FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

3

Will groaned as he looked up the stairway to his and Jenna's apartment. The last thing he wanted to deal with at that moment was stairs. He sighed and started up the steps, each one serving as a reminder of his exhaustion. At least he had a good reason for being exhausted though, what with all I.O.M.E. had done that night.

On the whole, I.O.M.E. had been largely successful. Silas was in their custody--along with most of his followers--and they had managed to handle the entire thing without any civilian casualties. On the other side of that they had suffered two very specific failures that night. The first was the loss of two I.O.M.E. officers--including Taylor. The other failure was rooted in the fact that several of Silas's follower--including but not limited to the woman Carmina--had managed to evade capture.

It was actually Carmina that Will worried about most. Someone as powerful as her was bound to cause trouble if not handled properly. But at the very least I.O.M.E. seemed to take the threat she posed seriously. There were already officers searching the area where she and the other fugitives had last been seen. At that point it was just a matter of time and luck.

Will blinked in surprise as he realized he had reached the door to the apartment. He shook his head, trying to shake off his exhaustion even if only for a few moments. As quietly as he could he unlocked the door and went inside, closing the door behind him.

He made his way through the small entryway, stopping to look at the clock. In the darkness he could barely make out the hands against the face, but it looked like it was almost five o'clock. Jenna was probably fast asleep. She wasn't the type to wait around for him to come home. He knew she worried about him, but she wasn't clingy.

Since she was most likely asleep Will chose to go out to the den, sprawling out on the couch. He would certainly prefer a bed in his current state, but he didn't want to disturb her either if he could avoid doing so.

Will kicked off his shoes and raised himself just enough to take off his belt and holster, setting them on the table in front of the couch. He adjusted his position enough for it to be tolerably comfortable and within a few minutes his exhaustion over took him, plunging him into the world of dreams.

***

Jenna woke with a yawn, stretching out in a cat like fashion. When she opened her eyes she immediately shut them again to shield them from the sunlight that was filtering into the room around the edges of the curtains. She blinked a few times then tilted her head in confusion. It was never light out when she woke up. That wasn't right. But then Will was usually the one to wake her up.

That was what was wrong! Will hadn't woken her up as he usually did. But why?

Jenna suddenly found herself more than a little panicked. What if he hadn't come home last night? What if something had happened to him? What if--?

She shook her head, trying to clear away those thoughts. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She sighed. "He's probably fine. I'm just being paranoid."

Even in saying that though, Jenna knew it wasn't all in her head. Part of her always knew that with a job as dangerous as his, there was a chance that a day would come when Will wouldn't return home from work. It hurt her to even think about.

She took another deep breath, still trying to retain some semblance of calm as she slid out of bed and donned the burgundy robe that hung on the back of the bedroom door. After one more stretch she left the room, walking out toward the den. As she passed it she saw the clock read seven forty-three. Definitely later than she would normally wake up.

Entering the den she breathed a sigh of relief and smiled softly at the sight of Will deeply asleep on the couch, still wearing his uniform. For a moment she considered waking him, but as she didn't know how late he had gotten in the night before, she chose to hold off. Instead she walked into the kitchen and got to work on making breakfast.

Two burners lit on the stove, with one pan on each. Three eggs into one pan, and six slices of bacon into the other. It was her usual choice when making breakfast. She had tried with marginal success at making other things as well, but it never seemed to turn out quite as she planned. So, when all else failed she would fall back to what she knew would work.

It wasn't long before the bacon was sizzling and the smells of both were drifting through the air. She hummed quietly to herself as she tended to the food. That was something else she did often. For some reason she found the experience of cooking to be far more enjoyable when one had a song in mind.

Breakfast was almost ready when from the threshold between the den and kitchen she heard, "Jenna?"

She turned to look and was surprised to see Will standing there, leaning against the wall and looking more worn out than she had ever seen him before. She smiled apologetically. "Oh...I didn't wake you, did I?"

Will shook his head. "No...just the smell of your cooking."

Jenna smiled. "Well, if you feel up to it, you can take a seat at the table. It's almost ready."

He nodded and pushed off lightly from the wall, meandering over to take his usual seat at their kitchen table. A few quiet minutes passed except for the sound of sizzling grease. Once she was certain all the food was fully cooked Jenna portioned it out on to two plates, setting one in front of Will. She sat opposite him and they both began eating, Will with notably less vigor.

After a moment or two Jenna asked, "So how did it go last night?"

Will ran a hand through his hair, rubbing the back of his head. "Uh...relatively well, I suppose."

Though there was some information he wasn't allowed to share with her, he did give her a very basic rundown of what had gone on. Even with how little he had actually told her she still seemed impressed and enthralled. When he finished she said, "Well I guess it all worked out then."

Will nodded. "Yeah. Actually uh...after my performance last night, Greer told me he was going to have me promoted to Lieutenant."

Jenna smiled brightly. "That's wonderful. You deserve it."

She started to put another bite in her mouth, but stopped as something occurred to her. "Oh, but what about Taylor? You said he was on your squad. Is he getting anything out of it?"

Will hesitated. He had left out Taylor's death, mostly because he was one of the few friends they had had. "Well...um...they gave him...a posthumous promotion to Sergeant."

"Well, it's about time he got some kind of--"

Jenna stopped cold. "Wait...you mean he's...?"

Will nodded.

She raised a hand to cover her mouth, her eyes looking a little misty. "I...can't believe it. I'm so sorry Will. I know it must have been hard for you."

"It's never easy to have a friend die right in front of you."

She nodded then asked, "What happened?"

He took a deep breath and quickly told her all that he could. She was quiet for a moment after he finished then said, "I really am sorry that all that happened."

Will shook his head. "Don't be. Nothing can be done about it now."

"Will there be any kind of funeral...or memorial service?"

Will shrugged. "I don't know. That's up to his family."

She nodded. "I imagine they're devastated by it."

Will knew she was right. Despite of having no romantic liaisons, Taylor had a rather large close family, including his parents, three younger sisters, and an older brother. They had probably already been told about Taylor's fate, and were all probably grieving.

Silence returned for the next few minutes, then Jenna said, "This...may not be the best time for this...but...maybe this is some kind of sign that you should change jobs. You know...do something less dangerous."

Will's brow furrowed. "What?"

Jenna hesitated. "Well...I mean...look what happened to Taylor. If the shooter had been aiming just a little farther over it would have been you...and I don't think I could deal with that."

Will gritted his teeth and let out a breath slowly. "Jenna, we've talked about this before. I'm not going to change my job. It's important to me. And you're right, it is a bad time to bring it up, considering one of my oldest friends is dead."

"That's exactly what I'm saying! People die doing what you do! Is it really worth that? Would it really be worth all the pain it would cause to those who care about you?"

Will was starting to lose control of his temper now. "Maybe not, but I can at least try to make something of my life dammit! I can try to be useful to this world in some way1"

Jenna flinched slightly. He had never shouted at her, even when they had argued in the past. "But Will--"

"No! I'm tired of hearing this out of you! I know you worry. I get it, but you need to drop the subject dammit! I don't give you this kind of shit about your job, which makes next to no money and has you spending all day staring out a window from behind a counter. Hell, you could probably close the store tomorrow and no one would even miss it!"

Jenna bit her lip and took a shuddering breath. She slowly stood, her whole body shaking. "If that's how you feel, then I suppose I'll just leave you alone to be proud of how important your job is while I go waste my life, apparently."

Before he could respond she swept out of the room and a moment later he heard the front door of the apartment open then slam shut.

Will blinked a few times, his still tired mind trying to figure out what had just happened. Working with only a few hours of sleep, it took him several minutes to realize how badly he had just hurt her. He buried his face in his hands, trying to comprehend what had compelled him to speak to her like that. "Dammit. What did I just do?"

If he was remembering correctly they had never had an argument that rough before. He sighed. He was going to have to at least try to apologize to her. But then, at that moment he was struggling just to keep his eyes open. Much as he hated to do so, he would have to put off apologizing for a short while. Just until he could be a little better rested, anyway. He reluctantly returned to the couch and fell back to sleep, his last waking thought being hope that he could fix things once he woke again.

***

When Will finally woke again it was nearly noon. Damn, he thought, I didn't want to sleep that long.

He got up off the couch and stretched. He then walked into the kitchen, and upon seeing that all the breakfast dishes were still lying out he scraped the food off them and began trying to scrub away the dried on food. As he worked at cleaning the dishes he focused his mind on what he would say to Jenna when he went to apologize. By the time he was done and the dishes had been set in the rack to dry he knew what he was going to say. It wasn't much, but he felt it didn't need to be.

Before he even made the attempt to speak with her though, he wanted to change out of his uniform and into clothes that were a little less blood stained and dirt covered. He went to their room and removed his uniform, tossing it on the floor. Right now he really didn't care where it was, he just wanted it off. He changed into clean clothes then left the bedroom behind, heading out the apartment's front door and down the stairway to the street below.

He hesitated for a moment, then walked around the corner and went into Jenna's store. A bell rang as he opened the door. Once inside he saw that she wasn't behind the counter, but it looked as though the door to her storage/stocking room was open. Again he hesitated. She probably wanted to be left alone. She had yet to respond to the entry bell, which meant she probably didn't even care that there could be a customer out there.

He sighed. This would have to be dealt with one way or another. Better sooner than later.

Will walked back toward the stock room and peeked around the door. Jenna was inside, sitting at a small desk with her back to him. Her arms were folded on the desk, and she was resting her head on them. Will gulped, then took a deep breath and said, "Jenna?"

She raised her head and looked at him over her shoulder. She turned away when she saw it was him. "What do you want?"

Will ran a hand through his hair as he said, "I want to tell you I'm sorry. I...before I was still emotionally wrung out...not to mention exhausted...but that's no excuse. I shouldn't have taken anything out on you. I didn't mean any of what I said to you."

He waited quietly then, hoping for her to respond in some way. The silence persisted for a few moments more then was broken by the sound of Jenna's chair scraping on the floor. She turned to face him and walked over to him. Her eyes were red, as though she had been crying, which he would believe after what he had said to her. She stopped in front of him, staring up at him.

She seemed to be considering something. Just as he was about to dare to ask what she was waiting for, his vision tilted and the room became a blur as her palm struck him across the left check. He turned back to look at her with a slightly hurt expression on his face. She crossed her arms and said, "You ever insult my store or job again, and I'll do worse than just slap you."

He starred at her, mouth gaping. "Don't...don't you think that was a slight over reaction?"

"No, I don't." She smirked. "But don't you think it's a bit pathetic that a girl almost half a foot shorter than you can get away with smacking you like that?"

He blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what she had just said He smiled slightly then. "I...heh...I suppose it kind of is."

Jenna stepped forward and leaned against him, and he wrapped his arms around her. "I really am sorry."

She sniffled and snuggled up to him a bit closer. "Me too. I shouldn't have said what I did."

Will shook his head. "You were right. Well...the way you approached it was wrong...but you did have a valid point. What I do is dangerous. And believe me, I hate the idea of how it would impact you if something happened to me...but I'm not willing to change it just because something else would benefit a few people. What I do helps keep everyone in this city safe, including you. To me, that makes it worth it."

Jenna sighed. "I suppose...I suppose I can live with that."

Will smiled and hugged her a bit tighter. "Good. I love you Jen."

"I love you too."

***

The next two weeks passed in relative quiet for Will and Jenna. He worked most days, but they still enjoyed the nights they could spend together. By the end of the first week his promotion became official and as a result he had to work slightly longer hours, but it wasn't intolerable. Two significant events marked the second week.

The first was Taylor's funeral. Both Will and Jenna were in attendance along with all of Taylor's family, his mother and sisters all sobbing through the entirety, and even his brother and father shedding a few tears in the process. The experience was taxing, to say the least.

In that same week Silas was prosecuted for his crimes--the court hearing had been little more than a formality with the amount of evidence stacked against him--and was summarily given the death penalty for his crimes. As he had been the one at the head of the cult his punishment was far more severe than his followers, all of whom were given lifetime imprisonment. The sentence was carried out only two days later, effectively closing his case.

It was two days later that Will and the other ranking I.O.M.E. officers sat around a table in their precinct's conference room, listening to Greer go over the last necessary bits of information about the case and what they would be doing going forward in relation to the fugitive cultists, who were still as yet unfound. Will was barely listening though. He was largely just uninterested. Everything that had happened was still weighing rather heavily on his mind, and he found himself lacking the desire to concentrate as a result.

Greer finished speaking and dismissed them, but as Will was about to leave he heard from behind him, "Not you Keller. I'd like to have a word with you."

Will gulped and turned to face the I.O.M.E. Chief. "Yes sir?"

"You seem rather...distracted. Is it something I should be concerned about? Or that will affect your performance around here?"

Will shook his head. "No sir. Just uh...recent events have been on my mind a lot."

Greer nodded. "I see. Understandable, considering all that's gone on. I can be compassionate, but at the same time I would wager you don't remember half of what I was saying a few minutes ago."

Will looked away, embarrassed. "No sir, I don't."

"I think some time off would probably do you some good Keller. Get away from work for a while."

Will nodded. "How long did you have in mind? Three days? Maybe four?"

"I was actually thinking a week."

Will blinked in surprise. "A week? Isn't that a bit much?"

"We can survive around here without you for that long. Take the time and get your head on straight so when you come back you'll be able to perform at your best."

Will was still unconvinced on the idea. "Are you sure sir? I don't think I really need it anyway."

Greer shook his head. "Not your choice Keller. This is an order. When you leave the office today, you're not come back for a week. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Dismissed."

Will saluted and walked out, marveling at what had just happened. An entire week off! He never took more than a day or two. He smiled slightly. "Jenna's going to be ecstatic."

***

Carmina screamed with rage, waves of energy radiating from her body. In the corner of the room the other five cultists--two women and three men--who had escaped beside her were cowering in fear. One man among them had already lost an eye to her wrath and none were keen to replicate the experience. She had been in a state of almost constant seething anger since I.O.M.E. had interrupted their ritual two weeks prior, and her mood had become infinitely worse when she had discovered that Silas had been executed.

Silas had been oddly important to their plans. While it was true Carmina was powerful, she found it difficult to charm others into doing as she wanted. Silas had excelled in that respect. And though she would never admit it aloud, even though they're relationship had begun as merely using each other's strengths, she had developed some feelings for him. So, between having her designs ruined and a man she cared for having been executed, she felt her rage was all too justified.

She didn't want mere anger though. She wanted to put the wheels in motion to recreate what she and Silas had nearly accomplished. But that would take time. More immediately, she wanted revenge. She wanted revenge against those who had stopped them, against those who had captured Silas and sealed his fate.

She already knew that one of the men who had captured Silas was dead, so there was nothing she could do about that, but she knew the other still breathed. She would be able to take out her anger on him. But how? Mere death wouldn't satisfy her. She would want something...more.

As this thought crossed her mind she regained her composure--at least for the moment--and swept over to one side of the dimly lit room where a large bookshelf dominated most of the wall. The books on the shelves were full of dark secrets. Some were too ludicrous to even consider as reality, but through years of work Carmina had found that more than a few contained true horrors. She began to look over the titles of the tomes before her, searching for one that would allow her to enjoy a more lasting revenge.

Stepping away from the corner, one of the male acolytes--for that was how she saw them, as initiates into a darker world--dared to ask, "Mistress, what is it that you search for? Might we be of help?"

Carmina scoffed. "You will be of little help to me. I am seeking something...that can cause great harm without killing."

"But why Mistress?"

"Because I wish to avenge the death of Silas and our plans. But I want the recipient to suffer. I want to savor his despair."

"You mean the man from the newspapers, don't you Mistress? The one who they say captured Master Silas?"

Carmina nodded. They--or rather she--had been sending an acolyte out every few days to gather information on recent events. It was how she had learned of Silas's death in the first place. "Yes. William Keller, they called him. The officer who tore a whole through the world we were building. Now I plan to do the same to his world."

Carmina smiled wickedly as she finally came across a book she thought may contain what she was looking for. She began to thumb through the pages, searching, hoping her memory hadn't failed her. Her grin grew wider as she came across what she wanted. The acolyte stepped closer behind her, all the others looking on in horror that he should be so bold. "Mistress, this is what you plan to do to him? It would be cruel, but it doesn't seem a fitting punishment."

Carmina laughed. "No you fool, not to him. I will craft this magic to strike at the one he holds closest to his heart. The pain that comes from losing your greatest love is greater than any I could inflict upon him directly."

The acolyte bowed his head. "Of course Mistress. But does that magic not require a sacrifice?"

She smiled wickedly. "Yes, yes it does."

Without warning she struck, her hand coated with a nimbus of electrical energy as she plunged it into the acolytes chest. "You will do nicely."

The other watched in horror as Carmina viciously ripped her hand from his chest, blood coating it as his body crumpled to the floor, a pool of blood forming beneath him. "Let that be a lesson to you all. Where my designs and desires are concerned, you are all expendable."

The minutes passed by as she used the dead acolytes blood to draw out a circle on the floor, following the pattern that appeared on the pages of the book. When it was complete she stood in the center of the circle and channeled her power, combining her power with that of death. She and the circle began to glow in crimson red. After a few moments the glow faded, and she smiled wickedly. The magic wouldn't take effect immediately. Instead it would lay mostly dormant until the target of its wrath felt joy in their heart. Then it would take full effect, and rip that joy to pieces.

***

Jenna sighed. She was incredibly bored. She had spent all day looking for something--anything to do--around her shop. That had meant mostly cleaning and organizing. But after a while she didn't even have that anymore. It was the sad fact of her store that not many people came in, mostly because not many people were interested in books. It made her days go by at an incredibly slow pace when she had nothing to do. She had already read most of the books she kept in stock over the years, even some of the ones that didn't interest her. Much as she loved her little shop, even she had to admit it was dull at times.

Today was slower than usual, and on top of that she was mildly irritated by a persistent itch at the base of her spine that had started a short while ago. Every time she scratched it would fade for a moment or two, but come back again with the same intensity.

She sighed again. It was just going to be one of those days. She felt herself become a bit more irritated as she looked out the window. On the exterior side of the shop's large front window there was a ledge. And now sitting on that ledge was a cat. It just sat there, licking one of its paws, yet there was something so smug about it that just rubbed her the wrong way. How dare it sit there! How dare it act so nonchalant about her--!

She blinked in surprise. Wait...was she actually upset about a cat? Why did she even care? She shook her head. It didn't make sense.

Just as she came to that realization she gripped her head, sudden pain lancing through her skull. It faded after a second, leaving just a dull, throbbing ache. "What is wrong with me today?"

Breathing heavily she shook her head again. She felt that it was really shaping up to be an awful day. With her head still aching she decided it would be best to try to nap it off, so she walked back into her stock room and laid down on a small sofa she kept there for when she felt like reading in relative comfort.

The headache made it difficult, but eventually she fell into a less than restful sleep, her dreams filled with unexplainably dark images.

***

Will whistled a merry tune as he strolled down the street. It was late in the day and the whole city was awash in shades of orange thanks to the setting sun. The reason for his mood was simple. As the day had gone on he had found himself enjoying the idea of a week away from work. He could relax, and more importantly spend time with Jenna. He couldn't help but smile when he imagined how she would react to the news.

He turned the corner on to the street he and Jenna lived on, and immediately stopped whistling, his brow furrowed in confusion. From where he stood he could see their apartment and Jenna's store. What had confused him was that store's window was still lit, as though the shop were open. Jenna normally had it all closed up by this time.

Deciding it was strange enough to investigate, Will quickly made his way to the shop and went inside, looking for any sign of Jenna. A quick look around was all it took for him to notice that the door to the back room was open. He smirked. Maybe she had just gotten caught up in reading something in the back, and had lost track of time.

Will walked to the back of the store and poked his head around the door, checking to see if she was there. To his surprise she was fast asleep on her sofa. He smiled and shook his head as he entered the room. His smile faded though as he got closer and could see her clearly. Her forehead was covered in sweat and her face was slightly scrunched up, as though she were in pain. Now he was concerned.

He laid a hand on her shoulder and nudged her, trying to rouse her as gently as he could. After a moment she stirred and looked up at him, smiling weakly. "Will? What are you doing in here?"

"I could ask you the same. Are you alright? You don't look well."

She hesitated then nodded. "I wasn't feeling well, so I came in here to lie down. Did I sleep very late?"

He nodded. "Kind of. The sun is setting."

"Oh. I didn't mean to do that."

Will furrowed his brow. She seemed pretty out of it. "Well, do you think you could make it up stairs? It'd be a lot easier to look after you up there."

"I...think so...just help me up."

He nodded and reached an arm under her, helping her first to sit then to stand. With him supporting some of her weight the two made their way out of the shop, quickly closing it for the night before making their way up the stairs and into their apartment. Will guided her into the den where he helped her ease onto the couch, trying to make her comfortable.

He smiled softly. "Alright, I'm going to go change out of my uniform. I'll be back in just a minute, okay?"

She nodded in response, and he quickly went to their bedroom and changed into more comfortable clothes. When he returned he knelt down beside her and felt her forehead. She was burning up.

He sighed and smiled softly as he said, "You're definitely sick. There's certainly never a good time for that, but at least it happened at a time when I'll be able to look after you."

Jenna gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, well I guess I should tell you. Greer pulled me aside today and basically ordered me to take a week off. So you've got me all to yourself for while, love."

For a moment her usual energy shone through her illness as she smiled brightly. "That's great! It'll be nice to have some time with just the two of us. Let's just hope I get over whatever I'm feeling quick--"

She stopped as her face contorted in pain, one hand flying to grip at her chest. Will leaned in a bit closer, concern painted across his face. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I...I don't know. It hurts."

She turned on her side and reached up to place a hand on his shoulder for support. "Will...what's wrong with me?"

He gulped and placed a hand over hers. "I don't know. Just stay calm. I'm sure it's going to be fine."

He reached down and took her other hand in his, squeezing slightly, trying to offer what little comfort he could. She looked up and her eyes met his. She was scared. He could see it clear as day.

Just then, it felt as though a surge of electricity ran through Will's body, knocking him off his feet and crashing onto the table, which easily broke under his weight. He groaned and forced himself to sit up. He looked over to Jenna, worried for her well being.

She had apparently rolled off the couch, as she was now on all fours on the floor, breathing heavily and gripping her chest tightly. He crawled over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, only to feel yet another surge of energy, again knocking him back. He sat back up, not believing it at all. She was hurting, and he couldn't even offer her the simple comfort of human contact. What the hell was going on?

The true terror of what was going on began to show itself as her body was surrounded by a crackling halo of black electricity. Jenna cried out in pain as her whole body began to shake. She could feel something very wrong with her body. It felt as though someone were stabbing her with a thousand knife tips. She longed to curl up into a ball and try to will the pain away, but she found herself unable to move, frozen in place as she endured her torment.

It felt like her skin was crawling and stretching, rearranging itself. It seemed as though she could feel every pore on her body and every follicle of hair. She gasped and groaned as pain lanced through her head. What was happening to her? She didn't have more than a second to wonder as waves of heat rolled through her form. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. Then, it began to change.

Will could do nothing but watch in horror as it started with a seemingly small thing. Her hair began to recede, as though being back pulled into her, until only a short layer remained to cover her head. Then hair began to grow all over her body, white follicles covering every inch of her skin. Then she screamed in pain.

It felt as though her bones were breaking and cracking, then reshaping themselves into new forms. Tears were flowing down her cheeks and she gasped in pain, her vocal cords barely capable of even that as her skull too began to change, flattening out as her jawbone and face grew outward. There was an audible crack as her shoulders and hips repositioned themselves. Now she would be stuck on all fours even if she were freed from whatever force was holding her in place.

With her body changing so drastically her dress--her favorite green one with the white accents--was bursting at the seams, even tearing in a few places as it was forced to accommodate a now inhuman shape.

Will continued to watch, unable to tear his eyes away from the way Jenna was being tortured. She was no longer recognizable. Her whole body was covered in hair, and her head couldn't look farther from human. He could feel tears running down his cheeks. He couldn't help her. He couldn't do anything to stop what was happening. For once, he couldn't protect her.

Jenna had lost the ability to cry out any more, her vocal cords worn out from what she had already done. Now all she could do was gasp silently and clench as she continued to suffer. Her head was bent down, and that gave her a perfect view of her hands. They still looked human, but as she watched event hat began to change, her fingers growing shorter, her thumbs seeming to disappear all together. Her nails grew longer, becoming black and pointed. There was nothing she could do but watch, and try not to pass out from how much it hurt.

Just as the pain of her changing hands faded there was a sudden surge of agony from the base of her spine. It felt as though it was growing longer, new skin quickly stretching to cover it, the hair growing to cover it further.

By this point Jenna's mind was in a state of shock, and all she could do was pray for the pain to end. She wasn't even crying anymore, here tears dried up, all expended because of how excruciating the experience was for her. Then more heat came, her whole body burning with energy.

Will shielded his eyes as her whole body glowed with intense crimson light, blinding him. A minute passed and the light faded. After a few more seconds he dared to open his eyes.

He gasped at what he saw. Jenna's dress had been shredded to pieces by the energy, revealing her full form to him. But she wasn't at all what he knew. She was no longer human at all.

She now took the shape of a wolf.

Her fur was mostly white, except for a stripe of red that was the exact same shade as her human hair had been that ran from the her head where it formed a pointed blaze on her forehead all the way to the tip of her tail. Dear god, she had a tail. Her hands and feet had become paws, and her face had become a muzzle.

Will couldn't believe it. It seemed too ridiculous...too impossible. He crawled forward on his hands and knees, slowly approaching her. He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. There was no burst of energy to knock him away this time. There was no denying the reality of it now. He could feel her fur, and the way her body shook as she each breath came shallow and rapid.

He moved so he was in front of her, crouching down so his face was only a few inches from hers. "Jenna? Jenna can you hear me?"

She slowly raised her now canine head, her eyes meeting his. Before there had been fear and pain in her emerald eyes. Now there was only sorrow, a sorrow he shared as he hugged her tightly, trying to comfort her even though he knew there was nothing he could say or do to make her feel any better about what had happened.