Blood. All the blood was starting to get annoying. I fell asleep laying next to Eia and was delved into my mind. And suffice to say, it was growing to be a disturbing place.

I feel like I am a wolf… Yeah… Kind of ridiculous, but the dreams feel so much like memories. Memories of a pack, of being born in a litter of 5. At first I was smaller than the rest and had a dark grey pelt. Suddenly the vision flashes to a scene of a meadow. I was chasing other pups around and gnawing at their scruffs. They were my brothers and sisters, I can feel that.

Then the blood. My father, or the alpha of the pack, had began growing aggressive with me. This came about the same time as my second winter. The thick, gray fur had shed revealing jet black beneath. Due to the constant pressing of my father the rest of the pack grew to hate me.

I was standing over the lifeless bodies of my brothers and sisters. I could see the pain in their fading eyes and taste their blood as it dripped from my jaws. I didn’t want to do it but they gave me no choice. I had grown much bigger than them so they all attacked me at once. I had refused to leave the pack and this was the result.

A sudden pain pierced my back and I turned to see my father, the alpha, attacking me. The coward. Trying to exploit my weakened state. With a sudden burst of anger a switched flipped within me as I turned to tear into his throat.

I jolt awake.

What… What the hell… Tears are falling from my eyes and soaking the furs around me.

Looking down I see that I’ve somehow ripped my furs to shreds in my sleep. There are also deep cuts in the palms of my hands from where my claws had torn through the skin.

This is exactly why humans don’t have razor sharp claws… Suddenly I realize I’m soaked through with sweat.

Looking up at the sky I can see it is around dawn, and I have to get up, and around soon anyways so I stand up. Some water to rinse off with would be excellent, so I lift my head and inhale deeply.

This feels so weird, the thought crosses my mind, -weird in a stupidly natural way, like learning to walk.

Just as the thought finishes I can smell fish. This time I control my reaction and, after checking Eia is fine, walk toward the smell.

I have to part through a bit of foliage but come across a small stream eventually. Slowly I lower myself into the stream, the cool water enveloping me. Then I realize there were no fish in the stream. By looking around, I discover that the smell is coming from a pile of leaves. I move some of the pile away to reveal several fish heads and other bits. Apparently something was really hungry.

There was a sudden roar and the sound of smashing trees coming from the direction of the caves.

I’m such an idiot! The smell of the fish must’ve masked whatever the hell that is.

“HyerHyerHyer!~”, came a gravelly mocking, growl-like laughing sound from the clearing near the mouth of the caves just as I stepped into it.

What stands before me was a huge, grizzly-like bear. It stands near 3 meters, or 10 foot, tall. It’s coat is blazed a crimson, blood-like color and holds countless scars from previous battles.

“Gyuru? What’s this. Is that some knight in shitty armor?”, the gravelly voice sneers as the giant bear turns to look at me.

Looking up to its face I see that it has a dark, polluted smile full of gnarly, blood-soaked teeth. Looking down from it I realize it is standing over a pool of blood where Eia is lying.

Suddenly time seems to slow down, my brain begins to rack and looking very carefully I see Eia take a small breath. A smile spreads across my face. Good, someone as annoyingly tenacious as her couldn’t just die here.

Seeing my smile the giant bear roars a threat, “You dare smile in the face of death! I am a mighty Gyurig Bear. FEAR AND DIE LIKE THE REST!”

A sudden, overwhelming killing intent spills out of the blood colored bear. Still, my smile doesn’t waver. Looking up at the bear I chuckle.

What in the hell am I laughing at, I can’t help but wonder with an intense dread overcoming me slightly. It’s like someone else is sharing my head, and they just heard a hilarious joke. Then that dread is immediately squelched. I start laughing near maniacally as begin lowering myself to the ground slowly.

“STOP LAUGIN-”, the Gyurig’s yell is cut short.

“I won’t cower in fear…”, I whisper as the hair on my head and back begins standing on end.

“I won’t tremble and beg…”, I continue as the Gyurig’s eyes grow wide.

A swelling pride overtakes me and I begin gnashing my teeth, feeling my jaw muscles clench in anticipation

“I will kill, and eat. I will be the biggest. I WILL BE THE TOP! I am THE predator!”, comes a ripping roar from my chest as my voice distorts.

I feel my body grow light and my vision blur momentarily. With a sudden resolution I bolt on all fours toward the Gyurig Bear.

“HOW AMUSING!”, it sneers as it throws its oversized paw down towards my trajectory.

Seeing this I dig my claws into the ground and lunge to my right.

--- Eia’s Point of View ---

Terror. Pure terror envelopes me as the Gyurig Bear laughs above me. It had cleaved my back open in the same place as before and thought it was hilarious how I “sniveled” as it had put it.

I could feel something rummaging around in my now shredded sleeping bag, and it almost felt like it was also in my body.

I faded in and out and suddenly Agrios is here. At least I think it’s Agrios. He is poised on the ground on all fours and his eyes are dyed a blood red, emitting a faint light in the early morning dawn.

Suddenly he begins sprinting forward and her eyes couldn’t help but spread in horror.

IS HE INSANE. No one fights a Gyurig head on except for the higher ranks!

The bear swipes its claw in a downward arc toward where Agrios is headed. Suddenly, Agrios slightly shifts his footing, with a strange grin on his face, and disappears.

It’s in this moment that I realize that most of the terror and killing intent I feel in the clearing is derived from Agrios. I feel like I am in the presence of a monster.

--- Agrios’s Point of View ---

After lunging I immediately begin circling around the bear. Once I am to its side I lunge at it’s legs. Natural instincts taking over I begin spinning in mid air with my claws out.

[THIS IS FUN!] - comes a deep, shaking voice from inside my head.

“DIE! DIE AND FEED ME!”, the voice speaks through my own.

Suddenly we are past the Gyurig and blood stains up and down my arms, as well as a wide arc behind me.

Looking back at the Gyurig I smile to see it on its knees. I shredded the back of its knees along with most of the meat on its legs. It pounded widely around itself trying to attack me the whole time but wasn’t near fast enough.

Looking down I notice Eia is still so close to the Gyurig and was just out of its arms reach as it thrashed wildly.

Noticing my gaze the Gyurig grinns and begins lurching in her direction.

Damnit! She needs to move now!

The Gyurig throws its body weight and accelerates much faster than I anticipated possible.

NO! I began sprinting as fast as I could toward her. I’m not gonna make it. I realized too late.

*BOOM*

The Gyurig’s arm met with what looked like a shield made of blood.

What the hell is this now!?

I instantly take advantage and sprint forward and plant my hands into the bear’s back. I could feel them slide through the ribs of the bear and into its lungs.

With a sudden, satisfying burst of strength I begin ripping outwards, tearing through its chest cavity. My clawed hands explode out of both sides of its body. The bear lurches for a moment then falls backwards, as it smashes into the ground the blood pours from its back into the shape of splotched out wings.

Looking down at Eia I see her wide eyed and terrified face. Seeing that she is alive I begin licking the blood off my hands and pounce on the oversized bear body.

My hands rip long strips of meat from within it and shovels them into my mouth. As my vision begins to blur and my hearing is filled with the sound of rushing blood.

10 minutes later my vision and hearing return with an increasingly familiar confirmation.

Diagnostic complete. Aspect ‘Crimson Gyurig’ attained. Power level: 300. Total aspects: Warg, Crimson Gyurig. Maximum ‘Evolutionary Assimilation’ Power Increased: 100. New Total: 300 Used ‘Evolutionary Assimilation’ Power: 200

“Agri… Os… Please… Hear me…”, comes a faint whisper from behind me.

Turning around I look down on Eia lying in her own blood mixed with that of the Gyurig.

“All you ever do is get hurt you know…”, I say as I walk around her in a panic.

She just looks up in terror which makes me unconsciously wipe some of the blood away from my mouth.

“Well… Come on. Up you go.”, I say as I bend to pick her up.

As soon as my skin makes contact with hers a small crimson spike juts out and into me.

“What the hell!”, I shout as I shake my finger.

“No Bit… He’s a… Friend…”, she whispers slowly and the spike retracts.

“You’ll explain later. We need to get you into town.”, I say quickly.

She just nods and lifts her arms carefully to allow me to pick her up. Carefully I tie her to myself in a piggy back carry.

“Go. Left… At the road…”, she says cautiously with a slight wheeze.

“Alright. We’ve got a long run ahead so-.”, I am cut off by her head bobbing and landing softly on my shoulder.

How in the hell did she survive all these years without me. Well… I guess she did have parents.

I tie her on more securely and begin trudging briskly toward the road. I really, really hope we make it there in time.