His head pounded and he was once again trapped in his own world inside his mind. In the darkness, visions of his past life flashed before him. Jesse at the prom, his parents, his friends. All drifting just out of his reach. They seemed to all float away and eventually vanished in the darkness. His current thoughts brought forth a new vision, one of Jesse in her prom dress, now stained by her own blood from a gaping wound in her neck.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Why did you do this to me Jaden? Was I not a good enough Girlfriend for you?"</span><br/><br/>"No I didn't mean to! It wasn't my fault!" he cried.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"But you did do it, Jaden. You killed me! I was even going to give myself to you that night! That's how much I loved you! I wanted to settle down with you, go to the same University, even start a family! And this is what you think of me? Did you even love me at all or was it all a joke?!"</span><br/><br/>"No! I..."<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"I thought we were perfect for each other. I thought nothing would come between us. I would have accepted you for you, no matter what kind of monster you became. I would love you no matter what."</span>she said, crossing her bloodstained arms,<span style="font-style: italic">"But you killed me, Jaden! You couldn't control yourself and I was the first thing you went for. How could you?!"</span><br/><br/>"No Jessica! I do love you! That wasn't me! That was the Wolf inside me! I didn't mean to hurt you! I would never hurt you!" he cried, tears now streaming down his face.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"But you did, Jaden. It's already done. No amount of sorry will fix that. I'm gone forever and nothing you can do will change that."</span><br/><br/>"I'm so sorry, Jessie..." he sobbed. He sank to his knees and she sighed, letting her arms fall to her sides. She knelt before him and looked into his eyes. His gaze kept falling to the gaping hole in her neck and the blood still pouring from it. She spoke and acted like nothing was wrong.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"What's done is done. The problem now is what are you going to do about it?"</span><br/><br/>"What?"<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"You say you still love me. You said you were sorry. There's nothing you can do to fix what you did. You've changed because of it, becoming an animal, yet still you."</span>she said,<span style="font-style: italic">"These are the facts. You think ending your life makes sense from this? Regardless of what you did to me, whether you meant it or not, I still love you and wouldn't want you following me to the other side because of what you did. I want you to live and learn from your mistake. Learn to control what you have become so that you can maybe find what it is you're looking for in life.|</span><br/><br/>"Jessie..." he stammered. From the darkness, two dark figures lurked out, to his left a large snow white wolf, to his right, a towering hulk of a white werewolf. They both stood calmly stood beside Jessica, she putting a gentle hand on them, running her delicate fingers through their fur.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"This is you. This is what you've become. How can either of these forms be thought of as a monster?"</span>She turned to the wolf, putting her arms around it's thick neck,<span style="font-style: italic">"The wolf, a form of grace and beauty, yet strong and powerful. Fast and precise. An elegant machine. A work of art really."</span>then turned to the towering Werewolf,<span style="font-style: italic">"The Werewolf, an image of power and might, versatility and proficiency. Like a statue of Atlas without the world on his shoulders."</span><br/><br/>She then let go of the Werewolf's large claw and turned to him, taking his face in her hands, the blood now gone and her wounds not showing any signs of ever happening.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"And you...You are the most important. You're intelligent, funny, thoughtful, and courageous. It's why I fell in love with you. There are so many things about you that I love, but these two behind me are just more to add. They are also you. You must accept them to fell like a whole person."</span><br/><br/>"I'll never be a whole person without you." he said, "Now it will never happen."<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"I'm a part of you too. I'm always here. In your memories."</span>she said,<span style="font-style: italic">"You remember that present I got you for your birthday?"</span><br/><br/>"My earring?"<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">"Yes. Keep it with you always and remember me."</span>she said, then stood up,<span style="font-style: italic">"Jaden, I forgive you. Go live your life and keep me in your heart. Go love another and move on."</span><br/><br/>"You may forgive me, but it will be a while before I forgive myself..." with that, she and the Werewolf vanished into the darkness, leaving the wolf to advance on him...<br/><br/>-- --------------<br/><br/>It was a mere thirty minutes since the girls dragged him to the cave, but it was a half hour of tormented sleep. When he finally woke, it was with a massive jolt, then before he could say a word his body was wracked in pain as he started to shift. Beneath the blanket, his bones cracked and reformed, becoming a large Wolf. After the process, he lay motionless, the blanket now only covering the middle of his body, short whimpers escaping his open maw and eyes closed.<br/><br/>He didn't say a word or wouldnt know how if he could. He began panting with his tongue hanging out, trying to catch his breath, the dream still vivid in his mind...