A Renegade’s Jeremiad

Chapter 8: Contestation

April 29th. 9:55 AM

Moon: First Quarter

Vanessa panted as she slugged her way to the shadowy crevice of the back alleys. 'The sparks…' Vanessa mused as she went over the battle, 'That Nick used his hunter energy to create thin shadows that Henry could enter. Once Henry entered them, he was able to get close without me noticing. That's how they did that Houdini act!' Vanessa gritted her teeth, her fangs bared. 'Curse the hunters and their meddling ways!' Vanessa thought assuredly of the hunters. 'I hate them… How they poisoned my dear Henry's mind against me. How they allowed those feverish mutts to roam the forests unabated! Scoundrels! All of them!' Vanessa cursed. Vanessa then arrived at another idea, her mouth twisting into another wicked smile. Vanessa plotted, 'Oh… Yes. I know just what I'll do~ I bet those dirty dogs will do as that little hell hound asks. So, once she and her kin spring a trap…' Vanessa giggled to herself at the thought. 'Best be careful, my dear Henry~ I don't want you getting hurt too badly before you become mine!' Vanessa thought before snickering to herself.

In the depths of the forest at 7:30 AM, the Greybacks were hard at work processing their gathered food, making good use of the furs and other implements from the animals they hunted. The cubs of the pack raced to the pen at the eastern side of the pack's territory, where their caretakers were. Among them was Clarissa, who was looking over several of the youngest pups. She smiled sweetly as she held them and comforted their anxieties before letting them play with each other so that they would build confidence in their instincts. That is, until a messenger arrived. "Morning, Clarissa. The Alpha has requested your presence," The messenger announced. Clarissa looked up from the pups, eyes wide. "Oh? What does he need?" Clarissa asked. The messenger answered, "He said it was a private matter and that you would know once I spoke with you about the nature of the message." Clarissa pressed her lips together in recognition of what was going on. "I understand," Clarissa replied, "I'll go see him immediately." After saying goodbye to the pups, Clarissa walked to the centermost segment of the Greybacks' territory.

Once Clarissa had arrived, the guards ushered her to the next room, where the Alpha, Simon, sat in calm serenity, his head buried in maps of the forest area surrounding the Greyback clan's territory, before perking his head up when he noticed Clarissa's presence. "Ah, Clarissa," Simon began, "It's good to see you." Clarissa kneeled before Simon in respect and reverence to him. Clarissa then reverently stated, "I am honored to be in your presence, Father." Simon chuckled, his mouth stretching into a broad smile. "As respectful as always," Simon continued, "But enough about that, we have business to attend to." Clarissa looked at Simon with a steely gaze, eager to serve him and the pack. "I've noticed you were unable to capture your mate. I wanted to give you my condolences. Catching a mate is not always easy for our kind," Simon stated somberly, "It breaks my heart to see you forced to endure the separation. I'm glad, however, that your duties in caring for the pups has kept you sustained up to now."

Clarissa quivered at this statement, holding back tears as her thoughts turned to Henry and his unwillingness to cooperate with her advances. Simon frowned at this before beckoning Clarissa forward. Clarissa obeyed and was greeted by a firm hug from Simon. He patted her back and held her close, consoling her. "Don't be ashamed to cry, Clarissa. The wolf doesn't hold back and neither should you. Not even in my presence," Simon muttered. Clarissa, with Simon's affirmation, wept into Simon's shoulder, her body shuddering from the act. "I… I miss him…" Clarissa made a sniffling sound as she tried to keep herself together, "I feel like a failure. I want him to be happy. But he… He doesn't comply; he doesn't stay close. Every time I think I have him, he slips away…" Clarissa then broke into sobs, tears flowing freely from her eyes as her body shook. Simon frowned, he didn't enjoy seeing Clarissa like this so he held her tighter. "It's ok to be upset. Let it out," Simon stated. And Clarissa obeyed, continuing to sob until her wolf was satisfied.

After Clarissa finished, Simon huffed, continuing to hold her close. "Normally, I wouldn't be this accommodating for a mating hunt," Simon began, "However, the fact that your mate has ties to the abusive hunters as you did and the fact that one of those parasites is hunting him as well… I refuse to allow this injustice to go on. So, I will let you out to hunt for you mate once per week. You'll still have your duties to the pups and you still need to protect the pack when needed, you understand?" Clarissa looked up into Simon's eyes, her gaze reflecting the softness and desire in her heart. "Yes, Father Simon," Clarissa answered, shadows billowing along her fingers as silver streaks began to run through her hair, "I will remain loyal to the pack. I am forever grateful to you for this privilege." The two then separated silently. Simon returned to his work analyzing the map, while Clarissa moved to the edge of the territory, deciding to spend her chance to catch Henry immediately as her heart couldn't bear the thought of him in danger.

Before she left, Ralph stood in front of her in his human form. "Are you going on guard duty already?" Ralph asked. Clarissa answered, "No, Simon has given me permission to pursue my mate again." Ralph's eyes widened before he returned to his senses. "If you're going, I'm going with you. The surrounding packs won't take mercy on you just because you're after your mate." Clarissa pouted before stating, "I don't want you getting hurt again brother… This is my trial." Ralph shook his head before retorting, "You and I both know the other packs have gotten more aggressive lately thanks to the hunters' actions. I'm not letting you go out there without help, no matter how strong you are." Clarissa paused before smiling warmly. "You're always so considerate. Thanks, Ralph!" Clarissa exclaimed. Ralph scratched the back of his head before replying, "Ah, well… Anything for you, sis." So, Ralph and Clarissa traveled through the forest, looking for Henry.

Then at 10:00 AM, Clarissa and Ralph heard the pitter patter of many feet rushing into the forest. They remained crouched in the underbrush before seeing Henry, green hunter energy surging through his body as Nick and a whole slew of hunters were hot on his tail. Clarissa's eyes widened, her hair stood on end, and her heart began to race. "Henry's in trouble!" Clarissa exclaimed, turning to Ralph, "We have to save him!" Ralph nodded before transforming from human form to warwolf form. Clarissa shifted to her wolfman form, snarling as she saw how Henry was forced to run.

Meanwhile, Henry weaved through the trees, green hunter energy blazing behind him as he ducked under the grapples. Nick, eager to chase Henry, followed close behind with his own green hunter energy. "You think you can outmaneuver me?" Nick asked. Before Henry could reply, Nick instantly curved his trajectory, allowing him to ram into Henry's mobility from his right, causing both to cascade into the trees. As this occurred, Henry took a deep breath, transferring to orange hunter energy as his sclera turned from green to orange and his pupils transformed from hourglasses to diagonal cross-slashes. Henry backflipped out of Nick's reach before growling. "Tch! Why are you listening to Marcus over the logic here?!" Henry asked aggressively. Nick smirked, acting laid back. "Why so tense? We're having fun here!" Nick stated nonchalantly. "Fun tends to diminish when you make things serious," Henry snarled. Nick then noticed the other hunters had vanished. "Huh? Was our game not good enough for them?" Nick asked. Henry swiveled around and his eyes widened when he saw the hunters were gone. After a shallow breath, Henry shifted to red hunter energy, his sclera turning red and his cross-slashed pupils turning into cat-like pupils. Henry's muscles rippled as his muscle mass increased from the additional reinforcement. "Stay alert," Henry remarked gruffly, "We've got trouble."

It was then Clarissa and Ralph emerged from their hidden position, both sets of eyes laced with the same thrill for hunting. Henry was the first to notice, pivoting to face them with a stoic, emotionless expression. Nick, when he turned to face where Henry was looking, audibly gasped, his face going pale and his eyes widening as if he saw a specter, causing him to lose his green hunter energy for a moment as he lost control for a singular moment. Clarissa giggled at this, taking enjoyment in seeing Nick's reaction. However, unlike the soft, sweet way Clarissa approached Henry with, her giggles towards Nick were sharp and haughty, bordering on mockery. Clarissa's eyes also gleamed with a pointed harshness that neither Henry nor Nick ever saw before. Henry tensed when he saw this look, having deduced that Clarissa was responsible for the hunters that just disappeared. "Where are they, Clarissa? Henry asked flatly. Nick looked from Clarissa to Henry and back again silently, flabbergasted at the revelation that Clarissa was alive at all. Clarissa's eyes softened when she settled her sights on Henry, however, her tone was still sharp. "Oh, what do they matter? They were bothering you, dear. I only wished to protect what belongs to me," Clarissa answered with a deathly calm that made Nick jump with shock while Henry, influenced by the red hunter energy, only scowled, glaring at Clarissa. "I won't ask a third time. Where. Are. They?" Henry interrogated.

Clarissa sighed before raising her arms, causing the shadows around her and Ralph to unravel, showing that all of the hunters were trapped in them, unable to use hunter energy to get out because they were all badly injured and the shadows kept digging into these injuries, causing them relentless pain. Henry marveled at the sight, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open. Yet, he held onto control of his energy. Nick, in contrast to his previous reactions, hardened his gaze, gritting his teeth as he stepped forward. "What have you done?!" Nick shouted, "This must be a lie! You can't be her! Clarissa would never do this." Clarissa and Ralph laughed harshly at Nick's comments while Henry looked at Nick with sympathy in his eyes. "Oh Nick…" Clarissa mocked, "You always were the slowest to catch onto these little details, despite all of that 'logical loyalty' you hold so close to your heart and mind. From my perspective, you-"

"That's enough!" Henry exclaimed, stepping forward, his chest rising and falling with clear tension coiled in each muscle. Clarissa whimpered, immediately folding. "L-look, Henry. They aren't dead… Yet," Clarissa began nervously. After a quick breath, Clarissa regained her composure. "If you want me to set them free Henry, then you will surrender and come with me. If you don't, these traitors will die, here and now," Clarissa demanded. Henry, not having much choice, released his red hunter energy, his eyes and muscle mass reverting to normal before he walked forward calmly. With his eyes widened, Nick shouted, "NO! Henry!" Nick ran forward, only for Ralph to jump in front of him. "You no interfere, hunter," Ralph threatened. Nick, instead of back down, looked Ralph in the eye, albeit with some reservation in his heart. "You… You seem to fit the description of the wolf that took my friend," Nick accused. Ralph chuckled, "I save Clarissa. You hunters hurt her." Nick growled, his eyes narrowing as base hunter energy flowed through him as he finally understood why Clarissa was acting as she did. "You beast… I'd rather die before I let you take my other friend from me too!" Nick exclaimed, his hunter energy flaring. Ralph gave Nick a wolfish smirk as he crossed his arms smugly. "Ralph," Clarissa warned, "Don't take him lightly. He may be foolish, but he's a capable fighter." Ralph nodded and dropped the wolfish smirk, but still kept his arms crossed and his eyes trained on Nick.

It was at this moment that Henry had an opportunity. He quickly activated his hunter energy again and accessed his blue hunter energy, his sclera turning blue and his pupils transforming into the crosshairs of a ranged weapon. 'Alright. Light will burn these shadows away, giving these prisoners time to escape,' Henry thought, his thoughts being processed far quicker thanks to the enhanced mental efficiency granted by blue hunter energy. Henry continued, 'Now, the intensity of light, judging from the thickness of the shadows, will need to be about 340 . Meaning, I'll need an area of 1.5 millimeters or 1.5e meters squared combined with the power output of 1264 watts rounded down at least.' After making these calculations, Henry unleashed several orbs of blue light from his hands, cutting through all of Clarissa's shadows, which allowed the hunters to retreat (this whole process Clarissa being distracted, Henry's calculations, and the production of these orbs of light having been done within the span of seventeen seconds in real time.)

Once the hunters had fled, Clarissa tensed, looking at Henry with a shocked look. Ralph was equally surprised while Nick breathed a sigh of relief. "Did you think I would accept your terms so easily?" Henry asked coldly. Clarissa growled, "I don't appreciate being tricked!" Henry disengaged his hunter energy so that Clarissa would let her guard down. "Not much of a trick to it. All I did was remove the hostages from the situation," Henry explained coolly, looking at Clarissa with his normal eyes. Clarissa huffed as she reverted back to her human form, tears prickling in the corners of her baby blue eyes. "Why?" Clarissa asked, "Why are you doing this? We don't need all of these limitations, Henry." Henry sighed, giving Clarissa a pitiable look. Henry explained, "I'm sorry I didn't say this sooner, my priorities were in the wrong place when we were talking and the other circumstances didn't give me the time…" Henry began to hesitate, his throat choking back the words he had in mind. "What? Tell me what you need to say, Henry," Clarissa demanded, choking back tears. Henry took a deep breath before he looked Clarissa in the eye. "I don't want to join the wolves, Clarissa," Henry proclaimed, "I am not going to sacrifice my humanity for any sympathetic cause that you or any other monster would have."

Clarissa's eyes widened before the amber consumed them once again, her throat emitting loud growls. Clarissa immediately transformed back to her wolfman form with a howl of fury, baring her teeth at Henry. "You dare deny me? Deny this bond!?" Clarissa boomed. Henry stood firm, despite the sweat beading on his brow. Ralph turned away from Nick, baring his teeth as he snarled at Henry from behind. Clarissa laughed manically when she saw Henry's unease. "You can't deny the mate bond! It is tightly wound to both our beings! This is our fate, Henry. You would be a fool to deny it." Clarissa bellowed, leaning into Henry's face. Henry flinched slightly at Clarissa's warm breath, yet his composure held firm. "I've denied Marcus for weeks, you think I wouldn't resist you as well?" Henry asked. Clarissa huffed, stomping towards Henry and baring down on him. "Henry…" Clarissa threatened, "You belong to me. We can either do this gently or I can maul you. Your choice!" Henry began to tremble from Clarissa's glare, yet he didn't budge, his mind racing from the pressure.

Clarissa transformed once more, entering her warwolf form. "No!" Nick shouted, "I'm not letting you take my other friend!" Nick rushed ahead only to be bashed away by Ralph. "Stay out, hunter!" Ralph threatened. This was the moment that Henry's composure finally broke and he immediately dodged to the left, rolling under Clarissa's muscular arms before racing into the forest, gritting his teeth. Clarissa howled before charging after Henry, wearing the shadows as armor before barreling through trees to attempt capturing him. Ralph followed at an angle and nearly grasped Henry before Nick came in from the side and slammed Ralph with green hunter energy. "Hey, the game's just getting started, pup!" Nick shouted mockingly, earning a growl from Ralph.

Henry streaked across the forest, his heart racing and sweat flying from his head as he desperately raced to get away, managing to get 334 feet away thanks to the hunter's energy boosting his running ability. Clarissa failed to catch up, making her pant and snarl, her wolfish, amber eyes glowed in the moonlight as they remained pinned to Henry's retreating form. In this state, Clarissa initiated the pinnacle of her transformations. Her muscles atrophied rapidly, her torso becoming wolf-like and layered in a thin sheet of silver-grey fur. Her limbs, however, were thin and spindly, yet closely resembled a wolf's legs even as they still had the smallest of resemblances of human autonomy. This was the form of the Lycan, the form that was the second closest state to the wolf in a werewolf's autonomy, yet it still allowed a small amount of human aspects to emerge for the purpose of speed and pursuit; the Lycan's greatest strengths.

As Henry continued to run, Clarissa caught up to him within five seconds. Henry barely dodged before Clarissa began to swipe and bite at Henry, who only barely held off her attacks. Henry became more cut up as this went on, unable to keep up with Clarissa as she mauled him. After a while of this, Henry fell to the ground, his breathing ragged and his energy lost. Clarissa placed a paw onto Henry's battered chest before l*****g his face and wounds though at this point, it wasn't Clarissa in control, it was her inner wolf. The wolf, after some licks, cuddled close to Henry, nuzzling him and moving the licks towards Henry's neck and face as her body curled around Henry.

Meanwhile, Nick and Ralph clashed violently, Ralph growling and snarling while Nick countered his swipes nonchalantly. "Is that the best you can do, fuzzball?" Nick taunted, masking the tremors in his knees and the sweat on his brow as he stared down Ralph. Ralph roared, "You stay away! Stay away from sister! Away from brother!" Nick scoffed, the green hunter energy influencing his nonchalant demeanor. "Henry? As your brother?" Nick asked, "I fail to see the logic here." Ralph huffed at Nick, displeased by his taunts. Nick's expression suddenly hardened when he saw what Clarissa had done to Henry and how her wolf was practically slobbering all over him. 'She's going to eat him for dinner! I need to do something!' Nick thought, hiding these musings behind his laid-back attitude. However, Ralph refused to budge and he and Nick continued to trade blows.

Back with Henry, the saliva from Clarissa's Lycan form seeped into his wounds and caused them to scab over quickly, removing the pain of these cuts. Henry, now with a clear head, took a breath and activated his yellow hunter energy, his sclera turning yellow as his irises dissolved, leaving only the pin-prick pupils. With an emotionless expression, Henry assessed the situation. 'Damages sustained. Werewolf spit has none of the curse contained, likely intent was to promote healing. This odd behavior can be described as "Mating Behavior" likely induced by memory fusion with wolf instinct. Given my prior bond with Clarissa when she was human, this adds up. The wolf naturally sees me, an emotional support over the course of a lifetime, as an engagement of mating instinct. However, now that I hold the cards, I must repair the damage done to me,' Henry pondered before drawing up a needle made of his hunter energy and processing a viscous, yellow liquid that he poured drew into the needle with its plunger before injecting himself with it, increasing his regenerative capabilities to near instantaneous as the cuts disappeared, leaving white marks before those too, disappeared. Changing the liquid to a darker yellow, Henry then pricked Clarissa with the needle, causing her to fall asleep, allowing him to escape her grasp and attempt to leave.

As the constructs vanished, Henry then heard a growl and felt the impending breath of a Lycan behind him. Henry thought, 'Fascinating, she shrugged off the effects almost instantly. However, I suppose I'll need to change tactics.' Before Clarissa could attack, Henry took a shallow breath and switched to green hunter energy, his pupils becoming hourglasses as his irises returned and his sclera changed from yellow to green. However, Henry didn't smirk, taunt, or engage. Instead, he looked on with a thousand-yard stare and a seemingly emotionless expression as he stared Clarissa in the eyes. Clarissa, however, didn't attack when she saw Henry's eyes and the expression behind them. When that happened, Clarissa whimpered and held Henry close, nuzzling his head in an effort to make him happy.

But then, Henry slipped out and used the green hunter energy to put some distance between himself and Clarissa. All this did was make Clarissa growl and race after Henry again, relentless in her pursuit. Once she began her pursuit, Henry's green hunter energy allowed him to outmaneuver Clarissa's grapples until she managed to grab him from his ankles and forcefully squeezed him once she pulled him into her grasp, forcing Henry's green hunter energy to recede. Within Henry's heart, he shouted, 'I don't want to be inhuman!' At that moment, Henry's hunter energy spiked, his hair became white and unruly as the sparks of energy flashed over his body in chaotic fashion, shocking Clarissa before Henry's reinforced limbs pushed her off. Once Henry ran off, Clarissa had difficulty keeping up with Henry, as the manic jolts of his hunter energy reinforced his body beyond normal reinforcement, allowing him to get the best of Clarissa by getting behind her body and initiating a suplex. As Henry ran off, something in the shadows shifted.

Ralph, in the middle of his struggle with Nick, smelled something was off and looked at the shadows before realizing something was watching and was now on the move. "Clarissa!" Ralph exclaimed, bashing Nick away and placing several tree trunks on him before racing off to find her. When Ralph found Clarissa, she was in her human form, crying and quivering in a little ball. Ralph changed to his human form and knelt before her. "Clarissa?" Ralph asked, concerned for her wellbeing. Clarissa looked up at Ralph from her crying before hugging Ralph and crying into his shoulder. "He hates me… He hates me…" Clarissa repeated over and over, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably. Ralph hugged her back and consoled her. "Why do you think that?" Ralph asked. Clarissa answered, "He entered a half-awakened form just to get away." Ralph scratched his head before asking, "Huh? What's that?" Clarissa explained, "A half awakened form is the stepping stone for obtaining an awakened form. This form emerges when a hunter masters their innate hunter energy. For Henry, that would be base hunter energy. This awakened form makes hunter energy temporarily unlimited in the body of a hunter and refines its quality to such a high extent, it could match the strength of ten alphas combined in terms of raw power."

Ralph's jaw dropped in astonishment. "How are we supposed to subdue something like that!?" Ralph exclaimed. "Don't worry," Clarissa continued, "Henry is using a half-awakened form. His hunter energy is not unlimited and it is draining fast; we should be able to catch him soon. But…" Clarissa trailed off, her lips quivering. "What's wrong?" Ralph asked. "I don't know if Henry will let me hold him. I never wanted to make him scared…" Clarissa answered before sniffling and holding Ralph tight as her body shook with emotion. Ralph then remembered the ominous presence from earlier and stated, "Hey, I think we were being watched, we need to find your mate now before he gets in trouble." Clarissa wiped her tears away, her brow furrowing before she got to her feet and entered her wolf man form. "Let's go. I won't allow any harm to come to Henry!" Clarissa declared before the two of them ran off to find Henry.

Meanwhile, Henry stopped his half-awakened form, panting heavily. He had burned through a third of his hunter energy, leaving just under two-thirds of his energy remaining. Henry then heard a rustle in the underbrush around him and started to pace away. He came across a ditch with a log conveniently placed for people to get across easily. Normally, Henry would be skeptical, but with Clarissa and Ralph after him, he had no time to lose. So, Henry raced across the log, only for a hand to grab his ankle and pull him under. Henry then found himself in Vanessa's embrace, his eyes widening when he saw her, yet his body was already weakened, so he couldn't struggle. Before Henry could try anything, Vanessa bared her fangs and bit into his neck, drinking only a sip of his crimson essence before injecting a black viscous goo into Henry's veins, causing him to lose consciousness. In this state, Vanessa held Henry close to her chest, her dead heart racing as she gained a blush. Vanessa sat at the bottom of the ditch, cradling Henry's body as she kissed his forehead and smiled warmly. "At last, my love," Vanessa muttered, "You are mine."