As Bark led Chomby deeper into the woods, Chomby kept himself on guard. He immediately looked toward any slight noise he heard. A cricket chirping, a rustle of leaves, even a deer running by. He didn’t want to get himself captured. He had quite a few questions he wanted to ask, but he was unsure how to go about asking without lowering his guard.

“Soooo, Chomby, do you like the atmosphere?” Bark asked casually. Chomby was unsettled by how nonchalant he was acting.

He didn’t want to answer the question. He stayed silent.

“I find it to be quite mysterious and spooky. Of course, I like those kinds of vibes!” Bark chuckled. He spun himself around and winked at Chomby while backpedaling. “You, however, seem quite on edge. I have a hunch it isn’t just because you’re easily startled.”

Chomby snarled. “Shut it, Bark.”

“Ooooh, a touchy subject?” Bark lifted his hands up defensively and spun around. “Heard you tried ghost hunting in an attic. The lady at the shop said you were mumbling to yourself the entire time. Didn’t take you for a paranormal investigator!”

“I’m not,” Chomby said. “Sarge is. He’s the police department’s lead detective.”

“A story about Berithal, I’m sure!” Bark lifted one of his hands and waved it dismissively. “Wouldn’t be surprised if he had a cover like that. Imagine being a werewolf among humans! They’d be too afraid of you to even remotely think of you as helpful!”

Chomby looked to the ground. “Then why do you want to be a werewolf? If they’ve got it rough, wouldn’t that deter you?”

“A man wants what he wants. I couldn’t give a crap about what people think of me.” Bark laughed. “But, MAN, after this, I won’t have to deal with them anymore! It’s a werewolf’s life for the both of us!”

“I want no part in that-”

“Then I’m sure Berithal will grant it,” Bark said. His voice betrayed a hint of excitement. Though, Chomby just decided to mark their excitement as insanity.

“What happened to the police officers? They were supposed to be here,” Chomby asked.

“One could say they’ve gotten lost in the woods,” Bark turned his head and frowned.

“You killed them?” Chomby asked. He gritted his teeth. “What happened to Charel and Stanford?”

“You not listening, Chomby?” Bark rolled his eyes. “I literally just said they got lost. I dunno where they are. Their police cars are a few blocks back. Didn’t you see them?”

“No.”

“Well, when we’re done, you can go back and check if you’d like!” Bark shrugged. “So, Chomby, why not tell me more about your experiences with Berithal. How does he treat you? How does it feel to be worn by a deity?”

“I’m not his pawn, Bark.” Chomby saw Bark dodge past a tree. He did the same.

“Didn’t say you were. But you did say that you were his jacket, am I correct?” Bark asked.

Bark stepped over a log. Chomby did the same.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m me. My name is Chomby, I’m a soundbyte. I am a professional DJ-”

“Didn’t ask for your autobiography!” Bark raised his voice for a moment. He then cleared his throat. “I already know that stuff. Who you are isn’t of bother to me. I’m more into how you’re the chosen harbinger of Berithal.”

Chomby clenched his fists and said nothing.

“We’re almost there, if you’re wondering. Sorry it’s a bit of a walk. We just need to make sure we aren’t disturbed.” Bark put his fingers to his mouth and made a loud whistling noise. The ambient air seemed to stop, leaving the area disturbingly quiet.

Bark stepped past another tree. When Chomby stepped past it too, he was greeted with a darkened clearing about forty feet in diameter. A few large rocks were strewn on the ground, making the clearing feel cluttered. While there area was full of tall grass, there was one specific location where it looked to have been dug up. Whether by hand or a shovel, Chomby couldn’t tell. It was too dark, and a large rock was hiding the rest of the clearing.

When he followed Bark further in, he noticed a bunch of unlit candles in the clearing, all seeming to line the edges. He then realized the removed grass made a circular pattern.

“Well then, Harbinger of Berithal, are you ready to begin?” Bark asked as he stepped around the big rock. It was surprisingly larger than he thought and could hide people behind it. This put Chomby on edge.

“You’ve got all this prepared already? But the meeting time wasn’t until-”

“It took a few phone calls,” Bark said. “But, I managed to scrounge up a few people who were available.” Chomby heard Bark speak in a lower tone. “Is Harley here?”

Chomby heard a deep voice reply, “no.”

“Ahh well. Come on out, Harbinger! Show our eager followers who you are.”

Chomby gummed up his courage and took a deep breath. He stepped around the rock to get a better view. To his dismay, it was still too dark to see much, but he could see a good several figures sitting nearby the circle on the other side of the rock. They were all sitting on a fold-out bleacher and were wearing masks of their own.

All the faces turned to Chomby and several individuals gasped. Chomby tried scanning their silhouettes for something that looked even remotely like Xenon, but he couldn’t find any.

“Woah, is that Chomby?” Someone whispered loudly.

“The heck is that thing?” Someone else asked.

“Woah… maybe this whole werewolf thing isn’t a load of bull afterall…” another whispered.

“Brothers, Sisters, I present to you the one who has had visions, like myself, from Berithal!” Bark yelled out. “Some of you may know him as the famous DJ, Chomby! But tonight, he is the Harbinger of Berithal!”

The crowd quietly clapped with a practiced reverence. Some people whispered out their excitement.

“Tonight, we’ve all wanted one thing!” Bark announced. “We’ve all wanted Berithal to come and grant us the gift of lycanthropy! A gift to become the werewolves we all feel inside!”

More practiced clapping.

“As such, and without further testimony, I ask those participating to light their appropriate candles!” Bark gestured to the circle. He then turned to Chomby. “I also ask the Harbinger of Berithal to come forth!”

Chomby froze. He wasn’t expecting to take part in this ritual at all. He thought he could find Xenon and get out. But without Xenon, he couldn’t leave. “W-what about Xenon? Where is he?”

“In due time, Harbinger.” Bark shook his hand emphatically for Chomby to join him. “You will reunite after the ceremony!”

“Ceremony…?” Chomby looked to the crowd of people again. He was still having trouble scanning their faces. He was about to ask if there was a flashlight when the candles around the circle lit up. It still wasn’t enough for him to see the faces, but when he turned to the circle, he could see a symbol of some sort drawn on the ground in white chalk. He tried examining it, but the symbol was just a bunch of interlocking circles and stars. He didn’t understand any meaning behind it.

“My apologies for the Harbinger. He is a bit shy.” Bark cleared his throat and shook his hand again. “Please, Harbinger, you will reunite afterward. This, I promise!”

Chomby really wanted to run now, but the desire to save Xenon made him stay. He closed his eyes and stepped forward. Bark forcefully grabbed his hand and lifted it. This caused Chomby to open his eyes in surprise. He noticed several individuals were standing around the circle now.

“The Harbinger has been haunted by Berithal! He’s been seeking answers to his dreams and wishes to know who he is! He has also been wanting to find Berithal, much like the rest of us! And today, we will find out! His questions, and our own, will be answered tonight!”

More practiced clapping.

“As the ceremony, or ritual, mind you, denotes, and as decreed by Berithal in a vision to me some nights ago, the Harbinger must enter the circle,” Bark let go of Chomby’s hand and pushed Chomby’s belly to make him back up. Chomby did so unknowingly.

He ended up stepping on the chalk and found himself floundering around, trying to not step on any of it. A sidestep here, an awkward hop there, and he found himself in the dead center of the circle. To the audience this would seem planned, but Chomby was confused as to why he did this.

“The bearers of the flame must then present their offerings to the Harbinger!”

Chomby heard a flurry of movement from behind him. He was about to turn around but stopped when Bark gestured for him to not turn around yet.

Chomby gulped. His unease had turned into terror at this point. He was completely discombobulated. Everything was happening around him so quickly. He didn’t want to be a part of this. This wasn’t his intent. But now, he was in a circle of some sort with an audience of people watching him. All his instincts told him to run, but he felt he couldn’t move.

“The Spear of the Mighty, crafted by the last, living artisan of the Melorie Clan of Blacksmiths must then be presented to the Harbinger.” Bark said.

Someone from the audience stood up and revealed a solar-powered lantern by their side. They turned it on and sidestepped past another audience member to walk down the bleacher. Chomby noticed they had a weird, wooden spear in their hands. Once the audience member was on the ground, the lantern was properly in place for Chomby to see the many, masked faces of the audience. He only had a quick second to look, but he couldn’t see anyone who had similar features to Xenon or Xenon’s disguise.

The audience member walked up to Chomby and held out both the lantern and the spear.

“The Harbinger must take the spear and state, ‘Thank you Emily Melorie, your service is finished.’” Bark said.

Chomby looked between the lantern, the spear, and the person in front of him who he assumed was Emily. “W-what about the lantern? Why is she giving me a lantern?”

“It’s just so you can see better,” Emily whispered. She gestured with the spear and lantern again.

Chomby begrudgingly grabbed the two items and stated the line. Emily went back to her seat. She seemed to give Chomby a supportive thumbs up.

“All those attending, aside from the Harbinger must now chant, ‘praedam elige. Sanguis lapsi. Surget lupus.’”

The crowd of people, with a unanimous rhythm, all began chanting that line.

Chomby felt his body begin to shake. He wasn’t liking this at all. He really wanted to run. More than anything, he wanted to leave. But he still felt glued to the spot.

Above the chanting, Bark began to shout. “The Harbinger must now turn around and choose his prey! He must pierce their neck with the spear. And then, Berithal will arise!”

“W-what?!” Chomby shouted in surprise. “My prey? Spear? I’m- I can’t kill anything! You didn’t tell me about this!”

The chanting continued. Chomby stayed glued to the spot.

“The Harbinger must turn around and choose!” Bark repeated.

Chomby still didn’t move. He merely looked at Bark fearfully. What was even going on?

Bark’s expression became agitated. He quickly walked over to Chomby, clasped Chomby on the shoulders, and yanked him around to face the other way.

Bark’s grip was surprisingly strong. With how quickly he spun Chomby around, Chomby became disoriented. It took him a few moments to regain his bearings. In that moment, he felt his entire world disappear.

The loud chanting of the audience, the many lights in the area, even the trees. It all seemed to vanish. All that was left before him were two choices. His ‘prey’. He wanted so desperately to throw up, but even his involuntary reflexes had stopped working. He wasn’t prepared for this at all. He needed to leave. He had to leave. NOW… but he still couldn’t.

His eyes focused on on the two choices of ‘prey’ he was given. Both of them were people, and they were both bound to chairs and unconscious.

Chomby felt his mouth open in horror. He could barely manage to squeak out, “H-heather…? X-xenon?”

~~~~~

I hope you enjoy the story so far. It's been a lot of fun to make these semi-minimalistic images.

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Chomby/Xenon/Sarge/Story (C)  Juntarhenogu Me