It's Where my Demons Hide (Open)

Avery quietly picked her way away from the school, her head tilted downwards, eyes locked on the ground. She was wearing only dark colors , starting with a pair of black converse, the only bits of white that could be found within her current wardrobe were on her shoes, being the logo on the outsides of the shoes, and the meticulously cleaned white shoelaces. The jeans that she was wearing were such a dark shade of blue that they might even be mistaken as being black, they fit tight against her form, the edges of them covering the topside of her converse. Her torso and head were covered by a black ARSNL Ninja Hoodie, the hood was tossed up, and the mask was lifted and drawn upwards. Her hands were shoved into her pockets, they were balled up into fists, the right one clentching a large ball of paper inside of her hoodie-pouch. She moved quickly towards the edge of the forest, continuing onwards until she vanished behind the treeline. She continued onwards down the forest-trail for a few minutes before veering suddenly to the left. The snowfall was fresh, thick, and powdery that day, creating a trail of shifted snow behind her.

As soon as Avery left the beaten path her speed increased dramatically, changing from a fast walk to a dead sprint through the forest. Her body weaving between the trees, shoulders snapping low hanging twigs and sending sticks flying from beneath the snow. Squirells and other small animals scampered back to their dens as she moved along, no real rhyme or reason as to where she was going. A rogue twig whipped across her face and hooked onto her hood, allowing it to fall back. Avery's eyes were bloodshot and tears were actively flowing down her cheeks, marks of the tears being seen all the way down her face, beneath the mask. The branch had been rather stiff and sharp, opening a long, thin cut along her right cheek-bone, providing a strange contrast to the powdery-white snow everywhere. Her slight form exploded into a clearing, the sudden absence of trees being slightly disorienting. Her right foot caught on a hidden tree root, sending her falling face first into the snow. The moon was full and sent a pale, white light down into the clearing.

There Avery lay, face down in the snow, tears soaking into the frozen water, a single red streak being left due to the small cut that had been created from the branch. After a few seconds of this, Avery lifted her head and looked around the clearing, her mask having been forced down and away from her face, leaving a bunch of black cloth bundled around her neck. The place was empty, snow was falling again, the clearing was a perfect circle, and a forty foot diameter. Avery came to her feet, and couldn't help but take a few moments to leave her state of despair to admire the landscape, but soon enough, she wouldn't be able to spend her time checking out the snow.

Just outside of the clearing, hidden within the trees lurked a creature, one with bad intentions. It struck quickly and without hesitation. It snapped the twigs of the trees, causing Avery to whip around and freeze in terror. Her eyes grew wide, and her mouth fell agape, unable to release a scream. The creature stood tall, being pushed above twelve feet high by its large, reptilian, dragon like legs, claws sinking deep into the frozen earth. It had a tail that was easily fifteen feet long, the thing seeming to have a mind of its own, due to the fact that the end of the tail had the head of a serpent, and loomed in the air above the woman, eyes hungry and longing for flesh. The creatures flesh disappeared around the creatures midriff area, leaving nothing but bone and detatched, dangling chunks of muscle and skin, and those chunks of flesh were rotting and smelled rancid. The skeleton was reptilian in nature, the spinal chord long and jagged, and the skull being a massive representation of the head of a diamondback rattlesnake. Despite all of this, the creature had long, mangled arms, chunks of bone missing from every inch, the claws of the creature were long and jagged in nature, razor sharp and tinted red with dried blood. Possibly, the most terrifying aspect of this creature was that the flesh that covered its legs was definitely human, and was torn in several places, ripped apart by claws, fit across the skeletal structure with different sized and colored pelts of different human beings.

The creature reached forward, a single claw placing itself onto Avery's forehead, the appendage tracing the line of her jaw, the skeletal head forming a strange grin. At this, Avery couldn't hold back any longer, her throat opened up, and through her lips tore a shriek of pure terror, hands going stiff and dropping the crumpled pages onto the ground. She was paralyzed in fear, and currently at the mercy of the creature, her captor.

((Time is approximately eight at night.))

Even after only a couple of days, Chase found that Foresta was truly a place where he could function more properly than at home. He wasn't pressured by his father to transform out of hatred and fury, and nobody openly approached him yet. Perhaps it was his occasional snarl of disapproval if he felt that anyone drew too near since he was in an unfamiliar environment, but what could he say, it was somewhat habitual. And, his sharpened teeth didn't help to add to a beastly reputation, but it wasn't as if Chase cared. No, this time he found himself in a place he could almost consider home: The forest.

The boy was clad in simple jeans, a gray t-shirt and vans, nothing unusual or to suggest that he yearned to stand out. No, if anything the young male wished to fade into the background like most others, but at points that could prove to be impossible. Even in his human form, what seemed to be thousands of individual scents filled his nose, tracing a distinct image of creatures and objects that lay before him. However, for now he chose to fend the urge to observe the forests' inhabitants as he so often did, since it helped ease the beasts' hunger that rumbled restlessly within him. His footsteps sounded quietly upon the forest floor as he walked, possessing an unnatural silence and stealth about him with each movement. With this feline attribute, Chase had always considered it to be one of the minute and few perks to this curse, smirking to himself as he walked along the path. For now, he chose not to veer from the predetermined course in fear that the beast would become tempted by the alluring forest scents. The last thing he needed right now was to unleash the creature after only having attended this school for a few days.. Even the slight stress this placed upon him caused Chase to growl involuntarily, shaking his head in dismay to try and rid himself of any bestial qualities for the moment.

It was then that a scream pierced the sky. With both the familiar setting and the event having occurred fairly recently, the image of his mutilated mother flashed briefly before his eyes, his breathing growing staggered and exaggerated. Really, again? he thought, thinking briefly that he'd imagined it and was in the midst of a psychotic episode. However, the realistic ring nagged him enough to try and track the origin of the sound, his thoughts silenced as he searched for the person who'd screamed, and based on his assumptions, was most likely a woman. Once Chase rushed through to the clearing, it became apparent that he'd been right: A large, lethal beast was craned over a young girl, its claws a tendril around her chin with a ravenous glint in its eye. Of course, Chase knew exactly where this was going. Without thinking, he unhinged his jaw and released an unnaturally loud and animal-like roar, the strength and volume not coming from average, human vocal chords. His protective and inwardly coward surfaced now, his body trembling violently as he usually would before a transformation. As he fell to his knees, overcome with excruciating pain, he cried out to the girl, "You are to stay away from me when I transform! If or when I defeat this monster, you need to render me unconscious with something in the back of the head, or else I will unintentionally attack you!" He spoke clearly but hastily, as now the transformation truly began. He'd said what needed to be said for her safety.

Chase's clothes began to rip as his size doubled, his jeans and t-shirt reduced to shreds upon the ground. His muscles hardened and stretched, his bones snapping and binding together again, all the while uncontrollable grunts and the occasional cry out issued from Chase's lips. Within a few moments of his body contorting and fluctuating, a creature of much larger proportions stood there. It appeared like an anthromorphic lion of sorts, matched with its head and mane, however had a muscular, almost werewolf-like torso and legs in a sense. Matched with a dark brunette pelt and icy blue eyes, as Chase did like a human, the werecat mimicked those colors, flicking his long, tufted tail in irritation as he locked his eyes upon the other creature and the human before him. The 7'5'' beast stalked forward on all fours now, growling lowly as he eyed the human as well, but as a common rule for feral animals, it would be up to him to dominate the opposing creature to take possession of the potential meal first. He emitted another guttural snarl then, suddenly lunging forward at the beasts' tail, which was the closest piece of it to Chase. As he did so, he cast the female a final glance of his human self, the stare only warning her to stay away from him now, finally losing all humanistic connections as he outstretched his arms to latch around the animal's backside as well.

If Avery hadn't been terrified enough for that night, this pushed her way past her limit. The roar that she heard jarred her enough to momentarily glance away from her current assailent, she knew not whether to run away or to blush intensely at the sudden presence of the attractive male. She barely had time to register what the boy had said before he began to transform, the very act causing Avery to pivot around on her toe and sprint a few yards into the forest, her body finding refuge behind a huge pin. She forced her body tightly against the tree, causing oozy sap and pine needles to cover her body. She looked around for a few moments to search for something blunt to knock the werecat out with, but soon found herself trying to keep an eye on the clearing, so as to watch the event take place.

At the sound of the roar, the skeletal creature whipped its head around to face the one interrupting its awaited meal, its hand fell away from Avery's face, sealing her escape for now. The beast was angry, the true nature of the creature was to attack those who stood alone, and kill them after he had his fun. Beyond this, it only attacked when it deemed one weaker than itself, and one facing him with no sign of fear made him hesitate, that hesitation causing the attack from the werecat to be ultimately successful. As its tail was leapt upon it let out a hiss that had a whistling tone to it, the creatures sound of confusion and fear. He spun to strike at the werecat feet slipping against the ice beneath the snow, causing the claw to sail harmlessly over its assailant. And so predator became prey, as it slipped, the true fragility of this creature was revealed. The arms of the creature that made contact with the ground in the fall, for lack of a better word, shattered. Rotted bone fragments flew everywhere, its left arm now tried to push itself back up, but the bones were weak and the result was the same. There the creature lay, letting out the strange hissing sound, the tail miming the hissing of a snake as it tried to grip onto the leg of the werecat. The skeletal head of the creature snaked around, searching for somewhere to latch on, but the creatures body was sadly inflexible causing any chance of its head getting involved to be utterly useless. The predator had indeed become prey and was uselessly struggling for its life.

Avery watched this happen, mouth falling agape. The creature would be done for soon... Because it slipped. Her mouth soon formed a scowl as she realized that all she really would have had to do was kick it in the leg and it would probably have been worthless at following after her. Reality set in once more as she realized she had to find something blunt to knock against the boys head. She found the perfect item, a large oak branch that had fallen long ago, a large knot set right at the end of it. She then watched and waited for her time to strike.

With not too much experience with romance or girls, Chase disregarded any emotion warranted from the female at this point, and now that he was confined within the beasts' mental cell, he was unable to feel much at all. For now, he simply remained focused on mercilessly slashing away at the lesser creature before him, roaring with delight at the shattering bone fragments and the feeble attempts to retaliate against his attacks. His animalistic side was truly something to marvel, seeing at how even though he was obviously dominating in the skirmish, he continued to tear relentlessly at his foe as if it were the battle of his life. Chase's fangs sunk into the various bones that had splintered his way, crunching into the marrow and cracking them under his brute force. Of course, the beast greatly approved and thrived in this environment and behavior. It disgusted Chase that he resorted to such bestial and ruthless tactics, but it wasn't as if he was in control. Besides, even if the girl found him a mortifying, lethal beast, it wouldn't be all that different from how everyone else viewed him.

It wasn't until the werecat had satisfied himself with the weakly struggling creature's worthless battle that his gelid, blue gaze scanned for the origin of delectable, human scents: The girl. Lust for blood and flesh filled his heart, the desire to sink his fangs into the soft, gooey innards of a human always having tempted the beast even when Chase was a human. His lip curled menacingly as he unlatched his claws from the serpentine creature, uttering a low growl in the depths of his chest as the beast faced the general direction of the female. His eyes were unfeeling and cold, not like those of a human. Even within Chase's emotionless stare, the human within him provided an involuntary warmth that displayed his temporary control over the beast. However, now was not one of those times. With increased eyesight at night, the werebeast turned his massive skull from side to side, narrowing his eyes as he began to creep towards the area where he'd thought he'd scented the human, prowling forward on all four legs. With every step, he didn't cease the constant rumble emitted from his vocal chords as a sign of aggression, portraying a typical beast at best. Inwardly, Chase could only hope that the female would strike him soon, else he'd have to live with the burden of having slaughtered another person in the expanse of his lifetime, and he hoped dearly he wouldn't have to experience that again. For now, he let the beast stalk forward with silent pawsteps, helpless to anything else that would transpire.

Avery's grip tightened upon the branch as she awaited the one who would soon be upon her, the one who would very likely rip her to shreds if it was allowed that much access, or given even a split second of time. The young woman stood stock still, breath and heartbeat quickening as she thought about where the beast might've been. She moved to peek around the tree, this move was a big mistake. As Avery checked to where the clearing was, she basically ended up face to face with the prowling, vicious werecat. Avery's jaw dropped and she let out an involuntary whimper, jaw clamping down immediately after the sound was emittedd. She swallowed past a newfound lump in her throat and backed up slightly, holding the large oak branch with both hands, like a baseball bat, a strange white glow shimmering on the outside edge of the branch. Keeping eyes on the beast, she began to back up, with no idea of which direction she was going. Avery's back soon collided with a huge tree, cutting off her path of escape.

At the sudden feeling of bumping into the tree, tears sprang to Avery's eyes, lower lip trembling in terror at the thoughts that came to her mind of what might occur to her if she failed to defend herself. And so she stood, back to a tree, hands gripping the branch fiercely.

"S-s-stay back! I don't want to have to hurt you!"

The breaking of her voice betrayed her and showed how much doubt she held in herself to do just that. Avery began to kick snow at the werecat, as if the presence of the white powder might just hold back the creature, hold it at bay for just a bit longer.

"I s-swear....this is the worst day ever."

((Sorry for the short post after such a long time. I'm a bit rusty and flustered!))

A sickening joy coursed through Chase's veins at the girl's whimper, relishing in his prey's immediate fear. Inwardly, the young man was a bit vexed that this stranger hadn't had the guts to render him unconscious already, as most did when they viewed something as menacing as he. But, seeing that he no longer controlled the werecat, the beast gingerly stalked forward, his lip curled upwards to display his jagged rows of fangs and incisors. The thrilling scent of fear radiated from the human female in staggering amounts, only urging the monster's lust further. Wishing to torment his prey even further, he placed his paws forward at a painstakingly gradual pace. If an animal could laugh, the werecat would be cackling with deranged and ravenous glee.

The humanistic side of Chase could just barely make out the foggy, almost incoherent sounds issuing from the female's mouth, causing his stomach to clench habitually. This didn't slow or deter the werecat in the least though, only continuing forward at the purposefully sluggish speed. Without warning, a roar spewed from his unhinged jaw in response to her soft, trembling words, having not comprehended it, but wishing to assert his dominance as any animal would. Of course, it was devastatingly loud, and even rattled his own eardrums a bit, but for the creature, the brief bout of pain was completely worth the intensified fear expected in his victim. However, even as a dimwitted animal, he was still lucid enough to identify a weapon, his crystalline, blue eyes surveying the large piece of wood skeptically. It was a formidable piece of work, especially for a girl that appeared so petrified, but the werecat had the upper hand. Yet, it was the frigid, powdery substance sprayed into his eyes that really set the werecat off the edge. Driven into a frenzy, his clawed paws swiped forward wildly, attempting to latch onto anything in his path as he emitted an outcry of defiance and pain, shaking his skull in a chaotic panic to eradicate the ice. Her words were lost as the beast continued to thrash about, his arms sporadically stretching forward in frantic exertions to shred the soft human before him.

(You can dictate whether or not Chase was able to actually get at her or not, and how severe you'd like it to be, if at all.)