I cursed under my breath. Wolves were bad. Wolves were really bad.

"Alright, Isaac, transform," Ravi ordered. "You and Abigail do what we just talked about. I'll try to hold them off in dragon form. Amarie," he said, turning to me with a serious look on his face, "if any of them touch land, it's up to you, okay?"

I swallowed the knot in my throat and nodded. I straightened my back a little. I will not let this defeat me.

Ravi nodded. Then he and Isaac swirled in light, and suddenly, there was a dragon and a centaur on the beach.

Abigail and Isaac ran off to the left while Ravi took to the skies.

And then I was alone.

I held the quarterstaff with two hands and tried to root myself into the ground. It felt good to have a weapon in my hands. I felt safer.

But still...wolves. I wondered if they still had the same effect now that they were synthetic.

I closed my eyes and a took a deep breath. I could still remember the moment I had walked into that room I had known so well, carnage covering the floors, the blood starkly contrasted with the white marble floor, the metallic and sickly smell of death.

The moment I realized I was the last monster.

I opened my eyes again, quickly scanning to make sure the beach was still clear. It was. I could see the burning of the rafts off the shore, could hear the howls of the monsters as they jumped off. The smell of burning fur wafted through the air, and I felt a little queasy.

Ravi, Isaac, and Abigail were doing an admirable job. But I could already tell: it wouldn't be enough.

The wolves at this point were abandoning their rafts before they were set ablaze, and were instead swimming to shore. In the water, the flames couldn't hurt them. I felt my mouth go dry.

I could see them as they approached.

I saw the one in the lead, a massive, hulking beast.

I could see their eyes glowing red in a way no natural creature could do.

And then the first one came ashore.

He barreled up the beach towards me, face contorted in a snarl, ears back. I bent my knees a bit and waited for him to get closer. My breathing sped up and my stomach twisted into a knot.

Just before he ran into me, I lashed out with the quarterstaff, making contact with his front right leg.

A flash of white, and he tumbled backwards, fur smoking. His leg was twisted at an odd angle. He didn't stand back up.

I gulped, not knowing if he was alive or dead, or if he had even been alive in the first place, but I didn't have time to think about it.

More wolves had arrived on the beach.

I wish I could say that my training and adrenaline took over and that I didn't quite know or remember what I did. But it wouldn't be true. I had to think about every movement, every step, every hit with my staff. It was exhausting.

I held them off for a little while. But there were so many. And it was beginning to wear down on me.

And then, almost all of a sudden, I realized I was surrounded.

I was in the center of a circle of the beasts, and they were closing in. I tensed up. I could feel their breath on my skin. I looked around wildly for an escape.

Then I made the mistake of looking into one of their eyes.

You will always be alone.

I squeezed my eyes shut, but it was too late. The words hit me like a bus. I felt them resonating in my entire body, buzzing with the power they knew they had on me.

My eyes snapped open, and I realized they were even closer.

"No, no, no," I muttered uselessly. Would anyone come and help me?

No one is coming.

I lashed out with my quarterstaff desperately, but as one wolf went flying back, another took its place.

Why are you so loyal to these people you barely know? They will never accept you. You are not one of them.

"They do accept me," I whispered, though I was shaking. "Sierra said so."

They are all liars. You are a monster. You will never be one of them.

My knees gave way and I collapsed to the ground, tears forming in my eyes, my entire body shuddering.

Why do you cling so desperately to these people? You will never belong. No one will ever accept you. You are a disgusting, horrible, monster, and the only semblance of a family you have is here. Part of a pack.

"No..." I whispered halfheartedly. My voice was breaking.

Join us, and you won't be alone.

Join us, and you will finally belong.

Let go of this pathetic act.

Let go.

Join.

I felt it welling up inside me, the pressure growing until I feared I would burst. The desire to belong. The desperate, animalistic need to not be alone.

I couldn't hold back any long. I let go, and let it consume me.

Pain overtook my entire being. I felt my muscles being stretched and twisted, growing and strengthening, my arms and legs bending at odd angles. My teeth aching, growing sharper. My face contorting and my eyes burning with the intensity of a fire.

I opened my mouth and I screamed, in pain, in hatred, and in despair.

And then I lost sense of everything.

~~~~~~~

(A/N: How do you guys like these two parters? Would you rather have longer chapters or more frequent uploads? Let me know in the comments.)