We breached the last of the trees, into a bright area that could be either a large clearing or just on the edge of the forest and I scanned the area quickly while I leaped off Alpha’s back and unsummoned the pack, letting my backpack fall to the ground with a thump and taking my spear in my hands. Inside this clearing, there was the stream I had been following until I heard the roars a while off from where I exited the forest, and about a hundred feet away from the forest closer to the stream then me there was a large wood hut.

I didn't have to wonder who lived in that hut however, as that answer was fairly easy to guess as I looked at the standoff that was happening in front of my eyes, about halfway between me and the hut. There was an old man, about five feet tall and completely bald wearing a white robe that looked like what you would think a monk would wear, looking at the growling beast in front of him calmly.

This beast was HUGE, like three times my height at least and that's not counting length as it was clearly a lion. Its fur was interesting, a bright gold that seemed almost metallic in the way it reflected the light of the sun. Probably had some sort of magic effect in it too.

“HEY!” I shouted at the lion in anger, “GET AWAY FROM THE OLD MAN!” I continued, pointing at the beast without fear as the emotions and power of the pack started flowing through my veins.

Both the robed man and the lion turned to me, the lion seeming almost confused and roaring at me, making the world seem to shake while the old man seemed almost panicked at my appearance. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING BOY!” The old man yells at me from across the grassy field, but I ignore him and approach the lion faster.

“DOWN BOY! LEAVE THE NICE OLD MAN ALONE!” I yell at the beast once more, seeming to trigger an even deeper confusion in the oversized dog and he seems to almost back up a step with his teeth still barred but hesitation seems to have taken hold for now. “BAD BOY!” I shouted, almost in attacking range now and my throat starts to hurt as my shouts grow even louder.

But apparently that caused the lion to decide what to do and angry with my words, it gets ready to pounce. I don't stop however as the rage of the pack overcomes me and the world fades away until it's just me and the oversized and enraged dog in front of me.

I haven't released the spirits yet, however I did start to feel something that I haven't felt before. It seemed like… a way for the pack to come out into form without leaving my body? It was only a small sensation, more like a vague suggestion from some part of the pack's instincts than anything else I had done with the pack.

I grabbed hold of that feeling as the lion leaped at me, and time seemed to slow as I leaped to the side with unnatural speed, spear still in my hand. I could feel I was different somehow, stronger, faster, I could even tell that I was about a foot taller then normal which was off putting for a second before I reminded myself that there was a fight going on. Instantly, all the fear on my part that had been repressed, was washed away as my emotions and mind seemed to shift like my body did.

Despite what some may think of when they picture their entire mind changing, it was not very bad. It seemed almost more natural than before in fact. Like some part of myself that had been repressed had come to the light. At that moment, I snarled as my prey leaped past me. I was not just a man anymore. I was a beast.

That's not to say I was stupid. I released eight of the spirits of the pack into the world in a moment. All except Alpha, who told me through the now heightened bond that he needed to stay to fuel this transformation. I accepted it, but I still released the other spirits. The Pack hunts together.

I sent my commands to the pack as I looked at the golden lion that was landing lightly on the ground after having missed its prey. I took advantage of that instantly. Together, me, the four wolves, the bear, the deer and the gorilla leaped onto the monster, while my only ranged, the lizard hurried to the other side while the beast would be distracted.

The oversized lion seems to recognize its mistake, and it starts to spin in one fluid motion trying to get me in its sights, but I was on it. I was the fastest of the Pack, most likely due to my transformation, and I stabbed the bone spear that I was still holding onto towards its wide open side with all my strength.

It shattered as soon as it hit the beast in front of me.

I was reasonably shocked at this, and it was nearly my death. While I was frozen at the strength of the lion's fur, with the only thought of ‘Nemean lion.’ running through my head, the lion had spun around fully and extended one of its paws with the monster's huge claws setting it on a path to cut me in half.

Lucky for me, I was not fighting alone. In a surprising show of speed and strength, the bear slammed its comparatively small body into the lion's extended foreleg, causing the lion's strike to miss, me to come out of my shock and back into my battle trance, and the lion to stumble backwards.

I quickly started giving instructions to my Pack, clawing and biting wouldn't do any good against this animal. I had a feeling that even a machine gun wouldn't do more than annoy it, and getting your claws or teeth broken would hurt like hell. This fight would be one of strength, speed and endurance. And what I suspected to be my trump card that had just finished positioning itself.

Together, me and the other seven fighters banded together to fight the monster. We used our numbers to our advantage easily enough, making sure to keep the building sized lion distracted enough that it wouldn't be able to focus on one opponent, as with its impenetrable hide and huge claws it definitely could.

The hard part was the how. Usually, fighting with the pack was a cakewalk, just us waiting and baiting for an opportunity for me to punch it in the jaw or one of my summons clawing, biting, hitting, or stabbing as they can.

Clawing, biting and stabbing was not going to work however, so most of the pack had to go against their normal animalistic fighting style instincts. The bear and the gorilla were having an ok time at this new development, but the wolves and deer in particular were having a lot of difficulties trying to find out what to do, and I had no advice either. They were pretty much just making faints at this point while the gorilla tried to get onto its back and slamming its fists into it while the bear was raming and bating at the lion as it could.

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As for me, well I was punching and kicking at the monster like a demon, using all my energy up to try to do some damage to the beast.

Then the lion roared and gave a mighty leap to the bear, which barely managed to fall back to avoid the jaws. But it was still not enough. As the lion pounced onto the bear, its claws sliced into its thick fur and deep into its stomach. The rest of the pack rushed to help the bear, but it was too late as the lion tore into its body, causing it to fade from reality.

I was shocked at that, but that shock quickly turned to absolute rage. The lion gave a triumphant roar of victory, but it was met with another, louder roar that caused it to flinch. That roar was from me.

I leaped at the monsters neck with the force of a god, and hit right on target making it just on top of the large mane, despise it being atleast a full eight feet above me, and I started clawing and punching at the beast with no care and no holding back as the united rage of the Pack flowed into me and powered my whole body, strike after strike, increasing as I took my pound of flesh from the beast as it tried to shake me off as it roared.

But I kept on going. Grabbing and yanking at the fur that was starting to have more give and feel more… wet?

I didn't pause to actually think about what I was doing however and I only paused for a second as I saw a flash of a black liquid fly from somewhere and onto the barely visible face of the Nemeon lion. That did not last for long however, as I just kept going and going, letting my hands become bloody and forcing the well of flame in my chest flow into them, lighting them on fire and causing my hands to heal while they dealt even more damage while they were coated with the weird blue flame.

I did not stop until I felt the lion hit the ground, tossing my bloody body off the monster in the process. Hitting the ground was a hard landing, a white hot sensation spreading from the point of impact, which just happened to be my stomach simultaneously causing me to lose my breath as I tumbled and rolled out of control.

As this was happening, I could feel the healing flame of Alpha fill my body, more intense than I have felt before, but mostly I could feel that as Alpha healed me, my body and mind started slowly turning back to normal.

I started reviewing the fight in my mind instantly, but it was a bit of a blur. Once my momentum had stopped, I stumbled to my feet, still shaking a little from the effort I put into that fight, and I turned to where the fight was going on. It was quiet. Too quiet.

As I turned around, my eyes wandered the scene with them widening at every detail and causing me to have to take a seat at the shock of seeing the bloody scene just a little bit away.

All the summons except the bear and obviously Alpha were still around the fight scene, which was impressive in its own right, but what really shocked me was what was left of the lion.

It was a smoking, bloody pile of fur. Its face seemed to have been close to having melted off, but the real damage was at the top of its head. Where I was. It was charred, blackened, and contrasting the black was red liquid running down its body that was slumped on the ground.

Despite me having fought and killed before, this was… I nearly threw up as I looked at it, but kept my last meal down with some effort.

“That was… impressive.” I heard a steady voice say from behind me, and I turned around quickly, remembering the old man that was originally facing down the Nemeon lion and worrying for the first time what he thought of the savageness of the fight.

He was not looking at me when I caught sight of him behind me, but at the bloody battle sight nearby us. What surprised me however, was that he was not looking disgusted or even discomforted, but he looked genuinely impressed. Impressed and calculating. After a second of silence between us, he sighed and turned his head to me, looking me in the eye. “What is your name, boy?” He asked calmly and I paused for a second, before telling him “I am Arnold. Arnold Turtleback.” then asking a question in return, “And what's your name old man?”

He seemed to pause for a second at my answer, almost disbelieving but not quite. “I am Omnikia.” he tells me eventually, deciding to sit down on the cool grass, unmarred from the fight that happened just a few feet away.

“You have quite the… unique battling style, Arnold.” He said, gesturing to the bloody corpse as he looked at me curiously. “Do I?” I asked uncertainty to Omnikia. This seemed to give him pause as well, but he followed my question with another question quickly. “Where do you come from? I don't believe you are from the village.” He asks pointedly, giving me the feeling that this question might not be as innocent as it might seem.

I thought about how to answer the question for a few seconds, but eventually just decided that I would tell the truth. “I am from a little place called Earth.” I admitted.

“I don't believe I have heard of this ‘Earth’ you speak of. Where is this place exactly?” he questions, seeming more curious than anything. “Oh, it is a long way away from here.” I said, letting out a slow breath in a sigh. Omnikia seems to sense some part of my thoughts and does not continue with his questioning about my home, that is so far away and not likely going to see or hear of me again. I am grateful for that.

We sit in silence for a few moments, each of us thinking our own thoughts quietly until the rest of the Pack starts coming over to us. I welcomed them with a raised hand and I patted one of the wolves on their heads in appreciation, while Omnikia watched carefully.

I don't believe there is any reason that they should stay in their physical form anymore, so I let them back inside my soul space and they dive right in one after another.

“Those are your summons?” The old man asks me, looking at where the rest of the Pack had vanished with some measure of curiosity. “Yes.” I reply simply. The term summon was actually what I used some of the time, so it was not hard to guess that it was likely the normal term for the spirits of my Pack in this world.

“What exactly are they? I don't believe I have seen very many summons like them before.” He asks, and I was happy to list them all to the old man. “I have Alpha, who has some kind of flame ability and he was with four other wolves, who were the first summons I had, but besides them, I have a deer with some kind of green energy horns, a bear, a gorilla and a lizard that has a nasty acid venom attack as you saw.” I list off quickly.

“And now that Nemion lion as well. It seems like you have reached the rank of a full monk. Impressive for one so young.” Omnikia comments, leaving me confused. “A full monk?” I question, looking at him with curiosity. “Yes, I believe so.” He says, then he starts to think once more. “Would you like to be my apprentice, young Arnold of house Turtleback?” He asks, looking fully serious at me, waiting for me to answer his question.