and with the invisible force of Telekinesis, they were launched forward through the entrance of the hotel-like building, tumbling a few feet before managing to stand. With the same force, Ren swung his arms backwards, halting both Khari and the guard in their tracks. At the same time, the black-and-yellow crane came crashing down mere feet in front of them in a mass of twisted metal girders and beams. Yet another tsunami of dust and sand was kicked up from the collapse, clouding the area in a near-lethal haze to add onto what was already created.

“Ren!! Khari!!” Ana screamed, rushing up to the mountain of metal and peering through to the other side. Stacy was right there with her, latching onto the bars as if she was trapped in a prison cell. But she said nothing. Every last bit of her anxiety and fear had been used and diminished to silent panic. The poor girl had suffered so much in such a short amount of time.

Little did any of them know, it would only become worse.

“Weh-he-hell there…” an unknown voice chuckled loudly through the choking smoke, far more calm than it should’ve been with the devastation ensuing near. Khari whipped her head back and forth, scanning for some sort of source of the mysterious sound. But Ren remained utterly still. He knew just who it was by the surge of power he sensed near them. He dared not to turn and face the very man who let the beasts in.

It wasn’t very long before a tall, rather bulky middle-aged man appeared from the dust, taking his sweet time in approaching the three. Physically, he had every detail that any generic soldier at that base would have, including the camouflage uniform complete with black combat boots, black gloves and rolled-up sleeves. He bared wild, spiky hair, as well as slightly-tanned skin and subtle black beard. But what was the most unsettling about the man was the color of his eyes, a deep yet striking crimson that sliced through the cloud of smoke like a dagger. Completely unnatural for any human to have. Unless…

“W-Who the hell are you?!” Khari questioned, stepping back a couple times as the man kept walking closer and closer. Ren finally gathered the courage to look in the same direction, instinctively moving forward just slightly so his body was shrouding Khari’s.

“Who am I?” the man replied with an eerie amount of delight to his tone. “Just a friend, really. My name is Ryan Westchester, but I prefer to go by ‘Baron’ if you don’t mind. And may I ask who you are?”

“You already know who we are…” Ren growled back in a mixture of anger and fear. He entered a defensive stance, his eyes beginning to burn pink. Khari could sense his power and emotions peaking simply standing behind him. She did not like it, not one bit.

Baron smirked in turn, halting his dramatic walk just ten feet away. “Good job, Ren! My, you’re much more powerful than I thought! And that’s say a lot with what I’ve seen you do.” He lifted his right hand, palm facing up, and a yellowish orb began to form just an inch above his palm. It pulsated with power, throbbing faster and faster with each second until he closed his hand again.

“Ren, is he the Telekinesis mage you told us about…?” Khari asked wearily, placing her muzzle close to his ear.

Ren nodded in response, reluctant to do so. No matter how much he wanted it to be false, it wasn’t. Then he noted something. He glanced to his right, finding that guard that had been escorting the four merely standing at ease, seemingly unphased by the situation at hand. What was wrong with her?

“What the hell are you doing?!” Ren hollered at the guard, his fury only growing. “Shoot him!!”

The guard simply grunted in response, shutting her eyes and tightening her grip around the rifle she held. Then, she let go of it, flinging it behind her as if it was just a useless toy before proceeding to remove whatever little armor she had. What occurred next was something no one ever expected.

“Fuck it,” the guard cursed subtly, opening her eyes in a sluggish, dramatic fashion. They had shifted to an unnerving animalian yellow. “I’m tired of this human form.”

Without warning, she began to growl profusely as a thin layer of greyish fuzz started to spread across her skin like wildfire. Khari and Ren steadily backed away as the scene unfolded before them, the guard’s features morphing rapidly into that of one of the very monsters she had gunned down. Her already toned and muscular frame bulked even further as her skin was shrouded in the thick fur within seconds, the fibers of her uniform barely able to contain her ever-expanding body. She wasted no time in ridding herself of the restraints, tearing and clawing at the thick fabric as her nails lengthened into deadly black knives. It gave away almost instantly, exposing her hulking Lycanthrope body in full view to all who saw her. With a flick of her head backwards and a thrust of her chest, she howled grandly into the darkened skies above. She was an enemy all along.

Yet there was something off. As she ceased the display, she glared with ferocious eyes toward the two teens, but that was all. She didn’t lunge charge or even growl for that matter. She stayed completely still, standing just as calmly as she had as a human. The complete opposite of what a werewolf should’ve been like. Then, to Ren, it clicked.

“Surprised?” Baron asked skeptically, taking a couple more steps forward as the ex-guard went over and scooped up her rifle from the dirt. “You shouldn’t be. After all, you know very well how to accomplish the task of returning the human mentality to a wolf. You have a prime example of that standing right beside you, as well as a second just on the other side of the crane.”

Khari’s eyes widened at the mention of her being, slinking back behind her brother as much as possible. Stacy shifted ever so carefully closer to Ana, never letting her eyes leave the scenario unfolding before her.

“Why…?” Ren questioned, barely able to get the words out. “Why did you let the wolves into the base…? And why are you siding with them…?”

Baron chuckled, shaking his slightly as well. “For someone with such a powerful mind and level of Telepathy, you really seem clueless, Ren. But fine, if ya want me to do the work for you, I’ll tell ya.” The man took in a deep breath, preparing himself as if he was going to tell an entire speech.

“I used to work in that facility that the outbreak initially started in. As a scientist, not a soldier. I was the main guy in charge of the Wolf Soldier project, the one that aimed at creating superhumans using DNA extracted from wolves. I was fond of the idea of making someone far more powerful than any ordinary human being, and with a simple injection to the shoulder. The project was a success as test results and nearly every occasion were flawless. But I knew that they were going to hide it from the public’s eye, keeping it all to themselves when the soldiers were to be put into action. I wanted the world to see the masterpiece that my team and I had made, but of course, the government stripped me of my position as soon as I even mentioned sharing some of the information outside of the facility. So, naturally, I took matters into my own hands and discovered a way I could show the world without the government taking me off the grid. That’s when I found the parasitic virus in its containment not too far from where my team had the serum. The rest… is history.”

Ren’s fury skyrocketed by that point, his hands beginning to follow his eyes as they sparked and flared with the piercing neon pink that meant eminent disaster. There was no driving a fist into his stomach by that point. Khari was left helpless once again, forced to watch on in silence like her mother and Stacy. Except much, much closer.

“You’re telling me…” Ren growled, his words almost coming out as literally animalian noises. “This whole apocalypse was intentional? YOU made it happen? YOU destroyed millions of lives across North America in a matter of months?!”

“‘Destroyed’ isn’t the proper term,” Baron corrected, still calm, although slightly less cheerful as he was a second before. “I benefitted their lives, every single one of them, with the gift of great power. It just a minor setback with the issue of the virus taking control of their brains. Of course, I discovered the very way to reverse its terrible effect on the human mind, and so did you, Ren. Through Telekinesis.”

As if to prove his point, Baron closed his eyes as well, unbuttoning the shirt of the uniform before slipping out of it and tossing it into the ever-growing darkness of the smoky veil. Then, just like the guard, his body trembled and bulked even further than before, several patches of slick black fur spreading sporadically across his skin. In even less time, his body had morphed into the signature hulking form of an Alpha wolf, towering at an astounding seven-and-a-half feet with a enormous nine-foot tail swaying back and forth behind him. With a single swipe across his hips, whatever little fabric was left bound around his tree trunks of thighs was shredded off, leaving him with nothing but the thick fleece. He gradually opened his eyes back up, the coloration shifting into an even darker crimson than it was before. The shade of blood.

“See, Ren?” Baron cackled, a deep yet subtle growl escaping along with his words. “Not only did I manage to win my human mentality back from the virus, but I can change between my human and Lycan form. So can Vendetta there, as she just demonstrated.” He jabbed a clawed finger over to the female werewolf guard, standing a few feet away with her paws tapping the handle of the enormous weapon impatiently. She was already menacing as a human guard, and even more so as a wolf. But as a wolf with a gun clasped between her paws, she far beyond terrifying.

“I didn’t want anyone to interfere with my plans,” Baron continued, drawing even closer to the trembling teens. “That’s why I, along with my half-canine army, raided the base. Those strong enough to survive with join us, and those that aren’t… well, let’s just say my feral soldiers won’t be hungry for a while. Of course, there is one other reason. That’s where you come in, Ren.”

Ren shook his head ever so carefully, frozen in place. He could feel his gut burning from how much power his body and mind were producing, and it refused to cease. He pried his eyes away from the psychotic man for a split second, glancing down at his own form and finding both his arms engulfed in sizzling pink flare-like flames, as well as something else he never even thought he’d witness ever in his lifetime. The very core of his body began to burn and glow as well, a blinding light emerging right from his heart. He heard the slight shuffling of feet behind him, realizing it’s source right after as his heightened senses detected a wave of fear directed not only at Baron and Vendetta, but at him as well. Khari wasn’t only afraid of the situation. She, his own sister who he had sworn on his life to protect from day one, was afraid of him.

Baron cackled evilly once more, detecting the surge of power pulsing through the blackened air. He lit his own hands, his neon-yellow power beginning to peek as well, far faster than Ren’s, which was certainly saying quite a bit.

“You and I, Ren, we aren’t all that different. We both harness abilities that exceed the power of almost every other on Planet Earth. If we wanted to, we could take control of anything we wanted to with a few thoughts. That’s why I don’t wanna fight you. That would only lead to more damage than what’s already been done. Damage that wouldn’t be as easily reversible as a few collapsed buildings and destroyed vehicles. I want to help you just as much as - actually, even more than - every human that deserves to feel the immense strength of Lycanthropy. Come on and join me, and I’ll show you something that you would never feel otherwise.”

Ren’s vision was tinted a deep pink to begin with, but as his hatred only rose far past what was thought possible for human emotions, it shifted rapidly to a deep, fiery red. That wasn’t all, either. He heard a subtle gasp behind him, and he glanced down once more. Even through the blood-stained vision, he could see the flames emitting from his arms and heart also changing color from neon pink to crimson. He felt the crevices of his trembling fists slowly fill with liquid, the blood leaking from his palms and dripping down his hands. He looked back up, finding even Baron with a fright-stricken expression across his face. How much of the internal torment and tsunamis of power could he possibly handle?

“Like hell I would…” Ren growled soon after, his face contouring to expose all the anger and hatred he had within. The words escaped with a very animalian ambients to them. “I would never side with a monster…”

Baron sighed and shook his head, whatever little cheeriness fading away. “I thought you’d that. I honestly don’t know what made be think you’d be so willing, but it’s obvious you aren’t interested in siding with a ‘monster’. Despite the fact that you’re one yourself. Look behind you, Ren. Look at your sister. Tell me, does she look like she sees you as the hero she believed you to be?”

Ren’s face softened ever so slightly. He prayed that he wouldn’t follow the man’s suggestion, because he knew just what he’d find. And he did not want to see it. But against his wishes, he turned around.

There stood Khari, her back pressed against the metal piping behind her, obviously afraid beyond belief. Her bright caramel eyes glinted against the blackness, the fur across her cheeks matted with tears. Those eyes stared into his soul, stabbing him right where it hurt the most. Soon after her felt the familiar sensation of salt water drops rolling down his own face, realizing what he had just let happen. Another glance past Khari to his mother and Stacy only proved the same. None of them saw him as a young, spunky teenage anymore. They saw him as a freak, a monster, something way worse than any werewolf, and he didn’t need to use his Telepathy on them to see it.

Ren slammed his eyes shut. He had enough of the chaos and madness, both internally and externally.

“I’ll kill you, Baron…” the boy roared as he turned around. Despite what he saw in the eyes of those closest to his heart, he refused to let go of any of his still-rising power. It all had to stop, and he was the only one capable of doing so. “I’ll kill you and every single one of your worthless minions…”

“I never thought you were capable of such violence, Ren,” Baron growled back, his eyes and arms igniting blinding yellow almost instantly after the sentence was delivered. “But since you’re so stubborn, I have no choice but to take you out. Vendetta, now!!”

The next few events, as Ren felt, all occurred in a span of mere milliseconds after Baron’s command. Ren shot his head to the right, spotting Vendetta raising the rifle to her shoulders. The next millisecond, she had squeezed the trigger, unleashing a torrent of merciless bullets straight at him. But they barely ever reached their target before his body acted before his mind, trusting his arms forward and creating a translucent crimson barrier suspended in midair, the projectiles ricocheting in all different directions around him. Within the same millisecond, he shot his own body forward at a velocity far faster than a Formula 1 vehicle, drawing both his blood-coated fists back before thrusting them forward at twice the speed. Before his mind could process what had just occurred, his devastating blow landed right into Vendetta’s stomach, the explosive impact flinging her right into a thick concrete wall several yards away. But none of it mattered at all to her, as she was dead before Ren’s punch even made contact. Her internal organs had been crushed inside her body from the sheer force of sonic wind emitted by the boy’s sonic leap toward her. And yet, Ren was complete fine. Physically, at least.

Baron reeled back at the move, even his mind barely being able to comprehend what had happened before his eyes. If he had blinked, he would of missed it completely. Then he knew, even with his amount of power, he was still nothing compared the the leviathan of a mage standing just feet away. He couldn’t win alone, or even with his endless army of Lycanthropes at his sides, but he had to try.

Baron yanked his head back, releasing a howl loud enough to equal hundreds of wolves at once from deep within his mind and soul. The decibels rocked the earth below him and released a wave strong enough to warp the air and dissipate the smoke and dust clouding the area. But that wasn’t all. Ren slammed his hands to his ears, but it did nothing to help. He then sensed something else, glancing to his left and finding Khari with her eyes shut tight, ears pressed to her skull and her knees just barely able to keep her on her feet. A second glance behind him and he found Stacy in the very same condition, with Ana trying desperately to keep her stable. He then realized what was going on.

“MOM, RUN!” Ren shrieked, his voice being amplified by hundreds of decibels as his power kept increasing. He didn’t even need to lift a finger to save his mother as he noticed Stacy beginning to appear quite a bit fiercer than even before. With a mere thought, he sent Ana flying back through the doors of the survivor building and slammed the doors closed the second she was in. Stacy lunged forward, roared viciously like the werewolf she was, but Ana was already safe behind the locked armored doors. Unfortunately for Ren, though, his rapid heroic actions would prove to have really negative consequences.

Despite Ren’s enhanced speed, agility and reflexes, he never anticipated that he’d be brutally attacked by his own sister so soon. By the time his eyes snapped to the glowing auburn form of Khari, she was already mere centimeters away. Like a deadly machine programmed for one thing only, she clamped her muzzle down on his arm, sinking her needle-like teeth deep into his flesh. On pure instinct he reacted, placing his palm as gently yet as quickly as possible against her forehead. Immediately, her body went slack, releasing her steel hold and collapsing to ground, fast asleep. Even though her teeth barely lasted a second in his arm, the damage had already been done. In no time, the titan of a mage crumpled to his knees, hunching over and screaming in agony. It was nothing at all like Khari’s transformation.

“Sorry, Ren,” Baron apologized with the slightest bit of sympathy in his tone. Even through the lightning-like waves of pain, Ren could detect the hefty wolf’s pawsteps drawing nearer and nearer. “I really am. I wish you just agreed peacefully. Heck, I wouldn’t even have asked you to follow me at all. You could’ve just let me show you the benefits of Lycanthropy and I would’ve let you run away with your family. I really would’ve. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Maybe now you’ll understand what ‘surrendering’ means.”

Ren forced his head up, his seething eyes trained to Baron’s looming form above him. He wanted desperately to stand up straight and defiant, to show the villain what it meant to not give up. But he couldn’t. He really, really couldn’t. Not just because of the excruciating agony of his body as morphed and shifted at a sluggish pace, but because he felt his mind slipping away as the virus spread through his system. And fast. He used every last bit of raw energy he had in the astonishing build up. He was at his limit, his brain could not possibly handle any more of the torture, but at the same time, it screamed for more. He hungered for more power, more than any simple human body could withstand without being disintegrated by its sheer immensity. That combined with the relentless parasite fighting against it all and he had his own war occurring inside his skull, one that topped any war from the psychotic battle ensuing just outside to the deepest, darkest demonic wars of hell. It was a three-way fight for control over his body, mind and soul between his abilities, the virus, and whatever shred of human sanity that had survived the onslaught.

“I can sense your power still growing, Ren,” Baron acknowledged eerily, his words sounding distant despite him standing no more than a few inches away. “You’ve surpassed even my abilities. I guess it wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration to say that there’s no limit to how far you can go.”

Ren was forced to shove his head back down as the internal war only grew worse. He clamped his fiery hands to the sides of his head, his eyes wide open and burning brighter than ever. He could’ve very been used as a flare with how brightly he glowed. It would’ve been rather amusing to swell on, but the simple thought was conquered by the ever-lasting battle along every other that presented itself in his head. Then he felt his thoughts beginning to fade as well, the simplest of them disappearing from view. He knew they were not truly gone, but he was in no condition to try and keep them where they should be. Instead he stared furiously down at his huddled body as his flaming skin began to rapidly sprout a thickening coat of what seemed to be bright golden fleece. Despite the intense heat radiating off, the fur was nothing more than slightly cinged, only growing out and spreading up his arms faster than both Vendetta’s or Baron’s. Along with it came several rapid waves of discomfort as his once thin build began to bulge massively under the shining coat, shredding the fabric of the orange outfit apart with ease. Within a single second, he could feel the tendrils of the coats reaching every corner of his skin, the enormous mass following right along with it as well as countless other changes that he could barely keep track of. Besides, he had to focus of the war, or he would surely lose to the two most powerful forces on the face of the Earth. One of which was something he had lived with his entire life.

A new sound then arose, distracting Ren for the tiniest fraction of a second. Through his already-morphing ears, he could hear the roars, growls, scuffles and pawsteps of seemingly countless werewolves steadily approaching. By the nearly-overpowering smells alone, he could tell which were full feral and which had their human mentalities. Unfortunately, he found no patterns in the smells, no distinct difference in their positions. Both types were a single, gigantic group, an obvious sign that they were all on the same side. Baron’s side.

“Don’t strain yourself, Ren,” Baron cautioned, actually sounding genuinely concerned. “If you can’t fight it off, you don’t have to. I can bring your mind back to its rightful place over the virus, as well as over your own power. I can tell it’s all too much for even you to handle.”

Ren could barely believe the guy. Baron was speaking as if he was a father talking to his son. Despite was the man had said before, he really did want Ren on his side. He needed Ren, or his plan of spreading the virus would surely fail once he was discovered by an able militia force. If Ren surrendered to either of the two forces, Baron could easily revive his mind, but he would not be the same. He’d only become one of the psychopath’s hundreds of minions. He could not let that happen. And he would not let it.

In an instant, the pain, agony, torment, power surge and mental battles ceased completely. And Ren was utterly shocked with who came out victorious. He had won.

Baron chuckled once again, much more nervously than intimidatingly. He could sense Ren’s extravagant victory even before the boy moved an inch. It was only then that he truly realized the extent of Ren’s mental ability, beyond his powers of Telekinesis and Telepathy.

“You feel that, Ren?” Baron cackled staring down at the quivering golden Lycan at his feet. “You feel the greatness of such a physical form? That’s what I had been talking about this entire time, Ren. Now will you join my alliance of Lycanthropes? Together we can create a new elysium, a new era in time. Humankind had had its run. I say it’s time for a new race to rule the Earth. What do you say?”

“Never…” Ren croaked, feeling his immense strength and power already beginning to return. But in no way was it out of control. In fact, he could feel his mind adapt and cooperate with his abilities, no longer being its enemy. He had finally mastered control over them, and no longer was his severe anger and hatred its energy source. As steadily rose to his feet, there was only one drive for the brand new flood of power: Love. Love for Khari, for Stacy, for Ana, for everyone he knew and the millions more that had suffered Baron’s heartless plan. And he desired only one thing: Revenge.

“What?!” Baron exclaimed, his voice breaking as an intense wave a fear washed over him. He stepped back further and further as a titanic eight-foot golden tank of a wolf rose before him, growing in size as he stood. The wolf opened his eyes, a brilliant, blinding yellow-gold slicing through the black smoke. It was Ren, the very boy that been an unstable wreck the whole time until that very moment.

“I said NEVER!!” Ren howled, his power surging even further past was it had been before. His entire body flared in a stunning display of yellows, gold and whites, the three colors splashing across his glinting fur in stunning flames. But above all, his heart glowed as well, brighter than the stars above. Finally, after so long of fighting the very power he harnessed, he unleashed it in full force against the very man that had caused pain and despair to so many innocent lives across the globe.

Ren rocketed forward faster than any supersonic fighter jet, drawing his fist back as far as he possibly could. Within a mere six feet, he had broken the sound barrier, his punch aimed squarely at the terrorist’s chest. However, like Vendetta, he never had to make contact as the air around them exploded with a deafening bang, sending Baron sailing back into the choking dust and away from sight forever. With a sickening crunch and splatter across the pavement several meters away, the man was no more.

Ren brought his paws back to his face, gripping it tightly as his still-human side finally quit. He shot his head back and thrust his chest out, releasing a howl loud enough to obliterate all noise around in the heavens. His vision then went white, as all sound faded from existence.



Ren awoke sluggishly, opening his hazy eyes to the world once more. He couldn’t move. Not that he wanted to. As his mind steadily returned to normal, the memories of what he had accomplished came back in frames like puzzle pieces to the whole picture. He did not want to even attempt doing anything at all after everything returned to him. He could barely comprehend it as it all seemed so impossible, but the recurring discomfort told him otherwise. Then, as his senses slowly came back, he noted the very distinct sound of… sobbing coming from somewhere near. Next came the feeling of subtle weight on his chest, which was definitely sore. He forced his eyes down as far as possible, straining past the strange obstruction in his line of vision and finding something he’d never expect.

Khari had her head laid on his chest, her face pointing away from his own and arms wrapped tightly around his still body. That was the start of it. Piece by piece, the setting was revealed to him the more his senses returned to their full ability. He noticed that his body was draped in a thick white heated blanket, which was rather comforting given the situation. Beyond that was the familiar feeling of a plush mattress below him, the pure-white sheets of that coming into view soon after. His head rested on an equally-soft pillow, one that made him want to drift back asleep the second he realized it was there. But he knew he couldn’t, not with Khari in such an emotional state. Yet he had quite a bit of difficulty trying to form words in his mind, so instead, he continued his vision exploration as he steadily came back to reality.

Ren lifted his eyes back up, nearly being blinded as he accidentally looked straight into a bright LED overhead light. Normally it wouldn’t have hurt so much to look at it, but his eyes must’ve been closed for a rather long time, submerged in the darkness of his eyelids. But how long could he have possibly been asleep for? The last thing he remembered was his vision going white, then black right after. Was he knocked unconscious somehow? Then, as a distinct beeping met his ears that matched his sluggish heartbeat perfectly, it all came to him in a flash. He was bound to a bed in a hospital, connected to a cluster of different machines of all sorts looming over him as he saw when he peered as far back as he could. That was not a good sign.

The heart rate monitor began to beep at a slightly faster pace than it had been just a second before. At the same time, Khari’s cries had settled a bit as well. She had noticed the change of pace even before the machine detected as she had her ear pressed tightly against Ren’s chest. But besides that subtle relaxation, she never moved. Why was she so upset? What had happened that she was stuck to crying over him in such a way? He had to say something. He had to know.

“K-Khari…?” Ren croaked, the single word just barely audible at all. His voice was hoarse and raspy, as if hadn’t been used in a long time. Not to mention that his throat burned whenever he even thought of speaking. That only made him even more nervous.

He watched as Khari ceased her cries completely and her fluffy canine ears perked up to the dull sound. Ever so carefully, she lifted her head and turned to face him. Her eyes were tinted red, streams of water drying across her cheeks. Nonetheless, they sparkled with the universal sign of overwhelming happiness.

“Ren…?” the young wolfess whispered, sound utterly shocked. Nonetheless, Ren managed to stretch his cheeks, attempting one of his signature grins. Then he noted something. He knew he smiled successfully, but in a way, it felt… different. He couldn’t quite describe it, but somehow it felt like his mouth was stretched across a different shape, not quite the same as before. Despite that, Khari smiled just as brightly, very much understanding what he had attempted to pull off.

“Hey sis,” Ren greeted as calmly as possible. Without a word, Khari flew forward, flinging her arms around his aching body. He didn’t complain. It was obvious she was overjoyed beyond belief to see him awake. But the question still remained: Why? He was about to ask what Khari suddenly released her tight embrace and rushed out into the hall, the door the room already open.

Ren sighed, but smiled anyway. He gathered enough strength to lift his right arms, spotting the bed remote hanging off one of the guard rails beside him. He reached up and grabbed it, drawing it closer to his face before dropped it onto his chest at what he saw past it. He stared intently at the hand before him, examining every inch of it. With every thought of moving his own, it followed the command. It was HIS hand, covered in fluffy gold fleece and baring blackish paw pads and claws. Without the aid of of the motorized bed, he sat up straight, visually following his arm up to his shoulder and down his chest and belly as the blanket slipped out of position. He lifted the blanket and peered under it, following the trail down to his paw-like feet. He was completely nude under it, but it didn’t seem to matter in the slightest. His skin was completely covered in the fuzzy gold fur, and several of his physical features had changed as well. He was certainly bulkier than he remembered, but not by much. Maybe around Khari’s muscle mass. Then, like a bullet, it struck him. The last piece of the puzzle finally clicked in place, the memory of the war that had shook his skull from the inside out and what had triggered it. He shot his eyes to his left arm. Sure enough, a bandage had been wrapped around the wound, but whatever blood had seeped through had dried until it turned brown. Once again, the question arose: How long was asleep?

Before he could dwell anymore and any topic, Khari burst back into the room, along with their mother, Stacy, and three doctors. The staff members instantly got to work on a multitude of different things around him, detaching wires and needles and poking in different ones. Ana, Stacy and Khari stood off on the side, allowing the professionals to do their work. It didn’t require Telepathy at all to see how happy they were at the sight of Ren.

“Let’s get him to Wing C-3,” one of the blue-suited staff members suggested, unlatching the wheel locks from the bed. A second doctor laid a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder and set him back in a laying position. Ren stared back up at the ceiling as he felt the gurney click and start to move with the aid of the doctors steering it out the door and down hall. At some point he shut his eyes, not quite falling asleep, but resting enough to regain some of strength. A couple minutes later, the cart was stopped, and opened his eyes once again to find his mother, Khari, and Stacy standing above him, each with a bright, comforting smile.

“I’m so glad to see you’re alright, sweetie…” Ana cooed, drawing even closer and embracing him tightly, yet cautiously. He returned it to the best of his ability, but he was still somewhat clueless as to exactly what was going on.

“Mom, how long was I asleep…?” Ren asked softly as she let go. Her smile wavered slightly, but still remained. She turned toward the door of the new room as it clicked, opening rather slowly as a young, thin doctor stepped in, carrying a clipboard under his arm with a toothpick sticking out of the corner of his mouth. Despite his somewhat unprofessional appearance, a single glance into his mind proved he was a true medical doctor.

“Hi there,” the doctor greeted, shutting the white door behind them. “You’re the Valkyrie family, correct?”

“Yes we are,” Ana replied, taking the man’s hand as he offered a handshake. “Well, three of us, at least. The white wolf is Stacy Springfield, a close friend.”

“Nice to meet all of you. I’m Dr. Solvek,” the man continued, taking each of the visitor’s hands one by one before moving over to Ren’s beside. “And you’re Ren, correct?”

Ren nodded, still worried of the unknown. But before he could dwell on the topic anymore, another knock emitted from the door. Ana went over and opened it, revealing the familiar faces of the rest of the Springfield family standing on the other side. Amanda was the first to step in, looking just as excited as the Valkyries.

“Took you guys long enough,” Stacy acknowledged, hugging each of her family members out of common courtesy. Luckily the room was large enough to fit three more people without trouble.

“Wait, when did you meet back with them, Stace?” Ren questioned curiously. How much had he missed?

Stacy turned back around, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. “A while ago, to say the least…”

“To answer your previous question, Ren…” Ana stated, sighing slightly as she paused. “You’ve been unconscious… for almost two months…”

Like lightning, the words struck Ren instantly. For two entire months, he’d been out? And yet, here we was, almost completely back to normal save for the obvious weakness from not moving for that amount of time. It was astonishing to say the least.

“Honestly, you were in such unstable condition just a week ago that we were about to declare you braindead,” Dr. Solvek stated with genuine concern. “Then, like magic, you recovered so quickly. And now here you are, fully capable of speech and, from what I can tell, motor functions. I get the feeling it had to do something with your abilities still being active in your unconscious state.”

Ren could hardly believe anything they were saying, but he knew it was true. It all just sounded so impossible coming out of their mouths. It only created more questions, but he didn’t bother bombarding them. They’d all be answered in due time.

“How about your memory?” Solvek questioned in a generic doctor tone. “Has that changed at all?”

“No…” Ren replied, recalling every tiny detail of what had happened two months before. “I… I remember everything… Even things that I don’t want to…”

“Even your fight with Baron?” Ana asked, growing even more nervous.

“Yeah… Every bit of it…”

Solvek sighed, but smiled anyway whilst pulling up a chair. “Your mother told the base everything about the event. She was the only witness that could provide us with all the information of the event. Based solely on what she saw, you could already be considered a hero, Ren. But now you’re even more so as the results of your actions presented themselves almost instantly after the dust settled.”

“That Baron guy… Ryan Westchester… I’m assuming he’s dead since I remember in vivid detail punching him at supersonic speeds… Did they find his body anywhere?”

“Well, if you’re that curious, the cleanup crews did find what were proven by DNA samples to be his remains… Splattered across a span of 40 meters near the command center. A gruesome sight for sure, but the psychopath had it coming for him. The government and military knew that the outbreak of the L-Virus was in no way an accident, and they knew about Ryan being a major part of it, but it wasn’t until your mother told us what he had said to you that we realized the true extent of his participation. Even then, though, the base wouldn’t have been able to tackle such a huge force alone without your help. Actually, it’s safe to say that you saved us all from being overrun by the wolves.”

“I… I did, didn’t I… I really don’t know how, but… I pulled something off that even the strongest of Telepathy mages need days to charge and prepare… And I thought bringing back the human consciousness after being taken over by the L-Virus was a major feat…”

“I know I’ve said this before, but I’ve known that there was something special about you from the second I first held you in my arms,” Ana replied, stepping over to Ren’s left side. She rested a motherly hand on his shoulder, staring deep into his eyes. “I knew you were much, much more than you looked to be, but only now have I seen who you truly are.”

Ren knew she meant it as a compliment, but it was difficult to perceive it as such. He saw the overwhelming fear in her eyes the second he looked at her on that night. No matter how much she loved him, he knew that there would always be the dark little ball of fright sitting in the back of her mind aimed toward him. In fact, he could see it right as he stared back into her mind. He had to force his face away, forcing back any tears that dared to escape.

“You’ll have plenty of time here to think about things while you recover,” Solvek said, sensing the sudden tension that had enveloped the room. “I’ll come back and check on you at regular intervals. We’ll talk next time.” With that, the doctor stood back up and left the room in a bit of a haste.

“What’s gonna happen now?” Ren asked the room, changing the subject. “Baron’s gone, so what about his minions and the virus?”

“Several wolves that they found wandering the base had their human minds with them,” Khari explained, taking the place of the doctor on Ren’s right. “They’d been brainwashed by Baron when they had their mentalities returned to them. The other half of the wolves were still feral, so they captured as many as possible realizing the solution to the problem. As for the outbreak as a whole, how ‘bout we let the TV explain it?”

Khari plucked the bedside remote from the banister, pressing one of the buttons with a clawed finger. Instantly the screen attached to the space right above the door flickered on, a major news station just so happening to be the channel on. And at the right time.

“The epidemic is nearly over,” the news anchor announced in a monotone voice. “In several places across the continent including New York, Los Angeles, Ontario, Toronto, Mexico City, the dreaded L-Virus is finally being contained. No longer do we have to live in fear and run at every turn. As discovered by government investigation teams and released to the public only recently, the initial outbreak was not an accident and was instead an intentional act carried out by Ryan Westchester, a former scientist who was in charge of the Wolf Soldier project as well as a known and powerful Telekinesis mage.” A picture of the man before the epidemic popped up on screen, looking very much different from what Ren remembered. “With the aid of his enormous canine army, he managed to destroy countless lives across the continent. However, two months ago, we were all saved as a very unlikely hero took matters into his own hands and took down the terrorist. This hero is 16-year-old Ren Valkyrie, also a Telekinesis mage.” Just as it had with Ryan, one of Ren’s ID photos also appeared on screen, drawing an applause from his friends and family gathered around the room.

“Ya heard that, Ren?” Khari asked, wrapping her arm across his shoulders. “Ya saved the world, bro.”

“You’re everyone’s hero,” Stacy stated, moving to the other side of the bed and pushing down the aluminum guard rail. She sat gently on the edge of the bed, positioning herself as closely as possible to the golden wolf. “But above all… you’re my hero.”

Without warning, Stacy set her muzzle right against Ren’s in a loving kiss. He was stunned at first from the intimate gesture, especially in front of everyone else, but he accepted it soon after anyway and returned it gently, closing his eyes until it ended a few seconds later.

“Hehe, looks like ya finally got a girlfriend, bro,” Khari teased in a subtle whisper. Amanda giggled at the quip. “‘Bout time.”

“Oh shush, you,” Ren retorted  playfully as he stealthily wrapped his paw-like hand around Stacy’s.

“The guy’s still going,” Stacy’s father noted, pointing up at the screen. Sure enough, the anchor was just about to return to the topic at hand.

“In other matters, despite this epidemic being nearly over, its aftermath is far from over. This outbreak could very well change the route of humanity forever as thousands of wolves are being found with their full human minds still intact as a result of Ryan Westchester’s and Ren Valkyrie’s Telekinetic technique of returning the human mind to its rightful position over the virus. Of course, despite the outcomes of Ryan’s experiments specifically, we do now have an unlikely cure for the virus. A quick side note: The government is now scoping out for powerful Telekinesis mages across the country that could benefit the recovery greatly. So please, if there is anyone out there that has the ability to do what Ryan and Ren have accomplished, we need your help in our efforts to get the country back to what it was before. But of course, there is a price to pay for curing those that are still affected mentally: Their physical Lycanthropy cannot yet be permanently reversed. What does this mean for the future of humanity and Mother Earth? It means we’ll have a new being walking among us, a new intelligent lifeform to, hopefully, live alongside us as the years go on.”

“I’m alright with that,” Ren stated, smiling brightly. “As long as the epidemic is over, it’s fine with me. It’ll take a while for everyone to get used to living with a new race, but we’ll all pull through eventually. Besides, in my opinion, I think humanity needs a new major change for once, something that will change the course of history.”

“Ya saying that just ‘cause you’re a wolf now or…?” Khari questioned, pointing out Ren’s new form again.

Ren looked back down at himself, staring at his paws for a while before answering.

“No, I’m not. If I was still human, I would’ve said the same thing. I think, despite the horrible outbreak and devastating apocalypse that came with it, the ending outcome could benefit human and Lycan kind in the long run.”

“But remember,” Stacy pointed out, snuggling in even closer. “The outcome wouldn’t have been the same at all if you weren’t there. In a way, you changed the course of history from becoming bleak to becoming bright.”

Ren smiled even wider, taking Stacy into another embrace before letting go. She did have a point. He wanted to act modest, he really did, but he knew she was correct. Without the immense heroic act he pulled off, Baron would’ve taken control of all he could for sure. Despite it all, everyone came out just fine in the end, and for the decades to come, history would take a turn for the better.
HOLY SHIT I FUCKIN' LOVE HOW THIS TURNED OUT!!!

I know, I know, not to strong of an ending, but I did my best. At least we still get to see the true extents of Ren's powers. I frickin LOVE how it all came out in the end with the whole dramatic/action scene. In my opinion, this is just slightly better than either of the previous two stories. I know, most of you are probably gonna have a different opinion and not quite like the plot twist the entire story took, or how it took a turn for an action/fantasy thing. But remember, its MAH story. I get to do whatever dafuq I want with it, and if I want to turn innocent little Ren into a fucking GOD I can, K? K. 

Anyway, events-wise, I tried to take a much more fantasy/sci-fi approach rather than sci-fi/fantasy if ya know what I mean. I tried to make it a little more like 50-50 with both genres than the previous two which was more like 75-25, going to the sci-fi side. I think I succeeded... in a way.

Long story short, I love it.

Oh, and yeah, more issues with repetition... I'll have to find a way to fix that for future stories...

Characters and story by me 
© 2016 - 2024 D-X-T
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justagamer21's avatar
Hey Danny. We should definitely revisit this also. A sequel would be interesting! ;)