It wasn’t fear of the ghouls or the oni that made Russel cry out to Lola to run. They were dangerous, sure. Especially the oni. They were a special breed of supernatural creature and because of who he was, he had gained safe passage across the border. The ghouls, in their foolishness to pursue him and Lola had brought the deadly killers right to them. But there was a reason why the oni were subservient to Russel’s clan. It all came down to oni simple fact.

He was much stronger.

His true strength and power, however, came at a price. It was something he had mentioned in passing before but had not gone into real detail on. To gain every ounce of his true potential, he had to let go of all of his humanity. All of the shackles that came with that part of his dual nature. To do so meant that nothing in his immediate vicinity would survive and that would include Lola. Even knowing she was near would cause fear to take root which could prevent him from unleashing the true power of the beast inside him and harm their chances of survival.

Once she was out of the way, there was nothing stopping him anymore. He turned around, already in the middle of changing, and stood there as immovable and stubborn as a boulder. The fur sprouting out of his skin was spreading like a wave rippling across his flesh. His height shot up by at least three more feet, making him tower over both ghouls and oni. The amber light radiating out from his eyes grew several times brighter. The long, knife-like claws on every fingertip looked extremely deadly. Claws erupted on his paw-like feet as well. The strain of his rapid growth reduced his shirt and pants to tatters. As he stared at the creatures threatening him, he reached up and grabbed the remains of his shirt. Then he ripped it free and tossed it to the ground.

Russel felt the wolf take control and let it.

Lola ran but the sounds she heard drifting to her were almost more frightening than anything she could possibly witness. The snapping, wrenching, cracks of bones being broken only to regrow into something else. Something, judging by the guttural roars and howls, that was much more dangerous. Not only did she hear Russel’s shifting, but she heard the ghouls as well. Several were making sounds of what could only be classified as outright terror.

She understood why he told her to run. Why he didn’t want her to see what he was about to become. The fear inside her was threatening to make her lose all control over her body and she hadn’t even actually seen him. All she could do was hear things.

Very unpleasant things.

Still, a part of her doubted. Did he really have the strength to take on that many foes? She knew he was a werewolf but just three of them had been enough to overpower him before. Now there were over a dozen and on top of that, the one he told her about. She wasn’t exactly familiar with that type of creature but they looked extremely skilled at murdering anyone they came in contact with. That doubt started to turn her fear for her own life to fear for Russel. Could she really live with herself if he was killed and she had just run away? Would she ever forgive herself if she let him die?

The answer to both questions was an absolute no.

Her hesitation gave way to a more certain course of action. She stopped running and turned around, determined to do something to help. Understanding dawned on her that there was a very real possibility she would be killed. If that did happen, she reasoned, then at least she would die knowing she tried to help someone she cared deeply for, maybe even loved. She hadn’t let herself think that far ahead. Didn’t let the feelings she harbored inside out into the light of day. She wasn’t even sure why.