William closed his eyes to the void and let his body fold in on itself. He felt the void enter his body. He was a part of everything, and he was nothing all at the same time. He felt a sharp pain and he opened his eyes.
He was still on his knees looking up at five werewolves that were staring down at him. Ares had a relieved smile on his face while the other four stood with a shocked disbelief. The one with the broken knee that was skewed at an awkward angle stood with his mouth hanging open.
“I think this deserves a stay of execution, don’t you?” Ares asked.
The four greys just looked at each other. “We will have to consult the Elders and see what they have to say about this.” Ares head moved like he wanted to say something else but he didn’t say another word. Two of the assassins, propped themselves under the one with the broken knee and supported him out of the clearing. The fourth and the speaker for the group followed them. At the edge of the proving ground, he turned around and stared in disbelief at the naked human that was still kneeling in the uneven dirt. He looked like he wanted to say something but instead just shook his head and followed his comrades out of the clearing.
William let his eyes fall to study his own body. His white skin was pale, a lot paler than he remembered it being. He saw his own familiar muscles run down his body and arms. He was skinnier than he remembered, but he didn’t care about that either. He flexed his muscles through his laughter and even though the great strength that he had possessed as a werewolf was gone, he was happy to be human again.
He looked up at Ares and he realized that it felt good to be alive. Somehow, he was able to gather his strength and stand up. He started dancing a jig in the middle of the clearing. He didn’t care that he must look like a crazy person to anyone who saw him. For the first time in a long time, he was happy to be alive.
After a few steps his body collapsed under him and that just caused him to laugh harder. He ripped up a handful of dirt and rubbed it all over his lightly haired chest. The feeling of dirt on his skin was wonderful. He wanted to bathe in the stuff and just enjoy this moment for as long as he could.
Ares watched the naked pup bathe himself in dirt in the middle of the clearing. The werewolf crossed his arms in front of him and a small smile spread across his lips. William didn’t care what his teacher thought. He doesn’t know what it feels like to have skin instead of fur. That was a sobering thought for William. That thought brought up all the things that the wolf born probably don’t experience the way that the human born do. Sex is an obvious one but what else do wolf born never get a chance to experience that human born take for granted? William would have to ask his teacher about that some time.
William rolled onto his stomach. He tried to lift himself up but he was completely drained of strength. The fact he couldn’t lift himself off of the dirt only caused another fit of laughter. He tried again, and failed again. His whole exhausted body shook with the mirth of him being so weak. He tried a third time, and he felt a claw grasp his arm and pull him to his feet. William stood there as the werewolf supported almost all of William’s body weight.
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William wanted to say something. He wanted to thank his teacher for saving his life. He wanted to thank him for giving him the time he needed to change back into human form. He wanted to thank him for everything that this werewolf had done for him since he had entered the City under the Mountain. But when he tried to say those things the only thing that came out of his mouth was, “Thank you, Ares.” The massive werewolf gave William a wry sideways glance. His lips curled into another smile, and he supported William as they made their way out of the proving grounds.
Strength was slow to come back into his limbs. William felt like a newborn being hauled around by its parents. He tried to move his legs in a rhythm with Ares but weak limbs ended up being dragged by the powerful werewolf and his long strides.
William looked up at the forest and the beauty of this place. It looked less vibrant, less alive. He inhaled and the familiar scents were muted as well. He was amazed at just how dead the world looked now that he was a human once again.
He hadn’t, up until that point, really acknowledged the fact that he was naked. He felt the need to reach down and cover himself. Ares glanced down at the awkward attempt at modesty. William twisted himself and looked up to face Ares. “You wouldn’t happen to have an extra pair of shorts anywhere nearby, would you?” Ares let out a deep vibrant laugh. The laugh bounced off the surrounding trees and echoed out through the forest. It was the most jovial and horrifying laugh William had ever heard.
Even though Ares stopped laughing, the echoes of his laughter remained for some time. The pure sound of it faded from around them. “After your short exhibition I was sure that you had gotten over your overdeveloped sense of modesty.” William felt his cheek flush. With the jubilation he had felt that had driven him to dance like some drunken idiot he hadn’t cared about anything, not even the fact that he was naked. “No, pup I don’t have an extra pair of shorts.”
William held his hand in front of him as he let Ares support more and more of his body weight. He felt guilty letting Ares work at moving him through the forest. “Where are we going?”
Ares didn’t bother to look at him but nodded ahead of them. “We are going back to the city so you can get some sleep.”
The two made their way slowly through the darkening woods. William let Ares drag him over the uneven terrain of the forest. He thought about Aceso. He was aware of the fact that she was never too far away from his thoughts. He had to smile just a little bit. Even at the moment of near death he had thought about her and everything that he owed her. The scar on his arm was a constant tangible reminder to him of just how important that promise was to him. He found himself wondering, could I have changed back to a human if it wasn’t for the obligation I felt toward her? He had called it a chain before, at that point though, it may have been a life line.
The last of his strength drained out of William’s legs and he had to let them drag behind him. Ares didn’t even grunt under the added weight. The massive werewolf ducked under William’s shoulder and carried him. He felt himself drift and soon his eyes didn’t open again. He let the rhythm of Ares’ walk and the warmth of the werewolf’s fur comfort him and he finally fell into a deep peaceful sleep.