The night sky in the desert was incredibly beautiful, with a myriad of stars shining brilliantly. A full moon hung unobstructed among the stars, casting its soft light across the entire desert. Today was a good day - the day of the fullest moon in the month, and also the most favored day by creatures of the darkness.
"Raiden, do I just put it on directly?" Yinsen asked hesitantly, looking at Raiden.
When Yinsen first received the ring, he had intended to put it on immediately. But Raiden had told him to wait until nightfall. Now that it was night, Yinsen found himself hesitating.
"It's fine, just put it on," Raiden said, placing Yinsen glasses into his own pocket. He stood beside Yinsen, spreading his hands with a relaxed expression.
"Are you sure it won't go out of control or something?" Yinsen looked at Raiden with a troubled expression. After all, in mythology, werewolves were not exactly known for being dignified or rational.
"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. It's not like the legends you've heard. Trust me," Raiden reassured Yinsen with an encouraging look.
However, the werewolves from the Elder Scrolls were indeed quite different from those in myths. They could control their power and retain their senses, making them a nearly perfect race. Moreover, the ring Raiden had given Yinsen was a high-end product from Hircine.
That said, if one were to talk about appearances, vampires certainly had a better image than werewolves. And Raiden did indeed have a vampire ring in his inventory. But the key point was that the vampire ring had been dropped by a vampire boss Raiden had defeated.
Unlike in the game, where you could just pick up and use dropped equipment, who knew if there were any taboos or restrictions attached to it?
The Ring of Hircine, on the other hand, was obtained through a deal Raiden had made with the Daedric Prince Hircine. Plus, Raiden had once been a werewolf himself, so he chose to entrust Yinsen with the power he understood best and felt most confident about. He certainly didn't want to accidentally harm Yinsen.
"So, I'll just put it on then?" Yinsen stared directly at Raiden as he spoke.
"Go ahead, it's fine," Raiden said after a moment of thought, waving his hand dismissively. To be honest, Raiden had thought about it for a while. Aside from the fact that werewolves didn't exactly fit the aesthetic preferences of children or cute girls, everything else about them was actually quite good.
Yinsen looked at Raiden, took a deep breath, and then lowered his hand to pick up the ring. His hands trembled slightly as he slid the ring onto his finger... If this had happened a few years ago, Yinsen would never have believed it. As a rationalist, a renowned scientist... becoming a werewolf... he must be dreaming, right?
With a mind full of thoughts, Yinsen closed his eyes after putting on the ring, waiting for something to happen. But after a while, he realized... his body... there's no any reaction at all? Yinsen opened his eyes and raised his hands, examining them closely. There was no change whatsoever.
Yinsen looked at Raiden in confusion, and Raiden looked back at him just as bewildered, their eyes locked in mutual puzzlement.
"Raiden? Why isn't there any reaction?" Yinsen asked, jumping in place a few times.
Raiden scratched his head, equally baffled. This was the first time he had taught someone how to transform into a werewolf, and he had never used the ring himself. So, for the moment, Raiden had no idea what the issue was.
"Have you felt any changes inside your body?" Raiden gestured with his hands as he spoke.
Yinsen closed his eyes and focused for a moment.
"Not at all. Is this ring broken?" Yinsen extended his left hand, flexed his fingers, and looked at the ring.
"That shouldn't be the case. Maybe try looking at the moon again?" Raiden also puzzled. It couldn't be broken - he could clearly sense the immense energy within the ring. Was it because of different rules? But that didn't make sense either. The ring itself contained energy; it didn't need external rules to react.
Yinsen stared at the moon for a while, but it was no use. The ring showed absolutely no reaction. All that tension earlier had been for nothing.
Seeing Yinsen complete lack of reaction, Raiden suddenly felt awkward. Even the Daedric artifact wasn't reliable.
"Yinsen, why don't you try experimenting on your own for now? Let me think back to how I first became a werewolf," Raiden said to Yinsen, then covered his head and went aside to reminisce.
Was Raiden a werewolf too? Hearing Raiden's words, Yinsen felt somewhat reassured. If Raiden was one, then he must know something about it, so there shouldn't be any major issues.
So, Yinsen began trying things on his own, but no matter what he did, the ring showed no reaction at all. Was it because he wore it on the wrong finger? Should it not be on the ring finger? Thinking thus, Yinsen tried to remove the ring, but after several hard tugs, it wouldn't come off. Instead, he ended up with a small cut on his finger.
"Ouch."
'It really hurt'
Yinsen felt as if his finger had been bitten. He watched as the blood on the ring, especially around the wolf's head, gradually disappeared. Yinsen stared in amazement at what was happening. Suddenly, he felt a reaction inside his body—a strange sensation. What's happening to me? Yinsen looked at his hands as his body began to swell, and a surge of power rushed into him.
"Ra... Raiden..."
Yinsen struggled to call out to Raiden, but the sound from his mouth grew softer and softer until it turned into a low growl.
Meanwhile, Raiden was still lost in his tangled memories.
'Why can't I remember anything about my first transformation into a werewolf?'
Raiden head ached from thinking. Had that memory been completely erased over the endless years? But that couldn't be right—there should at least be some impression!
Raiden closed his eyes and pondered. He remembered that it was when he joined the inner circle of the Companions, Aela, that bold and straightforward woman, had either made him drink blood or drip blood—something related to blood. But after that, what happened? Why couldn't he remember?
'Hmm... but I do remember waking up on a mountain the next day, naked.'
That part Raiden remembered clearly because he had been completely naked, and Aela had been standing right beside him. It had been so embarrassing that the memory was deeply etched in his mind.
But why was I standing naked on a mountain...? Just as Raiden was wrestling with this thought, he suddenly felt a cold, sticky sensation on his neck. Raiden lifted his head and turned to look.
"Hey! Yinsen, you did it!"
A towering, massive figure, brimming with strength and wildness, stood behind Raiden. The perfect curves, the smooth fur—under the moonlight, the tips of Yinsen fur gleamed with a hint of gold, exuding nobility and sanctity.
"This is truly Hircine most perfect creation. It looks way better than the sorry state I was in back then," Raiden couldn't help but marvel. If his own werewolf transformation had looked this good, he might not have chosen to revert to being human in the end.
"Come on, wipe that drool off. It's your first transformation, so you need to get familiar with your body, understand, Yinsen? Otherwise, you won't even be able to control your mouth," Raiden chuckled.
"When I first transformed, I wasn't like you..."
Suddenly, Raiden froze. He looked up into Yinsen eyes—those two golden, radiant orbs on the massive wolf head, filled with savagery and bloodlust.
Raiden smiled. "Yinsen, you're so handsome... FusRoDah!"
Without hesitation, Raiden unleashed an unrelenting force, sending Yinsen flying.
"Damn it!"
Raiden quickly turned and sprinted to the jeep. He opened the door, jumped in, and started the engine. This jeep, whatever brand it was, truly impressive—it could go from zero to a hundred in just three seconds. In a flash, Raiden sped off.
Behind him, Yinsen emerged from the sand, let out a long howl, and charged after Raiden.
The engine was truly extraordinary—zero to a hundred in just 0.3 seconds. Fortunately, this was Yinsen first transformation, and he hadn't yet mastered control over his body, which limited his top speed. Otherwise, Raiden would have been done for sure.
Raiden, now pale with fear, glanced at the rearview mirror. A dark figure was hot on his tail.
"Damn it!" Raiden suddenly remembered. The first time one transforms into a werewolf, they lose control. That's why he couldn't recall the details of his own first transformation. And most importantly, the first transformation requires a massive intake of energy—in other words, a lot of food.
But in this desolate, godforsaken desert, where could he find food? Raiden certainly didn't want to become Yinsen meal!
Just as he was thinking this, a bird poop suddenly fell from the sky, landing right on Raiden hand. He looked up and saw a vulture laughing at him from the sky...
WTF?!
Raiden retaliated by hurling a fireball, hitting the vulture dead center. It instantly turned into a roasted bird and fell to the ground. Yinsen, who was right behind, leaped into the air and swallowed the roasted vulture whole.
It didn't buy Raiden any time at all!
As Yinsen grew more accustomed to his werewolf body, his speed increased. Raiden could only mourn his fate in his heart.
"In the past, Buddha cut off his flesh to feed an eagle. Today, am I going to have to cut off my flesh or worse my dick to feed Yinsen?!"
"No, that guy wouldn't settle for just cutting off my flesh—he'd tear me apart!"
With that thought, Raiden slammed the accelerator again. The engine let out a strained groan.
[Tl note: This story is getting better ngl so i think im gonna continue translating it]