You are taken aback by what you see. Standing before you is a rather tall and ferocious looking wolf-man. Postured in a bipedal position, he looks rather precariously perched on his digitigrade feet which seems rather unnatural for a creature that should be on all-fours. He's quite a burly specimen overall, though not ridiculously muscled, kind of like someone who trains at the gym as a healthy habit, not as someone out to win any competitions. Either way, you would not want to have to fight this guy if it came down to it. Among his more noticeable traits is his current choice of apparel.
He wears a rather ragged and bloody, navy blue shirt, the left side is torn away, but the right-side of it bears a slightly-scorched name tag. It's hard to read, but you think you can read Anders... or maybe it used to read Anderson? You're not a hundred percent sure. Beyond that, he's equip'd with a utility belt upon which is slung a gun on his right hip and a badge on his left. A well-burnished piece of metal in the shape of a shield with a clearly stamped precinct number and the name of this city mark this wolf-man as a police officer. Curiously, this officer still carries a pair of hand-cuffs and pepper spray making you wonder if he intends on upholding his commitment to 'Serve and Protect' even in these changed times. Will conventional law-enforcement even be feasible as things are now? Despite your reservations and slightly cynical outlook, you find a little glow of hope burning deep within you at the thought of something so mundane still being relevant.
"Son, you still with me?" The wolf-man speaks as he waves his hand in front of your face, you must have been staring too long, but something about how he speaks to you rings in your memory which makes your eyes focus a little more on his face. You slowly nod your head, acknowledging that you're present, but the kind tone in his voice sounds too out of place for a creature like him. Trying to read his countenance, all you see is a mix of coloured fur: white fluffy stuff making up the primary colour of his floof from just below the jaw-line to the collar of his shirt while his snout - starting at his black nose - is a light brown that fades into a mix of black, coarse fur with a white undercoat. While his face is quite expressive for something resembling a timber wolf, you still don't know what you are looking for. He speaks again, "Look, I understand that you must be in shock, all you've seen and been through would be enough to make anyone lose their mind, but I need you to talk to me so that we can work through this together. Okay?"
The large wolf kneels down slightly and puts his hands on both your shoulders, his head level with yours. You didn't realize you were shaking until now, but something about the wolf's warm touch sends a wave of calm through you and it makes you look into his eyes. That's when it hits you. His eyes are quite human, intelligent, kind and soft; you've seen these eyes before in a much different, older face. "You...You were there..." You begin, eyes narrowing a little as if to see the face past the fur and beginning to fit the pieces together, "At the fire... You were the officer I was talking to before the-" You cut yourself off as you shudder, remembering the blast and the searing pain and seeing the body of the officer carried away. Your lupine rescuer nods with a frown at your shared history.
"I remember, I tried to move you from the area because it was too dangerous. It was just an instinct I had, that something was going to happen, but I was too late. I guess age has slowed me down..." He trails off, shaking his head then continuing, "I'm just glad you made out alright. When I regained consciousness, I found myself like this and bandaged much like yourself in a makeshift shelter by the road." The old wolf recalls, "Suffice to say, it was difficult adjusting, I ran pretty far before I came to my senses." You wonder what could have helped pull him back from the brink in such a chaotic situation. As if reading your mind, the officer explains, "Eventually, I came across a group of thugs. They weren't changed - as far as I could tell - but they were particularly aggressive and were robbing and beating a man down in the streets." The bitter injustice of the act lingering on his tongue, "I had an epiphany in that moment, either I could walk away and let myself become consumed with the madness infesting this city... or I could do something about it." He goes on to describe how he managed to chase down and arrest the perps and how, since he didn't have backup or a cruiser or radio or even any way to get back to the station, he ended up releasing them. But not without a good cuffing about the ears, he added with a little smile.
"It was about then that I noticed you and your companion..." He says, your heart sinks as you remember how you left your brother, "I followed you as best I could to make sure your travel was safe, but I lost line of sight with you both for a minute, by the time I found you again... I didn't have much choice, either I fought them four-on-one which would likely have ended with one or the both of you getting killed or I took the opportunity to rescue you in hopes that your friend wouldn't be shot by the others." The cold calculations he admits to have made in that moment get to you. You're not sure why - maybe the stress of seeing everything fall apart overnight, your near-death experiences, the monsters, your own changing flesh or the prospect of losing the only family you have left from a life you were forced to give up - but you feel a ferocious wave of rage chewing you up from the inside-out, a flame of righteous anger pouring from your soul. You burst.
"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" You shout out, tears stinging the corners of your eyes, "MY BROTHER WAS ALL I HAD LEFT! WE HAVE TO GET HIM BACK! We... we have to..." Your anger petering out, replaced by fatigue and dejected resignation, your wolf-y acquaintance having been taken aback by your outburst. He settles a bit, nodding in understanding. He reaches out again, but you back away instinctively, not really wanting to be comforted again.
Lowering his hand, "I know. We have to do the right thing, but we can't rush into this. Poor planning could be the death of us or your brother..." You nod, not wanting to be satisfied with that, but you're not stupid. You want to get your brother back, if he's still alive, and working with Officer Anders is your best bet at doing that. He nods back with a small smile, "Good, first things first, we need to rest and get our strength back, we're safe for now, so we should take this as a golden opportunity." He puts one hand on your shoulder again and looks you in the eye, speaking with a sincerity you really needed to hear, "We will get your brother back and I will personally escort you both to wherever safety may be found." He pants a little and licks your cheek like a dog, you laugh a little at that, especially when you see him look away bashfully. "S-sorry about that, I don't know what came over me. I still have some adjusting to do in my new body and sometimes things just come over me..." He quickly moves to the other side of the room where he points out a few sleeping-bags piled in a corner. "you can use one of those to make yourself comfortable for the evening, I'll just be in the next room if you need anything. There's also water and some canned food under the counter over here." He motions to another part of the room, "Sleep well, I'll see you in the morning!"
With that, the wolf slips into the adjacent living area. You notice he was pretty quick to leave, you wonder what's up with him. Pushing your curiosity aside, you head to the sleeping rolls and pull one out for yourself. Once you're set up and comfortable, you take a glance down at your bandages. Many of them have been ripped away revealing a lot of changed skin, rows of scales interlocking with each other forming an almost armored sleeve, protecting you from the shoulder of your right-side to just about your wrist. Removing your tattered shirt and pants, you can see more scales have grown on your right hip and down your thigh, much of what used to be burned flesh has become scaled over the course of the last day. You're finding it harder and harder to worry about your slowly vanishing human body, though, there is just too much at stake right now to worry about something this superficial. What -does- worry you, however, is what will happen to your mind if this change decides to ramp up. Even officer Anders seems to have a bit of a difficult time reigning in his new instincts, how could you think you'd be any better off than a veteran cop who has spent his life dealing with impossible situations? You guess that you'll eventually cross that bridge when you come to it, but until then, you should listen to the wolf cop and get some rest, god knows you'll need it...