Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

Jon jumped, staring at the wolf.  He blinked, then said, "Can you still understand me?"  As he said it, he looked even more longingly at the meat, until finally he moved over to it, still staring at it.  Now he didn't even look at the wolf.  He finally gave in, eating the entire haunch.  Blood covered his arms and a bit of his face, but he didn't really care.  The world had just become insane to him.  Manners were something that could be forgotten, for now.  He felt better after eating the meat.  Stronger.  His arm hurt a lot less now, and he was able to think clearer.  He mulled over what Jaina had said in his mind.  He would probably take her advice about getting a cage for...Full moon transformation.  And, as for a pack...Well, he supposed he wouldn't be able to find one even if he wanted one.  Still, no silver bullets, transformation unlimited, no real restrictions...He could get used to it.  She did say pain, but, it probably wasn't that bad.  She was probably just over dramatizing it.

Jaina nodded as he spoke to her. She changed back, sitting up on the bed. "Yes, I can understand. I didn't forget English. A wolf could understand me in wolf form. Well, one who's listened to and met their own wolf. It will come to you during your first run." She gave a bit of a sigh, scanning him as he ate, "You'll mostly do that in the wolf form, but newly Bittens tend to be a tad hungry." She kept her ice-blue eyes on him, "Ever broken a bone before?"

Jon looked at her as he ate, nodding just to acknowledge what she was saying.  In between bites he added, "And when will my first run be?"  He immediately went back to eating, occasionally watching her.  She was rather pretty....The color of her hair.  Her body...Everything.  She was growing on him, but he couldn't figure out why.  Once he had finished he added, "I have, many times actually.  Why do you ask?" He wondered how many other wolves she knew, if she was 'bitten'...He actually had quite a few questions, but he managed to keep his mouth shut enough to say none of them. He looked at the door again, but the urge to run was gone now, except for a tiny part of him. The rest of him wanted this. It was just as well he didn't know that the wolf part of him was the one making the decisions at the moment.

Jaina shrugged a bit, "No idea. Your run is something you have to work out, yourself. My first run was when I was 6, I don't remember much of it." She combed her fingers through her hair, showing it, "It was when my hair turned white." She gave a sigh, nodding a little, "Good, good. You remember how the breaking feels? Now, imagine every single bone in your body doing that. Many times. In a row. That's what shifting feels like. You can feel the fur growing, feel the tail growing, feel your bones reshaping. What I just did? That quick shift, no screaming? That took me years. I screamed for my first few shifts, that much I remember."

Jon blinked, taken aback, "It's that bad? Jesus..." He regretted what he thought about her simply overreacting.  All of a sudden he wasn't so sure that shifting was such a good thing.  "How will I know when...I want to run? And, is it possible that my hair will become...Like that?" Finally, he could take the burning of not asking his questions no longer, and added, "What about packs? How does that work? And, how many other werewolves are there?  Are you a bitten?" They came out rapid fire, with no time in between them to answer.  He managed to catch himself eventually, but he sighed, stopping himself from asking more.  This whole situation was so bizarre.  Just yesterday he'd been running away from college and responsibility.  Now...He was something that only had existed in myth.  Well, provided this girl wasn't just fucking with him.  He doubted she was.  If so, it was one detailed and incricately thought out lie.

Jaina perked a brow at him, "No, white wolves are rare. Most wolves are the same color as the hair of the human form. I used to have black hair, my wolf was to be a white one, though. My hair turned white to fit that. You'll run when you run. It's different for each person." She considered each of his questions. "Packs? There are family packs, most of those are purebreds, born-wolves. With Bittens, you tend to smell out other wolves and just.. form a group. That's how my previous pack was, they were all Bitten. I don't know exactly how many there are. Bites spread the form, breeding continues it." She sighed a little, "I'm a purebred, from a very long line of wolves. My brothers are wolves, my mother and father were wolves, my grandparents were wolves."

Jon nodded, "Ah, right, that makes more sense.  Suppose mine will match my hair color, then... He looked disappointed on the vagueness of the 'run' answer, as well as the pack one, but he accepted it, assuming there would be no pack for him.  Well...He wouldn't mind following Jaina.  She'd been at this since she was six, she said, so....It might be good for him.  Still, she seemed to have some sort of disdain towards bittens, as if they were a lower class of people than her.  "Really? That's quite amazing, actually.  I...Honestly don't know if anyone in my lineage was a...Werewolf or not.  I assume not." He looked at her, leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest.  Even after eating that haunch of deer, he was still ravenous.  Though whether it was the wolf or not was impossible to tell.  Still, least my head stopped hurting...and my arm.

Jaina shrugged once more, "There could have been one. Hard to know. Most likely a Bitten. Purebreds are a tad more rare to find about. Most purebreds are in family packs." She rubbed a little at her face. Her human-self was exhausted. Her wolf had kept her up all night, as with every full moon.

Jon nodded, "Ahh, right. That would make sense." He looked at her with concern after she rubbed her eyes. "You need some sleep. Lay down, I'll get out of your hair, but...I promise I'll stay in town so you can keep an eye on me just in case. Full moon is over, so there shouldn't be any issues with that, right?" He had some more questions, but they could wait. Plus, he did want to get some actual food, and maybe see the town a bit. There wasn't a lot to do, but he could find something. He would like to be near Jaina whenever he...Transformed, but mostly just so she could make sure it went well and subdue him if he got out of control. Jon had no idea what to expect from this, but Jaina had saved his life, so he owed her one. Usually he wouldn't give a shit about some random girl, but...She seemed different someone. And, once again. He owed her one.

Jaina shrugged a bit, "Head out to the forest. Try to make peace with the wolf. You have to let it know that you're the more dominate one. If you don't, the wolf can take over fully, it's how Ferals happen." She didn't really care, to be honest. Still, she was instructing him in things all Bittens should learn.

Jon nodded, "Well...Thanks for your help, I guess."  His voice had a bit of hollowness to it as he turned and left.  It was obvious Jaina wanted nothing more than to leave him for dead, but for some reason she didn't.  Plus she seemed very prejudiced against bittens.  Still, her advice was necessary, and he followed it, heading out towards the woods.  He wandered for a long time, occasionally kicking a rock that was in his path, until his legs were burning from soreness.  I must have gone out...Miles.  Well, if she can handle it, I can. He looked around, sniffing the air slightly.  It was quiet, but birds still chirped, and the trees swayed in the breath of wind.  He looked up, noticing it was approaching dark; it'd be a clear night.  His shivering reminded him it would also be a cold night, but, survivable.  Especially for a wolf. As he thought that, he began to cough. Softly, but, it grew stronger. His teeth and gums burned, and he screamed as each one was pushed out and replaced by a sharp canine set. As the teeth changed, the rest of him did. His facial bones broke, reshaping, becoming elongated, all while every bone in his body broke and reformed. His spine shrunk, his legs reversed. Everything changed. Hair began sprouting, slowly, but gaining. He bit back a louder scream, forcing himself to bear the pain. He couldn't. The scream gradually became a howl, and awolf with dark black fur stood in his place. The wolf was large, larger than ordinary wolves, and larger than the one that had caused this. The fur was jet black, and his eyes were feral. But there was a glint of intelligence, and the wolf hesitated, and sat down. Inside it's mind, man and beast waged a silent war. Man won. Jon allowed the beast some control, and it went hunting, bringing down a deer with no effort. Jon forced it to keep a solid distance from town, as he wasn't sure if he'd be able to 'step in' and stop the wolf from attacking a person. He was becoming stronger, more in control, but he still allowed the wolf to run free. As Jaina put it, he had come to terms.