Finished YCH for  aka_Arkaim! Their character Veatid, transformed into a hulking, bloodthirsty were-form, leaping at Aarvid from the darkness. Will marten or monster prevail this night???

A short prologue, transformation scene is below to set the stage for this encounter.

Veatid ©  aka_Arkaim
Aarvid / artwork ©  Blizzmaster

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“Nnngh... I think... it’s starting...”

From behind a twisted, barren tree, Veatid stumbled out of the shelter of the forest, pushing through a mass of jagged branches and thorns. The forest tugged and clawed at him as he did, tearing his plain white lab coat and denim pants, desperately trying to keep him trapped within its grasp. His vision hazy, Veatid swiped in front of himself and pushed forward, crashing through the foliage and collapsing on all fours onto a beaten path. He groaned, slamming his claws into the ground beneath him. His clawed digits dug into the rotting leaves and cracked earth beneath him, clenching tight as a wave of pain wracked his body. His transformation had begun...

He first noticed his heartbeat change, quickening and pulsing stronger, pushing his rapidly mutating blood outwards towards every corner of his body. His chest heaved, then expanded, bones creaking and cracking as he felt his lungs swell outward, his breaths becoming heavy and rapid to keep up with his body’s increasing demand for oxygen. Next, his muscles responded, stretching and pulsing larger to support his body’s increasing size. Veatid’s usually slender frame bulked up from his core outwards, as waves of transformative energy radiated outwards from inside him. First his chest and abdomen, then shoulders, arms and legs more than doubled in size, quickly filling out and stretching his usually loose clothing. Tighter and tighter his clothes wrapped around his bulging muscles, becoming first uncomfortable, then painful, until finally, the seams burst on the arms of his lab coat, torn apart almost all at once by a sudden spurt of growth. The lower half of his pants shredded to ribbons as well, as the structure of his legs changed, bones, tendons and muscles rearranging themselves into a more pronounced digitigrade structure. Veatid lifted himself onto his knees, unleashing an involuntary, deafening roar towards the night sky, barely visible through the forest’s thick canopy.

As the roar echoed out into the barren forest, Veatid’s blood felt like it began to boil, his changes accelerating now, coming faster, more violently. He continued to grow taller and stronger still, but now Veatid felt his teeth and claws sharpen and protrude further outwards, becoming oversized and deadly, dangerous weapons suitable for only the most vicious of predators. His fur grew thick and coarse, while his hair lengthened, growing further down his neck and longer out above his face, partially obscuring his vision. Veatid felt his senses sharpen as well, suddenly distinctly aware of many new smells and their precise directions. The haze beginning to fade from his vision, Veatid’s gaze darted from place to place, now able to see with razor-sharp clarity into the night. He heard something move about behind him and swung around to find a simple mouse scurrying across the path, but dozens of meters away.

Finally, after another minute or so, Veatid’s transformation began to settle, his were-form seemingly fully developed. He stood up, scanning the forest around himself as he tested and flexed the muscles along his new form. Estimating himself to be nearly ten feet tall based on the size of the trees and bushes around him, Veatid licked his lips and smirked, his mind awash now with dangerous, bloodthirsty thoughts of how best to use his newfound strength and size. He closed his eyes, sniffing the air, focusing his superhuman senses to find something, or someone to test his were-form on...

There... to the south... the smell of something small... rock and metal and leather... but mostly soft flesh... alone...

“Perfect,” Veatid growled.

Veatid opened his eyes and leapt forth to seek his prey.