Shaggy adjusted his sitting position again. The dirt of their cavern home wasn’t the most comfortable. He mentally made a note to have his pack to steal some chairs in the future. A low growl came from in front of him and Shaggy sighed. He refocused his attention inwards and tried to find his inner wolf. Which, now that he was back underground and safe, was being annoyingly quiet. Vance’s growl disappeared and Shaggy did his best to concentrate.
Once they had gotten back home, the old werewolf didn’t even give Shaggy a chance to help unload the groceries. No, Shaggy was corralled all the way down to the inner cavern and made to sit in the dirt and meditate. Something he had rarely done before. If his pack had anything to say about what was happening, they kept it to themselves. They and the teens set about unloading pallets of food into the cave.
The inner cavern had brightened with the various lamps they had stolen and the occasional fire. But with Levy’s recent addition, it was practically daytime in their underground home. Shaggy wasn’t sure where or how she had got a bright light source to hang in the center of the cavern, but he was thankful for it. Judging by the sounds of relief from the kids moving pallets, so were they. That wasn’t Levy’s only additions to the cave. While they had been gone, his wife had been busy.
Several large green trees dotted the circular dirt field of the cavern. Not little growing plants, full-grown trees that shot up into the air with the branches spreading wide. Two large buildings sat on either side of the exact center of the cavern. One was thin and tall while the other was squat and short. Shaggy guessed they were the housing for his pack and the teens. But he hadn’t had time to ask. Levy was at the center of the cave, blue outlines of walls surrounding her as she worked out the blueprint for their home. Shaggy really wanted to see what she was planning, but Vance was practically on top of him.
“You’re not concentrating,” Vance growled again.
Shaggy huffed and opened his eyes. “Of course I am! But this damn inner wolf thing isn’t listening. I think it’s asleep. Should we try again in the morning?”
A sharp blow landed on top of Shaggy’s head. He had tried to dodge it, but Vance apparently had clocked his speed.
“You don’t work on HIS schedule. HE works on yours. You need him, you call him up. But first you gotta bring that dog to heel.”
“Yeah, I don’t think my wolf heels.”
Vance snorted. “Most werewolves are stubborn to begin with. But you went and added some cockamamie demon blood to the mix. Now you got a pissed off Inner Wolf with an upgrade. So you have to try harder!”
“Okay. So I got to wake up the grumpy demon wolf. Then what? We fight until one of us yields?”
“Fight, talk, stare at each other. Whatever it takes. Although from what I know about you, your wolf is going to be a pain in the ass.”
“Where does he come from? Is he a part of my mutation? Do all Weres have inner wolves?”
“Damn it, I’m not a teacher.” Vance groaned.
“Literally your job,” Shaggy said.
“Fine! Most normal, pure Weres have one. Some believe it is the psyche breaking off the more primal part of our minds to preserve the human side. Confronting your inner wolf is basically you trying to merge the two aspects back into one. So it’s still kinda of you, just more… animal. But with you being the Blood God’s champion, your inner wolf got an upgrade. As for your mutation, I do not know. Most of you Mutts don’t go through the same things us Pure Weres do. But maybe your Mutant abilities mirror a standard Werewolf so much that you got one.”
“Do I have to worry about my pack? Are they going to go through this nonsense too?”
Vance shrugged again. “I doubt it. But if they do, then it’ll be the normal nonsense and not this Demon wolf shit.”
Shaggy stretched out his legs in the dirt and thought about it. Sybil was the only one to get an extra helping of Demon when the change happened. So maybe she’d get the same crap. But it didn’t sound too bad. All he had to do was come to an agreement with his inner wolf. He wondered how the game was going to represent that. Would he meet a shadow version of himself? He grinned as he brushed dirt off his jeans.
Vance smacked the top of his head again. “Quit grinning like an idiot and get back to focusing. You need that wolf under control.”
Shaggy sighed and closed his eyes again. He tried to relax his entire body and focus inward. The few times he had felt the wolf, it had been somewhere in the center of his ribs. Like a burning mass of anger ready to snap at the world. But now all he felt was nothing. His damn wolf was ignoring him. Shaggy snorted at the audacity of his inner wolf. But at the same time, he understood. Shaggy also had a problem with authority.
But this was HIS inner wolf. It needed to wake up and realize who was boss. That thought caused a flare of indignation in Shaggy’s chest. He grinned.
“Oh, you didn’t like that? How about this: You’re a two-bit mutt who’s trying to get off the leash. Well, I’m going to yank on that leash until you realize I’m the one driving this bus. Get used to it!”
As Shaggy continued with his mental diatribe, he felt his chest heat and his inner beast stir. He kept up a litany of insults, trying as hard as possible to make the wolf madder and madder. Until he felt it was fully awake and roaring in his chest. Shaggy tried to focus on it as it batted against its mental prison. Not know what to do now, Shaggy reached out with his mind and tried to quell the beast. But when he made contact, everything went dark and his hearing left him.
Shaggy started awake and found himself in another black void. The only light was cast down from above him, creating a golden cone that lit a small area. He looked around, but found that other than darkness, he was alone. He tried to move out of the light, but it followed along with him. After running back and forth, trying to see if the light could keep up, Shaggy grinned and shouted out into the dark.
“Hello!? If this is supposed to be some kind of scare tactic, you might want to turn off the light!”
Nothing answered him, not even an echo. Shaggy thought he had glitched the game somehow. Maybe he fell into a hidden Dev room? He was about to log out when his senses picked up a presence behind him. Shaggy spun, surprised that however it was had gotten so close. As he did, he called up his claws and got ready to fight. But what he saw made him stop in his tracks.
Before him, under the golden light, was another version of him. It was dressed exactly like him, had the same scars and facial features. The only difference was the other Shaggy’s eyes were dark red pits surrounded by inky blackness. Shaggy snorted at the old gaming trope.
“I get it!” Shaggy called out to the darkness. “This is one of those shadow self type of things. Where I think I have to fight myself. But really I need to accept that everyone has darkness inside them, right? Well, here I am! Accepting my darkness!”
Shaggy grinned as he opened his arms to his dark self. Like he was about to hug himself. Shadow Shaggy grinned. Showing a large row of sharp teeth. Shaggy grimaced. He didn’t realize that was what he looked like when he smiled. It was a little disconcerting. Like a shark trying to play nice. But Shaggy shook it off and moved in for the hug.
Shadow Shaggy raised its arms too, and Shaggy was sure he was on the right track. Until his doppelgänger’s left hand blurred and he felt a sharp pain in his nose. The next thing Shaggy knew, he was flying through the dark, the cone of light trying its best to keep up. When Shaggy’s momentum stopped and he slammed into the ground, he tried to jump to his feet. But his surroundings had changed again.
He was back in the brown cavern. Except now he was embedded in a dirt wall. As he tried to get his bearings, he saw several trees ablaze with green fire. Smoke and screams filled the cavern. Nearby Cekrass was lying in the dirt unconscious. Vick was trying to rouse the big lizard. Levy was casting some spell over Sybil. Rita and Vance were standing in front of him, looking worn down and exhausted. Vance’s clothes were torn and Rita’s armor was indented in places. Both had large cuts on their bodies, but they were healing quickly. Shaggy didn’t see Tom anywhere. But Vance’s annoyed voice stopped him from checking the pack link.
“Son, what the fuck was that!?”
Shaggy tried to respond, but all that came out was a groan. He realized he, too, was pretty bruised and beaten up. His clothes were torn, and he had several large cuts all over his body. Nearby, Rita’s silver sword lay in the dirt. His healing was doing its thing, but it was taking a while. As he tried to move, the dirt encasing his body shifted, and he fell forward in a mass of dirt. He felt his cuts sting as dirt rubbed into them. But he pulled himself slowly forward. Everything hurt. Once he had gotten used to the pain, he asked, brilliantly.
“Wha…?”
“That!” Vance shouted, pointing at Shaggy. “The whole shitshow that just happened.”
Shaggy quirked an eyebrow and tried to figure out what the old wolf was talking about. But Rita cut in for him.
“He… huff… doesn’t know… whew… he doesn’t remember a thing.”
Shaggy nodded dumbly as he spotted teens running around putting out fires. Luckily, it seemed that Sybil and Cekrass were the only two to be hurt by whatever hit them. Vance was still standing there, flabbergasted, and even Rita seemed annoyed.
“Boss, you just went on a fucking rampage.” Rita said, getting her breath back.
“Like a damn wolverine on drugs!” Vick shouted from his spot near Cekrass.
Shaggy tried to remember what had happened. But beside his trip to the dark dimension and Shadow Shaggy. He remembered nothing. Vance blew out an annoyed breath as several large claw marks healed over. His black shirt and jacket were almost ripped to shreds. Seeing Shaggy looking confused, the old Were calmed slightly. But then an aggrieved look came over his face.
“You got to go back.”
Shaggy’s neck nearly snapped from how hard it twisted to look at the older man. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Shaggy felt his pack recoil slightly at Vance’s words. But the old werewolf was adamant.
“You need to contact your inner wolf again. Now, last time you did, it seems the damn thing took your body for a test drive.”
“Argh!” Sybil shouted as she sat up. Levy still casting whatever magic she was using to heal the short blond Were. “Whooped our assess is what he did!”
Vance nodded as Shaggy grimaced. But a thought occurred to him. “Wait. Why do I need to do it again? Shouldn’t I get stronger first and then go back in?”
“Hell no! That damn thing kicked our assess. What do you think it’s going to do if you get even more powerful!?”
Shaggy took in the destruction around the cavern. He believed that the fire on the trees had been Sybil’s fault. But judging by how rundown and beaten his pack and Vance looked, he dreaded to think what would happen if his inner wolf took over again. Again, he wondered where Tom was and Vick answered as Cekrass finally sat up. The large lizard looked confused but alright.
“Tom is getting the kids situated. He’s a sneaky bastard, but I don’t think he’d last against your other half, boss.”
Shaggy nodded as he was slowly surrounded by Vance, his pack, and Levy. His wife was trying to keep a grin off her face. This was awesome, gaming-wise. He was a boss mob for his crew and wife. Although he doubted the NPCs felt that way. He thought again about trying later. They could all get a rest and get the fires put out, then try again. But Vance stepped forward.
“Now, Shaggy. You got to get a hold of that thing. If you are tired, then it’s probably feeling the same. Get in there a take it down. I wasn’t expecting your wolf to be so Demonic. But I am more than ready this time. I’ll keep the thing pinned on this side. You just get in there!”
Rita snorted as she moved to pick up her sword. She gave Shaggy a wide berth as she did. “You looked ready last time, old man.”
Levy finally let her own grin peek through. “It surprised everyone last time. This time, we know what to expect.”
With that said, Levy waved a hand, and purple manacles sprung from the dirt. Shaggy grunted as the large cuffs slammed around his wrists. He looked incredulously at his wife. But Levy grinned and blew him a kiss.
“Demon-you is hot.” Levy cackled as he tested the magical manacles.
“Noted.”
“Alright. Enough talking. Get in there and bring the thing to heel. We’ll take things from here.”
Sybil and Vick drew their weapons and Cekrass looked ready to tackle him. Rita held her sword at the ready as Vance threw his jacket and shirt to the dirt floor. Levy blew him another kiss and Shaggy knew he was going to back in. He needed to get this done. Kicking himself for thinking it was a trope, he looked inward again.
This time his inner wolf invited him in eagerly and Shaggy felt his consciousness seeped into the darkness. He came awake in the same black void with the golden light shiny on him. He briefly wondered why his mental space was an empty void, but he shook it off as shifted. If he was going to do this, it was going to be in his strongest form. The shift was upon him as he felt more than saw his inner wolf appear in the light again.
This time, he didn’t stop himself and as he shifted; he kicked out with his growing wolf legs. The transformation finished as he felt his feet connect with a large, furry shape. As he spun and landed on all fours in his wolf form, Shaggy came face to face with a large black wolf. His inner demon wolf was the same size and color as him. Right down to the new demon horns. Except were Shaggy’s horns were black, the demon wolfs were burning red with fire. Shaggy grimaced as his inner wolf barely registered his kick.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Shaggy pounced. Remembering that his pack was back in the other world fighting this demon. Shaggy opened his jaws wide and snapped at the other wolfs neck. But it darted away and batted at him with its large front paw. Shaggy took the hit and returned one of his own. He felt his claws dig into the furry hide of his alter ego. Black blood fell into the void as Shaggy drew his front paw back and pounced forward again.
The other wolf rolled out of the way and came up to its feet. It snarled as its wounds closed. Shaggy swore mentally and dash forward again. He needed to do more damage quickly. He swiped again with his front claws, but his inner wolf was ready and snapped its jaws around Shaggy’s front paw. The demon wolf twisted and dragged Shaggy to the ground. Shaggy and the other wolf twisted on the floor, snapping and biting at each other. Shaggy felt chunks of his flesh come away as red and black blood mixed on his face. But he gave as good as he got. Tearing a chunk off the demon wolf. He even got his back legs up and started ripping into the demon’s wolf’s belly. The combat was so ferocious that when it suddenly ended, Shaggy was stunned. He momentarily thought he had won as the other wolf was gone. But a quick glance around showed Shadow Shaggy back in his human form, running away.
Shaggy snarled and ran after his doppelgänger. The light overhead kept up with Shaggy as he ran his alter ego down. The inner demon was fast, but no match for the four-legged Werewolf. Shaggy launched himself on top of Shadow Shaggy and bit down. The inner wolf howled in pain and Shaggy jerked his head back and forth wildly. He felt the other Shaggy go limp and finally dropped him. He wanted to howl in victory, but he stopped himself and watched. It would be just like him, to play dead just to back a last stitched effort. But Shadow Shaggy’s wounds weren’t healing and Shaggy thought it was ok to shift back to human.
Still weary, he tried to keep an eye on the prone form of himself. Once he was back to human, he kicked the inner demon wolf over. He gave a cry in alarm as Shadow Shaggy’s eyes were still wide open and glowing red. The noise echoed into the void and then came back to him, making Shaggy grimace at the sound of his scream. He was happy no one else was around for that. Shaggy put a foot on either side of his doppelgänger’s chest and stared down at his own face. The beast didn’t appear to be breathing anymore, but something about the way the things’ eyes still burned unsettled him. With a flick of his wrist, Shaggy summoned his claws and slashed them across his inner wolfs neck. His own face glared back at him, but did nothing else. Even as Shaggy tore its head from its body. As black blood fell away deeper into the void. Shaggy watched the red eyes of the inner wolf fade and then go completely grey. He tossed the head away and watched it sink into the void.
Now Shaggy howled in triumph.
Shaggy adjusted his sitting position again. The dirt of their cavern home wasn’t the most comfortable. He mentally made a note to have his pack to steal some chairs in the future. A low growl came from in front of him and Shaggy sighed. He refocused his attention inwards and tried to find his inner wolf. Which, now that he was back underground and safe, was being annoyingly quiet. Vance’s growl disappeared and Shaggy did his best to concentrate.
Once they had gotten back home, the old werewolf didn’t even give Shaggy a chance to help unload the groceries. No, Shaggy was corralled all the way down to the inner cavern and made to sit in the dirt and meditate. Something he had rarely done before. If his pack had anything to say about what was happening, they kept it to themselves. They and the teens set about unloading pallets of food into the cave.
The inner cavern had brightened with the various lamps they had stolen and the occasional fire. But with Levy’s recent addition, it was practically daytime in their underground home. Shaggy wasn’t sure where or how she had got a bright light source to hang in the center of the cavern, but he was thankful for it. Judging by the sounds of relief from the kids moving pallets, so were they. That wasn’t Levy’s only additions to the cave. While they had been gone, his wife had been busy.
Several large green trees dotted the circular dirt field of the cavern. Not little growing plants, full-grown trees that shot up into the air with the branches spreading wide. Two large buildings sat on either side of the exact center of the cavern. One was thin and tall while the other was squat and short. Shaggy guessed they were the housing for his pack and the teens. But he hadn’t had time to ask. Levy was at the center of the cave, blue outlines of walls surrounding her as she worked out the blueprint for their home. Shaggy really wanted to see what she was planning, but Vance was practically on top of him.
“You’re not concentrating,” Vance growled again.
Shaggy huffed and opened his eyes. “Of course I am! But this damn inner wolf thing isn’t listening. I think it’s asleep. Should we try again in the morning?”
A sharp blow landed on top of Shaggy’s head. He had tried to dodge it, but Vance apparently had clocked his speed.
“You don’t work on HIS schedule. HE works on yours. You need him, you call him up. But first you gotta bring that dog to heel.”
“Yeah, I don’t think my wolf heels.”
Vance snorted. “Most werewolves are stubborn to begin with. But you went and added some cockamamie demon blood to the mix. Now you got a pissed off Inner Wolf with an upgrade. So you have to try harder!”
“Okay. So I got to wake up the grumpy demon wolf. Then what? We fight until one of us yields?”
“Fight, talk, stare at each other. Whatever it takes. Although from what I know about you, your wolf is going to be a pain in the ass.”
“Where does he come from? Is he a part of my mutation? Do all Weres have inner wolves?”
“Damn it, I’m not a teacher.” Vance groaned.
“Literally your job,” Shaggy said.
“Fine! Most normal, pure Weres have one. Some believe it is the psyche breaking off the more primal part of our minds to preserve the human side. Confronting your inner wolf is basically you trying to merge the two aspects back into one. So it’s still kinda of you, just more… animal. But with you being the Blood God’s champion, your inner wolf got an upgrade. As for your mutation, I do not know. Most of you Mutts don’t go through the same things us Pure Weres do. But maybe your Mutant abilities mirror a standard Werewolf so much that you got one.”
“Do I have to worry about my pack? Are they going to go through this nonsense too?”
Vance shrugged again. “I doubt it. But if they do, then it’ll be the normal nonsense and not this Demon wolf shit.”
Shaggy stretched out his legs in the dirt and thought about it. Sybil was the only one to get an extra helping of Demon when the change happened. So maybe she’d get the same crap. But it didn’t sound too bad. All he had to do was come to an agreement with his inner wolf. He wondered how the game was going to represent that. Would he meet a shadow version of himself? He grinned as he brushed dirt off his jeans.
Vance smacked the top of his head again. “Quit grinning like an idiot and get back to focusing. You need that wolf under control.”
Shaggy sighed and closed his eyes again. He tried to relax his entire body and focus inward. The few times he had felt the wolf, it had been somewhere in the center of his ribs. Like a burning mass of anger ready to snap at the world. But now all he felt was nothing. His damn wolf was ignoring him. Shaggy snorted at the audacity of his inner wolf. But at the same time, he understood. Shaggy also had a problem with authority.
But this was HIS inner wolf. It needed to wake up and realize who was boss. That thought caused a flare of indignation in Shaggy’s chest. He grinned.
“Oh, you didn’t like that? How about this: You’re a two-bit mutt who’s trying to get off the leash. Well, I’m going to yank on that leash until you realize I’m the one driving this bus. Get used to it!”
As Shaggy continued with his mental diatribe, he felt his chest heat and his inner beast stir. He kept up a litany of insults, trying as hard as possible to make the wolf madder and madder. Until he felt it was fully awake and roaring in his chest. Shaggy tried to focus on it as it batted against its mental prison. Not know what to do now, Shaggy reached out with his mind and tried to quell the beast. But when he made contact, everything went dark and his hearing left him.
Shaggy started awake and found himself in another black void. The only light was cast down from above him, creating a golden cone that lit a small area. He looked around, but found that other than darkness, he was alone. He tried to move out of the light, but it followed along with him. After running back and forth, trying to see if the light could keep up, Shaggy grinned and shouted out into the dark.
“Hello!? If this is supposed to be some kind of scare tactic, you might want to turn off the light!”
Nothing answered him, not even an echo. Shaggy thought he had glitched the game somehow. Maybe he fell into a hidden Dev room? He was about to log out when his senses picked up a presence behind him. Shaggy spun, surprised that however it was had gotten so close. As he did, he called up his claws and got ready to fight. But what he saw made him stop in his tracks.
Before him, under the golden light, was another version of him. It was dressed exactly like him, had the same scars and facial features. The only difference was the other Shaggy’s eyes were dark red pits surrounded by inky blackness. Shaggy snorted at the old gaming trope.
“I get it!” Shaggy called out to the darkness. “This is one of those shadow self type of things. Where I think I have to fight myself. But really I need to accept that everyone has darkness inside them, right? Well, here I am! Accepting my darkness!”
Shaggy grinned as he opened his arms to his dark self. Like he was about to hug himself. Shadow Shaggy grinned. Showing a large row of sharp teeth. Shaggy grimaced. He didn’t realize that was what he looked like when he smiled. It was a little disconcerting. Like a shark trying to play nice. But Shaggy shook it off and moved in for the hug.
Shadow Shaggy raised its arms too, and Shaggy was sure he was on the right track. Until his doppelgänger’s left hand blurred and he felt a sharp pain in his nose. The next thing Shaggy knew, he was flying through the dark, the cone of light trying its best to keep up. When Shaggy’s momentum stopped and he slammed into the ground, he tried to jump to his feet. But his surroundings had changed again.
He was back in the brown cavern. Except now he was embedded in a dirt wall. As he tried to get his bearings, he saw several trees ablaze with green fire. Smoke and screams filled the cavern. Nearby Cekrass was lying in the dirt unconscious. Vick was trying to rouse the big lizard. Levy was casting some spell over Sybil. Rita and Vance were standing in front of him, looking worn down and exhausted. Vance’s clothes were torn and Rita’s armor was indented in places. Both had large cuts on their bodies, but they were healing quickly. Shaggy didn’t see Tom anywhere. But Vance’s annoyed voice stopped him from checking the pack link.
“Son, what the fuck was that!?”
Shaggy tried to respond, but all that came out was a groan. He realized he, too, was pretty bruised and beaten up. His clothes were torn, and he had several large cuts all over his body. Nearby, Rita’s silver sword lay in the dirt. His healing was doing its thing, but it was taking a while. As he tried to move, the dirt encasing his body shifted, and he fell forward in a mass of dirt. He felt his cuts sting as dirt rubbed into them. But he pulled himself slowly forward. Everything hurt. Once he had gotten used to the pain, he asked, brilliantly.
“Wha…?”
“That!” Vance shouted, pointing at Shaggy. “The whole shitshow that just happened.”
Shaggy quirked an eyebrow and tried to figure out what the old wolf was talking about. But Rita cut in for him.
“He… huff… doesn’t know… whew… he doesn’t remember a thing.”
Shaggy nodded dumbly as he spotted teens running around putting out fires. Luckily, it seemed that Sybil and Cekrass were the only two to be hurt by whatever hit them. Vance was still standing there, flabbergasted, and even Rita seemed annoyed.
“Boss, you just went on a fucking rampage.” Rita said, getting her breath back.
“Like a damn wolverine on drugs!” Vick shouted from his spot near Cekrass.
Shaggy tried to remember what had happened. But beside his trip to the dark dimension and Shadow Shaggy. He remembered nothing. Vance blew out an annoyed breath as several large claw marks healed over. His black shirt and jacket were almost ripped to shreds. Seeing Shaggy looking confused, the old Were calmed slightly. But then an aggrieved look came over his face.
“You got to go back.”
Shaggy’s neck nearly snapped from how hard it twisted to look at the older man. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Shaggy felt his pack recoil slightly at Vance’s words. But the old werewolf was adamant.
“You need to contact your inner wolf again. Now, last time you did, it seems the damn thing took your body for a test drive.”
“Argh!” Sybil shouted as she sat up. Levy still casting whatever magic she was using to heal the short blond Were. “Whooped our assess is what he did!”
Vance nodded as Shaggy grimaced. But a thought occurred to him. “Wait. Why do I need to do it again? Shouldn’t I get stronger first and then go back in?”
“Hell no! That damn thing kicked our assess. What do you think it’s going to do if you get even more powerful!?”
Shaggy took in the destruction around the cavern. He believed that the fire on the trees had been Sybil’s fault. But judging by how rundown and beaten his pack and Vance looked, he dreaded to think what would happen if his inner wolf took over again. Again, he wondered where Tom was and Vick answered as Cekrass finally sat up. The large lizard looked confused but alright.
“Tom is getting the kids situated. He’s a sneaky bastard, but I don’t think he’d last against your other half, boss.”
Shaggy nodded as he was slowly surrounded by Vance, his pack, and Levy. His wife was trying to keep a grin off her face. This was awesome, gaming-wise. He was a boss mob for his crew and wife. Although he doubted the NPCs felt that way. He thought again about trying later. They could all get a rest and get the fires put out, then try again. But Vance stepped forward.
“Now, Shaggy. You got to get a hold of that thing. If you are tired, then it’s probably feeling the same. Get in there a take it down. I wasn’t expecting your wolf to be so Demonic. But I am more than ready this time. I’ll keep the thing pinned on this side. You just get in there!”
Rita snorted as she moved to pick up her sword. She gave Shaggy a wide berth as she did. “You looked ready last time, old man.”
Levy finally let her own grin peek through. “It surprised everyone last time. This time, we know what to expect.”
With that said, Levy waved a hand, and purple manacles sprung from the dirt. Shaggy grunted as the large cuffs slammed around his wrists. He looked incredulously at his wife. But Levy grinned and blew him a kiss.
“Demon-you is hot.” Levy cackled as he tested the magical manacles.
“Noted.”
“Alright. Enough talking. Get in there and bring the thing to heel. We’ll take things from here.”
Sybil and Vick drew their weapons and Cekrass looked ready to tackle him. Rita held her sword at the ready as Vance threw his jacket and shirt to the dirt floor. Levy blew him another kiss and Shaggy knew he was going to back in. He needed to get this done. Kicking himself for thinking it was a trope, he looked inward again.
This time his inner wolf invited him in eagerly and Shaggy felt his consciousness seeped into the darkness. He came awake in the same black void with the golden light shiny on him. He briefly wondered why his mental space was an empty void, but he shook it off as shifted. If he was going to do this, it was going to be in his strongest form. The shift was upon him as he felt more than saw his inner wolf appear in the light again.
This time, he didn’t stop himself and as he shifted; he kicked out with his growing wolf legs. The transformation finished as he felt his feet connect with a large, furry shape. As he spun and landed on all fours in his wolf form, Shaggy came face to face with a large black wolf. His inner demon wolf was the same size and color as him. Right down to the new demon horns. Except were Shaggy’s horns were black, the demon wolfs were burning red with fire. Shaggy grimaced as his inner wolf barely registered his kick.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Shaggy pounced. Remembering that his pack was back in the other world fighting this demon. Shaggy opened his jaws wide and snapped at the other wolfs neck. But it darted away and batted at him with its large front paw. Shaggy took the hit and returned one of his own. He felt his claws dig into the furry hide of his alter ego. Black blood fell into the void as Shaggy drew his front paw back and pounced forward again.
The other wolf rolled out of the way and came up to its feet. It snarled as its wounds closed. Shaggy swore mentally and dash forward again. He needed to do more damage quickly. He swiped again with his front claws, but his inner wolf was ready and snapped its jaws around Shaggy’s front paw. The demon wolf twisted and dragged Shaggy to the ground. Shaggy and the other wolf twisted on the floor, snapping and biting at each other. Shaggy felt chunks of his flesh come away as red and black blood mixed on his face. But he gave as good as he got. Tearing a chunk off the demon wolf. He even got his back legs up and started ripping into the demon’s wolf’s belly. The combat was so ferocious that when it suddenly ended, Shaggy was stunned. He momentarily thought he had won as the other wolf was gone. But a quick glance around showed Shadow Shaggy back in his human form, running away.
Shaggy snarled and ran after his doppelgänger. The light overhead kept up with Shaggy as he ran his alter ego down. The inner demon was fast, but no match for the four-legged Werewolf. Shaggy launched himself on top of Shadow Shaggy and bit down. The inner wolf howled in pain and Shaggy jerked his head back and forth wildly. He felt the other Shaggy go limp and finally dropped him. He wanted to howl in victory, but he stopped himself and watched. It would be just like him, to play dead just to back a last stitched effort. But Shadow Shaggy’s wounds weren’t healing and Shaggy thought it was ok to shift back to human.
Still weary, he tried to keep an eye on the prone form of himself. Once he was back to human, he kicked the inner demon wolf over. He gave a cry in alarm as Shadow Shaggy’s eyes were still wide open and glowing red. The noise echoed into the void and then came back to him, making Shaggy grimace at the sound of his scream. He was happy no one else was around for that. Shaggy put a foot on either side of his doppelgänger’s chest and stared down at his own face. The beast didn’t appear to be breathing anymore, but something about the way the things’ eyes still burned unsettled him. With a flick of his wrist, Shaggy summoned his claws and slashed them across his inner wolfs neck. His own face glared back at him, but did nothing else. Even as Shaggy tore its head from its body. As black blood fell away deeper into the void. Shaggy watched the red eyes of the inner wolf fade and then go completely grey. He tossed the head away and watched it sink into the void.
Now Shaggy howled in triumph.
