My Predator System

Chapter 4: I've been compromised

Victor shrugged. He tilted his head a little catching the dire expression on his face.

"The casualties...the casualties are the trigger ok? This is your first and least level of cultivation, you'll have to keep going."

Victor sniffed and pushed up his glasses. Then he looked aside at his dad tending to horses at the field. He swallowed pulling himself together sighing.

"Level zero? Is that even a thing?" Maks asked him.

The funniest and equally saddest part was, he didn't feel any different when he transformed. It was supposed to be empowering but it was just insulting and annoying. Chilling.

"I don't have any powers, I never had and I don't want any."

Victor snorted. "Well, there is no turning back now. At this stage, you can't control your primal instincts and your will to morph. Although, they are vital for a shape-changer."

Maks's eyes rounded, pacing back and forth,

"I can't control my primordial instinct..." He said.

"It's primal_"

"They're the same thing!" He yelled back angrily. He was going to freak out if he found out that he could not control his behaviour. Much less that of the animal he turned into. He gazed at his hands. Then he started slowly.

"Do you know how it feels to have your stepmom and strangers stare at you in the bathroom with a stain on your crotch?"

"Oof" Victor cringed.

He pointed downward, it was a wonder how his clothes were still on even after that trial with being a worm. He shuddered just thinking about it.

"It's very hard to control. You need practice" Victor said.

He threw up his hands in frustration "Oh, great!"

"You made a mistake. I did not" Victor snuffed.

"What's wrong with you?" Maks asked.

The fact that he wasn't doing a good job of keeping things down was understandable.

It was sunny at the ranch and conditions were more encouraging than yesterday, but Victor had a presentiment of disaster, a presentiment that left him restless. He closed his hands together in between his legs where he sat looking aside.

"I had my awakening, over a week ago" His expression changed.

"Shut up."

Victor jumped down from the slab. He walked through the meadowland toward his dad's large shack.

"What level?" He asked and Victor smiled.

"3." He sounded gloomy but whenever it was time to gloat, he felt better.

"I mean it's not that harsh, I mean you've never been an earthworm before." He shrugged.

"It's harder than it looks"

"So what am I supposed to do? Keep dragging on with this system? I've been compromised."

"The pros outweigh the cons."

"You don't look like the pros outweigh the cons." He mimicked his voice.

"You're supposed to be happy."

Maks scoffed. "Happy?_ I_"

Ding* You have unlocked a natural animal power!

"Maks?" Victor stepped forward when he dropped on his four limbs, his fingers shortened and stubbed, the tips of them itched and claws sprouted in a painful way like knives cutting through a jute plant. His teeth elongated and his ears moved to the top of his head sharpening to two points, his nostrils closed to a black dot and his skin was covered by brown and white fur. He barked looking at his paw.

Victor held his knees watching Maks fuss running around.

[Why am I so happy!?] He rolled around and his heart pumped pouncing on anything that moved. The smells were more colourful, his vision changed from coloured to black and white but it didn't matter.

"Maks, hold still!" Victor held out his hands.

[I can't!] He spotted another dog on the field and grew defensive.

[This isn't my turf but it's mine now!]

The black dog's head turned sharply and heaved as Maks came forward growling.

He paused when he spotted a corgi and tilted his head at it.

"This is you," Victor said turning off the camera of his phone.

[Impossible, I can never be a corgi. I'm a doberman]

He fussed and sniffed, he was excited, pumped, there was so much space to run around. He didn't like why Victor was standing still on the same spot. He needed to run, bite, play, dig, he needed to live!

His human mind pushed on suppressing on his canine conceptions.

[I need to get out of this form, fast]

"Uhh..." Victor looked confused at him. "Think human thoughts?"

"Victor!" A girl screamed from the gates holding a phone and marching to him.

Both Victor and the black dog's heads perked up.

[Irma! Maybe Irma would like to play!] His thoughts screamed as he charged toward her.

[Wait, what?] He stopped and ran back to Victor settling down on the grass.

[Okay, act natural.]

"What is this?" She put up the phone with a message on it. He fumbled with his fingers.

"Hey Irma, it's embarrassing texting back but I'll let you be free of my presence if you want. I understand that there are better...companions"

[Maybe a free text on the internet would be nicer]

He thought and bit back at the other dog sniffing on his butt.

"You dumped me over an epiphany?" She said filled with hysteria.

"Not quite." He pointed out.

Irma was tall and had glamorous blonde hair, impressive blue eyes, and a pointed nose. She had buck teeth and wore a wine off-the-shoulder blouse, black snug pants and flats.

She looked terrified clenching her fingers. "It was a butt dial!"

"I have bigger schemes too_what?" He looked up.

Maks changed back gasping and she cried out tottering back and running away. He skipped forward.

"Wait, Irma please, it's just _"

"Natural," Maks muttered, frowning and dusting grass off his clothes. He even had grass in between his teeth. Pushing the dog aside.

The dog seemed disappointed that his little friend disappeared. It whimpered.

"What?" He said when Victor boiled glaring at him.

"Son?" They glanced at Marshall Lee, Victor's dad.

He stepped aside from the horse he was looking after. He was surprised at the encounter.

***