Birds... Frogs... The Stream In The Distance... The Wind In The Trees... Damn It!

I looked around for a moment. Ok, which way should I choose? Just into the forest would be a bad idea... follow the river... yeah, but upwards, stream-wards there is only unnecessary danger.

So I went up the stream. Focus on your hearing now, don't need touch or sight for now. I stood still, closed my eyes and worked on my focus.

I heard a crack, my head turned in the direction out of reflex. I waited some time Come on, gimme another sound. I promise it'll be quick.

Nothing more, either an old tree or something that noticed it's wrong doing.

I continued listening for some more time. I don't know for how long, I just stood there, focused on my hearing. My eyes were closed, a flock of deer could walk by directly in front of me... if they were silent enough.

No, away with these thoughts, they only distract you.

Still nothing. After a while I continued. I bore my bow over my back, it was easier to switch on all fours that way if I had to.

Come on, you gotta find some food. We... you... I... whatever I shaked my head this had never happened before, this situation, there was always enough food after turning. I'm unsure if I wanna find out what happens if there aint.

I stopped again, closed my eyes, and focused.

Birds. No... won't ever hit them, and even if I would, I would need uncountable of those. Done with the thought. Silence.

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

How? What? Where?

Sam Rosenthal: six: thirteen (stretch mix 1)

I snapped out of it I was back again. On the hard, cold ground of the forest.

'How did you do that? What are you? Where are you?'

Nothing. Not a single word. First then, as I listened closely, I noticed all the sounds around me. A crack here, a bird there. Then, a crackle. It came from a bush a few paces in front of me. I didn't know if I should run away or go to it, so I just sat there. Staring at it.

It was just a beaver. It looked at me shortly and then turned around and ran away.

Wait... a Beaver. That means there's a body of water near. I'm sure it'll return to it sooner or later. I went the direction the beaver disappeared into but there was no trace of it. I just continued in the general direction.

Picture Forest by gugu-troll

Music Sam Rosenthal: six: thirteen (stretch mix 1)

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

Thoughts

But what now? I had learned to transform by will, had gained back my human self.

There was something I still had to do but... I was much to scared of that scared of going back to my dreams scared of continuing on that path wherever it leads.

So what else do I have left? Living out here would be an option, no one has come yet to solve this monster problem I guess it's true what they say; Out of sight, out of mind

But then again, it would be quite lonely out here peaceful, at least at peaceful as it can be with IT around but very lonely

And I could walk around without problem I got this transforming thing under control But how to continue out there? I can't stay with Martin & Ruth, I'm unsure how much they did notice, and I don't want them to live in fear

But I should at least them tell what happened or at least bits of it, maybe just that I'm alive They should know at least that

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

I slowly woke up in a warm bed, a rather slender arm lying on me. It took me a moment to realize this wasn't a dream, would've been the only good one I had for as long as I can remember. Not fully awake I stared at the ceiling for some time, my thoughts so far away I didn't have any.

Still lying down, I looked around a bit. I was in some house. There was a table with two chairs, a bow and some arrows near a door, another door, a fireplace, still some faint glowing embers in it. On the floor where some clothes, they seemed familiar.

Then this thought slowly came up from somewhere. This arm on my chest, this wasn't mine. Mine was touching some soft skin. I looked to the other side of me and fell out of the bed in fright, landing on the hard, wooden floor. Ouch.

From the jerk Ingrid woke up too, sitting up and grasping the blanket to cover herself.

“I did this for you!” She roared immediately

“Thanks... I guess”

“I heard some loud sound outside last night, turned out it was you. Fell asleep beside my door and fell over. You were ice cold. Pale skin, blue lips & all.”

“Ok... but wouldn't just lighting a fire... been enough?”

“I didn't want it to be my fault you froze to death, so I wanted to make sure. But don't you tell anyone about this! This was a one time occasion! Understood?”

“Sure, stays between me and you.”

“And... I am sorry for yesterday, shouldn't have shouted at you because of this old bastard. I'll let you stay, as long as you're a help on the hunt. Else I'll kick you out. Got it!?”

“No worries, forgiven, understood & accepted. But one question-”

“Your clothes? They're by the fireplace”

I looked down at myself and reddend again.

“...n... no... but thanks...”

I paused shortly, trying to get somehow comfortable with the situation of being around her naked, again.

“How... how did you get me in here?”

She laughed “Easy, I'm a hunter, I'm used to carrying full grown deer to this place. I admit you are a bit heavier, but I didn't need to carry you very far.”

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

The first half of the deer didn’t last for long. But it sated my appetite, so I took the other half with me.

How long until raw flesh gets foul? I wish I knew. I should eat it by tomorrow ‘round this time, just to make sure it doesn’t get tainted.

After I was back to my cave and had ‘stored’ the remaining half of the deer a question came up.

So… what now? I figured out I can only see moving things, everything else is blurry and reddish. I am able to hunt, apparently I got amazingly sharp claws. Only question is; What to do with this new won free time? Hunting for fun is a waste and only gives me unnecessary attention – What do dragons do in their caves? I guess they sleep in their piles of gold, until some brave hero comes who ends up eaten alive. But I am no dragon, at least I don’t look lik…

Then it struck me, What do I actually look like in this form? I went out again, in search of water. It didn’t take too long till I found some.

I gradually moved my head over the water. To not scare myself too much.

Picture Inside the Cave by Joaru

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

I followed the trail of blood coming from this half of him. Although the blood had already dried, the scent of it still occupied the air. This heavy, sweet and metallic scent... it made me sick. The still air and the burning sun didn't help it.

As I found his other half I nearly threw up.

It was exactly like one would imagine. He was lying in a dried pool of his own blood, the scent was so thick you could taste it. His entrails were nearly filling up the hole where his other half should be lying.

I've gutted a quite a few animals with Ingrid, but this was nowhere close to it. The blood didn't smell the same. The entrails were nothing like those of an animal. Even the dead stare was horrifyingly different.

I turned around to get a bit away from him, but there was already the next dead guy in my view. That must be the other guy I saw in my memories. He's got a horse... or he had... so it's probably the same guy.

I went closer to inspect him.

Completely contradicting the feeling I had just now, I suddenly got hungry. As if a hole just opened where once my stomach was.

“Seriously? Now!? I'm surrounded by all this death and you think I should eat something now?!?!” Right, I did talk to myself. Loud. Why should I have cared, I was probably the only one around right now.

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

I gently stroked through its fur “I thank you, Brother. May your spirit pass on, while your body feeds me”

Yøû ssërióùssly köntinûé wïz zât? Cøme oñ, $hê åïnt 'røùnd nømôre. Jüst kîll ít ænd bê dönê wïz ít.

I held the rabbit up at its hind legs, took a club lying nearby, and hit it in the back of the head. I tried poking an eye, to see if its really dead.

It was.

I fastened it to my belt, and continued.

Did you want anything?

Why ærê yøu sstïll dôiñg zåt? Shæ âiñt 'røûnd tö nôtïce íf yøù dön't.

What does it matter if Ingrid is 'round? She introduced me to it, but I don't do it for her. I do it to show some respect to my prey, to thank it for giving me its body, its flesh. But why do I bother to tell you, it's not like you'd listen anyway.

Büt zêræ ï$ nø ssëñssê în døing zåt, ïts nôt åwæ-

How would you know that? Can you tell? If you can, tell me how

Î... Ï... Åh fück yøû hümâñss ånd yøûr ëmótìónàl sstüff! $sînk mørë rrråtiønæl, lësss êmøtiônål. Yöúr kìnd îs zë ønly ånimæl zât døe$s zæt, zê ønly kînd zæt ssínks êmøti-

Again, how do you know? How can you be so sure?

Didn't hear any more from him after that. Did I corner him? Interesting, doesn't happen very often.

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

the Author Speaking

This post won't be about Bjorn, sorry to disappoint you there.

This post is about a woman. But not just any woman. She is... *grins* different. She has far more than just a pretty smile. Some might call her weird, scary, or even damaged. But again, she's more than that.

She's intelligent, calm, focused, just, powerful, deep, *grins* almost harmless. I can promise you, you won't find another like her. She's a fighter, a survivor, inspiring, skilled, got the best make-up tips.

Someday, she awoke through a chain of events. And now, she's just incredible. If you ever meet her you'll know what I'm talking about.

Today she's better known as La Kapitana. And to be honest, all I came here for, today, was to wish her a Happy Birthday.

* looks at the text * shakes head * Somehow this always happens when I'm trying to keep it short

Author - out

For now I focused on turning back my arm instead of overthinking this.

The main problem with my current situation was, turning back that arm costs me lots of strength. This other body has kind of it's own will. It doesn't want to go 'back'. It want's freedom, which is definitely understandable, but I can't give it that. So it was, as always, a fight to turn back the arm.

Fight may be the wrong term, it's not like fighting someone or something. Not like a classic brawl or arm wrestling where it can go back and forth between both sides. It's more like... something I have to beat down, that simply takes the punches without getting hurt much by it. It needs many, hard punches to go down... if that makes any sense.

And that costs me energy, which means I have to eat & drink more afterwards.

The first meal usually is the biggest, then it goes down drastically meal by meal till I'm back to 'normal'.

This time it was just the arm, so a hare or three as first meal would surely be enough, tho I didn't have that much left.

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016

The wound healed in mere seconds.

Ha ha ha ha ha

It came at me again. I was ready to dodge it again, ITs attack was far more open than the last ones. Suddenly -- it disappeard. In midair.

I felt a warm breath at my neck but before I managed to turn around, my other arm was gone too.

Høw dö yòû wännå fîght mé nøw? Ha ha ha ha

I was baffled. What am I gonna do now? If cutting doesn't work headbutting or biting---

IT dissapeared again, and the same instance IT cut off both my legs.

Picture source unkown

© The Zero 零 Squad, 2013-2016