My head drops and I groan in pain of this new burden. There was no way to keep them from hunting me because they need me to start the war. Oh how I hate war. It kills, destroys, and ruins all life’s goodness and joy. I’ve lost count of how many years I’ve been alive- sad right, but very easy for someone like me- like back when I was talking to Darrel, the one gang leader, and he said my government file seems to go back over a hundred years, I feel like I’ve lived a thousand years. I bet they eventually just stopped adding to my file. Anyway, I was in the military for a bit- it was horrible for me, I’m a very stubborn and controversial starting person as you must know by now, they couldn’t find anyone who could break me down into a soldier because I just can’t be broken … bent yes, depressed yes, sometimes even almost suicidal yes, but never broken. Refocusing- and before they sent me into a special branch, I witnessed war and about went and knocked the two leader’s heads together and screamed some sense into their ears. I mean really, war is nasty, I know sometimes necessary, but still.
Your probably thinking, ‘hey what happened to this awesome kick— freak fugitive? I though he loved fighting and now he’s talking about how he hates war?’ and you’d be right. I love fighting, I really do, but war isn’t the hand to hand combat where you outsmart and outfight your opponent, war is a much longer and deadlier affair. One thing’s for sure: I don’t kill. Period. End of the line. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Even in my brief time overseas, I only knocked my opponents unconscious. Ya … that’s probably the reason why I was so quickly moved to special forces, my specialness being my refusal to kill, obey, and/or be a proper soldier. But hey, I was one heck of a fighter! I didn’t even need a gun! Yup, being half animal does have its perks, like being able to shoot claws from my fingertips like a porcupine is thought to shoot quills from its body. Actually they can’t shoot their quill, they easily dislodge though when stood on end, I use the same technique … but more advanced. I can use a muscle to set the claw on end, then rapidly contracting that muscle I’ve learned to shoot them. Ya, its confusing … and weird … but hey, I still never have to reload.
Though being part animal had huge effects on my life. When I was 5 and taken in by a mountain lion named Misty- does that ring a bell?- she had the largest effect on me out of everyone I know … and I know/ have known a lot of people. I wouldn’t, be … alive, if it weren’t for her … in more ways than one. … I don’t really want to go there, maybe I’ll tell it some other time … here’s another example: Like when I married my high school sweetheart, Jess. Yes, I’m married … but she’s dead now, I kind of out lived her by many, many, many years … ya. But anyway, when you’re a Virused if affects your kids. Your first born is like any other regular child, but with animal DNA that correlates with your own. But then your second, third, fourth, etc., well they tend to have major health issues. Most die, or are crippled their entire lives, their entire short lives. I had a son, then a daughter and learned first-hand another pain of being Virused. Also your kid- I’m just going to go singular on this because the first born is basically the only one I’m talking about- will have a lesser might than you. You see the machine used to infect us, I believe, was using uranium as a measurement, that’s why we have a line of strength that decreases. Because when the animal DNA swarms your body like a virus and replaces your human DNA, it uses a half-life of the uranium, there by weakening the machine and weakening the DNA strength of the Virused. This is why I’m the strongest Virused, because I was the first. So this also goes to your kid, every year you live your DNA gets stronger, but your children, clones, etc., are like a half-life of your DNA strength. But if a kid is born of two Virused parents, their DNA strength is the half-life of both parents added together. My descendants are still out there somewhere and one thing’s for sure, the Virused population sure isn’t growing, it’s most likely declining. But that’s all depressing, if you want some real fun, the game Keep Away (Virused edition) is the way to go.
Back in the good old days, in my teens-twenties, when the Den was prospering it was a whole lot of fun. The Den mostly had Virused that were either staying their till they were set up in the real world again, were visibly Virused, unstable mentally/emotionally/etc., were in charge of the Den, or were in training to go back to the real world, work at the Den, or just how to properly use and control their new abilities. There were several games we did to practice our abilities to find limits, strengths, and weaknesses. My favorite is Keep Away. The Virused edition of Keep Away is kind of like a large hunt. One person is picked as the target and does whatever they can to keep away from their hunters. There is a boundary set up and all must stay within that boundary. Hunters do whatever they can to capture the target, the stakes are higher the better the target … like I’m the target in this ‘game’ of Keep Away they are aloud to hurt, but a beginner mustn’t be touched. The game goes on for days till the target is caught/gives up, or till the hunters give up.
Yes, yes, it’s all very confusing and intriguing, get to the back of the line if you have questions. … Wow I got way off topic! … Well one thing’s for sure; I’ve got to prevent this war from happening. Even if it means running in circles till they forget what their fighting about, or … I die. … Which ever happens first.