"And stay down!" the young, black-haired man yells at the body of a hybrid after slamming his foot onto the back of its' neck, snapping it beneath his boot. Panting, he looks around for more, but he and the one he just killed were the only ones around, allowing him to rest for a few precious moments. Sitting down, he rests his back against a tree and lets out a relieved sigh.

Ever since Zacary Dualis left his hometown, he's had to deal with these creatures on a near-constant basis. Crossing his arms behind his head, he mutters, "Man, I should just go back and just deal with them. This high-tension lifestyle really isn't for me." [i]But I made a decision,[/i] he reminds himself. [i]I can't go back. Even if I wanted to, it's too late, anyway.[/i] Suddenly, he hears a loud booming sound, as if someone were hitting a large, hollow object over and over again in a steady pattern. Curiosity winning out over the desire to relax, Zac rises to his feet with a sigh and jogs toward the sound.

Standing at the edge of the forest, Zac looks down into the shallow valley and catches the last of a series of flashes of light on the outside of a barrier surrounding a rather unique-looking building. "Wonder what that was about," he quietly mutters. Hearing a low growl behind him, he sighs and turns to find, surprise, yet another hybrid attempting to sneak up on him. "Alright, now I'm starting to get annoyed," he says.

Suddenly, black fur begins to sprout all over his body as he lowers himself to all fours. His arms and legs begin to lengthen and shorten while his face lengthens into a snout. Inside his mouth, his teeth lengthen and sharpen, becoming a series of fangs while his ears move to the top of his head and take on a triangular shape. Within seconds, standing in his place is a massive black wolf. The hybrid growls at him and lunges. Zac, seemingly lighter on his feet in this form than his human form, leaps out of the way. While still in the air, he turns to face the hybrid. Then, before it could react, he leaps at the hybrid, his mouth closing in on its throat. With a mighty shake of his head, he breaks the creature's neck and tosses the lifeless body aside. Shaking his head as he licks at his teeth and chops, Zac thinks, [i]Oh, yeah, that's why I don't do this. Hybrid blood tastes awful![/i]

Suddenly, a chorus of growls sound from the woods as even more hybrids begin closing in on him. [i]Damn, there're too many,[/i] Zac realizes as he looks for a way to escape. Suddenly, he remembers the building within the barrier. Knowing that was his only option, he turns tail and takes off for the only safe haven around for miles.

As he draws nearer to the building and its barrier, he manages to make out a figure walking toward the building. Putting on an extra burst of speed, he runs toward the figure, who he realizes is a woman with long black hair, and leaps...only to be thrown back as he hits the barrier. After skidding across the ground a good couple of yards, he pushes himself to his paws and shakes his head before turning toward the encroaching hybrids.

As they creep closer, Zac backs up, barking threats at them while hoping the barrier wasn't sound-proof. Feeling his tail begin to press against the wall of the barrier, he stops and glares at each hybrid. [i]Oh well,[/i] he thinks, a low growl rumbling from his throat. [i]If I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die fighting![/i] Snarling, he leaps forward and clamps his jaws on the nearest hybrid's throat while kicking out with his hind legs at the one to his target's left.