FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

so here it is at long last. i apologize for the gap, i just really was crammed with school, but after wednesday it will all be over ad the following wednesday i graduate :) cant wait really, freedom and more time to write for you guys! haha i hope you enjoy!

Chapter 24

A shriek of absolute agony rang out from the woods. The sound echoed off the cool, uncaring pond, bounced through the tall, frost bitten and unresponsive trees, and finally dissipated into the meagre winds. There was a hint of ice on all the surfaces of the wood, the temperature silencing all other beings. The calm surrounding the moment was monstrous. As a boy lay at the feet of his would-be killer, the world went on.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Kyle sobbed into the air, his breath visible and floating out of him with a slow, almost beautiful, form. "AAAHHHHHHH! OOOWWWW!" he whimpered now, the severity of his screams jumping swiftly from the former to the later, "It hurts!" he let out for maybe the twentieth time.

"I realize that." The boy named Danny spoke considerately above him. Although they both knew it was not the pain he was considering, but instead Kyle's condition.

They had been at it for at least fifteen minutes. It was all planned. Kyle was going to be cut to ribbons and tossed into the pond. This was a road less travelled, the pond covered both issues of human awareness and a place Duke's nose would find.

However, the issue now was the 'cut to ribbons' portion of the plan. Danny had brought only four of the original guys with him, the rest were breaking off into other sections of the woods with both a sample of Danny and Kyle's scent in order to throw off any chance of Duke arriving earlier than planned. Danny did NOT want his mate to see him all bloodied up, he wanted to be presentable and Duke to have had a few hours to cool off. Danny knew that despite his seeming attraction to this boy, Duke just wanted a fuck. Danny would be there for anything.

"AHHHH!" Kyle pressed on, writhing about. It was rather disgusting and unseemly with the multitude of lacerations on his body and face, Danny took a little step back from the bloodied mess. Thankfully two of the boys had kept the little man stealing hussy still, he might have shaken his head and thrown blood on Danny's new shoes otherwise.

"We get it. God, just shut your damn mouth already!" Danny roared, sending one of the two hockey players that were just standing around a mental message.

This was unexpected to be sure and it was making Danny worry. Nothing would have told him the human could heal. Yet, there it was again; an impossibility that defied him as if some sort of higher power just wanted to ruin a well-executed plan. Danny watched as the plethora of knife and claw wounds closed, the blood returning to the boy.

It wasn't like Danny didn't know werewolves could heal. He himself had witnessed it first hand when he tried to take his own life only a few months ago. He recalled everything about the room; the clock read ten twenty eight in blocky blue letters, his_Super 8 and _Halo posters sat on the wall staring back at him, the doorframe basketball hoop he got when he was eight hung underused and the chair beneath him creaked a little as he anxiously shifted his weight. Danny hadn't had rope, but the mountain climbing cord from his dad's 'Glory days' made a solid noose. Looking back on it he grinned a little, the instructions on proper noose making sat on his computer screen.

No, werewolf regeneration was one thing, but this boy still clearly smelled human. Hell, a werewolf in human form could not regenerate anyway, Danny had tried himself! But regardless Kyle did not die, he merely suffered and time was running out.

The hockey player who got the message was complying, sticking another sock into Kyle's mouth. The original being removed to speak his 'last words.' Not that Kyle managed anything more than to plead and grovel. Had he really died his last words would have been wasted entirely.

Danny wasn't stupid either. He saw the opportunity and options. The only way to actually end this would be drowning. Even if he ripped Kyle apart limb by limb part of him would have lived on in some, if meagre, existence and the idea of a Kyle in _ANY_form distracting Duke was unacceptable. Yes, drowning would work. Danny had not tested that method himself, but not even werewolf homeostasis regeneration would re-kick start an oxygen starved brain. At least in theory...

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Danny and Kyle roared for entirely different reasons. Danny had abandoned his knife and was clawing at Kyle's body with a partial transformation, in pure rage. "Why!? Won't! You! DIE!?" he was very careful not to claw downward, as that might lead to unwanted blood spray. "What the hell are you, you stupid, obnoxious, worthless piece of crap!? Why can you do that!? What's makes you SO damn special!?"

Danny huffed; Kyle's voice was breaking up and getting rough with all the strenuous cries. Slowly Danny regained his composure while the bloodied boy at his feet kept screaming. "You two," he directed the ones standing around but considered those holding down the cripple, "Scratch that. All of you go find something heavy we can use to drown him. Get a car if you need too."

The four took off and left predator and prey alone in the woods.

~~~~

Kyle panted, his breath rolling out in wafts past the gym sock gag and along the cold stony banks of the pond. His face lay against the earth, his right cheek numb in the cold way unlike his legs. The rest of his perceivable body was wracked with pain, his mind a mess of terror, shock and the rest of the make-ups of a person's fight or flight response.

Still, the biggest thing on his mind, that which level of attention was beyond yet another knife wielding psycho, was the impossible things that were occurring to him. This Danny kid had attacked him. Kyle had perceived his likely death with intensely amplified senses. He saw the blade, the designs on the gleaming metal, the shape, the black plastic looking grip and the eyes of his attacker with all the hate and burning passion. He heard the cries of both Danny and himself, then the crunch of the rocks under him as he turned his head away and even the slightly wet patting sound of a knife cutting skin. He felt it. Oh how he felt it. Like a fire had erupted within him, a cruel fire that ate at his skin and burned, only that fire was followed by many more of increasing intensities.

After a while of screaming Kyle had even accepted his fate. He was losing feeling of the world as it slipped from him and seemed to shake the earth under him. He had given up and stopped screaming, welcoming death with open arms. It wasn't like he had much to live for. He wasn't getting out of Sweeton, his mom wasn't leaving Scott, Duke wasn't showing up no matter what Danny insisted, hell, not even Quinn could provide a solid future beyond a comfort...he couldn't even walk now; what futures were even possible?

Yet, as if some higher power just wanted to see his plans fail, he lived as the black cloaked figure turned his back on him.

It was a strange sensation. Kyle was sure was what death would feel like. It was beyond anything he had ever felt anyway. It was like a sixth sense that made him in a strange mental or spiritual way, aware of everything he was. It wasn't the sensation of touch because this acute feeling incorporated his legs. It was like he got a mental model of his being, cuts and blood and all. It made Kyle smile, he thought it was over. Then the pain that eclipsed every other he had ever felt occurred. It was like his body was being shaved, skin and bone seemed to move inside of him and cover up the wounds. The painful eruption was short lived and soon he felt normal. If it wasn't for the cold ground under him he would have thought he was dead.

But Danny did not approve and soon the process repeated again and again. Kyle's curiosity finally got the best of him and he decided to watch what was happening. Only moment s after each knife wound, the blood crept back inside and the skin healed over. His body was healing itself! But that wasn't possible!

If that wasn't enough that Danny kid's hands started to change. They moulded anew and grew dense hair and sharp claws. Soon Kyle was being hacked away with those. It was too much, and soon all Kyle was doing was screaming and thinking of his friends and family. Not the strange boy's hands or his apparent inability to die; he needed to keep his head elsewhere if he didn't want to have a panic attack. His heart was rushing fit to burst from his chest the entire time.

Now that the cutting stopped he was apparently going to be drowned. What Danny said was true; it was going to be impossible to heal away a lack of oxygen. This time though, Kyle was already ready. He hardly noticed the sock in his mouth anymore, it was gross at first but if you faced death a little sweat on your tongue wasn't a big deal.

Despite being ready and trying to focus on people he could not. How was he healing like that!? Was it like a lizard? If he cut off a toe would it grow back? How about a finger? Could he even die? The idea of immortality at the bottom of the pond made him once more break into tears. He tried to form words behind the gag.

Taking notice and seeing nothing better to do Danny removed the sock. "Don't scream or it's going right back in," he warned from somewhere above Kyle. The crippled boy was not looking upward.

"Please let me go..." Kyle whined to his captor, "I promise I'll do anything you ask...just let me go. I don't want to suffer like this forever."

Kyle heard the crunch of feet on stones. Danny nudged the other boy onto his back with his foot. It wasn't aggressive, it was almost lazy, but it allowed Kyle and Danny to see eye to eye. "You won't suffer forever I promise," He paused, "But neither will I." He took a seat next to his captive and chuckled a little to himself, tossing the bloodied knife aside. Kyle noticed his hands weren't monstrous anymore. "I really am sorry that anyone needs to die, but I want you to know something. I'm saving you."

This caught Kyle off guard, "Sa-Saving me?" he asked unconvinced, his tone wondering if he heard right. "What could this possibly save me from?!" He actually managed a bit of anger. "I thought this was revenge! At least that makes sense! But don't think..." a foot caught his chest, thankfully the wounds had healed or that would have felt exponentially worse.

"Shut up. I'm saving you from ending up like me," the black haired boy finished his thought and started looking out on the pond.

"Don't...don't just say that to make yourself feel...holy. This...this is not saving," Kyle spat. His mind was racing with anger now that it wasn't focused on ignoring pain. This crazy boy's sacrificial saving snapped Kyle out of any thoughts on his healing as well. Danny had pretty much confirmed the death by water question anyway.

Danny laughed out loud. "I know I'm not 'holy,'" he air quoted. "No part of this," he raised a hand and Kyle watched again, with the same level of fixation as the first time, as it changed into that of a beast. "Will ever be holy Kyle. I'm keeping you pure. Duke has his teeth in you and I'm going to make sure he do..."

"You shut up!" Kyle interrupted with anger, "Don't give me that crap. You are just saying that to make yourself feel better. You already told me yourself it's always been and always will be about you loving Duke!"

"Do you want that to be your entire life!?" Danny shouted back, his eyes were different if only for a fraction of a second. Kyle finally worried if he had overstepped his bounds. "Do you want every waking moment to be about someone else? What he did to me was beyond make me love him! He is a need! Okay Kyle? I need him or I don't know what I will do. I'm saving you from obsession! He did this," he raised a black, clawed hand, "To me, and he would have to do it to you too if he loves you as much as he claims. Then he will get bored of you and your crippled ass and move on!"

Kyle was about to shout something about the crippled part being a certain someone's fault and not his own, but Danny pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket. "Wanna hear the 'lives ruined' list?"

"What are you!?" Kyle screamed, ignoring the list and focusing on the hands now, "What do you mean he did that!?"

Danny let out a bone chilling roar. It wasn't natural, his chest arched up and his clothes started to split from his growing body. Soon he was covered in a thin but thickening layer of black hairs and his very structure was changing. Kyle didn't make a sound; he just stared in pure terror.

"I am a FUCKING WEREWOLF!" _Danny's voice screamed in Kyle's head. Before Kyle could even react the beast in front of him slammed a mighty paw down on Kyle's arm. The pain was excruciating. When Kyle could finally see past the tears in his eyes he was gazing upon a mash of flesh and bone. Pieces of white and red splintered out from under once pink skin, his hand was the only recognizable bit, hardly attached by threads of tissue at the end of the pulverized appendage, "_I am a MONSTER!"

Kyle could only manage more screaming as his bones tried to set themselves.

~~~~

Duke was following behind his uncle; both were charging through the woods in the direction of the brainwashed kid's scents. It was a strange feeling to be traveling behind the man on his own accord. The happening of them even seeing each other again seemed dreadfully impossible just a few weeks ago, now they were wolves' together, sharing thoughts, and united in purpose.

Uncle Tom, being the one who changed Duke, shared a mental and spiritual connection with his nephew when in proximity. He was another Alpha personality, but they both relented just enough to share thoughts. Duke had learned plenty. The link they shared was not a take and give kind of connection, both of them had to open up entirely to the other or not at all. Now Duke saw the reasons for everything, was informed of higher powers in the werewolf community, and he understood exactly what the plan was and how everything was going to happen. Duke hated the man no more or no less because of the new knowledge. He had plenty of additional reasons to hate him, but he also had numerous reasons to owe him for life.

In the hospital Dr Silas had administered an experimental chemical into Kyle while he had been under hypnosis. The chemical itself had initiated the first stages of lycanism within Kyle. Via the link, Duke could comprehend the science behind all of his Uncle's recent experiments into all things werewolf, but he knew once the link was severed it would all be gibberish science talk.

The Grey's had been introduced to the North American Werewolf council, but they were just a rung in the ladder. His uncle had become a scientist for them, originally to find a cure, but then he shifted his research into that of understanding the pheromones and the changing process. Lycanism could not be reversed, but he had found a method that would make the transformation less painful; amongst other things.

The councils had been very unhappy with Duke's playing around; apparently they had been cleaning up messes since he had been turned. Duke listened to a memory of a meeting where it was decided Duke himself had to be contacted and punished for transgressions on their strict secrecy laws. His uncle had stood up in his defence and promised to clean up the messes as long as the Grey's were never punished. They had agreed as long as Duke was to find a single mate and soon. At another meeting it was established Duke would be settling down with one Danny Ogden; at another, Kyle Lane. It was his own choice and now Tom just had to eliminate one last mistake.

Duke had not turned Danny, his uncle had. It had been in an effort to make Duke settle down but he had left before the first transformation.

Duke had also learned of how his uncle had been following them so closely. The Grey's had been following their uncle. The man would transfer hospitals for his research and to keep up the secrecy factor of being a bi-pedal wolf; and on pack instinct the rest would follow. Danny had tracked Silas and then found Duke, mistaking Duke's 'brother' bond under Silas as one of a changer and his mate. It was a plausible result seeing as he never had much to go off of as too how a bond should feel.

It was a lot of information, especially for a single link. All of this and more were shared in the single moment the link was opened. Now they were just two men on the same mission, they hardly said a word to one another as they tracked, but every stray thought was revealed to one another offering a strange form of pure reaction based conversation.

Duke wondered about why his Uncle could not just bend Danny to his will. His Uncle's mind went to the parts about all he knew about how pheromones work and their limitations upon other of opposing wills and then to a question of how his long estranged family was doing. Duke could not help but flash through every memory of them, even the ones that were embarrassing and not so kind to his uncle.

Duke only thought about how negative the link could be and his uncle closed it.

"Sorry. I didn't know you were uncomfortable with it."

"It's fine, just a quick question. If you changed Danny why is he so madly in love with me?"

"It's all about your pheromones. He was becoming intoxicated with _you not me. I just gave him a canine side. I really am sorry for everything Duke." _ His uncle pressed.

_"I got that. Do you know how many times you apologized to me the first night and just now? It's all sitting in the back of your head." _It was honestly a bit annoying hearing the man ramble. But still, he was glad the link had ended before he let out any hint of missing the man. He was still family after all; a part of Duke still wanted him to be around.

"Does everyone really hate me as much as you think they do?"

"That's a stupid question. How would I know otherwise?" _Duke snapped quickly. _"Let's just focus on this okay? Thank you for keeping Kyle safe, but let's make sure we get there before anything un-healable happens."

"Duke you know we have to kill him right? The council was very clear about that. He has done too much damage already and been an extremely volatile subject who has risked exposure on multiple occasions. That is punishable with death."

_"I know," _He sighed, not wanting to think about it in great detail.

"When the time comes, if I can't do it you have to be the one."

"I know."

~~~~

"Why did I trust you idiots with anything?" Danny growled under his breath. He was now dragging a large boulder from the woods to the ponds bank. "Can you at least tie him up? Can you manage that?"

"Yes sir!" A tall red headed boy rang out with a little quiver. He rushed over to the others and hunched over their work. Danny liked their sense of fear and eminence and frequently bathed in their attentions. He finished his transformation into full wolf and waited as the four bumbling jocks placed Kyle atop the large rock and fastened ropes around him.

Despite, or maybe because of his closeness to the end of the mission, Danny was antsy. He couldn't shake a strange feeling somehow something would once again be an unforeseen variable and stop him. It was painful to think of it, but almost relieving. He had tried numerous times to die, but now that he had a purpose he intended nothing of the sort. He was invincible after all! Free to be with someone he loved.

He couldn't afford to doubt their union. There was no room for thinking of that ultimate end not being the true effect of this cause. Danny had too much invested in this already.

~~~~

Kyle had stopped fighting against what was happening a while ago. He sat still as the bumbling idiots tied him to the cool surface of the rock. It was wet and muddy on his back, sending a chill up his spine. This was how it was going to end; his mind didn't even want to think it was real anymore. This all had to be one sick hallucination. He'd taken some bad pills at the hospital, or he was still under surgery, or maybe even Duke was fake and all those 'weeks' ago he had finally succumbed to peer pressure and tried some drugs.

There was simply too much to process so his mind finally just stopped. Instead of hyper focusing on one thing he sat there, neck lulling forward, eyes empty, body limp, and mind gone He didn't want to be there at all so he took himself out of it. Kyle became aware the knots stopped tightening and Danny was speaking to him, but he couldn't make out the words. The world was a gigantic auditory and visual blur. Kyle could hardly focus on Danny's yellow, beastly eyes in the haze of his shock.

It was all over. His short life had been full of fantastic ups and downs. He had kissed his high school crush if it meant anything. At the end of his life he had only made it to first base, he actually managed to smile at how pathetic it sounded. And he did all that only to discover he was probably gay. After all the suffering and torture under Alice Stone's being, he was genuinely more interested in a guy.

It had never occurred to him before; the thought itself was difficult to wrap his mind around the last few weeks. But in this end it didn't matter. He became acutely aware that his stomach and chest were colder, and on instinct he sucked in his last bits of oxygen as it reached his neck. The chill of the pond water cleared out the haze.

"Now I ask again, any last words? I am sorry it has to end this way," Danny breathed into his ear, his hot breath rolling over Kyle's face. His breath smelled raw.

The human closed his eyes for a moment thinking hard on it. This truly had to be it now. If he was too panicked the first time he thought he was going to die he was pissed he chose the real time to be calm and focused. The world seemed to slow down and that might mean a slow death. Thought death was death and all of this would soon be over. Kyle saw no point in not going out with a bang.

"Can you deliver a few messages?" Kyle asked in a low voice. Danny must have been thrown off. He blinked a few times but managed a little unsure nod. "Tell my mom...I still love her. Tell Quinn I'm sorry and it's not her fault." Kyle gulped a bit, letting out a held breath. It was his last shot really. "And tell Duke not to fall for a psychopathic, melodramatic, piece of sh..."

Danny struck Kyle across the face but laughed, "You got guts I'll give you that," he sneered. But soon the wolf man's expression changed, his ears dropped and he looked down at the ground, unable to meet Kyle eyes, "I hope heavens a real place."

Danny's last words to Kyle left the bound boy confused and questioning. After all of it, all the murder, all the plotting, all the hassle; Danny still wished him the best. "Danny..."

But Kyle was already beneath the surface.

Dying was a very easy process; one simply had to cease doing everything. Kyle held his breath on instinct, but he did nothing else. Eyes open he stared up through the murky water to the light at the top. He watched the light beams dance down in every form of pattern imaginable. It was a beautiful sight. If he wanted to die anywhere right now it would be there at the bottom of an unnamed pond watching the light dance.

Still, despite all the pain and suffering he had experienced just moments before, he felt bad for Danny. Kyle knew he didn't understand everything, or even the first thing, about real werewolves but if...if somehow Duke was one of those...those_monsters_... Kyle wasn't sure what to think. He wasn't sure if this thing happened a lot in the magical realm if super human beings. He wasn't sure if he himself was actually becoming one of them or one of something else. He wasn't sure if he even_wanted_ to know anything about the supernatural situation. All Kyle knew at that moment was that he was angry with Duke.

But despite it all, despite this being the third near death experience Kyle had experienced in the last month, despite the anger, despite the desire to just fade into whatever came next, Kyle had a flash-before-your-eyes moment...Again. But this time was different. It was not of his mom and how he used to see her; or Scott and what Kyle wished he could do, or even Duke or Quinn; this time all he saw was his dad.

The idolism Kyle displayed in his youth for that man. How he was strong and loved and kind and funny and great. Kyle saw him at one of his construction sites, managing and working hard, his co-workers all laughing and enjoying themselves while the project still got done. He saw the man at his little league games with pizza, caring for Kyle's mother, tucking him in. It was a soft smile on a fairly large man. Kyle was unsure how he had remained so tiny with such a burly dude as his father, but he was bathing in the flashbacks.

Even underwater Kyle knew he was crying. It wasn't fear of death, it was joy of finally seeing his father again, in memory and hopefully, soon, in the after. His chest started to hurt a little as his face naturally inclined upwards as far as it could go his nose and mouth in search of oxygen. He exhaled a large bubble of used air and watched it float to the surface above. That place, the place full of pain and monsters was so far away. All the boy wanted to do was sleep, but his physical self only desire to fight to keep himself alive. His reflexes betrayed him as he squirmed against the bonds, but they merely bit into his skin, refusing to break their hold on him.

Then a sound broke the steady roar of the water in his ears. A large black form silhouetted against the beauteous light above. This was followed by another and another. All three forms raged above Kyle, the murkiness of the water betraying any detail, but if Kyle had a last guess, it would be Werewolves.

The boy at the bottom of the pond started to convulse. His head hurt and felt light at the same time, his stomach was caving in on itself and felt a tremendous pressure push against it. It was as if something within him wanted to burst free. His throat spasmed as he threw open his mouth and choked down water, only to vomit it back up moments later and repeat.

Death was no longer easy. At least until he lost consciousness...