~ Island – pacific ~
Tom had heard the boars approach long before the others. Julia seemed to be staring at him in awe. Butterflies in his stomach started fluttering wildly at her gaze, adrenaline flooded his veins. Julia disappeared up the same tree as Martin, not taking her eyes off him for a minute. He couldn’t help but grin. A power like nothing he’d ever experienced surged through him. It made the feeling on the ship as he’d performed the impossible, shrink to the size of a speck of dust by comparison.
Suddenly the boars were rushing him from two different sides. Martin’s arrow bounced harmlessly off the tusk of one. All this was happening in slow motion for him. With casual ease, he leapt into the air, back flipping over the two surprised boars. As he completed the turn he relaxed and let his mind align itself with his body. Dripping fangs and hunger vividly burning in his mind; his dreamlike visions. He focused his entire being on the change. His whole body shivered, muscles ripped expanding with an aggressive force. His skin changed into sleek black fur, his face began to morph, sharp fangs extending from a snarling mouth and pointed claws sliding from padded paws. There was no agony for Tom, just the pure thrill of the change. He landed on the ground eyes glowing pure emerald green.
All Martin and Julia saw was Tom jump incredibly high flip backwards in the air and amazingly, before their very own eyes, he morphed. A few seconds later in the place where Tom had stood, was a snarling panther. Sleek black fur covered its whole body, seeming to melt into the twilight leaving two bright green points of light that shone with predator intelligence. Without missing a beat the panther pounced onto the boar closest to it, ripping the head off with one swipe of its huge paw, claws shimmering brilliantly in the dusk. With a loud snarl it flicked round, a bite of its powerful jaws slashed open the jugular of the other boar. A huge roar escaped its mouth as it bellowed its triumph. Then it bent its head over the carcasses and began to savagely tear at them swallowing huge mouthfuls in a greedy frenzy. He’d been starving and now, finally, he could feed. He felt himself getting full and satisfied as he feasted on the boar’s carcasses, devouring them until there was nothing left. He felt the power of what he’d become and embraced it openly with the excited fervour of a new-born puppy. He leaped up the trunk of a tree, his claws digging into the bark and pulled himself up to the highest point. Savouring his surroundings he let out another roar, this one so dominant, he knew he was now truly the King of the jungle. He looked down and saw the fearful eyes of Martin and Julia trying to make out where he’d gone. He leapt down towards them, with ease morphed back into human form, gripping the branch above them and swinging agilely down to the ground.
‘Hey there.’ He laughed at their expressions, and jumped onto the ground changing back again, loving the feeling he had when he shifted shape. A loud purring filled his chest and rumbled through the air. He flicked his gaze up to the two sitting in the tree. Changing back into his human shape he beckoned for them to come down to him on the ground. Martin shook his head fearfully and cocked an arrow in his bow. Tom glanced at Julia, who looked back with understanding. That didn’t make sense and suddenly his confidence wavered.
The transformation was exceptional. She’d never seen anything like that from a new-born. He was truly a magnificent beast when morphed, huge lithe and feline, his muscles rippling under his fur. His eyes held a deadly gleam which was fused with amusement and silent laughter at his new found power. He’d fought with natural instinct that was fuelled by his hunger which she imagined had to be massive. How had she misread the signs? They were so obvious now she thought about it. He was a Shapeshifter.
‘It’s OK, Martin,’ Julia whispered. ‘He won’t hurt us, trust me.’
Martin’s face was pale, his best friend, Tom, his best friend for as long as he could remember had, in front of his very own eyes turned into a panther and then had turned back into Tom. This couldn’t be real. Couldn’t be happening. Julia was already climbing down towards the ground. What had she said? “He won’t hurt us” she’d known about this and hadn’t told him of it, did that mean that Tom had been doing this all his life? He had never once thought to confide in his best friend something of such huge consequence.
Suddenly Martin was furious. It was all too much, the island, the crash, not knowing if his parents lived or died and now this. He snapped. His square jaw set in its stubborn way, dark eyebrows pinched together as he let the anger consume him. He half fell, half jumped onto the ground. Getting up clumsily he turned round to face both Julia and Tom. Tom, a grin stretched across his entire face, started to say something. Martin cut him off, his rage building.
‘All this time, you knew and didn’t tell me.’ An aching pain seeped into his voice as he continued. ‘How could you.’ His voice reflected the betrayal he felt. ‘I’m your best friend and you go and tell some stupid girl before you let me know.’ He raised his bow and pointed it at a speechless Tom, who was looking confusedly between Julia and Martin.
‘Don’t act all surprised. That just makes it worse.’ The string was pulled back, an arrow nestled in its powerful hold. Martin didn’t know what he was saying anymore. ‘You’re a monster Tom. I don’t even know you anymore.’ Bitterness carved into his words.
Out of the corner of his eye, Martin saw Julia leap at him to knock the bow out of Tom’s direction. Reflexively, Martin turned towards Julia in mid leap. The shock was only temporary as anger rushed back into his system. So they were buddies now were they? Enough was enough. He fired his arrow at a huge lemur that was a mahogany brown with faint black stripes encircling its head, unnaturally blue eyes flaming violently. The primate leapt off the arrow like it was a stepping stone, snapping it in half as it did so. Its momentum carried it towards Martin, this time going for the bow but it was a fraction too late, for Martin threw the bow at the creature, disorienting it, then quickly dropped down, picked up the spear at his feet and plunged it into the Lemur’s tail, pinning it to the ground.
The lemur, Julia, writhed around on the ground in pain, trying to get the spear out of its tail. Finally giving in and not moving. The spear had met its target. Martin was up, bow, arrows and spear in hand, sprinting into the night.
Tom stood stunned in the suddenly quiet clearing, it had all happened so quickly. There was nothing he could have done. It was all a bad dream surely. Then he saw Julia, on the floor. Well, a lemur. There would be time to process all of this later he thought. He could smell Martin’s scent on the wavering night air, quickly he found the place in his mind that allowed him to transform. This time it wasn’t quite as smooth as before, but he managed it. He took a step in Martin’s direction, his friend’s words resonating through his mind “you’re a monster.” Still he couldn’t let him run off like that so he tensed his muscles readying to pursue Martin. A haggard screech stopped him in his tracks. He couldn’t leave Julia like that either. With reluctance he turned his back on his friend and slunk over to where the injured lemur lay, not knowing that doing so would affect the rest of his life. He had to force himself to change back into human form and pick the lemur up in his arms. Slowly he began following his own scent back in the direction of their cave. A melancholic desolateness settling in his heart. The night continued to throb with secrets untold under the century old light of the stars.
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