Willem
Have you noticed that each transformation is far different than the first? I've noticed. The first time is always the most... intense. The other times it's benign. I found that out in an explosive way.
First, the blood of the beast; it mingles with your own, becoming hot. After seconds, it eclipses the human blood.
Next is the bones. They break into two, three, sometimes four pieces before finding the beast home. The most excruciating is the rib cage. The lungs grow to three times the human size and forces the expansion of the ribs, grinding and pumping along the way.
The skull, it makes you feel like you're being crushed. It moans and groans against itself and, depending on your therian blood, broadens or slopes. The eyes feel like they'll burst free from their sockets. All part of the transformation.
The heart stops for a few seconds, making you feel as if you're having a heart attack. The heart grows in size in order to pump the beast's blood into you. It dissipates and feels like nothing after a few more morphings, but still...
As I said, my first transformation was explosive. It happened about a week ago.
*************************************
"Stay away!" My voice carried out over the vast tundra. Bandits chased me for a good while, acting like crazed wolves gunning for a deer. I only had a few items to defend myself with: a steel sword, and my lycanthropy. Unfortunately, I've never channeled the Wolf before. One must reach a certain age for the beast to mature.
"Not a chance, boy!" a bandit's voiced called to me. By my guess, it had to be the boss of the group. His steel plated armor shined in the moonlight, showing every nook and cranny on it. His group of men contained a total of seven, including himself. My chances of surviving, if caught, were very slim.
The vegetation was few and far between, brown shrubs dotting the tundra. An extremely thin layer of frost patched the ground here and there, indicating that winter wasn't too far away.
I was getting tired, but so were the bandits. Stealing a glace backward, I saw the men were getting closer with each passing step. Moving my gaze away, something hit me: a tree. Hitting the tree with a hard crack, I stumbled backward. Something warm trickled down my face. Reaching my hand to it and bringing it back, I saw it slick with blood. My forehead was split.
"No where to run now, boy!" They caught me. Bandits formed a half circle around the tree, blocking every direction. No, please no! I thought. Why did it have to end this way? Why couldn't I have been left along?
"No where to run or hide now, you little bastard!" grunted one of the bandits. Some were wearing fur and leather for protection, others had steel armor. The leader stepped toward me; a brute of a man and tall for one too. A good foot taller than myself with thin, oily hair that clung to his face.
"I don't tolerate people trespassing on my territory. Give me one good reason not to kill you, boy."
"Um..." I said, trying to think on one. My mind was racing with panic, my heart was pounding like a hammer against a nail, and sweat was rolling down my face despite the cool night. One of the moons was hanging low in the sky, its white light being cast upon the land below. Locking my eyes on the celestial object, all I could think was, Focus on the moon.
It began.
My whole body began to shake, a terrible pain coursed throughout my body like a continuous wave. It began in my guts, my bowels moving to the bottom of my stomach and moving further back. My lungs began to grow, tripling in size. They began to pile up against my ribs until they gave way. The rib cage popped and grated against one another, causing excruciating pain.
I tried to scream aloud, but all that escaped my lips was a silent cry. The bandits stared wide-eyed at my shaking body on the ground, watching everything happen.
Fur began to spring up from all over my body. Steel gray fur replaced my black hair; though I couldn't see it, I knew it was happening.
Dark claws sprang forth from my fingernails, becoming sharp and deadly. My teeth began to pull and push, beginning to acquire points. I felt a pulling sensation all over my head. The skull of mine began to groan and pull even more. My eyes felt as if they'd burst from their home.
The bandits continued to watch, even after I stopped shacking. Bright yellow eyes shot open and a low, guttural growl escaped my bestial mouth. I felt like I was watching this confrontation from above; my mind was watching, but I wasn't controlling the body. My clothes barely stuck to my body, the shirt, pants, and boots were all but destroyed. My Wolf body pounced.
The leader fell before 'my' sudden attack. The Wolf's teeth snapped shut over his uncovered face. The man's scream eclipsed the other's gasping. They stared in horror as 'my' Wolf-self rendered the man dead.
The Wolf looked up from its grisly job, the maw of the beast dripping red. 'I' looked at each of the horrified men and 'decided' on which one. Dropping on all fours, 'I' ran at the targeted man. The dark claws made short work of him. the rest of the bandits tried to run away, but nothing could stop a Wolf on the hunt.
'I' took out two in leather, biting one's neck out and slashing the other's open. Blood erupted form their fatal wounds, covering the ground and myself in death. 'I' wasn't done, oh no. The other four needed to go too; so 'I' ran after the cowards.
The bandits fled as a group; that just made it too easy for 'me'. Once more, men in leather and fur went down without effort. They cried and screamed, but no reasoning could be made. Steel armored men weren't a challenge either. I gave off a roar that made them run faster.
Catching up to them, 'my' claws and teeth went to work. The claws tore furrows in their armor, coming back with clumps of skin underneath. 'My' teeth became red with death as the men's life blood flowed from their faces, necks, and chests.
Looking up from my grisly work and to the moon, Secunda, I gave a blood curdling howl. It felt good. While focusing, a sense of calm came over me. Slowly, the Wolf receded into me from whence it came.
It took a couple of minutes, but the reformation was complete. Standing amidst the death and carnage, I looked at my hands. There were bloody, the pieces of skin still stuck underneath my fingernails... I ran in the opposite direction when I chased the bandits, toward and past their leader, and toward a settlement in the distance. A settlement built upon a mountainside.
*******
As I said, that was a week ago. I've been in Whiterun's prison, for my "safety" and the peoples' ever since. My bouts of the Wolf have died down, however. Since my first night here, the beast has struggled to take control. There have been extremely close times with it; the guards were literally yelling, trying to comprehend what was going on. My body, shaking uncontrollably and everything expanding. If one listened hard enough, they'd be able to hear the clothes on my back stretch and tear. I'd slowly regain dominion over the Wolf and return to my human form. Other times, my teeth would sharpen, nails become claws... I'm thankful I contained the beast as long as I have.
"Alright, boy," came a voice outside my cell. I jumped a little, my mind still reflecting on my transformation."Come along. Jarl Balgruuf will speak with you." The guard was wearing a yellow-accented leather-make armor. His shield had the image of a horse upon the center: the symbol of Whiterun. And the Horselords, I though to myself.
"Ok." I replied to the man. My bloody, ripped clothes were taken from me the day I arrived. Given a simple brown tunic and leather skinned boots, I didn't complain. "Thank you."
The guard seemed to be taken back. If his helmet wasn't on, I bet I'd see his eyes a little more open. My cell was right by the door leading to the main room, so the walk wasn't far.
A great fire was burning in the center of the room, casting light and shadows all around. Two long tables sat parallel to one another, littered with silverware, goblets and plates. A simple, yet elegant, throne sat in line with the fire pit with a lone figure sitting on it. Wearing fur-trimmed boots, a regal-like tunic and a gold, gem encrusted crown, Balgruuf looked the part of a ruler.
