Rider Woods

The moon hung low in the black sky seeming to have chased away the pantheon of stars that regularly adorned the night sky. The woods below rustled and whistled with the greeting of the wind, the leafs and branches twirling and swaying as if in accordance to music heard only by them. The hoots of an owl pierced the night quiet sending a mice scurrying in panic as it made to avoid certain doom.

The blanket of fallen leafs and twigs suddenly parted as a figure pushed itself off the ground it's body covered in mud and dirt as it gasped in the air that seemed to have been withheld from it. It ran it's gaze frantically in different directions as it took in its surroundings an alarming expression growing over it's face. Blue eyes dropped to it's body caked in mud with leafs and twigs hanging off . A lean muscular arm extended to the base of the tree to his left gripping it for balance as it pushed it's body off the ground.

Standing tall his mind wandered as memories flooded his thoughts his gaze raking all over his nude form. His eyes shook with panic as a single question blurred his thoughts. How?.

"How did I get here?"was the singular question dominating his mind as he pushed onward leaving the spot he'd stood on for long and walking over a root his palm grazing the tree as he stepped past it his feet carrying him just a few steps before he collapsed.

"Where am I?" His lips parted as a gravy voice that sounded like it hadn't spoken for a while echoed around him. His ears twitched at the grating sound from his throat and he began coughing to clear his throat. He pushed himself to stand yet again,his senses notifying him of the fatigue in his bones and the cramps in his muscles. A warning he could have heeded if he had been more versed in what was about to happen.

The crack sounded not just in his ears but reverberating all over his body like a shock of pure electricity. The sound stilling the breeze in the forest as everything quieted down as if the woods were trying to deduce the origin of the sound. His body froze as he went rigid a sharp pain blooming on his back as he shivered slightly. Another crack had him dropping to his knees as his eyes bulged from the pain blooming from his left leg. Another crack came and was chased quickly by a snap that had him screaming into the night. The next snap and crack followed less audibly than the others as he withered in pain on the floor. Several popping sounds followed each other in quick succession as his ribs and chest flamed up with a bright pain that had him almost biting his tongue.

His body twisted and spasmed as his bones broke apart and reformed. Tears now stung his vision his mouth tightening on a grimace with each new pop. Slowly he felt his face pop forward his mouth pushing front as he groaned wondering what was happening to him. Simultaneously he felt the pain and heat on his body as something grew out his skin over his body. He's body remained so frozen and twisted in new ways he couldn't look at his body in fear of moving the wrong way.. The next sharp pain came as something unwanted and foreign pushed from his gums as blood leaked out his mouth.

The entire pain seemed to have halted a bit his body now cooling as a breath rushed into him. His eyes rolled up as he tried to make out what was happening. His arms pushed to move and he regretted it quickly , a new wave of pain faster and with a heat unlike any washed over him. A searing heat stinging his eyes as the world turned red and a tear in his fingers or what was left of them. Minimal cracks and snaps came along till the redness left his gaze.

The world seemed to come to a halt around him. His eyes taking in everything in a rush as he slowly raised his head looking around. He raked his gaze over his surroundings as he noticed a difference. Everything was clearer as if a film had been removed from his eyes, it felt like the difference between seeing through a blurred glass for so long and then finally taking the glasses away. The air felt better, more clearer to him than before. tilting up he took a breath and rethought those words as his nostrils were abused by different scents making him cough and attempt a sneeze. It sounded more like a wheeze to him as his ears twitched making him confused.

Another sound echoed in the woods ahead of him snapping his head forward in it's direction. He stood slowly before he finally realized that something was off in his center of gravity and form. Confusion rose in him as he found himself standing on all fours as he gazed down his eyes setting on what was now paws where there should have been hands and feet, black claws stretched out from each paw finger where he have had nails.

His eyes gaped as they travelled up his form taking in the furry muscular body that was his. The "what the fuck " that planned on leaving his lips were replaced with a growl that left his jaws instead. His head snapped around seemingly in search of the noise source. Finding nothing he went back to looking himself over.

"What is this?. What...what am I?". The words seemed to spill and mix in his head as his brain tried to process not the answer but the question in itself as it was as absurd as any. His eyes gazed at fur and not skin,paws and claws not hands and feet. His eyes zeroed on his tail waving in the air like a flag attracting attention.

"How?" His mind was chaotic as he pondered everything. His brain felt like it was seconds from mush as it tried reasoning and pondering what had just happened to him and the madness of it all.

He felt it next, the urge , an instinct almost like a voice calling and beckoning, calming and soothing like a hug and embrace. It soothed him like a drug with a sort of assurance. He found his mind calming even as he questioned the instinct.

Then it pushed him forward, like a whisper and order, an instruction and a nudge. Nose pointed forward he edged to the direction it was pushing him, onwards and forwards towards something.

A step and his front paw shook, exhaling he moved another step feeling the slight tremor in his hind leg. The inner voice seemed to snort as it pushed him to move on. At first he pushed back ignoring the voice as he stood on the now sturdy leg but it pushed back harder urging him on. Another step and another push forward slowly he went till he broke into a run his legs pumping and pushing the floor away from beneath him.

His feet and the voice in his head pushed him onwards, his massive form going over roots and past branches. His paws pounding the ground as he sailed through the forest like a bullet. The inner voice seemed to calm him and edge him on even though his mind continued mulling with the various questions.

A scent flooded his nostrils wiping his mind of anything and filling his urge with hunger and his mouth salivating. He stared ahead confused as his nostrils flared as the inner voice pushed him ahead, like it knew what he didn't . A hunger rose within him and he found himself responding to the need as he moved forward following the scent like a magnet dragging metal to it.

He was panting by the time he got closer to it, the trees had ended as he stood under it's cover gazing into the open area which had a stretch of grasses that could barely conceal his huge form. He didn't bother sniffing the air as he knew the source of the scent was from here. His eyes found it the source of the scent and he salivated as his eyes dilated before the blue irises burned into a golden glare. He watched it huge and strong as it grazed on the grasses it's head bent low as it munched downed on the grass. He found himself crouching while he watched the reindeer as he moved forward even more till the tip of his nose was visible in the moonlight that touched the open area. He felt familiar to the movement as he edged as close as he could almost like he'd done it countlessly for ages. He took a slow deep breath as he filled his lungs, his hind legs tensing up as the filled with strength before he pushed off darting forward like an arrow seeking it's target.

It's head jerked up instantly at the sound of pounding it's eyes locking onto him instantly, it's ears twitching as it's wide eyes found his blazing gaze. In a second it turned and bolted off fast surprising him. Then he forgot, he forgot who he was, forgot what he was, forgot what he had been, the questions that had been flooding his mind about the nights experience suddenly seemed far off. His gaze fixed on the scampering meat ahead off him, his hunger growing as his urge lashed like a whip.

His feet moved strong and fast as he bolted to the left of the reindeer that had managed to reach the other side of the forest tree line. He pushed more till he was running side by the side with it, the reindeer seeming to realize made a sharp turn to run in the other direction and leave him eating dust. The turn worked as he found himself skidding to a halt as he snarled out in frustration then turned and gave chase. It had made quite the headstart for itself but he moved faster covering the distance in seconds as he neared it.

He nipped at its feet making it bounce to avoid him, as it's eyes widened in panic realizing that he was closer. As it tried a second bounce he pushed to the side and hurled himself at it ramming the body with his and pushing it off balance as it slammed to the ground. Landing on his feet he twirled and pounced before it could get it's bearing. His jaws closed on the closest piece of it's body which turned out to be a leg. His teeth grinding down on it bones snapping and crushing as the reindeer released a bellow of pain.

The second feet kicked out at him and he found himself jumping off and away as he scurried to the side. His eyes gleamed in an elation he didn't recognize but didn't dislike a feeling he couldn't understand washing over him as he jumped back sinking his fangs into it's back and tugging hard as he held on then released as it struggled. He moved round quick on his paws as he watched it fight to stand while favouring it's useless hind leg. It's eyes found his as it watched his movements turning round to make sure it faced him as it realised it had no way to run. He moved darting to the left and then right in a blur before he rammed into it. His fangs found its throat and his jaws clamped down tugging and holding on tight to it. The reindeer bulked and thrashed trying to free itself as he held on, then in a swift move he ripped the throat blood splashing his front legs as the deers throat leaked.

A sense of victory washed over him as he found himself seating and eyeing the meat as his tongue darted out leaked his snout wetting his jaws. The urge pushing him forward with a hunger that seeped in pulling him to his feet and towards the meat like an invisible string being tugged. Fang tore at the skin and meat of the deer as he ripped huge chunks off, chewed and swallowed. A part of him grimaced, the part of him that still asked questions but the inner voice seemed to shush it urging him to eat on and he continued his teeth grinding bones that were in the way of warm succulent organs his focus unwavering as he ate the moon lighting up his meal perfectly even if wasn't needed.