Manipulated (Zakkol and Forlorn)

[Forlorn]

Manifesting a giant leaf the size of a small child, Sophie scooped up some water and cupped it inside the leaf. Propagating a blade of desert grass, she used the thick material to tie the ends of the leaf off, successfully sealing it. She raced back to the fortress, and placing the makeshift basket in her mouth, climbed the vine again. She quickly aided Theo in sipping the water, and in doing so the water began to change. The closer it got to Theo the more it shifted, as if it was trembling. Sophie nodded in acknowledgment and state "you can definitely manipulate water alright. When I first changed a meadow sprouted all around me. I was in a hospital, so when the nurses walked into a scene from a Disney movie they sure were confused" she said with a melodic laugh. Sophie quickly fell silent as she realized what a dire situation they were in. "I'm sorry" she said with a sigh.

 

[vibrantsystem]

'Well,' Theo murmured, taking another sip of the rippling water. 'It wasn't your fault, was it?' He said, his body crunched over as he continued to sip the water, beginning to take greater and greater drinks each time. He hadn't realised how thirsty he actually was at this point, and the water was making him much better. And that was when his eyes shimmered, giving the appearance of waves rolling about and crashing under the surface.


The water in the leaf carrier seemed to pull itself up, like it was handkerchief being plucked off a table. The water then began to form itself into a small sphere, which seemed to be more or less perfect barring the small ripples that danced on the surface. Theo stared at it, shocked. And then the sphere collapsed, returning the water to the carrier. Or most of it, anyway. Some of the water spilled onto the ground, wetting the sheets and dirt.

 

[Forlorn]

Sophia let out a lighthearted laugh at Theo's shock, before falling gravely silent. Had he not realized she was the one who bit him? He must have recognized her when she changed into her wolf form in front of him, right? All of this was disconcerting for Sophie, she did not want to soil the quasi-trust they had acquired. Sophie scratched the back of her head nervously, before finally asking "you do know who bit you, right?"

 

[vibrantsystem]

The thing was, Theo hadn't considered that question. At all. He hadn't even considered how Sophie had known about the fact that he had been bitten. The day had moved by so quickly, and left Theo with hardly any time to actually consider what was going on and how Sophie knew and the like. Thinking about the question, Theo opened his mouth to speak. 'No,' he said, thinking. 'I don't know.'

 

[Forlorn]

Sophie grimaced at his reply. She decided to keep the information to herself for now, knowing that if she were to tell him the truth he might not trust her, or worse. Quickly changing the subject, she asked "How are you feeling" She once again checked his jawline, and found that the transformation was progressing.

 

[vibrantsystem]

Letting out a small, harsh, bark-like laugh, Theo replied to Sophie's question. 'I feel,' he said, inhaling deeply, 'exactly how I look. I feel like hell.' Came his not particularly promising reply. After a short period of silence, he spoke again. 'Is the transformation continuing?' He asked idly, as if it were nothing to worry about. 'As my jaw is excruciatingly painful at the moment.' As if to prove this, Theo proceeded to massage the area around his jaw.

 

[Forlorn]

Sophie nodded in agreement, the transformation was indeed continuing. At this point it wouldn't be long before the fur began piercing through his skin. "I uh, forgot to mention that canine hair is different to a human's, much more durable, thick, and close together. So your follicles will be expanding at a rapid rate, as will your hair shafts. Basically, its going to feel like your skin is being ripped apart from the inside" Sophie whispered with a sorrowful expression. She propagated a plant which she picked the leaves from, and pushed them into Theo's mouth. "Chew, it will numb the pain. for now" She said.


(skip to the transformation perhaps?) 
(hey I'm going to bed Idk where you went ;-

 

[vibrantsystem]

Mentally, Theo had been counting down the hours since he'd last chewed the leaf of the odd plant that Sophie had grown. It had worked for about an hour, only for the numbing effects to stop abruptly, causing him to experience the promised sensation of having his skin ripped apart from the inside. The sensation was maddening, and Theo had screaming and yelled and trashed in pain, clawing at the ground, begging for it to be over.


But the pain had ended and now Theo was simply waiting for the main part of the transformation to occur. The moon was high in the sky, a slice missing following the previous night's full moon. And then the energy that had been building up in Theo exploded, and he jerked back, screaming in pain. His body felt on fire, even more so than before. It felt like there was something consuming him from the inside out.


Collapsing onto all fours on the now-filthy sheets and blankets, Theo tried to right himself, but he found trying to do so only resulted in a large explosion of pain. One that tore up his spine, which had now fully changed. He was locked to this position. And then, very rapidly, fur rippled up his body, coating it, and Theo's head jerked back, and in an instant, he was there, on the ground, a wolf with a coat of fur that mimicked the colour of his hair.

 

[Forlorn]

Sophie watched the now canine Theo, watching whether the pain had caused him to become rampant. On the first transformation the wolf mentally takes over almost always, it takes a very strong will to stave it. She stares at Theo, quivering slightly, waiting for him to make a move.

 

[vibrantsystem]

While Theo's now canine body lay on the ground, twitching, for he was fighting powerful instincts in his mind. His mind was telling him he wished to be free, to run, to attack and hunt at will. It told him he could live with no bounds, nothing to stop him. It seemed to so good, so, so good. To good to be true. And it was indeed, for he was not letting his instincts take over. He knew he wasn't able to run and hunt. He knew that he was locking in this hole in the ground by nature itself. And then the instincts shark back, shying away into the corner of Theo's mind, ready to leap out again when the full moon rolled around the next month.


The twitching form of Theo jerked around on the floor for one more time. And then it stopped, and the creature began to make an effort to right itself, clearly confused by its additional legs. In fact, it seemed confused by everything. The tail, the legs, the ears. Everything.

 

[Forlorn]

Sophie saw the wolf's confusion, knowing full well that confusion was a human trait. Theo had won against the animal inside of him. Sophie changed into a wolf and nuzzled his fur gently to try and comfort him. The poor creature was shaking, the ordeal had taken its tole. With her canine paws, Sophie deconstructed the leafy walls, allowing him to run if he pleased. She sensed that he wouldn't kill anyone, but watched him wearily nonetheless.

 

[vibrantsystem]

The wolf-Theo-was not having the best of times getting used to its new legs. While trying to walk, the beast had attempted to lift its front legs off the ground, and walk around on its hind legs, which didn't give the best of results. Thankfully though, Sophie was there to support Theo, which was a small amount of nuzzling. The whole problem was extremely frustrating for Theo though, as never before had he felt so...full of energy. Even with the minimal amount of movement he'd achieved, Theo had already experienced the simple joy that was moving in his wolf form. When he did so, he could feel everything moving and pulling. The sensation was brilliant, and Theo wished so desperately to be able to explore with his new form and growing used to his newly enhanced senses.


It was at that point that the wolf that was Sophie lowered the trees, allowing Theo to run free. Growing used to his new legs, Theo made a fast-if slightly wobbly-walk over to the crumbling walls of what used to be the building. The beast looked around with its shaggy head, and the began to move over to a gap in the wall, moving with a considerably greater amount of swiftness than would be expected from it.

 

[Forlorn]

Sophie followed the new wolf, easily keeping up with it as it ran ahead. She let out a half bark half howl as she ran, sharing Theo's excitement. After hours of running, Sophie lead him to a small body of water. Turning human, she explained how manipulation works and wanted him to try it. "Just focus all your energy on an area and imagine on what you want to happen to it" she said as she grabbed a pile of dirt in her hands. With one finger pressed into the earthy ground, a small flower bloomed. "for you" she said jokingly with a smirk.

 

[vibrantsystem]

The wolf that was Theo cocked its shaggy head and looked at the flower suspiciously. It was all so surprising and strange to him, the way the flower had sprung out of the earth.


Making a decision, Theo walked over to the pool of water, ready to make an attempt at following Sophie's vague instructions. Focusing all of his intent on the water with a wolfy stare, Theo began to focus, seeing the water replicate what it had done many hours before, back at the house. And indeed, the water began to pull itself up, but instead of forming a ball, this time it began to freeze, becoming ice. The ice began to spread down the water that had been "plucked" up, and was now covering the pool, covering it in a layer of ice. Theo watched, surprised, before looking at Sophie. He was little put out she had become a human again, rather than being a wolf. But it was a fairly insignificant thought.

 

[Forlorn]

Sophie smiled and gave a little yip of joy. "You did it! You can manipulate ice too" she said in an excited tone. "I can't believe it" Despite Theo having just endured immense pain, he was bounding with energy. Sophie however, was tired from the previous night's full moon. She wished to curl up in an actual bed-not one of her making-and sleep. "Hey uh-Theo?" she said in a cautious tone. "I know this is sudden but I need a place to sleep, rocks and moss aren't very forgiving on one's back" She said with a chuckled. "Do you have a spare couch or something? If not then its fine with me, I can sleep outside" Sophie said, inspecting a snail as it trudged past her.

 

[vibrantsystem]

Turning his gaze from the frozen water, Theo looked at Sophie, giving her a cool-eyed stare. While he so desperately wanted to talk to her, tell her he did, he couldn't. He was a wolf. Wolves can't talk. Instead, Theo made a gesture with his large head, tossing it back in the direction of his house. He let out a small bark, indicating for Sophie to follow as he set off in the direction, making a stop at the ruined building to grab the sheets in his jaw as he did so. Theo didn't know if Sophie was actually following him. He was guessing. He hadn't looked behind him, yet he could smell her, which gave him peace of mind. And then, through the trees, he could see his house.

 

[Forlorn]

The rust colored wolf followed Theo, slipping through the trees with ease. She wondered why he had yet to change into a human, perhaps he didn't know how? perhaps he couldn't. Either way, Sophie was just at ease that he was happy. When they arrived at the cottage Sophie surveyed the property before turning human and entering the home. She was starving, as was Theo, but did not know how to work a fridge. Instead, she plopped her exhausted body on the couch and hoped that Theo could find food himself

 

[vibrantsystem]

Theo had watched Sophie become a wolf and human with ease thus far, and he wasn't exactly sure how she did it. While he knew he'd develop a mastery of the shifting in time, he was most certainly slightly peeved by the fact that he couldn't do it at the moment. While the wolf form was indeed brilliant and he could feel everything moving in tandem, it was also a problem, as he lacked basic things like speech and hands.


While Sophie collapsed onto the couch, Theo returned outside, looking around, and then, out of the corner of his canine eye, he saw a rabbit. He crept up, and jumped on it, before killing it, his instincts glowing.


Returning inside, Theo padded into the lounge, the dead rabbit limp in his mouth. He looked a Sophie happily.

 

[Forlorn]

Sophie moved her eyes towards the rabbit, excitement glinting in them. Good job" she muttered as she took the rabbit from his mouth. She walked over to the stove, fiddling with it, a confused expression plastered on her face. "Well…this is embarrassing. Let me see if I can remember from when I was very little" she said in a puzzled tone. As she turned several knobs, a flame arose. She placed the dead rabbit on the pan, fur and all. "Crap, I should skin it first" She explained as she began gutting and skinning the corpse. When only meat saturated with blood was left, she placed it on the pan, evoking a slight sizzle. She smiled down at the wolf, a twinge of pride jetting through her. Realizing he probably lacked the ability to change back to a human, she put her hand on his forehead. "Feel my pulse? try mimicking that. Humans and wolves have different heart rates. Thats how I change at least" She shrugged. 
(is Frysik still alive or did he die)

 

[vibrantsystem]

Theo watched intently as Sophie cooked his kill, the smell of the cooking rabbit's flesh wafting from the frying pan. And then, Sophie, with the advice he'd been waiting for. Theo had been eagerly anticipating the information on how to revert to his human form. While his wolf form had grown on him substantially over a short period of time, it didn't mean Theo had forgotten about his human one. No. He longed to return to it, and decided to make an attempt at following Sophie's advice.


Focusing on his heart rate, Theo sat down, his tail lying on the floor behind him, brushing gently from side to side. But nothing happened. Theo didn't change. He didn't even feel like he was going to.


Trying a different tactic, Theo visualized his human appearance. The one he'd had for years and years, before developing a second look in the past few hours. And then there Theo was. Standing in the kitchen, his arms hanging limply by his sides. Turning bright red, Theo looked down, noticing his shirt must still be back at the ruined building from when Sophie had been checking his spine.

 

[Forlorn]

Sophie couldn't help but grin at his handsome body. The boy had toned muscles which she couldn't help but admire. She turned as red as the blood seeping out of the rabbit. "Um-uh-you did it" she stuttered, "good um…good job" She said, still red as a beet. Turning back to the meat, she put it on two plates for them to eat. Handing Theo a blanket to wrap himself in, she puts the plates down for them to eat. She shovels the meat into her mouth without the aid of any condiments or utensils. Looking over at Theo, she blushes at her poor manners and quickly grabs some utensils from a cabinet.

 

[vibrantsystem]

Theo gratefully accepted the blanket-one that he had left there the previous day (for it was now past midnight). Wrapping himself in it, he sat down at the table, watching Sophie as she...wolfed down the minimal meat that the rabbit had had on it. Once Sophie returned with eating utensils, Theo took the knife and fork she had brought over, and started to eat his meat too. It didn't taste quite like he had imagined it to. Suffice to say, he wasn't finding it the nicest thing ever. Instead, Theo decided to not focus on the meat, and rather one something else. 'Sophie?' He asked, extending a pale hand out from beneath the folds of the blanket. 'Were you always a werewolf?' While this may not have been the most sensitive thing to ask at this current point in time, Theo went through with it anyway.

 

[Forlorn]

Sophie snorted, then blushed after at such an awkward thing she had done. "No" was all she whispered. After a long drawn out silence, she began her explanation. "I was one of three kids. My siblings meant the world to me, they really did" Sophie sighed. "My family was less than...functional. My dad was abusive, my mom was either wasted or high off her rocker, the kinda crap you'd see on a tv show" after another silent pause, she continued. "One night I was out later than usual, the moon was full, naturally. Well, Some bum attacked me and being only 6 I could do very little. Well this massive creature stepped in-we were at a park so it was a wooded area- it ripped the man to shreds and bit me. I managed to hide in a fallen tree where it couldn't get me" Sophie had a look of pure fear on her face. Staring directly into his eyes, Sophie continued. "I killed my parents Theo. I killed them in cold blood" after that she fell silent.

 

[vibrantsystem]

Theo remained silent throughout Sophie's surprisingly sad story. He hadn't been expecting that, as from his perspective, she seemed fully at ease with both her manipulation abilities and her wolf form, so it had seemed to him like it was something she'd been born with. Making a note to remember not to assume things in the future, Theo gave Sophie a warm, sympathetic smile. 'That was the past,' Theo said, breathing in. 'And besides, it sounds like they weren't exactly the nicest people in the world. You did only kill your parents, right?' Theo asked, casting her a look. He wasn't entirely sure if she'd killed her siblings or not. Once again, Theo wasn't sure if he should be asking these questions.

 

[Forlorn]

Tears brimmed in her eyes. "No, but they're as good as dead anyways. The foster care system is screwed up and I can't see them unless I am their 'legal guardian' or some bull like that. Ive been trying to track their location by scent but i haven't picked up on a lead in years". A few tears ran down her cheek before she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. She nudged Theo's shoulder. "So whats your life's story, how come you live all alone?" She said with a forced smile