Time was slipping away.
Alex and Julian could only guess that the hunter was somewhere close. Assuming ~he~ was like ~them~, yet denying his own nature, they figured he couldnât be too far.
Far enough to avoid them in his beast form, but close enough to walk back in his human form. Julian doubted he would shift just to hunt them.
No, he wouldnât.
Not a man who despised his very being.
But their search yielded nothing. No sign, no scent.
Until ~at last~, Julian felt a familiar sensation.
Without uttering a word to Alex, driven by the ticking clock of the night, he sprinted toward it. He paid no attention to his surroundings, no clue of his destination.
He ran, guided by his sense of smell.
It seemed like an eternity, but he finally stopped. There, in front of a small cave.
His body vibrated with fury, waves of sickness washing over him. ~He was here~. And he was hiding.
~Maya was right. He could tell~. He could hear the groans of pain, the whimpers that could only mean one thing.
He took a deep breath, frozen in place by sheer, blinding rage. He wanted to tear him to pieces. He wanted to kill him.
âBe carefulâif heâs still himself, heâs more dangerous,â Alexâs voice echoed from behind him.
Alexâs eyes were narrowed as he kept a safe distance, more aware of their surroundings than Julian had been.
Julian couldnât concentrate. He couldnât think. All he heard was his sisterâs voice in his head.
Her pleas.
Her screams.
Her begging.
No one had heeded her. No one had shown her mercy, and he would show none to this beast either.
If he failed today, then Maya would suffer the consequences, and he would rather endure a thousand agonizing deaths before allowing that to happen.
Heâd protect her, at any cost.
But a voice within him pleaded for caution. ~If he died, sheâd suffer too~. If his death ~saved~ her, and it was the only way to defeat this bastard, he would do it.
~But he had to remember it was a last resort~.
The pain thundering in his chest wasnât all he had left.
Because now he had ~her~.
Even when he had nothing, he had Maya.
Julian could make out his adversary, half concealed in the caveâs entrance. He was hunched over, appearing as nothing more than a dark silhouette.
âDisgusting creature,â the man spat out, his body trembling.
His words sliced through Julian, eliciting a growl. ~It wonât be much longer~. The moon was so high in the sky, he wouldnât be able to resist its pull for long.
Julian had a whirlwind of questions, yet at the same time, he had none. His memory was a fragmented puzzle.
He didnât know where to start. Some questions seemed pointless. There was no use in asking ~why~.
He understood ~why~.
Hunters thrived on hatred, their rage propelling them to destroy anything that differed from them.
Why him, though?
He could only guess that Maya was correct. Either this man or someone from his pack had done this to him, and Julian was the only survivor.
The only one left for the hunter to exact his revenge on.
He wanted to ask the manâs name, butâhe didnât want to humanize him. Julianâs memories were incomplete, not enough to stoke the flames of hatred.
He couldnât ~despise~ him as he should. So, the least he could do was keep him as ~an object~ rather than a person.
Julianâs senses sharpened as the full moon cast its ghostly light over the barren clearing, highlighting the battlefield that awaited him.
The air was charged with an electric current of impending doom.
This was the final showdown, the climax of a blood-drenched feud. This jerk was going to pay for his actions.
Next to him, Alex stood firm and defiant, baring his teeth at their shared enemy. His eyes met Julianâs briefly, an unspoken promise passing between them.
They werenât friends. They werenât fighting the same fightâ¦butâ¦
They were both here to protect those they loved, so they moved forward together with unwavering resolve.
The hunter was a short distance away, his body convulsing. His face twisted in a vain attempt to resist the transformation gnawing at his core.
He was trying to fight it, but Julian knew he wouldnât be able to hold out much longer.
Julianâs heart hammered in his chest as the memories came rushing backâmemories of his family ripped apart; his pack slaughtered by this ruthless killer.
Tonight, he would finally put an end to the monster who had stolen everything from him.
Including his memories.
With a surge of instinctual power, Julian gave in to the inevitable. His bones snapped and twisted, morphing him into a massive wolf.
A wave of primal energy pulsed through his veins, driving him forward.
The earth quaked beneath his powerful paws as he lunged at the hunter, teeth bared, claws ready.
The hunter fought back, his own transformation just beginning, but he had a wild determination that matched Julianâs fury.
His body convulsed, bones audibly cracking and realigning.
The transformation was a grotesque mockery, incomplete and disoriented, leaving him a twisted hybrid of man and beast.
His eyes blazed with a desperate determination, a blend of defiance and insanity.
With a burst of rage, Julian lunged, his mouth wide open to reveal gleaming, razor-sharp teeth.
The hunter, taken aback by the sheer force of Julianâs attack, stumbled backward, his body exposed to a flurry of slashing claws.
Deep wounds marred his flesh as red streams traced the path of destruction.
Alex, who had also transformed, sprang into action, his massive body a blur of sleek, black fur.
With a resounding crash, he collided with the hunter, the impact echoing through the clearing, shaking leaves from the trees.
The battle continued, a lethal dance weaving between moonlight and shadows. Julian and Alex took turns attacking him, their dominance clear and ~infuriating~.
They attacked with a measured ferocity, their teeth and claws aiming for vital areas, ripping through flesh and sinew.
The hunter, driven by a crazed obsession, fought back with a frantic desperation.
His movements were erratic and unpolished, his claws slicing through the air in vain attempts to fend off the assault.
But the combined strength of Julian and Alex was overpowering, their teamwork elevating them beyond their individual abilities.
They shouldnât work well together, but they both knew this was their only shot.
Blood and fur stained the battleground, creating a vivid tableau of the violence that had unfolded. The pungent scent of spilled blood filled the air, a stark reminder of what was at stake.
Growls and snarls punctuated the clashes, interrupted by the guttural roars of pain and anger.
Gradually, the hunterâs resistance waned, his movements becoming slow and strained.
Each blow from Julian and Alex carried the weight of countless lives lost, the weight of unfulfilled revenge.
With a final, deafening growl that echoed through the night, the hunter lost his footing and his snout crashed into the earth.
Quietness blanketed the clearing, the only noise being the heavy panting of the victors. Julian, his breath uneven and body throbbing with fatigue, moved towards the beaten figure of the hunter.
The transformation faded, leaving behind a bruised, bloody wolf, its once-terrifying face now a pitiful shell.
A stern resolve marked Julianâs face as he lifted his blood-soaked claw, ready to strike the final blow.
The hunterâs eyes, still filled with defiance, met Julianâs. A spark of recognition passed between themâa brief glimpse of shared sorrow and relentless chase.
Finally, with a last bone-cracking growl, the hunter was defeated. The smell of victory mixed with the metallic scent of blood as he struck the final blow.
Teeth dug into the wolfâs neck, tugging and tearing, leaving trails of blood, flesh, and fur scattered.
The burden of his defeat hung heavily in the air as he collapsed to the ground, beaten and shattered.
His form started to flicker until only a bruised human was left. Julian should have felt nothing but the rush of victory, but he didnât.
The battle had left its mark. Julianâs body bore the signs of warâa deep, bloody wound on his chest, red rivers flowing down his fur. Blood dripped down his face, staining his features.
He moved towards the hunter, cold air radiating from his flaring nostrils, and he looked at the broken body.
~This~ creature, this person, this pathetic excuse for a human had almost taken his life thrice.
He had taken everything from Julian.
He had stolen Julianâs life, his choices, his joy.
And now he was nothing more than a pitiful ~almost-corpse~.
How could ~one~ person have caused such chaos in his life, only to end up as nothing? Why hadnât Julian trusted anyone to help him earlier?
Or had he not known the hunter was a wolf that he could overpower?
He watched as the hunter opened his eyes, blood pouring from his lips as he foolishly tried to spit in Julianâs direction.
~As if it would alter the inevitable. As if it would grant him life.~
Julian wanted to transform. He wanted to curse the other man.
But the hunter was bitter.
His eyes shone with a dark resolve. With a shaking hand, he searched for something hidden on the ground beneath him. Clutching it tightly, he thrust his arm forward, aiming the object at Julianâs head.
Time seemed to crawl as the object flew through the air, its metallic shine glaring ominously.
With a loud crash, it hit Julianâs skull, the explosion revealing its contents as the silver fragments filled the air.
Excruciating pain shot through Julianâs senses as the silver lodged itself in his flesh, a torment that felt like a thousand burning needles stabbing his skull.
He let out a primal scream of pain as his body writhed with the onslaught of agony.
As the dust settled and the echoes of their fight faded, Julianâs wolf form began to waver as the wounds and the silver took their toll.
His transformation involuntarily reversed and he fell to the ground, reverting back to his human form, blood pooling around him.
The clearing descended into an eerie silence, broken only by Julianâs ragged breaths and the faint sound of the hunterâs dying gasps.
The victory had come at a high cost, butâ¦but it was worth it, wasnât it?
He laid there, his eyes flickering, and he knew he couldnât keep them open much longer.
Julian heard Alexâs voice somewhere in the distance, but the words were muffled, and he couldnât understand them.
~He was probably dying~.
But.
~Maya was safe~.