wl_fanfiction | Wrath and Emeralds

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Author's Note: I can't help but notice that my author's tag has a p: at the start and not an a: I'm not sure that's right, however it makes me feel special. xD

Title: Wrath and Emeralds

[Eventual] Pairing: Colin/Ryan

Chapter Rating: PG
Overall Rating: R

Summary: For how long can a man hide his fear? His anger? His love?

A calming hand reached out to pat Ryan on the shoulder - it was an automatic gesture they knew, gave and welcomed with equal gratitude. This time, Ryan was receiving and Colin was giving.

The taller man turned his head to the familiar face of his best friend and smiled in silent ‘Thanks.’ And Colin smiled back with an almost psychic ‘Any time.’

Song Styles was the next game, which meant that Ryan and Colin could stay seated and rest. Colin figured, from the amount of coughing that Ryan had been doing all taping, it sounded like he really needed it.

“You’re sick,” Colin whispered adamantly, low enough so the microphones didn’t pick up their stray voices. Ryan dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

“I’m fine,” he replied, smiling in order to try and prove it. “It’s just a cough. It’s nothing.”

Colin wanted and tried to believe him, even as Ryan took out a handkerchief to wipe at his forehead. Reaching up a hand to his own brow, Colin could feel that he himself wasn’t even on the verge of breaking a sweat. A quick glance at Greg, Wayne and Drew proved that they weren’t perspiring at all either. Abnormally, it seemed to be only Ryan.

“Ry, I’m telling you, something’s not right. I just know it.”

“And I’m telling you, Colin. Really, I’m fine.” Ryan’s voice was firm and sure. One look into those calming eyes and Colin had no choice but to let his worry subside for the moment. He trusted Ryan with anything – he just hoped that his trust wouldn’t be misused.

Wayne had since finished his song and was returning to his seat whilst bantering with Drew about something or other. Colin paid them no mind but concentrated instead on the way Ryan kept closing his eyes tightly shut, presumably in pain.

“You are not fine.” Colin admonished him a little more firmly this time, clenching his teeth to try and appear discreet. And this time, Ryan didn’t deny it or protest. He simply looked at his best friend with stubborn yet pleading eyes, and Colin felt himself flinch at the completely animal look Ryan had just shot him. That was not like him at all.

“Okay guys, ten minutes.”

Though he’d never said it before, Dan’s voice actually came as a welcome sound to Colin. He knew that something was very wrong with Ryan and was determined to find out what.

By now, Ryan was sweating profusely, shivering uncontrollably and trying to suppress the grunts of discomfort that forced their way from his lungs, and had consequently gained the unwanted attention of pretty much everybody. Colin was first at his side, naturally, and put a hand on his chest in assurance. “Ry? Ryan, c’mon, look at me.”

The taller man tried his very best to stand up out of his seat, muttering that he didn’t need any help with it either. He managed to stand for a full two seconds before the weakness in his knees got the better of him and he collapsed with a hoarse shout.

For a moment, Ryan blacked out completely – all sounds became muffled while all images blotched into darkness, and was not aware as Dan ordered the audience to leave the studio or Drew asking to turn the damn cameras off while they realised Ryan’s condition.

He didn’t register Colin’s panicked voice calling his name, the fear in copper eyes or the racing heartbeat of the older man at his side.

Through the blackness in his head, a pair of menacing green eyes emerged with the full intention of unnerving Ryan. They surged with ferocity and supernatural power and the growl of an animal fed itself into Ryan’s head and took him over, literally. He answered a howl that echoed from the distance.

Ryan’s eyelids snapped open and a sharp gasp escaped him. “Col- Colin?” he said, seeing his best friend at his side supporting him. The huddle of cast and crew surrounding him merged into the background as his focus rested on Colin and Colin alone.

“I’m here, Ryan and I’m not going anywhere. But we have to get you to hospital, okay?” Colin’s voice was shaking but was trying his hardest not to show his fear in order to avoid distressing Ryan further.

“Colin… stay away from me.” Strained breathing eclipsed Ryan’s plea as Colin grabbed hold of his friend and helped him steadily to his feet. Ryan tried his best to pull away, but Colin was far too determined to listen to the taller man’s warnings. “Colin, please…” he said a bit louder.

Colin grasped harder to Ryan in desperation. “Don’t struggle, Ry. C’mon, I’ll help you-”

Something inside Ryan lurched in beginning and the force of it threw him into an untamed frenzy – pushing Colin off him with a strength that surpassed that of an ordinary man. “I said stay away from me!” he shouted with a voice far deeper and sinister than it used to be.

Colin sat up on the floor, feeling something cold drip down from his pained temple and looked at the broken man before him. Ryan was crying, emerald eyes welling up as he clutched a hold of himself and stumbled on shaky legs. “I’m so sorry…” he whispered and finally caved under the tremendous power within him.

He fell to his knees and then to all fours as pain took over his physical and emotional self; he began to grunt in what sounded like hoarse growls. Only when Ryan looked up to meet his gaze did Colin, mouth gaping in surprise, realise what was happening.

In Ryan’s eyes, the usual round pupils had expanded to create obscure, dilated holes. The irises around them, usually a dull jade, had begun glowing in a pulsating lime green hue.

“Please, no!” Ryan barked with a half angry, half terrified voice.

As a hand lurched out and grabbed vainly at the floor, his fingernails thickened, the edges turning into points forming vague ‘cone’ shapes at the tips of his fingers. The skin was next to change, starting at the base of his claws and crawling up his arms. Thick brown fur was spawning, concealing the typical fleshy-pink.

Everyone helplessly looked on, barely remembering to breathe.

Ryan's body grew as the hair spread around his body like wildfire. His shirt tore in several places as the muscles in his back agonizingly inflated. The seams of his pants and leatherette shoes snapped their fruitless hold as strong, furred thighs and large clawed paws broke free. His head jerked as his nose and mouth extended outwards to form a snout, growing new skin and bone. His jaws opened in a blood-curdling wail; new, sharp teeth neatly lined his blackened gums.

The cartilage in his ears expanded also, turning them into long, wide flaps rather similar to those of a dog. A pool of blood beneath him grew, staining the grey carpeting a sharp crimson while the crack and snap of newly formed bone was unpleasantly sounding.

His body jerked outward, back arching in a painful concave and arms tensed against themselves. With his head pointing to the sky, Ryan gave a long howl in twisted awakening and then crumpled to the floor, grunting and growling as his new body settled on the bloodstained carpet.

As he began to fall into a brief sleep, he faintly heard Colin call out. “Oh God, Ryan! No!”

~~~

Ryan’s ears twitched to the sounds of the atmosphere around him as his eyelids heaved themselves open. A growl escaped his lips when the bright studio lighting began to create pain behind his eyes.

He managed to stand up, using a nearby step for leverage, and looked around. He was still in the studio and by the looks of things; he hadn’t been out cold for very long. Casting his gaze to the floor, he could see the torn fabric of his discarded clothes.

Then his eyes focused on the shivering huddle of his friends and co-workers, keeping a long distance away. Colin stared wide-eyed at the beast in front of him, taking in all he could. The wolf stood a lanky eight feet tall, the right side of his torso soaked deep crimson whilst the other half remained a dark, sepia colour. The muscles contained in the skin of his limbs twitched and bulged as the body gained familiarity.

Colin wanted to say something, but all capability of speech had somehow disappeared, replaced by nervous breathing. Did Ryan remember who he was? Did he still have his own mind?

He stepped forward, regardless of what his mind and friends were telling him.

“Colin, no, don’t go near it,” Drew said, backing off slowly with Greg, Wayne and other crewmembers. “It could attack you.”

The Canadian glanced back at him, suddenly angry. “Drew, it’s Ryan. He wouldn’t attack anyone.” He ignored the blood silently drying from the cut on his head.

Drew spluttered in astonishment of Colin’s naivety. “It’s not Ryan! It’s a fucking monster!”

Looking at the anxious yet serious expression on Colin’s face, Ryan began to cautiously move forward and Colin was either too weak or scared to react. He just stood there staring, feeling the beast’s hot breath on his face as it hovered over him.

Then, Ryan suddenly nuzzled his snout against Colin’s cheek and made whimpering noises, trying his best to be as reassuring as he could in the current situation.

“Ryan?” Colin whispered, still not sure if Ryan was truly still able to think for himself. When Colin pulled back and looked into the beast’s eyes, he could see that those animal irises still held the adoration and companionship that Ryan’s once did and that proved, deep inside, that it was still his best friend. “I don’t know what’s happened here…” He raised a hand and placed it onto Ryan’s muzzle, stroking it casually. “But I’ll work out how to fix it. I promise you that. Okay?”

The wolf simply looked at him and grumbled quietly, presumably in acknowledgement, and licked Colin’s hand affectionately.

A sudden surge of activity and noise erupted from behind them and Colin turned when Ryan rapidly perked up, ears erect and eyes alert. Half a dozen men, clad in dark clothing and equipped with allsorts, surrounded them threateningly, shouting commands and warnings however drowned out by each other.

“Step away, sir. Slowly make your way towards me and don’t look it in the eyes,” the nearest man said, pointing what looked like a large tranquilliser gun at the beast. The rest of the group were on standby aiming handguns, creating a sort of wall between Ryan and any possible escape route.

“You can put those away,” Colin stated defiantly, standing his ground. “He’s not dangerous, he’s just scared.”

At that moment, the beast stepped forward, placing a strong forearm between Colin and the threat, and Ryan growled - a chilling sound. Its mouth began to slicken with saliva and foam, eyes turning from bright green to a gradual red.

The leader of the men raised his tranquilliser higher. “Standby!”

Ryan barked sharply and hissed with intimidation, and Colin instinctively flinched away – an opportunity one of the men seized to grab Colin forcefully and pull him clear of Ryan, which clearly did not please him.

“No! Let go of me!” he writhed in the stranger’s iron grip but the man held an incredibly tight hold. He heard a fantastic roar, the sound of someone screaming and the next thing he knew, he was pushed to the floor as the wolf pounced in full attack.

Colin shuffled himself backwards in stone-cold fear, watching helplessly as sharp, scythe-like teeth made contact with the man’s skin, piercing it with very little effort. Colin wanted to turn away from what was currently captivating his vision, but he simply couldn’t - blood sprayed everywhere and the human screams were dying to be replaced by growls and rasping hisses as lifelines were torn away one by one.

A flurry of deafening bullets held no sway, but the wolf still screamed in pain at the feathered dart shooting into his hind leg with force. He recoiled away from his victim; teeth still beared but stained red, claws unsheathed but dripping crimson and backed off a considerable amount. Ryan pawed at the dart with ferocity, but it had already completed its task and simply dropped to the floor, empty.

Drew, who had been watching from the side, arrived to aid Colin to his feet, and Ryan made another attempt at protecting him, growling and trying to pounce but only managed a few feet before collapsing with a groan. The flurry of agents surrounded him immediately and started recalling orders to one another. In amongst the chatter, Colin was sure he heard the phrase ‘subdued and ready for transport.’

“Holy shit…” Drew paused to listen to his heartbeat for a moment, stunned beyond any intelligent words at all. Colin didn’t know what to think anymore and wasn’t sure if he wanted to cry or shout. Or both.

“You guys saw the whole thing, right?”

The tranquilliser guy, the one who seemed to be the most in charge, had approached the pair, weapon slung calmly behind him. Drew turned to him wearily. “Yeah…”

“Then you’re witnesses,” the man said sharply. “You’ll have to come with us.”

As everything began to sink in, Colin fell to his knees in dizziness. It was the sound of hostility, smell of blood, the sight of… he wanted to say Ryan, but couldn’t bring himself to associate a wonderful person to a horrific turn of events. His head was spinning with uncertainty and with a sigh he felt himself slipping into a deep unconsciousness.

The last thing he saw were Ryan’s emerald eyes, looking forlorn and desperate, on the other side of the stage as the wolf, too, slipped into the darkness.

To be continued...