Part 2 
====== 

Xander slowed the pace to a casual walk. There was no
need to let the prey know they had hunters in their
midst. Kyle tried to pass in front of him. Xander let
out a low growl. This one seemed to have trouble
understanding his place in the pack. Kyle looked at
the leader indignantly, then backed off, baring his
throat and slowing his pace until he was behind
Xander. 

Xander gave a smile of satisfaction. This was the way
things were supposed to be. There was something
different though, something strange, and this
wrongness in the face of so much right was troubling.
Still, how else could things be? 

Some of the food were glancing in their direction
warily and removing themselves from the area, but most
were oblivious. Not like the mass panic of herds that
one had known before. They offered no warning to their
fellows. It would be so easy. 

The thought made Xander feel happy, until a familiar
scent came on the breeze and his ears picked up a
voice that was considered friend and considered meat.
This was confusing. One did not become friends with
prey. So, they must not be prey then. One had felt
this confusion before and ignored it. 

Generally, one had felt much confusion lately, but as
leader showing this would be seen as weakness. One's
body was wrong, that was certain. Two legs were
strange, but the pack had followed, as was proper.
But, the body was male, and he knew that it shouldn't
be. The leader was female, always, and he was, had
been, but not anymore. Yet he still led and the pack
followed. 

Pushing the confusion aside, Xander listened to the
voices, his human half giving meaning to the words so
that the pack leader could understand. 

*** 

"I think there's something wrong with him," Buffy
stated to the worried Willow, who paced back and forth
nervously. 

"I've known him all my life, well almost, and he's
never acted like this before." Willow began chewing on
one fingernail, tearing at it with a wild ferocity. 

Buffy placed a hand on Willow's arm. Reaffirming her
earlier decision, she said, "We have to see Giles." 

*** 

"So, Xander has taken to teasing the less fortunate?" 

Buffy nodded at Giles enthusiastically, indicating
that he was correct. 

"There have been noticeable changes in dress and
behavior.?" 

Buffy confirmed with the word,"yes." 

"And he's been seen the company of imbeciles?" 

"How did you know?"" Buffy asked. She hadn't gotten
that far in her narrative. Maybe he'd read about
something like this before. She looked at Willow
encouragingly. "Is it bad?" 

"Terrible. I'm afraid he's turned into a teenage boy.
Of course, you'll have to put him down." The
exasperation in Giles' voice was obvious. 

"Giles, I'm serious." How could he treat this like
some sort of joke? "He was fine yesterday!" 

"I'm being serious. Testosterone turns all men into
morons." His eyes grew slightly distant. "I was just
as bad at that age, if not worse. He will get over it,
given time." 

Buffy let her voice rise up a register. "I can't
believe YOU are trying to Scully me! It has to be
something supernatural. It's like he's been
possessed!" 

"Buffy," Giles said in a calm voice. "Teens can be
cruel, they tease, they prey on the weak; it's natural
behaviour." 

Willow spoke up. "They prey on the weak! Buffy, he
hasn't been the same since he went after Kyle's gang
in the hyena house. May- maybe they were taken over or
something." 

Buffy had to admit that Willow's theory made sense,
but Giles didn't look convinced. 

"So, you want me to believe that Xander is turning
into a hyena?" 

*** 

"So, you are telling me that Xander has been possessed
by a hyena, along with several other students?" 

Willow and Buffy both made noises of confirmation. Mr.
Pierson looked skeptical. "And this happened
spontaneously?" 

Buffy almost growled at him in frustration. These
Watchers were supposed to be the experts in weird and
they wouldn't believe her. "It started after Xander
went into the hyena house after some bullies." 

There was a commotion in the hall interrupting their
conversation. A head peaked through the doorway. "Have
you heard? Someone ate Herbert the pig!" The student
hurried on, spreading the bizarre news as she went.

Both Willow and Buffy turned to the Watcher, expectant
looks on their faces. 

*** 

"You five!" 

The voice, Xander thought, had a great deal of
similarity to his last meal. He turned in the
direction of the talking meat. "Yeah, you."

 Blinking innocently, Xander stopped walking and the
others followed suit. 

"Four students saw you outside Herbert's room. You're
busted and you are coming with me to my office." 

"How is Herbert?"" Rhonda asked with a sly grin. 

Heidi's smile showed teeth. "Crunchy!" 

The group laughed and Xander joined them. Principal
Flutie motioned angrily for them to follow and the
others looked at their leader expectantly. He smiled
evilly and stalked behind the meat. This one was going
to separate himself from his herd. 

*Weak and stupid,* Xander thought. *Those were always
the tastiest.* 

*** 

"'Lord of the Flies' the sequel," Adam murmured. Buffy
shook her head in an obviously confused state. 

"Lord of the what?" 

Willow answered her before Giles could speak. "It's a
book by William Golding. A group of boys get trapped
on a deserted island and degenerate more and more from
civilization. They eat a pig and stake its head up on
a stick. Then they start hunting each other." 

"Oh. Remind me never to read it." 

"There's a movie too. Actually, more than one and I'm
going to stop babbling now. So, what do you research
occult guys think?"

"Animal possession? It could happen, I suppose." 

"Suppose? It has happened!" Rupert wished *Mr.*
Pierson would stop with the pointless questions and
observations. Giles had been forced to admit that his
slayer was indeed correct. Testosterone was one thing,
but eating and mutilating a live pig was something
else. Xander must truly be controlled by some outside
force. Which was why he now was in an emergency
conference with Buffy, Willow and his fellow Watcher. 

And to top off everything else that was happening, Mr.
Pierson was grating on his nerves. 

It bothered him more than he wanted to admit that the
Watcher Council had felt the need to send someone
else, as if he wasn't doing quite well by himself.
Rupert knew he wasn't really giving the fellow much of
a chance, but he simply couldn't help himself. 

It didn't help matters any that he knew that he had
read about a similar incident to this and now he
couldn't remember a thing. "That's it! I can't believe
I didn't remember it before. The Masai of the
Serengeti have spoken of it for generations." 

Finally, he now knew what he was talking about. 

A genuinely curious look floated across Adam's face.
"Really? Given how they feel about cattle, I would
have thought otherwise." 

Giles shook his head. "Not the Masai themselves.
There's a group of animal worshipers, called Primals.
They consider the animal state holy and draw the
spirits of predators into themselves using trans-
possession." 

Buffy spoke up. "And what happens to the person?" 

Realization suddenly washed away all the satisfaction
of his recall. "If unchecked..." He trailed off and
cleared his throat. Visions of mutilated human bodies
drifted before his eyes. 'Lord of the Flies' indeed. 

*** 

"I've seen some sick things in my life, but this, this
takes the cake. Eating a defenseless creature. What
kind of animals are you?" 

An eerie whine came from more than one throat, causing
the principal to move behind his desk warily. Xander
graced his pack with a dark grin and, with the motion
of his eyes, directed his followers to surround the
prey. Finally, this one was beginning to see the way
things were. It seemed the meat had thought that it
was in control and was now about to realize his
mistake. 

"Is it drugs? Alexander, I can't believe you were in
on this. Were you dragged into it, peer pressure?
Wait, what are you doing?" Panic raised his voice
slightly in pitch. 

"Pressure? No, I don't think so." The manic smile had
no place on a human face, but he gave it anyway. 

"You're just making this worse. Fine, I'm calling your
parents." Flutie reached for the phone with shaky
hands. 

Xander seized it and pulled it out of reach of the
meat's grip. 

"You are all beginning to lean towards expulsion." 

The pack closed in from all sides, forcing the food
back into his chair. "I'm willing to discuss options.
Perhaps a school councillor." The voice was quivering
with fear now. 

All eyes turned to Xander, who had remained on the
other side of the desk. He gave a nod of approval and
the smell of blood was his reward. 


TBC