Chapter Text
He's screaming when they drag him back over to the Chieftain. He tries to pull himself away, forgetting all about how futile it is. They push him down to the ground and pin him in place. The Chieftain grabs his hair, yanking his head up. His mouth snaps shut. He can still see the bloody claw marks on the Chieftain's cheek. The Chieftain turns his head, like he wants him to take a good look at them.
"I told you what would happen if you did it again," the Chieftain says, letting go of his hair. "Hold out his hands," he orders the men pinning him down, and then looks down at his blunt, ordinary fingernails.
He shakes his head, tugging at his hands desperately, but that only makes the hands squeeze tighter until he can't help but whimper in pain. The Chieftain slaps him in the face, so hard his head jerks to the side, blood welling up in his mouth, heat flaring through him as the transformation surges through him, his nails sharpening into claws. It's not a full transformation. He's not strong enough for that.
The Chieftain grabs the pair of tongs waiting next to him.
"I didn't mean it," he whimpers, trying to think of something—anything—he could say to make the Chieftain change his mind.
“This should teach you to behave next time,” the Chieftain says.
He screams as the first claw is pulled out.