He was so hungry. He could feel it in the most important part of his brain, the instinct. It was his instinct to hunt, at least when he was like this and he would follow everything the instinct told him.

Something in the back of his mind reminded him that he shouldn't be here, he should be locked up in the library. But the instinct took over that nagging thought.

It silenced the voice.

He raised his wolf form off the ground sniffing wildly at the air.

Something was near. Something young and fresh. His paws hit the ground with a thud and he began to trot in the direction of the smell. Not only was there meat, but there was something else. A feeling, almost like an aura.

The wolf man immediately knew what it was and it drew him.

Passion.

Moving quicker he traced the scent until it got too strong for him to handle. He pounced on the nearest moving thing. It turned out to be a rabbit. That was just fine with him.

As he tore the rabbit into shreds he continued to sniff the air.

What was that smell? So young and yet so strong. As he gulped down the last of the meat and crunched the bones between his powerful jaws, the werewolf began to run again, following the smell.

Finally he reached it's source. A young blonde girl walking through rows of cars parked on a cliff. That was where the passion was coming from, the cars. He sniffed around the door of one of the cars and recognized the girl's voice. She was called Cordelia. As he listened, he caught a few of her words and if he understood correctly, she was yelling at her male friend for being late that evening.

Ignoring her, he watched the small framed blonde girl paced and thought.

*Food. Eat her.*

That thought placed in his mind, he started forward and crept along silently until he stood right beside her. Then he pounced. He took the girl by surprise but she rolled away from him and leapt to her feet.

She ripped something out of her coat and he stared in confusion at the wooden stake she held in her hand.

*Stake kill Vampire.* He thought. *Silver kill me.* Then he thought. *Slayer.*

She stared at him for a moment before stuttering a single word. "Oz?"

*No.* The werewolf thought. *Not Oz. Wolf! Wolf!*

He watched her through blazing green eyes as he backed slowly into the woods. Once he was out of her sight, he turned and ran in the other direction. As he ran he could hear the slayer screaming the word Oz over and over again, as if it would make him come back. He was not Oz, he was a beast.

***

Buffy stared after the werewolf with worry stirring in her heart.

"Oz?" She called again, hoping he would hear her and come back. She wanted to make sure he didn't hurt anyone.

But the werewolf she knew was her friend, didn't answer. She heard him crashing through the trees and prayed that no one would be hurt. She hoped Oz wouldn't regret his actions in the morning.

Placing her stake back inside her jacket, Buffy started toward the school to see how he had escaped.

***

The werewolf panted as it slowed it's pace. His tongue lolled from his mouth and he sat on his haunches, trying to catch his breath.

As his lungs moved more easily and his heart slowed, he caught the scent of another creature moving through the night and the smell interested him.

Pacing himself, he ran into the darkness, following the delicious smell.

He found the girl less than a mile away, walking home in the dark.

*Food.* He thought and crept forward, being careful not to make any noises.

His nails scratched the pavement and the girl turned around, frowning.

When she saw nothing she kept walking, humming to keep herself company.

He closed the gap bit by bit until he was only a few feet from her back and then he jumped. His powerful leg muscles pushed against the sidewalk and a loud growl grew in his throat. She turned again when she heard the sound, only to be taken down by an unseen creature. She screamed, then screamed again but the wolf man ignored her cries for help. He sunk his long canine teeth into the flesh of her abdomen and tore away what meat he could.

*Too skinny.* Was his first thought as he ate. But he pushed that away and tore at her body until there was nothing left but scraps of meat clinging to her bones.

He gazed up at the full moon in the October sky and he howled long and low.

As lights flickered on in houses around him, he ran down the street toward the woods, in search of a place to spend the night.

***

Buffy surveyed the mess in the library. The door to the book cage was torn away and books littered the floor. Oz had escaped and now he had to deal with whatever price he might have to pay.

"How could he do this?" Willow asked, shaking her head in fear. "He's never done this before. I just left to use the bathroom."

"It's not your fault Will." Buffy soothed, trying to calm her friend. "All we can do now is hope that Oz didn't hurt anyone."

Willow nodded, then sighed and sunk into a chair. She put her head in her hands and began to cry silently as Buffy looked on. "But we know he did." She sobbed. "He must of."

***

Oz woke up naked in the woods and looked around himself uncertainly. He should have been in the library but he wasn't. He was sitting in the middle of the Sunnydale Woods.

As he stood up, Oz silently wondered how he was going to get back to his house like this. His van was parked at the school and he didn't exactly have any clothes to spare. He was pretty sure there wasn't any stores around that were going to accept an I.O.U. because he had left his wallet in his pants.

"Why aren't I in the library?" He muttered, sitting down on a log, then wincing and sinking to the ground. "I must of gotten out." Oz tried to remember what had happened to him the night before and it all began to flood back to him suddenly. He remembered through the hazy curtain of rage that he had torn off the door to the book cage and thrown it around the room, causing quite a mess. Then he had run out of the school in search of food. He had come across Buffy and attacked her but that was as far as his memory went.

"Come on Oz." He urged himself. "Think harder!"

More came back slowly and he remembered leaving Buffy behind in favour of another smell. Someone more vulnerable.

"Oh no." He muttered and put his hands to his face. "I didn't." He wanted to believe that he hadn't, but he had. He had killed a person and his wolf form had enjoyed it.

"No." He moaned, tears making their way to his eyes. "Please God, no."

***

Willow walked through the woods in search of Oz. There was no where else that he could be. She carried a pair of pants in one hand and his green Hawaiian shirt in the other. Her breath was heavy from walking for so long and she wiped her brow, feeling sticky and tired.

"Willow." A hoarse voice whispered from the side of the path and she jumped. She turned to see Oz partly covered by leaves and bushes and she quickly diverted her eyes.

"Here." She said, handing the clothes over to him. She crossed her arms over her chest and silently tapped her foot as he changed.

When she heard him coming out onto the path she turned to look at him and smiled.

"I thought we'd never find you." Willow moved forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Oz remained still and didn't move his arms to encircle her body.

"What's wrong?" She asked, her brow creasing in concern.

His green eyes slid down her body to the ground and he quickly began interested in the roots and pine needles that covered the forest floor. He said something quietly and Willow strained to hear.

"What?" She asked.

"I said I killed someone." He repeated harshly. His eyes flew to her face to watch her reaction, then away again. "Her name was Megan Shillard and I killed her. I ripped her skin off her and I enjoyed it." He stifled a sob that rose in his throat, then turned away from her. "Please go away Willow. I can't even stand being around myself, I don't know how you can."

She placed her hand on his shoulder and began to say something but he stepped away from her.

"I said go away." He said, his voice hard and icy. "I need to be alone."

"But tonight is still one of your nights . . ." she trailed off.

"I know. I'll be at the library. But for now, I need to be left alone."

Willow nodded, then began to back up. She watched Oz until she was near the fork in the path and he still hadn't turned around. Finally, she turned and began to walk down the path and only as she disappeared from sight did Oz turn and look after her and wished for one last glance at her.

***

He walked alone until he reached the school, self consciously crossing his arms over his chest. Oz was scared, that he had to admit. He was scared of what he did and that he would be traced back to the crime.

Mostly he was scared that he would do it again. He didn't want that to happen. Oz knew he had to keep himself in that cage tonight.

As he walked outside of the school he glanced up to see the sun shimmering red on the horizon.

"Almost time." He murmured, pushing open the front doors of the school and walking inside.

Oz found Buffy, Willow and Giles sitting in the library and he watched them from the hallway for a few minutes before pushing the door open and walking inside. Their voices immediately fell silent when they caught sight of him walking into the room.

"Hi." He said dully, then walked to the book cage and closed the door behind him.

"Oz," Giles began, coming to lock the door, "I think we need to talk about something."

"Yeah." He agreed, then rattled the cage door. The ropes and chains that held the broken door up didn't look very stable and Oz shot a skeptical look in Giles' direction.

"It'll have to do for now." The librarian said in answer to Oz's look. "I'll be here with the tranquilizer gun if anything does happen."

Oz nodded, then began to remove his clothes behind the towels Willow had put up for him. She watched him for a moment and the worry was evident in her eyes.

A sudden knock on the library doors startled them all and Oz ducked behind the curtains to put his clothes back on.

Giles frowned and walked to the door where two police officers in uniform, and one plain clothes detective stood.

The detective smiled when Giles reached them. "Rupert Giles? I'm Detective Shillard." He pulled out a badge and held it up for Giles to see.

Oz stifled the gasp that rose in his throat. Detective Shillard. Megan Shillard. It couldn't be a coincidence.

"Can I come in?" The detective asked and Giles nodded.

"Certainly."

Buffy and Willow stood up, offering their chairs. The detective and the police officers sat down.

Oz stood up, startling them all and pushed against the door. He frowned and pushed again when the door didn't open.

The officers exchanged a glance and one began to take notes.

"Shoot." Oz muttered. He looked up and smiled. "Sorry guys. The door must of locked accidentally while I was putting the books away." He made eye contact with Giles. "Could you help me out of here?"

Giles nodded. "Sorry Oz. I've never had any use for the keys, so I'm not sure where they are." He smiled and stood up. "Excuse me a minute gentlemen."

"Daniel Osbourne?" Detective Shillard asked, coming toward him.

Oz nodded, "That's me."

"Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Oz gestured to the locked door. "Can I protest?"

The detective smiled. "Thank you. I'm actually on a case that's very personal to me." The smile melted off his face and his eyes misted over. "My daughter was killed last night, it looked like some kind of beast."

Oz's eyes widened, although he already knew what had killed the detective's daughter. "I'm so sorry." He said, raising his hand up to grasp the door of the cage. "Megan right? I knew her."

The detective nodded. "That's right, Megan. I've had a few people tell me that you tend to act a little strangely around the full moon." He regarded the locked cage door with cold eyes. "Like you need to be locked up or you might hurt something."

Oz raised both eyebrows in wonder. "I was just helping Mr. Giles put the books back." He offered. "I actually have a gig at the Bronze tonight with my band."

"That's funny." The detective checked his note pad. "Your friend Devon told me that you cancelled tonight."

"No, I'm pretty sure we're still playing." Oz insisted. "When Mr. Giles finds the key I'll call him and see." He offered.

Detective Shillard nodded. "That would be fine."

"I found them." Giles announced, coming out of his study. "He thrust one key into the lock and struggled with it for a few minutes, then tried another. The lock finally snapped and Oz pushed the door open. The door creaked and swayed on the broken hinges and the detective glanced up sharply at the ropes and chains.

"What's this?" He asked, running a rope between his fingers.

"Vandals." Giles said immediately. "I came into work yesterday morning and it had been ripped right off the hinges." He gestured at a few ripped books. "They didn't seem to like reading very much either."

Oz dashed to the phone and dialled Devon's number quickly when he was out of the cage.

"Hey Devon." He said breathlessly. "We're still playing tonight right?" There was a long pause as Detective Shillard looked on. "We're not? Who cancelled? Oh that's right, Dave's sick. Sorry man. I'll see you tomorrow."

Oz hung up the phone and turned around. "Our drummer is sick." He explained. "We're not playing."

The detective nodded. "As I was saying, people have said you're an odd character. Very quiet and secluded."

Oz nodded. "I'm not a talkative person. Is all this going somewhere?" He glanced nervously at the sky outside to see that the moon was almost fully in the sky.

"I just wanted to ask." The detective said and shoved his notepad back inside his jacket.

Oz felt his face twitch and he tried to restrain from changing right then and there.

"If you remember anything that might have to do with my daughter's death," Detective Shillard said, "don't hesitate to call me."

Oz gritted his teeth and planted his feet firmly in the ground before taking the card that the detective offered him.

The detective nodded and the uniformed officers stood up and began to walk him to the door. As they walked, Willow and Buffy watched Oz in fear as he dropped the card to the ground, then dropped to his knees in pain. Giles glanced at the detective in alarm but he didn't seem to notice Oz writhing on the ground. They were nearly out the door when a low howl erupted from Oz's throat.

"What the hell?" One of the police officers said as they turned around.

Oz sat on the floor on all fours and twitched. His head moved quickly, snapping from one side to another as he grew ears and his nose protruded into a long dog-like snout. His normally calm green eyes turned wild and rolled around in the sockets. They watched in horror as his knees snapped backward and his clothes ripped as muscles grew on every part of his body.

Soon Oz stood before them, a full werewolf.

He raised his head and snarled, spotting the police officers first.

"Christ." One of them muttered under their breath and pulled out a gun.

"Don't shoot him." Giles yelled as the officer raised his gun. "You'll only make him angry."

Oz pounced and the office squeezed the trigger. The werewolf took the bullet in the chest, fell to the ground, rolled over twice and was on his feet again. Neither office had a chance to protect themselves as he slammed into them with all his force and clamped his strong jaws down on their necks. Both their screams were silence almost before they started.

Oz looked up at Detective Shillard with blood running down his chin and staining his fur a dark red colour.

"You killed her." The detective said, drawing a gun from his coat. "It was you." He aimed the gun at the werewolf's head and pulled the trigger twice.

Willow gasped as she saw both bullets enter his head between the eyes, but she knew it wasn't enough to stop him.

Oz snarled again, then flew at the detective's throat. He squeezed off three more rounds into the air before he lay dead in a pool of blood.

Giles stood ready with the tranquilizers when Oz turned in their direction. The dart embedded itself in his hide and the werewolf stumbled around for a few seconds before he fell to the floor.

Giles turned to look at the girls. "Go home." He said in a low voice, then bent down to drag Oz over to the cage.

Willow bit down sobs as they stepped over the bodies and once she was in the hall, she ran as fast as she could away from the library.

***

Oz sat huddled in a chair in the library. He was once again wearing his black pants and green Hawaiian shirt as Willow and Giles stared at him.

"You can't do it." Willow insisted, staring at him in accusation. "I have to." He spoke quietly, like someone who no longer had any reason to live. "I can't stay here." He looked up and cringed. "I can see it in your eyes. You blame me."

Willow's face softened. "I don't blame you Oz."

"Well, you should."

He stood up. "I'm leaving. That's all there is to it."

Giles watched as Oz and Willow faced off until the red haired girl broke down crying and leaned on his shoulder. Giles wrapped his arm around her sobbing form and stared at Oz.

"What you've done the last two nights was horrible Oz," he began, "but it could be dealt with. In some ways, I think what you're doing to Willow now is worse."

Oz nodded. "Maybe it is, but it's for the best. I can't stay here, knowing what I've done."

He turned and began to walk out of the library, before he stopped and looked behind the front library desk.

"Did you always keep these just in case?" He asked, pulling out a box and thrusting the silver bullets into Giles' face.

"I always have."

Oz stared hard at him with tears shimmering in his eyes. "Then why didn't you use them last night?"

"I couldn't kill you."

"It would have been much better than letting me live." Oz answered. He put the box down and picked out one silver bullet. "Can I take this with me?" He asked.

Giles nodded. "Take them all."

"I don't need them all. One is all it takes." Then he turned and was gone.

Willow's tear stained face stared up at Giles. "What did he mean by that?

One is all it takes? Giles what's he going to do?"

Giles watched Oz's form step out of the library and walk down the hall. "I don't know." He answered. "I honestly don't know."

Epilogue

Willow was walking through the Sunnydale Woods three months after Oz had left. She constantly thought about him and what had happened. She always wondered what "one is all it takes" meant and if Oz had really killed himself.

Dark settled over the trees and she shuddered involuntarily. She was hunting vampires for Buffy that night, the slayer wasn't feeling well and Willow offered to take over for the night.

She walked slowly, pacing herself in the darkness. A sudden noise to her right made her turn in alarm and watch the darkness. A wolf shape came out of the woods and onto the path. Her breath caught in her throat and she stepped backward. The werewolf standing before her looked so much like Oz, but that was silly. They all looked alike.

Still, his name made its name to her lips and as she spoke it, it's ear pricked up and it turned in her direction.

"Oz?" She spoke again.

The werewolf cocked it's head and around it's neck she saw a silver chain with a single silver bullet hanging from the end.

Then the werewolf turned and ran in the other direction.

Willow smiled. He was still around.

The End