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The transformation is painful, excruciating even. The way his screams would echo for miles as skin ripped and bones snapped in the name of change. Of rebirth. From man to monster. He would lay there, bloody and broken and so goddamn tormented, but you couldn’t lift a hand to help him. Not when he was like this. Legacy , he called it. A creature of dark fur and eyes like pearls. It’s fangs long enough to easily rip you apart in a simple movement, claws digging into the earth as it heaved and struggled to collect air in its misshapen lungs. It was beautiful, in a monstrous sort of way.
He never liked when you had to witness the transformation, but it was with him you felt safest. And so, in turn, was it true for him. Even as he lost his mind to the beast crawling up his throat and biting at his heart, he knew one day it would kill him. One day, his body would give out and this beast would destroy him wholly and completely as it so longed to do. But with your voice in his ears and your scent filling his lungs, he would pass more peacefully than any saint could ever hope to. But for now, as he lay there on the forest floor, fresh snow slowly hiding away the remnants of shredded skin and ground stained red from his destruction. He could feel this body, distantly, and he wanted to shiver from the cold.
Though its fur was thick enough to withstand the cold, it was not the snow that he trembled at. Legacy was a beast ruled by its emotions, and each time it sought control of his body, he feared it would hurt you. But his fears were for naught, as the creature turned its head towards you with a questioning huff. Clawed paws would lift its large body from where it lay, hunched and bloody, and would amble towards you. Even without standing on its back paws, Legacy towered over you, and it made him so incredibly nervous. One bite, one swipe of those claws, and his world would be gone entirely. It terrified him.
And once more, his worry was for naught, as the beast brought its muzzle forth to rest against your neck, giving a content chuff and a lick of appeasement before it backed away and turned its attention to the forest behind it. Run . Legacy yearned to Run . With the ground giving way under its paws, it wanted to hunt. It wanted to kill. To provide . And the thought worried him. Provide? For who? And what would he provide?
Meat . It said. Meat. And furs. For Mate .
For mate. Legacy saw you, not as a threat, but as a companion. And somehow that terrified him even more.
-
The creature had taken off with a splash of snow and a snarled howl that was quickly swept away by the wind. You were left to stand alone, wrapped in your beloved Ajax’s coat that he had discarded before falling to his knees. You were worried, as anyone would be. But you knew it would be unwise to venture into Legacy’s hunting grounds. It wouldn’t be unheard of for it to mistake you as prey or even an intruder. The beast could be quite territorial of anything it perceived as it’s . And Ajax had explained this extends to anything (or anyone) viewed as ‘pack’.
It wasn’t long before you were ripped from your thoughts, the sound of a dull thud and a nudge to your side that nearly knocked you off of your feet. There, lay an elk with lifeless eyes and a broken antler. And just beside it, sat a very proud Legacy .
Provide. Keep Mate safe. Keep Mate warm. Happy.
And perhaps for the first time since this curse had burdened him, Ajax felt himself agreeing. Protect. Keep safe. Keep warm. Happy.
-
How you managed to convince Legacy to rest inside your cabin, you had no idea. It rarely liked to listen to the man it possessed, you doubted it would listen to you. And yet, there it lay, sprawled out in front of the fireplace with its arms folded and head resting on its paws. It was… almost domestic. It was hard, sometimes, to wrap your mind around the fact that Legacy destroyed and would continue to destroy your Ajax. It would break him down and take and take until he had nothing left to give. And then, only then, would it take the one thing left. His life.
It terrified you, the fact that every transformation might be his last. But it was a thought you had to stomach and live with. You’d promised him, after all. You were his and he was yours, til death do you part.
A grumbled snarl was what brought you back from your thoughts, this time. Pearl eyes looking at you in clear amusement, ears flicking momentarily before it moved to stretch its arms out - a movement that startled you, having momentarily forgotten it was as much a man as it was a beast. It’s tail wagged for a minute before it properly sat back on its haunches and simply… looked. Head slowly tilting as its lips curled back to reveal those same fangs that sent dread up your spine upon every viewing. But it’s body language was not malicious. Legacy seemed almost as if it were trying to smile.
You gave a tight-lipped smile in turn, praying it wouldn’t get angry at the gesture, and not so subtly exhaling in relief when it let the expression fall into something neutral and gave another chuff. You knew you were being paranoid, but you had a right to be. Legacy was dangerous, and while it seemed to hold you in a neutral light, you didn’t want to push that luck. But it seemed to have no problem with pushing you. And that's exactly what it did.
With a gentle headbutt to your chest, you were sent sprawling onto the ground with Legacy moving to crawl over you, those pearl eyes looking down at you from beneath darker fur. A grumble and then it was lowering its head to rest on your chest, exhaling loudly as hot breath brushed against your neck. You couldn’t help the shiver that crawled across your shoulders. Arms that were familiar, and yet still a strangers, were moved to rest underneath you, forcing you to subtly arch your back and thus press yourself closer to it. It seemed to like that, letting its eyes close as it gave another heavy exhale.
You could feel your heart racing, and you were almost positive Legacy could hear it, but it didn’t seem to care. It only tightened its grip before seemingly falling asleep, trapping you underneath its body weight.
Keep safe. Protect. Mate. Mine. Ours. Mine.
-
After the third hour of being used as a pillow, you decided to give into the siren’s song that was sleep. And with hesitant movements, you laid your hand to rest beside one of Legacy’s ears, brushing a thumb against the soft fur before letting it simply rest flat. You could feel the minute movement it made to lean into the touch, and a distant part of you had crooned at the sight. It was with that tender moment that you finally let your eyes fall closed, remaining unaware as pearl looked down at you with something it’s host could only describe as pure and total adoration.
-
When you next awoke, it wasn’t on the floor and Legacy was gone from your chest. Instead, you were in bed with your beloved Ajax tucked away under your chin and wrapped securely in your arms. You could only assume at some point that either he or it had moved the two of you to the little bedroom for a better sleep. You were more inclined to believe it was Ajax, but you knew Legacy was extremely intelligent and caught onto things more than it liked to show. Perhaps it was aware that hurting you would only further distress Ajax and make him less likely to give into the transformations. At least… that's what you wanted to believe.
Merely moving to hold him tighter, you allowed yourself to drift back into sleep as your beloved lay resting next to you. And not for the first time, you did not see how he looked at you as he moved to curl further into your hold. And distantly, he was afraid. He was terrified this was just a dream. That he was finally dying, ripped to shreds and mutilated from the transformation, screaming for a god who could not hear him. That this was just a last effort to soothe him before he was damned to hell. Because surely, a man such as he with a beast trapped between his ribs, did not deserve something as beautiful as a dedicated love who held him without fear.
He clenched his eyes closed as silent sobs clawed their way free from the depths of his chest, his face hidden against your chest as he mourned for all the things he could never give you. For the heart you had to give to a man and his inner beast. For the fact his beast was hopelessly, positively devoted to you. He mourned for the future not so distant, for the way they both would destroy themselves without question, merely if you asked it of them.
He mourned for the day you would no longer be solely his, the day he had to share you with the worst parts of himself. But if it was for you? He would do anything . Even if that meant letting his dream turn itself into a nightmare.