William felt another attack from behind. He was shoved forward again but instead of trying to maintain his feet, he fell forward into a roll. He dove from the ground into the outer reaches of the clearing, breaking free of the circle of werewolves.
He stood up and whipped around to face his attackers. He had almost a full second before they were on him once again. William lunged toward the werewolf on the right. He brought the werewolf down, but he couldn’t press his advantage. He jumped up from him and backed away from the other two.
William needed time to think, but he knew that he wasn’t going to get that kind of time. As soon as he knocked one down, he knew that the other two would be there to take him down. He had to find a way of evening the odds.
His few moments of hesitation were all it took for the werewolf on the ground to get back up again. William was facing three werewolves once more and they were trying to encircle him. William didn’t want to get too close to the edge of the clearing because he knew that the fourth would be there to attack him as well. At the same time if he got too close to the center, he would find himself encircled again and eventually they would win. They had a practiced and coordinated motion between them. William knew that they had fought together many times before, it was the only explanation for their coordination. Despite Williams constant moving he found himself in the middle of the circle.
He turned around and everywhere he looked it seemed there was another werewolf ready to attack him. He couldn’t see what they were about to do, he couldn’t smell any difference between them. He was blanketed in a haze of grey and the smell of muted apathy and disgust.
They hate me. He was on the verge of a blind panic. I’m going to die.
He watched the werewolves move around him and for some reason their movements slowed. Is this another trick? The circle of werewolves was moving in slow motion. William wasn’t sure what was happening. Then he felt the familiar ripple flow out over his mind. You’re doing this, but how? His other gave no response as usual, but the circle of werewolves continued to move at their eerie slow pace. It was like watching a slow-motion movie.
The knotted cord of emotions that was his other unraveled and with that fogging of his mind a new wave of strength and power flooded through him. His other had just released a wave of adrenaline and with that came a calm that he hadn’t known for a very long time. The calm lulled him into a comfortable stance, and he could once more think clearly.
He inhaled the scents of the werewolves around him, and he could just make out the different smells of the three. He smelled a change in the air and somehow, he knew that another attack was coming.
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He didn’t have to think about it too hard. The rest of the world might be moving at a slower speed, but he could move at speeds that he was used to. He whipped himself around and the sudden expression of shock on the werewolf’s face made William smile. William grabbed the werewolf’s leg, mid kick, and holding it with one arm he brought down his other elbow with a crushing force on the werewolf’s knee.
The werewolf howled in pain as a sharp crack ripped out into the silence of the proving grounds. William tipped him up till he fell backwards on the dirt. He didn’t have time to celebrate though as time seemed to speed up again. He was attacked by the other two. They were far more vicious now than they had been. They were not interested in playing anymore. William was assaulted by a barrage of punches and kicks as claws ripped into his flesh.
William was still filled with the rage and power of his other and he fought back, exchanging blows with the two werewolves. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the fourth werewolf was going to join the fight. William sprinted off toward the edge of the clearing and he launched himself into the air as he kicked off a tree. He did an awkward aerial summersault and landed behind the two remaining attackers. He thrust his claws out into the backs of both of them. His claws ripped into them, and he pulled out sprays of blood.
The two werewolves howled in pain and gripped at their backs as they turned around. He felt an iron grip wrap around his head and arms. The fourth werewolf had William in a choke hold that pinned his arms up and away from his body. The other two didn’t hesitate. They began to punch and claw at William’s exposed midsection.
The fourth werewolf had William in a tight grip which was exactly what William needed. He pulled at the hold of the fourth werewolf and using the leverage that hold gave him he lifted his legs up and thrust out into a double kick that caught both werewolves in their faces.
The two stumbled backwards, and the grip loosened. William took the opportunity to press his arms straight over his head and throw his head back in a reverse head butt. The werewolf wasn’t expecting the attack and William heard a very satisfying crunch and his arms were free.
William turned around and dove into the fourth werewolf and took him down to the ground. He let all the anger and all the adrenaline of his other wash over him as he ripped into the newcomer. The werewolf on the ground was not prepared for the attack and soon it was all he could do just to cover up and try to protect himself from William.
William didn’t care how far he went anymore. If he was sentenced to die, then he was going to take as many with him as he could. His claws were soon covered in blood as he ripped slashes through the werewolf’s fur and into the flesh underneath. It felt really good to let go of everything, every worry, every care, every responsibility that he felt to himself, and others drained out of him, and he continued to attack the werewolf that he had pinned on the ground.
In the back of his mind, he wondered what had happened to the other two werewolves. He felt a concussive force blast him from the side as he was thrown off the werewolf on the ground. One of the two original werewolves was driving him into the ground as he punched at William’s sides. He reached up and, grabbing the werewolf’s head, he brought his head to meet the other in a head butt.