Jack and the other vampires had been born after the Nation of Blood had already defeated the werewolves, so none of them had seen a werewolf transform before. Jack had heard stories of how the werewolves needed a full moon to transform, that they become mindless beasts that attacked everyone in sight, and that they were weak to silver. He still didn't know about the silver, but just like the rumors about vampires, the other two were proven false.
Jerry took his cloak and shirt off, revealing a muscular and hairy chest, and began to change in front of their eyes. Jack grimaced as he watched, the entire thing looking painful; Jerry's bones began to crack and pop as they grew and moved, his skin bulging out before it slowly changed to match. Fur began to grow all over his body, his legs twisting and changing their shape, until they resembled the legs of a beast. His face was the worst, his bottom jaw popped and unhinged as his nose and mouth began growing out, his ears moving up on his head, and claws growing on his hands and feet. The entire process took less than a minute, and by the end of the disturbing show, a werewolf stood before them.
Before, Jerry was slightly taller than Midnight and shorter than Jack and Drake. Now he towered around Drake's height, his fur a mix of black and silver, his sharp teeth having doubled in size as he bared them. Jack tensed up, not knowing how the werewolf would act, but Jerry turned his snout towards them, winked, then got down on all fours and charged at the humans.
The group of humans, having the weakest senses next to the dwarfs, were far enough away that they probably had no idea what was happening. But it soon became clear, the group freezing in place as Jerry rushed towards them. Jack assumed they would fight, having been raised as a soldier and not knowing anything else.
The humans looked like they were going to do just that, drawing their weapons and standing their ground, although Jack could see that they were shaking with fear. Just as Jerry was about to reach them, he skidded to a stop, standing up tall. The werewolf took a deep breath, and let out the loudest roar Jack had ever heard. He nearly covered his ears, the sound so loud that it made his ears ring.
The humans had it much worse. They dropped their weapons, howling in pain as they clutched their ears, and Jack could see blood flowing out from between their fingers. The humans slowly recovered, and made the wisest decision they could; they turned and ran as fast as they could, screaming in terror and stumbling over each other. It was funny to watch, and Drake chuckled at the sight.
Jack thought Jerry would chase them down and kill them, but to his surprise the werewolf simply watched the humans flee before turning back, making his way back to them on two legs. As he walked, his body slowly began to morph back, and it was just as disturbing to see the change happen the other way around. By the time he reached them, he was back to looking like a man, smirking with satisfaction.
Midnight placed her hands on her hips, the only one besides Noelle who was not awe struck by what they saw.
"Are you sure it was wise to let them flee? What if they come back with soldiers to hunt down the beast that attacked them?"
Jerry shook his head, retrieving his clothes and putting them back on before answering her question.
"There are very few of us left, and there is not a human alive that has seen a werewolf. Even if they did tell the guards, no one will believe them."
Drake roared with laughter, stepping forward and clapping the werewolf on the back, probably wearing a huge grin across his face under his mask.
"That was amazing! Not only did you look terrifying, but you solved the problem without killing them. I admit, Jerry, I am envious; that looks so much better than being a vampire. That roar had my hair standing on end, and my ears were ringing from here. And you can stand in the sun! I didn't know that the sun could burn your skin and change its color like that though."
Jerry blinked in surprise, looking up at the larger vampire. "Drake, was it? Have you...never seen someone with darker skin?"
Drake shook his head, pointing back at Noelle.
"Not until we met Noelle. Vampires all have the exact same pale skin, and I honestly thought that was how everyone looked. I am relieved that I was wrong; I actually like Noelle's skin color, and am envious of the other races."
Elaine giggled, the werewolf gaping at Drake with amazement. Jack shook his head, always surprised at how bold and shameless his friend was; the vamp never thought before he spoke. Of course, Jack felt the same way, having never seen anyone with a darker skin tone in his life until recently, but he was not going to say that out loud.
Noelle frowned, laying the shaft of her spear across her shoulders. "It is odd to hear a vampire, the race that has been defeating every other race in the land so far, saying he is envious of us. You are an odd one."
Drake turned to her, crossing his arms and standing proud. "That is just part of my charm. You know, I was one of the few vampires that was against the war with the elves. Why would anyone want just one race to rule the land? That sounds boring to me, and to be honest, most vampires are boring."
"For once, I agree with Drake." Midnight said, looking back at the city as if she expected an army to march out its gates at any moment. "Most vampires never bother to think for themselves, just believing what the elder vampires force us to be taught as children. As a child, I was taught that elves were savage and wild, killing anyone that entered their forest and conversing with demons. It did not take me long to see otherwise, as they didn't seem like this when we were fighting them, but the others just refuse to believe differently."
They began walking, Elaine looking over at Midnight with a sad smile.
"It is not that hard to believe. When you are taught something since childhood, it is hard to believe that everything you have come to believe in was false the entire time. But I do have a question...what is an elder vampire?"