I steadily walked through the wreck that must have once been a reasonably comfortable campsite and approached the Alpha wolf, the vapour of her laboured breath dispersing in the night air.

-"Weird." I focused on my skin, realising that I was cold but that it didn't bother me in the slightest, not that it was important at the moment. -"Ahh, the things I do to distract myself when I don't want to think about something."

The thought that although I was different I was still me, at least habit wise, lifted a huge weight off my shoulders and enabled me to reveal my first natural smile in god knows how long even if it was short lived.

All too quickly, I had come to a stop before the once mighty beast and knelt down, my knees sinking into the gory mud.

The Alpha was laying on her side so I could only see half her face as her magnificent, golden eye locked on mine.

My skin momentarily crawled, a similar feeling to when I was in danger before realisation appeared in the Alpha's gaze and she relaxed. I didn't even need to look carefully to tell that she wasn't long for this world. In fact, I was shocked that she was still breathing.

Doubt and suspicion clouded my thoughts as I watched her watching me.

Was she as cold-blooded as my thoughts? Could I blame her for following what I considered the safest course of action after what I had just done? Did it even really matter?

Even if she had come to an end my life, I felt no hatred for her and at a base level, I understood why.

It was natural. Survival of the fittest, reverse Darwinism, kill or be killed, eat or be eaten.

Thinking like this, I started to feel better. There was no revenge or hatred to be had here. No schemes or pointless plots.

My hand reached out and fell on her head, and I started stroking the soft, warm fur as I found a weird inner peace as my perception of life began to change.

Unlike on Earth, everything here was simple.

I didn't want to rule or dominate, conform or obey. All I wanted was freedom and a goal I could work towards. Fortunately for me, they were one and the same. To be free, I needed strength, and for that, I needed to continue growing until I reached my limits and then, somehow surpass them.

Without warning, an enormous pain erupted inside my head, blurring my vision.

The pain subsided, and the image of the Alpha appeared in my mind. She was sitting in the clearing where we had first met with, emanating a warm, welcoming sensation.

My thoughts were a mess because even though I could see the image in my mind, I could also see her before me with my eyes. Not knowing how I could remove the image from my thoughts, I closed my eyes, instantly alleviating the vertigo I was feeling.

I was vaguely aware that I was stumbling back, clutching my head before falling onto my backside at the disturbingly familiar sensation.

This felt exactly like the time the Crawler had communicated with me, only instead of words forming in my mind, it was images and feelings.

The image distorted and suddenly, there was a vision of me, or what I assumed to be me, walking towards the Alpha before the wolf, and I rubbed our heads on each other's shoulders, or at least the 'other' me tried to with the vast difference in sizes.

Kinship, reassurance, loyalty, respect. The emotions were intense, almost feeling as if they were my own.

The Alpha was greeting me. Not as a stranger or even one of her pack but as an equal.

The doubts in my mind were extinguished. I was now confident that the Alpha had come to rescue me, sacrificing not only her self but her pup in the process.

The Alpha vanished, and the other me straightened before turning into twisting shadows, rising high into the air before a gigantic mouth opened wide and devoured the blood red moon above it.

Darkness, destroyer, death but most of all, a single sensation floated to the surface of my mind. Devourer.

Without needing to think about it, I subconsciously knew that the feelings were referring to me. This is what the Alpha saw me as. This was her name for me.

To say that I wasn't confused was an understatement but before I could contemplate on the meaning, the vision warped once again as if it knew what I was asking.

Monsterous creatures, looking like the amalgamation of every nightmare known to mankind marched across a barren desert with a relentless determination.

On the other side, thousands if not millions of creatures stood. Wolves, insect-apes, giant snakes, dragon looking reptiles, boar-like bats and countless other species. Every single one of them watching the abominations with fear and hatred.

At the front stood the Alpha. No, it wasn't the Alpha but a creature that looked remarkably similar. It was larger and had a deep scar across its face and chest. Somehow I knew this was the Alpha's ancestor.

Questions assaulted my mind. Was this the Alpha's doing? Was this real as the previous vision was seemingly made up, as that never happened? What was its purpose?

The questions were blown from my mind by what happened next.

As one, the horde of creatures charged the abominations, realising howls, roars and screeches as they charged towards their vastly outnumbered foe.

I was expecting the abominations to be swept away in the tide of bodies but what happened next, shocked me to my core.

It was as if war gods had descended from the heavens. The abominations cut through the horde with devastating efficiency, slaughtering all around them as they moved towards the strongest of the swarming creatures.

Though it was evident by the injuries being inflicted, even with the incredible speed that they were healing, that the abominations would probably lose, it didn't seem to phase them in the slightest. They continued butchering anything in front of them, eating anything they could shove into their mouths. When they ate, their eyes glowed a murderous red, and a black, mist momentarily seeped from their torsos.

I lost all track of time as I watched the raging battle in front of me.

The horde of creatures was beyond impressive, however, compared to the abominations, they were inconsequential.

The abominations were terrifying, mysterious entities that could make you question your sanity but most confusing of all, I felt a weird connection with them.

The first abomination fell, a giant snake having dragged it to the ground in its death throws and was quickly swarmed and ripped apart.

The tide had turned. Though their losses were so massive that I was almost sure that a few of species would become extinct after this battle, they continued onwards with reckless abandon.

It wasn't long until the second, then third fell starting a domino effect.

The closest abomination to me was dragged down and ripped apart, the stench of blood assaulting my senses and the hunger that I had felt before roared to life, compelling me to move forward and devour abomination and creature alike. To join the fray and consume them all in my rise to the top of the food chain. To become the apex predator. To dominate all.

As if terrified by my unrestrained bloodlust, the scene flickered before changing and the desire to devour all quickly diminished into a gnawing hunger.

I was now standing at the edge of a scene I remembered all too well, though it looked completely different from my current point of view. Standing next to me was the Alpha, watching the past me devour the organs of an insect monkey.

The ground and nearby plants were covered in bright yellow blood as I ripped into the corpse and almost inhaled its contents.

However, the vibrant forest and blood could have been shades of grey for all it matted because there was one colour that sent chills, dread and... a hint of excitement through me.

My eyes were glowing red. Not even close to the haunting colour of the abominations but it was there and only a blind fool would attempt to say they weren't linked somehow.

Suddenly, the name the Alpha had given me made sense. Not only that, but the warning she had given me was loud and clear. The abominations had alienated themselves from all in their quest for power, forcing the other species to unite which ultimately lead to their downfall.

They had reached the pinnacle of the food chain but, in their arrogance and greed, the triangle had opened up and swallowed them whole.

Killing intent radiated through me, the need to protect the pack from the monstrosity before me… no, from me, surged through every fibre yet at the same time, the tantalising, almost drug-like sensation that an answer had been found.

My species, I mean the wolf’s species was in jeopardy. They had split into smaller packs and separated, but it was only time before they lost all of their territories and were either subjugated or slaughtered. We were amongst the first to live on this world, and as such, our need for evolution at that time was much less.

Generations of wolves flickered passed my eyes, foes appearing before them that I had never seen before, changing and mutating before my very eyes. Within moments, the wolves as a species had been left in the dust, but it didn’t stop. New species continued to fall from the sky, fighting with each other, usually ending in the extinction of the new race as the older species united against them in fear of what they could become, however, if the new arrivals survived, they were almost always at the top of the food chain and dominated the, what could be considered, natives.

Countless iterations of this, including the appearance of the Crawlers midway, flickered past.

This was the world I now inhabited. It was a cruel world were nothing was static. A world where even if you reached the peak, just by your presence, you would provide the conditions for those who would surpass you.

Then there was a naked ape again, no it was me. A being that appeared to be a newborn entering the clearing. Alone and scared. At first, not a threat but now it, no I, had revealed that I was a Devourer…

It was common for multiple species to work together, especially the smarter ones, as shown in the previous vision and the idea, that had seemed so foolish at the start, now started to bloom.

The clearing vanished, and I was back at the insect-ape kill site. The Alpha’s killing intent ended, her mind made up as she started returning to the clearing.

If the devourer pup survived, she would raise it with the pack and make it one of us, I mean them.

I shook my head. My sense of self becoming distorted the longer the visions continued, the Alpha's emotions and thoughts becoming as if they were my own, but thankfully, that seemed to be the end.

The real world greeted me like a brick to the face, and I fell to my knees, struggling to comprehend what was happening. Everything was so vivid that it was almost unbearable. Sound, smell, touch, I could even taste the air caused my body to lock up from the stimulus.

-”Hold on, I lost control of our senses.”

Before I could question what the voice meant, the wolves whimper drew my attention.

With my senses seemingly in overdrive, I watched her pulse slow, the skin beneath her fur slacken, and her pupils relax.

This was her end.

With a small growl, a faint vision appeared in my mind. The detail was almost no existent compared to the last time, but the meaning behind it was clear.

Our escape through the plains and hunts we shared.The fact that I didn’t abandon them even though I would have been faster alone. That she had come to rescue me, her pack member.

Family.

I ground my teeth. I didn’t need this, yet I couldn’t force myself to leave. I had already bitten into the sales hook and was stuck on the line.

Anger bubbled below the surface, knowing that I would have felt so much better if I hadn't known or felt these feelings, but it was too late.

A shaky, fragile vision appeared. Many wolves were silently howling into the sky at a blood red moon as the body of the Alpha lay on a hill.

A body that I was eating, the remains of the humans surrounding me having already been devoured and were nothing more than bones and sinew. The image of me then stood and released an ear-splitting howl into the sky.

A declaration that I was one of them. A proud hunter but it had a spine-chilling undertone. That I would one day rule and to do that, I would devour everything in my path.

Bursting into a sprint, along with the wolves, the image of myself vanished into the distance, and I returned to reality. Thankfully this time, my senses were back to normal.

I rose to my feet and looked down. The Alpha was dead.

Something deep within me wailed, a monstrous screech and the urge to find a way to resurrect Frank and kill him, again and again, was overwhelming, however, it quickly passed as my mind cleared.

This was the path I walked. The path of nature. Death was as much a part of it as life.

The Alpha had been a magnificent creature, and even though she thought to use me, I could tell that she meant to in the best possible way. She wanted me to be family and by doing so, ensure our mutual survival and prosperity. A concept that I found strangely appealing.

Pushing the sensation from my mind, I couldn't even find a hint of resentment inside of me, but that didn't mean I would bend to her will.

“I’m sorry, but I will not become an ally of your species. Anyway," I spoke in nothing more than a whisper. "The dead do not fret over the concerns of the living. Rest well."

My stomach grumbled as I turned around, seemingly in protest that I hadn't fallen on the corpse right there and then.

I had some serious doubts about what I had seen, however, even if I believed them, it would change nothing so I didn't fret over it too long.

I had known it since I woke up after my fight with the insect apes that I could no longer count myself as a human. The more I learned, the clearer it became that I had become something more fitted to nightmares.

Even without the voice's information, the strange abilities of my body, my experiences and my newly awakened instincts were more than enough evidence to squash any doubts.

That did not make what I was about to do any easier. I just couldn't pass up the opportunity, even if it meant forsaking the last of my humanity. To do so would be spitting in Fate's face, tempting it to come back and bite me in the arse at the most inconvenient moment possible.

Thinking back on the abominations, I couldn't help but release a sigh as I watched the approaching dawn. -"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. Shame the monster I was fighting was within myself. I can't blame this on anyone else, not even those who abducted me."

-"I am not a monster," whimpered the voice.

I sniggered, amused by the fact that the parasite had misunderstood my thoughts. It seemed that it wasn't as all-powerful or knowing as I had feared.

-"It seems that I made the right choice when I eliminated the woman. My existence, or at least what I am, must remain hidden at all costs or I will be hunted down and destroyed."

I glanced back at the Alpha. -"If those visions were real, how desperate must she have been to go against generations of pre-dispositional fear and try and bring me to her side."

My heavy footsteps squelched in the gory mud.

-"It's not like anything has changed. As the strong rise, new challenges will present themselves. The tiger doesn't care about insects, but will happily eat those that feast on them."

My hands clenched into fists as I forced myself to talk to the voice. “Can we grow back to my adult form?”

I said it out loud, I was sick of speaking in my head.

“And did I get the ability to communicate with the Alpha from consuming the Crawler?” I had an unsettling suspicion after watching the abominations in the vision.

-”We should remain small as it is easier to condense our body and make it stronger but yes, we should be able to. But we will need to eat a lot, far more than what is here, to reach the limit of that body.” The voice still seemed to be in a state of fear. "Also, yes, even now, our brain is changing due to some unknown influence. Most likely, it is down to something we ate and as that beast had the same ability, its the only thing that makes sense."

"None of this makes sense." Letting out a deep breath I stopped. The ability to absorb the traits of others was indeed potent. So powerful that I was confident there would be drawbacks to such a capability. "It won't change who I am, will it? You know, changing my brain."

-"No, your brain is now pretty much redundant since we merged.My kind can survive seemingly fatal injuries and, similar to the creatures you call abominations, as long as our body is not destroyed too much, our spirit will condense into the piece with the most energy and we will be able to regenerate. If there are no remains or if there is not enough energy, we will die."

I felt sick. Was I really this much of a monster? Ignoring that, what were its limits. "Will it create clones if I am split in half? You know, two bits with the same amount of energy?"

-"When I had my old body, the largest part containing the most energy would remain. The other part didn't do anything and could be eaten or abandoned. I don't know what happened as I was always the largest part. No that is wrong. I was all of it, but it just felt like shedding skin. This is why I said that the spirit, or whatever you want to call us, condenses in the most suitable container of our previous body and yes, it does need to be a part of us. We can't take over others." The voice was getting more cheerful as it talked, probably thinking that I had forgiven it or at least, that I had given it a chance. -"It is not as powerful as it sounds. If we drown, suffocate, get burnt to ash, get poisoned or starve, we will die as there is nothing left for us to connect with."

-"Anyway, we are distracting ourselves. We need to finish up here so we can use the remains as a lure for other creatures and grow in strength. It is a good plan that means that we will expend less energy while increasing our stores."

I ground my teeth. I knew I was procrastinating, but the really irritating thing was that the parasite was reading my mind and knew what I was up to.

-"I am not a parasite. Not anymore. We merged and are now one. Please, your spirit is too strong and domineering. It feels like a huge weight is crushing me."

I was about to grin at the discomfort of my hitchhiker when movement on the crest of the furthest hill drew my attention. A spike hound was cautiously approaching indicating that I was running out of time.

"Eat to live, live to eat." The memory of my words back when I fought the insect apes resonated with me.

Dread swept over me as I lowed myself to Frank’s corpse, a cold sweat forming on my forehead. I needed to grow stronger, and if my body was anything to go by, I was no longer human. If that was the case, there should be nothing wrong with what I was about to do.

I shook my head. It didn’t matter how I tried to reason it out, it just felt wrong on so many levels.

It was like I was standing on the edge of the abyss. I could turn around, and return the way I came or step forward and become one with it.

-”Can we grow while we…” I repressed the vomit that surged up my throat. -“Eat?”

The parasite seemed to have been able to control, or at least predict when it happened earlier.

-”It will be excruciating if we do it while we are conscious. It is far easier to consume ourselves than expand. We should eat enough biomass and then find somewhere safe to sleep. We can grow our body then.”

-”Do it. It needs to be painful. ”

A cold, wet feeling flowed on my hands as I watched the white substance seep through my pores and flow into the shapes I had already seen before hardening. My razor sharp claws and armour wrists, now sporting small, jagged backwards pointing spikes along the outside, seemed more haunting now than ever.

My gaze shifted to the man who had wanted to kill me when we first met. He would be the easiest to... I couldn't even think about what I was about to do.

I have become the thing of nightmares. A true monster that had been made, not born.

Reaching out with a shaky hand, the name that the Alpha had given me reverberated through my mind as I tried to distract myself from my actions.

-"Al the Devourer... What a stupid name."