[ WP ] When you were seven , you inherited the family curse : transforming into a _____ when you 're angry .

One punch. One fist slamming into a face was all it took. I could n't hold it back anymore. I could n't keep myself in check. It had been 15 years since I gained this curse and I had only succumbed to it twice. This makes three, I guess. 
 
 I was walking home from work, the rain drizzling down on my quite city. The lights on sidewalk illuminating a group of men, huddled under an awning to keep dry. I pulled my hood closer to me and kept walking. About twenty steps later, I felt rough hands dragging me into an alleyway. I was being mugged. The three guys, no more the 18 years old, began to beat me mercilessly. I could feel the heat from their fists drilling into me in the chill of the rain. I could see the blood dripping from my mouth to the ground. The wind rushed out of me as two held me while the other punched me in the gut, bending me over. They were satisfied with their work, so they began to rifle through my pockets. That's when I heard her footsteps. 
 
 I could recognize the sound of her footfalls anywhere, always so steady. Today, they faltered, but old for a second. `` What do you think you are doing?'' She yelled at the young men. `` Get away from him before I call the cops!''. They smiled at one another and began to circle around her. Up until now, I had been level headed and calm. I was at peace with what was happening to me. But if they laid a single finger on her... 
 
 *Slam! * 
 
 The leader landed a solid blow on her cheek. That was it. That was my breaking point. In an instant, my rage went from ice cold to that of a roaring volcano. I was rage itself. I could feel my skin boiling I was so mad! No, wait. My skin *is* boiling. The sound of hissing steam overtook the sounds of falling rain. The boys looked back to investigate the noise just in time. They got a full view of my true self. 
 
 People always wear masks. They hide who they really are by putting on a mask for each occasion. When I am angry, all those masks fall off. They shatter, revealing the truth underneath the masquerade. My skin is now red, covered in hard scales. My hands end in sharp claws of obsidian. My eyes narrow into cat-eyes and my hair goes a stark white. My teeth become like spears in my mouth and my chest feels like it is on fire. I can feel it building up inside me, that urge to tear out their throats and feast on their flesh. My primal urges overpowering me, my urge to kill, to protect, and to eat. 
 
 A roar looses from deep within my body, a roar that shatters windows and blows away loose trash in the alley. I move too quickly for them to keep up. Before I can stop myself, I have thrown all of them against the back wall of the alley, keeping myself between them and Her. I open my mouth to tell them to run, but a stream of liquid fire shoots out instead. The screams are cut short as they melt almost instantly. I began to cool off, the rain calming me down. 
 
 I turn to look at Her, laying on the ground. She is looking at me, fear in her eyes. I begin to change back to normal and the fear vanishes. She holds me tightly, thanking me for protecting her, again. I reach around and hold her tightly to me. `` Nobody can take my treasure from me. Nobody will ever take *you* away from me.'' 
 

