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A couple of the howlers inched closer to her, and the pack leader snorted angrily. Either he wants me for himself, or he’s saving me for something else, she thought as she watched them back away slightly. With the lead howler standing on its rear legs, it easily towered over her at close to ten feet tall. His fur was black as a moonless night. His wolf ears stood straight on his head, occasionally twitching as if listening to a noise far away. All the while, his eyes never left hers.
She glanced around at each of the howlers nervously as she moved slowly from her back to her knees. Several of them started growling angrily. She slowly stood, doing everything she could to not pass out. I refuse to die on my back, she thought.
She stared into the alpha’s large, yellow eyes. He snorted again and half of the howlers broke off and ran down the road. “No! You already have me! You don’t need them. Leave my friends alone!”
She wasn’t sure if they would even understand her, or if her outburst would trigger another attack, but she couldn’t stop herself. To her surprise, the howlers paused and waited for their leader to give another order. He growled and snapped, and they scurried off down the road. Anger and fear boiled up within her.
“So, you understand me.” she hissed. The lead howler dropped down to all fours as the remaining two moved around to look at her better. She glanced at them and their surroundings carefully and looked for a way out.
“Leave my friends alone.” She stared at the beast. White hot pain ignited in her, worse than the bites themselves. She gritted her teeth against it as it burned through her veins like she was burning from the inside out. The howler growled deeply at her, and her knees buckled involuntarily. Ashlie’s eyes widened, afraid, as a deep growl rumbled up from deep within her. With it, the pain rose until her growl turned into a howling scream.
Ashlie blinked away the pain behind her eyes as she crouched in front of the howler. She raised her eyes to meet his again, unable to stand on her shaking legs. She could feel every fiber of her body changing. Ripping apart and remolding itself.
Her body wasn’t transforming into a werewolf as she’d assume from watching so many horror movies. At least then she’d be strong enough to fight and maybe even kill the howlers and protect her friends in the process.
But no. This was different.
As the pain boiled her from within, the howler's eyes watched her. She wouldn’t allow herself to look away. At first, the creature's yellow eyes looked sure, in control, expectant. But then, they widened, and a look of shock and fear filled them. He took a worried step back.
Ashlie felt her face droop and raised a shaking hand to her cheek. A sloppy chunk of flesh peeled away from her cheek, bounced off her hand, and landed on her foot with a squish. Hairy patches grew on the backs of her hands and forearms then slid off of her in big meaty chunks and landed in the dirt with a nasty thud. Ashlie’s heart raced as a momentary shock froze her in place. Then she screamed. Shrill and terrified, and filled with agony, her screams erupted from her as her skin rolled off of her body. With her tendons and nerve endings completely exposed to the air, she collapsed to the ground in an excruciating raw heap.
The howler’s eyes remained wide as he howled to his pack. They returned to his side within moments, and then after seeing the horrific scene in front of them, they ran off into the woods. Ashlie lay on the ground, in dirt and puddling blood, alone.
Another wave of pain hit her, and she screamed again as her body fell apart and melted into a steaming pile of matted fur, blood, chunks of meat, and a lone eye. Unlidded, it lay on top, watching the darkness of night takeover, as if waiting for her friends to return. Her last howling scream echoed through the woods as the howlers returned to the old mine.
Sometimes, when brave souls would come to investigate the mysterious mine, they’d hear a rumbling howl underfoot, followed by the thick howls of furry beasts lurking in the darkness, waiting.
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