> A Wolf Amongst Dogs > by Chancegunnett > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Rebirth > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- People who say your life flashes before your eyes when you die are damn liars. It's your death that flashes, over and over and over. Each time becoming more clear, each time becoming more surreal, each time becoming more horrifying. You feel your bones snap, your muscles tear, your blood vessels pop, and your bowels release, on repeat, over and over again. They say sinners go to hell when they die, well, I say the death itself is hell enough, anything could be better than that. That's what happened to me. One second I'm driving down the highway, jamming to some heavy metal, my best friend in the passenger seat, and three others in the back, the next I'm broadsided by a semi going eighty in a sixty-five. As you can assume, I didn't survive. I felt the sudden shift, a sudden overbearing weight and pressure on my left side, and a quake of terror rise from my stomach. The car was already flipping by the time I was able to hear sound again. The crunch of the car's cheap metal, compounded by the cracks and shattering of my bones, was almost deafening. As quickly as it began, I lost consciousness, thumping against the steering wheel as the car finally hit, then skipped across the pavement. I experienced it over and over again, in the span of seconds, thousands of times, I died again and again before my soul finally slipped from my body. I was never very religious, but I half expected to end up in hell, or at least purgatory, but no, I've been floating in an endless inky void for what feels like hours, but could likely be days. I can't see anything around me, I can barely see my body, it's as if I'm floating in an inky black fog. I can't feel anything below me, no ground, no nothing. This whole experience is so... grizzly. Finally finding my voice, I tried calling out, half expecting nothing but a harsh rasp to exit my throat. "Hello, anyone else there?" "Ah, so you speak, finally. Be patient, the preparations are almost complete." A deep masculine voice echoed through the void, almost inciting fear into my heart, key word almost. After watching and feeling myself die over and over again, I barely even flinched at the new entity. The only thing I felt, was curiosity. "Preparations? Preparations for what?" "Several generations ago, one of your foremothers came to me. She asked my help to conceive a child. I granted her wish, I filled her belly with my seed and laid out my demands. The seventh son born from that line would inherit the power in that seed, all of it. Until then, it would pass from father to son, gaining more and more strength until you came to be. You are my bargain. I wished for a true son, an heir, in exchange I gave your foremother a child of her own, and you were sworn to me." I felt confusion well up in myself, that explanation made very little sense. "Wait... that wouldn't make me your son, it'd make me your descendant. Wouldn't the child born from your union with my foremother bear your desired heir?" The being chuckled warmly. "I did not mate with that woman, I simply poured enough of my energy into her, that the next man she lay with, would beget a child. No, it was a literal seed... of sorts. It wasn't strong enough at first, which is why it needed to pass generations. The power within you is dormant, but it will be awakened very shortly. Twas my Essence that created you, so it will be my Essence that awakens you fully." "What if I don't want to be 'awakened'," I asked quirking a brow. "You haven't a choice in the matter, all that I had is now yours to claim, you will be awakened, you will seek out your destiny, and with time, you'll grow to love it." Out of the inky fog appeared the head of a large wolf, standing well over twelve feet tall at the shoulders. Its fur is black as pitch and flows in a nonexistent breeze. Its eyes are large and ferocious, holding much might and bravery, but also much wisdom. His eyes flash green, and below me opens an odd swirling pit of thick green fluid, that gives off an odd iridescent blue glow. The pool is large, larger than most swimming pools, and bubbles like a tar pit. I felt a twinge of nervousness well up inside me, but I quickly crushed it down. "Know my name, my son, and forgive me for my forcefulness. The sooner you acclimate to your true self, the better off you'll be. Hear me my Pup, hear me and revel in your future glory, for I am Fenrir, God of Canines, Lord of The Hunt and Slaughter, and you are my spawn, my Heir. Should you ever need my guidance, you need only shout my name to the heavens, and I shall manifest as necessary. Now, go. The large wolf pushed me into the pool with a paw, I had at first thought to resist, but what point is there? He just said he's a god, and that he's my "father." What am I supposed to do against odds like that? When my back met the liquid, the reaction was instantaneous, I felt an odd heat well up inside my body, starting from my toes, and ending at the top of my head. It stung, it hurt more than words could describe, red hot searing pain racked my entire frame, and it was only beginning. I refused to cry out however, refused to let the pain make me its bitch. I don't even know why, but something within my deepest being, told me I wasn't allowed to... show such weakness. "Your Willpower is already mighty my Pup, but you will need more than nerves of steel to help my Creations. Beware the Daughter's of Faust, they will try to stop you, to cull you. You must gain strength, and cement your right upon the world. This will take time, but your Will will make you formidable. With one last mighty push, I was fully submerged in the fluid. It forced its way into every orifice my body has, my eyes, my mouth, my ears, my anus, my very pores, hell even under my fingernails, all of them. As it forced its way in, the pain began to lessen, and I could feel my strength grow. I watched as the pool around me lessened in volume until after a while, I was lying flat on my back on the bottom of the large basin, panting heavily. "Your body has taken well to my Essence, this alone should be more than enough to prove our shared blood. If not, it must suffice for now, until next, we meet my Pup. Now, sleep." Fenrir waved a paw at me, and I felt my eyelids become heavy, and my vision blackout. I regained consciousness sometime later, feeling stiff, yet light. I honestly felt like I ran a ten-mile race full tilt without stopping or slowing down, and simultaneously, even with all the pain and fatigue, that I could run another. It's a truly queer feeling. I inhaled sharply through my nose, picking up a heavy scent of wood, moisture, and rot. I have yet to open my eyes, the cool dirt under my frame feeling far too comfortable to get up. So I decided to give into my lethargy and continue to lay upon the ground. I could smell everything so clearly, the air was so unbelievably fresh and clean, and the loud noises of a forest rested heavily in my ears. Though unfortunately, an odd twitching and tingling on my head and backside forced me to shift, when I felt something soft and fluffy snake between my legs, I instantly jumped to my feet, but standing feels odd. Looking around cautiously, I adopted a defensive stance. But after several minutes of searching, I noticed that I was completely alone. Yet, the odd twitching remained, growing more and more annoying as it did. I'm currently standing in some kind of dim forest, far up above me a thick canopy of leaves and branches swayed to and fro, blocking out all sunlight from hitting the ground. If the canopy was blocking out the sun, why is it so... bright? It's odd, I shouldn't be able to see so well, it should be very dark, yet my surroundings are clearly cloaked in twilight. I reached up to scratch my head in confusion, but reflexively pulled away when I felt the scratching of claws on my scalp. Looking at both my hands, I'm surprised to see them covered in short, thick, fluffy, rust-brown fur. My hands are much more paw-like, having tough pads resembling a wolf on each palm, and the undersides of my fingers. My fingers end in hooked ashen claws. Following my arm up, I noticed the fur stops just short of my shoulder, leaving my chest, neck, back, stomach, and groin bare skin. Speaking of bare-skin, I'm completely naked. I looked down expecting to see my dick hanging free, but am surprised to see an odd skin sheath in its place, identical to a dog's, a very large sheath might I add. I was always large, but if I were a betting man, I'd say I picked up both length... and girth. My testicles hung free as they normally do, but they're a lot larger, each one approximately the size of a kiwi. My legs are different as well, covered in the same rust-brown fur as my arms, ending just shy of my hips, they end in large, wide, digitigrade paws, identical to a large wolf. I reached up, feeling the sides of my head, surprised that I do not find ears where they're supposed to be. Trailing higher, I'm shocked to find two large wolf-like ears resting atop my head. No doubt the same rust color as the rest of my fur. Finally, with a bit more trepidation, I turned around, seeing a long fluffy tail attached to my ass. I grabbed it, feeling an odd pressure well up in my spine, confirming that it is in fact, mine. "Oh dear," was all I could manage to say "I'm a furry now." Well, sorta, partially furry, partially human, one hundred percent weird. I expected to be more freaked out about this, but it feels almost natural. I admit to being a part of the furry community, not one of the fanatics that actually wanted to become an Anthro, but a passive observer that likes the art. As well as some of the "Suits," though many of them come off as cringy, I tried not to judge too harshly. Everyone has their vices, and some would find mine odd, so who am I to judge. I shook my head, trying desperately to collect my thoughts. I don't know where I am, how I got here, or what the hell "Fenrir" wants me to do exactly. He simply said 'cement your place in the world,' and 'beware the daughters of Faust' whatever that means. I could pick a random direction and start walking, hope I don't get attacked. Or, I could do the arguably more sensible thing, and try to survive, I was in the scouts as a boy, so this shouldn't be too difficult, I doubt it'll be easy, but it may be doable. Survival it is. Always remember, secure your own mask first, then help the person next to you, no sense in you both dying. I looked around, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. I don't find much, wherever I am, there aren't any trails, and there aren't any other signs of life. Honestly, this whole forest looks... kinda dead. Not in the literal sense, the trees are lively and green, but it just seems so... I don't know, empty. I can't even hear any birds, or little woodland critters, which is never a good sign. The first thing I need is a shelter, then a clean source of water, then finally, some food. I looked around, trying to find some sort of landmark, I can hear the faint rumbling of a fast-flowing river or stream. Water, if it's clean, that's two of three things off my list. I can no doubt catch fish from it, and the need for the water itself is self-explanatory. I set off, using my new ears to help me hone in on the sound. Along the way, I found a cluster of large boulders with a cavity large enough for me to rest comfortably inside. I was still cautious however, the space is quite large, and the remains of several small animals dotted the ground. This is very much a claimed den, so I'd need to be careful. If I could drive off, or better yet kill the animal residing inside, I should be safe, and hopefully have a full belly. But, there's no need to dive foolishly into danger, I'm still not one hundred percent aware of what my new body is capable of. I didn't find anything inside the den except the bones, nor any sign whatever lived here was here recently, but I should still be cautious. If it's a bear, it'd be best if I avoided conflict, but if it's a coyote, I can just drive it off. Since there is no young in the den, I'd likely be able to drive off whatever it is without a needless fight. Or I could always backtrack if necessary, as my old scout leader said "observe, formulate, then act, never jump in recklessly." Granted, that's not always an option, it's better to be prepared than dead. I suppose it's a good enough plan...