Shaggy felt the sting and burn of lasers hitting his skin. He had charged straight into the dirt square around the Viper’s den. Claws ready. But finding a target was proving difficult. Not because there was a lack of them. But because he had so many choices. Should he go for one of the behemoth Quinica elders stomping around? Maybe he should start with the silver-armored elite troopers? Of course, there were a shit ton of grunts flitting about the place.

He sent a mental note to his pack to watch Stanley. He thought the kid was smart enough to not silver up in the middle of a Quinica fight. But better safe than sorry. Getting some affirmation from his busy pack, Shaggy dove into the melee. Laser fire crisscrossed over the heads of the giant melee in the dirt square. Thugs and grunts shouted over the tumult in cries of angry and pain.

Shaggy could feel his blood racing. His heart pounding in his ears as his claws ripped through the pale flesh of his targets. The grunts were nothing to him. Flies that he could swat as they tried to speed at him. Shaggy ripped and tore his way toward better prey. He kept his eyes open for the silver of the armored Quinica. The Elder’s monstrous forms actually made them easy targets for the bar’s rifle fire. So Shaggy wasn’t too worried about them. But the armored elite troops probably needed to be handled.

Shaggy slice them arms off an overzealous Quinica and tried to sniff out a target. But Luckily one found him. A tall, faceless humanoid ran at him, arms outstretched. Shaggy let the wannabe vampire grab him and tested his strength. The silver armored form tried its best to rip Shaggy’s arms off. But to no avail. Shaggy grinned toothily as he flex his arms, easily breaking the Quinica’s grip. He activated his slide move and spun to the side of his prey. Gripping the thing’s jaw with his long clawed hands, he ripped it sideways. A dull crack filled his ears, and the Quinica dropped.

The limp form of his target hit the floor and Shaggy howled. It wasn’t the greatest of prey, but it was still a good kill. Something roared off to Shaggy’s right, and he turned to look. Three other armored Quinica troops were staring at him with their eyeless faces. He gave them all a feral grin and raised a clawed hand. He gave them a ‘bring it on’ gesture as he felt laser fire hit his side. Burning flesh filled his nostrils. Apparently, the shooters had up the cycle-charge on their rifles. Shaggy sent an order to Sybil and Vick to focus the shooters. He got a belated acknowledgment from both as his three attackers charged.

Shaggy stepped back rapidly. Leading his prey closer and closer. When the furthers Quinica faltered a bit, Shaggy pounced. He sailed past the still charging Quinica and hit the third right in the chest. Both his claws scrambled across the armored and he found some leeway. But eventually he dropped the shift on his left hand and started punching the bastard’s face into the dirt floor.

His senses screamed at him and he activated another slide move to get away. The sharp silver fingers of the other Quinica filled the air as he dashed away. Shaggy did a quick roll out of his slide and came back up. He dropped his shift on his right hand and raised his fists. The elite troops were tough, and they made for excellent prey. Shaggy squared up to his new target while grinning happily.

Shaggy felt a boot slam into his back and he went tumbling. He cursed himself. He forgot about the third one. Shaggy came out of his tumble and tried to stand. But he was seized by a pair of hands and his arms were wrenched open. He pulled them back, but a body hit his chest full on and the three of them went to the ground. Shaggy felt the one at his back scramble away. But it was the one on his chest that was annoying.

The Quinica had sunk its sharp fingers into Shaggy’s chest and reared its faceless head back. The faceless mask, that all the elite soldiers of the Quinica had, ripped itself open. Revealing a large maw of sharp silver teeth. The jaws came down and Shaggy moved. His fist came up and slammed into the Quinica’s face. The sharp tooth of his target cut his hand slightly, but Shaggy ignored it as he rolled the both of them over.

On top of his target, Shaggy tried to rain blows onto the Quinica’s face and body. But its sharp teeth kept him at bay. Movement at his side told Shaggy that the third Quinica was getting involved again. So he dismounted and backed away. The Quinica’s swipe went wide as Shaggy got some distance. But when Shaggy saw his third target foolishly turn away from him and try to help his friend up, he pounced.

He launched himself it the standing Quinica's back and got his hands around their neck and chin. Shaggy quickly wrenched both hands and waited for the telltale neck snap. The sound echoed in his ears as his latest victim went limp and Shaggy cackled madly. He stood in time to see the last elite Quinica get to their own feet. The Quinica took one look at Shaggy and roared angrily. Its silver maw opened wide in a macabre imitation of a face. Its silver fangs gleaming.

“BRING IT ON!” Shaggy shouted as he ripped the remains of his shirt off.

The Quinica screeched and leapt. Shaggy fought the urge to meet his prey’s charge and instead slid again. He felt the dirt beneath his feet give way as the system took him around his target. He watched as the leaping space-vampire flew past him. Sharp teeth leading the way as its sharp-finger hands were spread wide to jab Shaggy in the sides. Halfway through the slide, shaggy canceled it and leapt at the Quinica’s side. Unthinking, he reached for the thing’s head and found something to grab a hold of. He felt the bite of pain flash through his hand, but he ignored it as he pulled as hard as he could to the side. The limp body of the Quinica hit the dirt floor with a thud and Shaggy stared at what he had done.

The pain in his hand receded slightly as it healed itself. But Shaggy ignored it as he felt the blood rush through his veins and his need to howl rose in his chest. The headless body of the Quinica lay on the ground in an ever-growing pool of its own blood. Shaggy glanced at his hurt hand and found that he was gripping on the Quinica’s large fangs. The fang cut into his hand, but he barely registered that as he saw his prey’s opened mouthed shock at what had happened. The terror and sheer confusion stuck on the face as the silver armor slowly melted filled Shaggy with glee.

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He howled. Long and hard.

Soon he heard other return howls from his pack. Cekrass and Stanley were helping get their wounded back to the bar. Rita was chopping through grunts and elites like they were tissue. Vick and Sybil were burning down the roof of nearby buildings while shooting anyone stupid enough to raise their heads. Ephemara was on the edges of the fight, taking out the odd straggler and look for openings in the enemy line. Tom was perched next to a building along the road going west. Watching for anymore Quinica coming for them. Sly bastard was even robbing the random Quinica that wandered over to his area.

Shaggy felt them all, and he could feel their elation and their triumph. They shared in his as he shared in theirs. He could tell they were all happy and eager to continue. It was intoxicated. If Shaggy was a cat, he felt he would purr. He dropped the bleeding head of his enemy and looked around for another target. But a blur of black smoke appeared next to him and a well-dressed pale fellow stepped out of it.

“Vlad.” Shaggy growled happily.

“Dude! Quit fucking around and take the elders out. We need to kill as many of them as we can before these idiots retreat. That’ll fuck their entire power structure. Take the big ones and then work your way down!”

Shaggy glanced around the roiling battlefield. Thugs and pale Quinica were fighting hand to hand through the square. Their boys were giving as good as they got, but Shaggy could see that they were losing more than they were winning. Especially where the Elite troops and Elders were. Their crew just didn’t have the firepower to deal with the better armored threats. Shaggy counted up the Elder monstrosities and nodded at Vlad.

“Five of them?”

Vlad returned the nod. “Yeah. Ren is over there, ready to run at one with Dave. They’re pretty easy with that big glowing weakness of theirs, but the fucking armor is a bitch to get through.”

“Okay. You go help Ren and Dave. The pack and I will start on another one.”

“You sure?”

“Dude, the pack and I have got this. Go handle your shit.”

Vlad started turning to smoke, but he gave Shaggy a quick smile as he disappeared. “Good to have you back, asshole.”

“Good to be back.” Shaggy growled as he sent the order for his pack to converge on the closest Elder.

He let Tom and Ephemara keep their positions at the edges of the fight. But he felt the others move to follow his orders. Like the pack of wolves they were, they all converged toward the giant ten-foot tall Elder. Its massively muscular form was flailing its arms around, swiping at anyone foolish enough to get close. Shaggy could not wipe the smile from his face as he let the wolf out of its cage.

His inner beast roared, and the change came upon him in an instant. Seamlessly, he was on all fours and aiming for the side of his latest prey. He felt Cekrass and Stanley dancing around the Elder’s front side. Playing the decoy. Cekrass would throw a punch at the things side and fade back for Stanley to hit the other. Rita charged in from the opposite side. Taking the large behemoth by surprise and slicing at its side ineffectually. Sybil and Vick peppered the elders face as it took large swipes at his pack. Shaggy kept running until he was close enough and then launched himself, aiming for the thing’s head. Jaws open wide.

He felt his wolfish body slam into the body and they went to the dirt. Shaggy focused on his jaws and bit down on the first thing he felt. He tasted the metallic tang of the Elder’s silver body but then the coppery taste of blood filled his mouth. Shaggy grinned as he twisted his gigantic wolf head hard. He heard screams and shouts as he felt metal and flesh tear.

“Glowing weak spot, my ass. Sharp teeth trumps all bitch!” Shaggy crowed as he felt the body beneath him still.

Then it started to shrink. Returning to the probably old man or woman it was before. Shaggy didn’t notice because he was howling with his pack again. The surrounding thugs and Lackeys were frozen as they had just watched the decapitation of an Elder Quinica. There was a similar roar from across the square and Shaggy turned in time to see another elder go down.

“Two down, three to go,” He thought to his pack. “We’re not letting them kill more than us!”

A general feeling of agreement was all Shaggy felt as he turned to sight his next Elder. It was on the north side of the square. Blocking the road that led toward the tunnel. Probably wanted to stop anyone from running away. Shaggy felt the air rush over his fangs as he charged with his pack. His four-legged form easily out-performed his other pack members and he hit the Elder in the side.

There were no tricks or clever distractions this time. Now, it was a slugfest. Shaggy’s teeth helped make quick work of things. But the rest of his pack had to wait for the prefect moment to strike. Even then, they needed to aim for the large pulsing orange and red mass of nerves on the Elder’s body. Which annoyed Shaggy.

Every time he had a kill shot lined up. One of his pack would hit the nerve and send the Elder into an I-frame for a second or two. He felt it slowed the entire process down. But eventually the big bastard tumbled to the ground and his pack raised another howl. It was during their combined howl that Shaggy saw the tide of people turning.

Pale figures rushed away to the north and west. Giving Shaggy and his pack a wide berth. Cheers were starting to go up and Shaggy could see the other two elders lumbering their way away from the battle. Tom and Ephemara sent him images of the Quinica in full retreat. Both Elders were heading back toward Quinica turf. Shaggy growled low in his throat as he watched his prey try to run. His feelings were echoed in his pack, and he crouched low, ready to dart away when Vlad’s black mist form was back.

“We can’t let them get away!”

Shaggy growled again. But Rita summed up his feelings. “No Shit.”

“Y’all take one and we’ll chase down the other. Good? Good.”

Vlad didn’t wait for a reply as he turned into a black mist again and blurred away. Shaggy saw several more black clouds join up with his friend as he raced across the square. Shaggy filed that away for later and sent a single command to the whole of his pack. He felt their excitement, as all of them knew what he was telling them to do.

“Hunt.”