****

Part of the old story, make sure to check out the remade Alteration here.

***

-''Uuuh...''

A painful moan esaped from Blake's lips as he sat on the dirt and leaned on a tree. He previously led the monster wolf out of the canyon, carefully avoiding the minotaur and going around him in a wide arc. They were now waiting in a nearby part of the forest for a response from Teruna after he PMed his sister, briefly explaining the situation and asking her to forward the message to Teruna and tell her to come. He made sure to mention all the weird stuff caused by the wolf and hoped that Teruna could make some sense out of it.

The wolf didn't try to talk much with Blake after they left the canyon. A strange atmosphere surrounded him that made Blake even more uncomfortable if that was even possible. The beast was silent, but a sense of foreboding could be felt coming from it. The cold eyes were racing left and right expecting something and even his body trembled in exceitement, seemingly happy.

Blake watched the wolf secretly from the side and couldn't help but feel sceptical.

I am so screwed...Is he maybe some faction hunter beast that is tracking the hedgehogs? But it makes no sense. I hadn’t been in Faction leader mode so I couldn't have been sensed. He must be something else...

*CRACK*

A loud noise came from Blake's body and he convulsed in pain and started to breath heavily as he tried to support himself with his arms and lean on the tree behind him.

-''Huff...huff...huff...''

After a few moments he again regaind his normal position, but he continued to breath heavily with pearly of sweat visible on his forehead. He massaged his ribs and arms where the most serious bone fractures previously were. Nothing could be seen on the surface, but the pain that Blake felt was still excrutiating as the dislocated bones were gradually going back to their original places.

Blake's natural regeneratiton was slowly healing him, but it seems like the pain adjustment was still broken. He waited for a minute to let his breathing go back to normal and whispered with a barely audible voice.

-''...log out...''

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#7499c4 bgcolor=#d2e4f2][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#7499c4 bgcolor=#d2e4f2][br][/br]Failed to execute order. Error: Unknown[br][/br][/col][/box]

He lightly massaged his sore bones and stared at the window.

Just what is wrong with this wolf? This shouldn't be possible... can he bend the rules as he pleases? That is ridiculous it must be something else! Maybe it's some other faction that I haven't heard of and their magic can produce these effects, but that would be..? AHH!

*CRACK*

Another load noise came from Blake, but this time from his hand. He held it carefully with the other one, trying to strain it as little as possible while the bones were moving. His breathing turned ragged again and he leaned his head back on the tree trunk and waited for the pain to pass. The forest around him was just as it was before probably, but to him it seemed like it lacked the color from before and the relaxing noises of birds and rustling leaves were replaced with his own heartbeat that he heard all too clearly.

What should I do now? Can I do anything at all actually? I'm this guys hostage and my only option really is waiting for Teruna. I do wonder if she's even stronger than the wolf.

Blake's face turned gradually paler.

If that wolf managed to manipulate the game settings to that degree could he... kill me... Here and in real life...

He started sweating and closed his eyes trying to focus and make the bone-chilling fear go away, but it was in vain. Grim thoughts clouded his mind and he fixed his gaze on the wolf which didn't seem to care much for Blake at the moment.

The wolf disabled the log out function and also messed with the pain settings... My previous condition also shouldn't have been possible, usually people die when they are crippled to that extent and are unable to continue fighting. Could that beast even... disable the ressurrection function?

His hands lightly shook and dark thoughts continued to wander his mind until a sound interrupted it.

[box border=1 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=3 width=80% bordercolor=#7499c4 bgcolor=#d2e4f2][col colspan=4 valign=top width=100% bordercolor=#7499c4 bgcolor=#d2e4f2][br][/br]Teruna told you to head north to a small stream. She also said that it's important that there is some distance between you and the wolf. – Rose 12:32[br][/br][/col][/box]

Ah so she will...

-''WHOA!''

Just as he finished reading the message he noticed the wolf that was not even a step away from him. He jumped up and made created a bit of distance between the wolf and him. However he immediately regretted it as the jump shook his whole boody and some bones painfully creaked up making Blake collapse in pain.

The wolf watched the scene that unfolded before him with an expressionless face and he simply took a few steps and was again next to Blake. He didn't seem to care much about his reaction, but just looked at Blake's face and a moment later his voice was heard booming through Blake's mind.

-''What is the response?''

Blake stood up again and answered with an unsteady voice.

-''How do you know that I got an answer?''

The eyes of the beast were cold and expressionless, but his voice seemed threatening.

-''Am I wrong?''

Blake immediatelly shook with fear in his veins and stutteringly asnwered.

-''Y...You aren't. We... we need to go north from here. Someone will be waiting in the vicinity of a

stream that is located there.''

How did he know that I got a message?!

The wolf stood silent for a moment.

-''Why don't they come here?''

Blake's expression froze on his face and he started sweating even harder while trying to maintain a more or less straight face.

Because she is either making a trap or suspecting one probably...

A weak voice came from his lips.

-''I told them everything you told me to, I swear! They probably just looked for a spot that can be found easily so we don't miss each other in this big forest.''

-''Very well.''

With these words the wolf turned and started walking. Blake looked after him with a mixture of relief and confusion on his face.

Is he an idiot? Or is he just that confident in his abilities?

He followed after the wolf, but made sure to keep his distance like Teruna told him to. He nervously looked around while he was walking thinking about what was about to happen.

What will she do? A ranged attack maybe? Ughh I don't even know her abilities so it's hard to guess... But what is this knowledge the beast spoke off? This situation is simply infuriating...

He kept guessing what would happen with a pale face for a few minutes until they finally came to the stream Teruna mentioned. The bubbling of water filled the air, but it did little to relax the terrified Blake who tried to keep an eye on the wolf while looking everywhere around him for signs of Teruna.

Come on...where are you?

The wolf now arrived right next to the stream and sat down while Blake slowly and relucantly closed the distance.

Just as Blake halved the distance he held between him and the wolf did the earth in front of him errupt. It seemed like a big explosion where the earth tore upen with incredible force and the air was filled with flying stones and dirt. In the middle of it appeared a huge red monster which charged with incredible speed at the wolf. Blake threw himself flat on the ground and covered his head and endured the oncoming dirt and stone rain and also the agony of his bones creaking from the fall.

Teruna! How did she know that we would come to this exact place?!

The wolf immediately got up and tried to evade the charging hedgehog, but he wasn't fast enough. Teruna slammed right into him and he got stabbed with here flaming spikes. After she hit him she showed no sign of stopping but just rushed in the direction of a tree, slamming herself and the wolf into it, making sure that the spikes really go through him and pin him to the tree.

Blake slowly got up from the dirt and awaited with fear the wolves counterattack. Nothing happened for a few seconds and he slowly got closer to Teruna to check the situation.

The wolf was still pinned with many spikes going through him and into the tree, but he didn't notice before that one spike was going straight through the wolve's skull. Blake fell on his knees in relief and he felt his exhaustion and pain even more intensly than before, but his mind was finally relaxed.

Great! We don't know what he wanted to do, but it's better like this. It must have been a trap either way.

He lifted his shaky voice and shouted to Teruna with an exhausted smile on his face.

-''When we go back I'll have dad make you a feast! You won't believe what the bea...''

Teruna interrupted Blake with a roar and he noticed that she didn't move an inch since impaling the monster.

Could she be stuck in the tree?

Blake moved to Teruna's side to see what the problem was. The wolf was sttill motionless and didn't even twitch, but Blake's heart froze for a second when he noticed its eyes. They were lowered and pointed directly into Teruna's.

Fear spread through Blake's boody like a wildfire.

How is this possible?! The spike is going right through its skull! And all the other injuries!

Blake looked with wide opened eyes at the beast trying to grasp the situation when it shifted its gaze from Teruna to him. The cold pair of eyes that looked at him made him unable to move and a voice cold and violent like a blizzard rampaged through his head.

-''What is the meaning of this?''

Blake's heart beat like it tried to escape his chest, yet his body wouldn't move as if rooted down.

A voice filled with confusion and terror seeped out of Blake's mouth.

-''H... How?''

Teruna roared again shaking Blake out of his trance and her spikes started glowing and released a dangerous energy around them. Blake who was near her was also affected by it and fell to the ground leaning on his arms while he felt a pain spreading inside of him from the pressure Teruna's spikes gave off.

She was trying to push the wolf even harder savagely throwing herself forward making the spikes burry even deeper and the energy that was coming from them seemed to tear the wolf apart with its frightful power.

The wolf was now being destroyed before Blake's eyes but he knew that something was off. The eyes of the wolf were still expressionless and switching from Blake to Teruna continuosly. After his whole body started to crumble he calmy spoke in Blake's mind.

-'' You disapoint me.''

The words rang in Blake's mind and just after they were spoken the wolf started to change. He seemed to be engulfed by Teruna's flames and his wounds were being torn apart by her powers.

Just what is happening?! Aren't we winning?

The wolf seemed to be transforming his body, coating it in fire and his eyes gained new red light.

Blake looked at the scene unfolding feeling like it was a terrible nightmare and he was unable to wake up. Teruna also noticed that the wolf wasn't dying despite the fatal attacks so she backed away, pulling her spikes out of the wolf and tree making him fall on the dirt, but he landed graciously on his feet.

His behaviour was as cold as ever despite the new flaming body he made somehow. His eyes were calmly looking at the two and he wasn't moving. Blake managed to come back to his senses and came to Teruna's side who also made a considerable distance between her and the monster.

-''What did you do?! Why isn't it dead?!''

Teruna roared out in frustration and signaled him to stay behind her as she wasn't able to speak in this form. Blake got behind her and readied himself to flee. His face was as white as paper from fear.

She also doesn't know what's happening...

Teruna bashed again into the wolf this time making him fly through the air and smashagainst another tree. She immediately ran up to him with earthshaking steps that made some trees creak and bit of his head with a bloodthirsty roar. Blake watched carefully what happened but he couldn't relax because the body that fell out of Teruna's mouth landed in one elegant motion and flames swirled out of the wolf's body forming a new head. Blake's body started trembling and his whole mind turned blank for a second.

The wolf turned his newly formed head to Blake and looked deep into his eyes making his vioce resound in his mind.

-''Enough! I am here to talk.''

He doesn't even feel bothered by Teruna's attacks... and he wants to talk?

He spoke up with a trembling voice and turned to Teruna.

-''We don't really have a choice...''

Teruna turned and charged at Blake who opened his eyes wide open seeing this.

What is she doing?!

She came to him and without stopping picked him up with her pointy nose and somehow slowly lowered him on the spikes. He looked with dread at the spikes that he clung on and tried to do his best to avoid getting stabbed every time she shook from her big steps.

He tried to say something but he was only silenced by Teruna’s roar and kept silently clinging to her. It was hard to hold on to her but she wasn't emanating the previous pressure and the heat that was coming from her also seemed controlled. His only problem was that he couldn't always cushion the swaying so get got quite a few bruises and stab wounds, but not even one was serious.

After a few minutes of running he clenched his teeth and tried to look over his shoulder tosee where the wolf was at. To his shock and fright he noticed the wolf right in the middle of that motion. He ran right next to them, and jumped accasionally up to a tree to and then back when he wanted to annul some distance Teruna was desperately trying to make.

The wolf was still coated in fire with all of his dark streaks gone and replaced by red and yellow ones from which the intense fire came that coated his body. Every place his paw tucked went up in flames and Blake already noticed some smoke back from the direction they started running from.

This is insane! He can catch up to us whenever he wants, why is he letting us run even further?

Blake lightly tugged at one of Teruna's spikes and she lifted her head for a second to show him that she is listening. Blake then started talking as loud as he could with his exhausted body.

-''He is playing with us! Look to your right! He has no problems keeping up with you, but for some reason he hasn't attacked.''

He hasn't attacked at all, now that I think about it.

-''We must stop and see what he wants, there is no alternative!''

Teruna huffed frustratedly making smoke come out of her mouth and slowed done while turning to the wolf. He noticed the temp change and looked at everything from a branch on a tree that slowly started to catch fire. Teruna was now turned to face the wolf and stomped her feet on the ground making tremors. Blake just wanted to get off of her, but when he moved she growled silently making him stop.

She is as unsecure as I am...

The wolf was now smoothly approaching them leaving behind patches of scorched and still burning grass and dirt. He gazed at Teruna and Blake with his emotionless infernal eyes and spoke, moving their thoughts to the side.

-''Now that you are done playing around it's time to talk.''

Table of Contents

Thanks for reading.

First I'd like to thank Sceribna for the amazine picture he made(you can see it on the ToC)

I'm sorry this chapter got delayed that much, but I honestly couldn't help it. I am burried in work and I might again find myself unable to post next weekend. It will turn back into weekly releases as soon as possible.

Here's the forum thread where you can see my progress, ETAs (most of the time) and other updates.