He couldn't sleep. How could he? In one swift move, his entire life came at a standstill. Shade was told later on that it was well deserved, that Mushin had impregnated the demon's mate and simply moved on without regards to her or the children. Yet he could not escape the heartache that plagued him. The loss cut him deep and it was as if the monster that had crashed into the mansion last night reflected Shade's own feelings of utter despair. He didn't know if he would collapse from the grief or explode in anger, but he could sense that everything was in complete chaos within him. No matter how much he drank the pain would not cease. It throbbed in tune with his heart and he wished more than anything to crush it in spite and agony. For hours he had lain there in the rubble and debris from the destruction of the beast's entrance, staring into the pits of nothingness. The soft muddle of voices filled the empty chambers as people began to awake and the hum almost lulled him into slumber. But, as fate would have it, this was to not be the case. A servant of the mansion approached him cautiously, perhaps wondering if he were dead, but Shade blinked and the servant sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness. I near thought I would have to drag away another dead body," the servant sighed. His eyes shifted for the first time in hours as they rested vengefully upon the servant, though she seemed absolutely clueless. "Do you need help up?"
He took a deep, slow breath as he observed her with cautious, calculating eyes. His first instinct was to tell her off with as much venom that had been building up inside his chest, but there was that lingering desire to ask if she could take him to Mushin's body. Then again, would he be able to handle it? Even now the memories began to reemerge in crushing waves until Shade finally decided against it. To see Mushin there, lying in stone cold death, would only make the truth absolute... and how could he move on if that were to happen? To see him killed before his eyes was torture enough... he didn't need more incentive to feel like shit.
"No," Shade finally replied as he proceeded to ascend to his feet. His body ached greatly and he felt weak; it took him several moments to regain his sense of balance. Pushing past the viel of slumber that threatened to consume him, he walked past the servant girl out to the open air through the large hole left by the beast. Where he was going he knew not, but the farther from the daunting place along with its haunting memories the better. His trudge was slow and agonizing... ugh. His body was in a serious need of a wake up call.
The thought arose to the last word before he suddenly was tackled onto the pavement of the road he'd set to travel. His head pounded horribly as blood trickled lightly down his temple from the impact. He attempted to stand but his body felt heavy; he later realized someone was lying against him, presumably the same person who ran into him. The light brown of the woman's hair was splayed like a fan across him as her head rested upon his chest. She arose, opening the wonder of her eyes to see what had impeded her path. He could smell fresh soil, pine, and spring water from her. He had to admit, she was something else. Something, apparently, from the sign of her heavy breaths and sweat layering her skin, who was on the run.
Taré's heart raced frantically. Damn it! Of course now had to be the time she shifted! Such horrible timing... The alpha of the pack had been after her, determined to take her as his mate, she had panicked. What else could she have done? It was an involuntary reaction to the situation, and darn it if her body had been the stupidest thing it could have done.
ReplyDeleteThe male shifted underneath her, mumbling in a language she identified as english. But she also sensed a wolf within him, maybe he would help her! Surely, being a wolf, he would understand their language!
"Îmi pare rău! Te rog, trebuie să mă ajuți!Pack este după mine, ei nu se va opri până când am să respecte ordinele lui alfa. Nu vreau să-l imperecheze!" She waited for his response, but when he only stared at her, brows drawn in confusion, and answered her with, Îmi pare rău ... Ce?" she knew he did not truly understand her. . . I'm sorry, what? ... damn it! He didn't know what she was saying!
The wolves surounded her. She scrambled off of the male, crouching low and growling at the wolves who snapped their massive jaws at her. She attempted to call upon her wolf, but it was to no avail. This was the risk a werewolf took when becoming an "outcast". To completely lose their humanity was to let the wolf rein the body for long periods of time. At first, the person would shift out of necessity, the wolf within clinging with ever last bit of its being to the last shred of humanity until it was gone and the wolf became as wild as their ancestors. Many wolves chose to live this life. To be free of human worries and draw backs... Taré only had a few shifts left in her, she could feel it, but she was at the point where her wolf chose when it would take over. It was out of her control.
A massive honey color coated male stepped forward, Krilyn... the alpha. He growled viciously at her, almost demanding she change back to her wolfen form.
"Niciodată!" Never! She would fight to the death before she was ruled by yet another tyrant in her life!
This didn't look good. Wolves everywhere he looked, closing himself and the girl in a tight circle. She had spoken Romanian, the language of the werewolves; she must be one of them. Which explained their aggressive displeasure towards each other... Niciodată... this girl must've had a row with whom he could only assume to be the alpha. He stood proud and tall with all the arrogance of an asshole who felt entitled to everything he desired. It was lowlifes like him... that really pissed Shade off above all.
ReplyDelete"Iartă-mă," piped up Shade. No one paid him any mind. All right, guess manners won't work...
All the wolves jolted at the sound of a piercing howl of pain and they simultaneously turned toward the wolf which Shade had just pinned to the ground. The select few closest to him growled menacingly, to which Shade applied more force upon the werewolf's throat with his foot eliciting the slightest whimper of pain. The alpha alone was left threatening Shade, baring his canines and advancing forward towards him. Shade merely glared back.
"Leave," he hissed and stomped down on the wolf full force, snapping its neck instantly.
Things immediately escalated into utter chaos. Each and every wolf pounced for the kill, the frenzy fueled by loss and hatred on either side. The bestial wild nature of the outcasts left them vulnerable to their instincts and the pain of losing a member of their pack and though each attack was thrown at its full potential, they forfeited the knowledge by casting away their human logic. Reduced to nothing more than just angry pups that needed a good beating. And, as it just so happened, Shade was in just in the right mind to tear something apart.
He had to hand it to the mutts, they had immense stamina and loyalty. When he knocked down two, two would take their place and their numbers hardly dwindled. Shade, however, welcomed every moment of it. His anger, his agony provided an endless flow of energy to use at his disposal but it seemed it was hardly worth spending on creatures he could easily destroy at the flick of the wrist. He didn't, for what good would a lifeless pup be if he couldn't take out his strife on it? But, eventually, boredom began to set in and when Shade's patience wore thin, it wore out quickly. He ducked, evading another mindless lunge at his jugular from a pack member and gripped its tail with ease. Effortlessly and with great precision Shade lifted and swung the wolf around as though it were a club, knocking away any remaining wolves left standing before tossing it towards the pack accumulating behind the alpha in shameful fear. The alpha roared angrily but, having witnessed and participated in the brawl himself, did not confront Shade in a final battle. Their gazes were locked, neither wavering away from the other, and they remained in this standoff until finally the alpha broke the silence.
"Ce vrei?" What do you want?
"Pleci," Shade repeated in Romanian.
The alpha snorted, mumbling something to the wolves on either side of him, to which then they promptly left. "Taré!" howled the alpha as he turned to leave. The girl, who had put a good twenty feet between herself and the fight, flinched at his command. Taré, whose eyes Shade noticed to be heterochromatic of gold and ice blue, scowled at the alpha.
"Am spus nu!" she cried. I said no!!
"Taré-!!"
"Ia-o și vei muri," interjected Shade. The alpha's eyes snapped to his own, a bewildered and aghast echo in the wolf's eyes. Again, never severing eye contact, Shade continued, "That is my price."
The alpha wolf looked near to tearing Shade up on the spot, the steam of his anger flaring out his snout, a struggle Shade would've gladly partaken in had the hound been as heedless as the pack he led. Sadly, he had more common sense than Shade gave credit for as it backed away cautiously to the woods not far behind.
"Acest lucru este departe de la peste." And with that, he turned tail and departed.
Her eyes landed on the dark haired male whom had protected her. She could already sense the deadly wolf that lingered underneath those cold eyes. But there was something much. . darker. His moves were as lethal and deadly as a jungle cat's, and yet, he had all the courage and power of a wolf.
ReplyDelete"What do you want with me, wolf?"She asked in Romanian. Her head was held high, she did not let a single drop of fear show in her eyes nor her stance, although that was hard to maintain. Once those dark, mysterious eyes met hers, she found it increasingly hard to maintain that eye contact. And with her kind, it was quite crucial she did, she would not admit submission, even if this male caused the hairs in the back of her neck stand ramrod straight.
"Is that the thanks I get for saving you?" He answered her in their native tongue. She supposed, if the male did have joy in his life, the sentence would have held much more of a teasing tone, but it seemed that he was as cold as the cool winter breeze that now brushed softly against her skin. It was then that she became painfully aware of the scratches and bite marks she had gathered from the pack's "gentle" push to agree to become Krilyn's mate.
"Forgive me if I find your actions quite questionable. It is not usual for someone like... you... to help a stranger."
That seemed to get his attention.
"Someone like me?"
She shook her head and waved her hand in dismissal. Submission or not, she had to tend to get out of there. Krilyn wouldn't give up so easily, he'd be back and the more distance she placed between them the better.
"You're going the wrong way."
She turned slowly, "And how would you know where i was heading?"
He hesitated for a bit, seeming to try to find the right words.
More to the mystery. He spoke Romanian well, yet he was not.. fully wolf. Of course others could learn the language, one did not need to be a wolf in order to do so, but the very fact he did speak it is where the mystery lay.
"If you head in that direction you will find yourself in the grounds of the Wolfheart castle." He turned slightly to motion in the direction where the wolfs had disappeared. "And you know where that will lead you. . . If you need a place to stay. . ." He frowned,seeming to catch himself in mid-sentence.
It was only when the silence stretched between them that she felt a true curiosity for this male. Where did he come from? What past would have him act so cold? Was it just natural?
Before he continued she interjected, "Your offer is most kind. If it is not too much trouble, I would like shelter for just a few days. At least until things have died down a bit. " And I change back into a wolf. . .she added mentally. Truly that is what she would be waiting for. In her form she would be able to fight off the pack if they should decided to attack once again... which, knowing Krilyn.. it would be a guarantee.
He didn't need to be told twice. He turned westward, beckoning - Taré, was it? - with a small "This way" as he set his course for home. He really hadn't intended for the circumstances to end up like they did but, even in light of recent events, Shade presumed this as a good thing. Saving the outcast girl proved to be a wonderful distraction and anyway, the Koilura wasn't looking forward going back home alone. Not when he was sure the memories it held there would overwhelm him and, while it was selfish, Shade really needed someone with him. It was pathetic and he could almost kid himself into thinking that the soft crunch of footsteps upon foliage behind him were Mushin's.
ReplyDeleteAlmost. "If I may," came Taré's voice, gruff yet graceful, "what is your name?"
They hit pavement not soon after, arriving at a humble suburb that looked more so like cramped farm houses meant to roam on the prairies. They trudged onward for another block and a half, then turned down a dirt driveway, before the Koilura replied, "Shade."
"Shade..." mumbled Taré, seeming to be testing the flow of the name on her lips. Shade was suddenly grateful his shabby, brown coated house situated amongst its own forest of trees came into view.
Reality was a harder hit than it had been than when Shade had actually seen Mushin die, oddly enough, so of course a session of fumbling with the keys to the front door were in order. Jesus Christ, if his shaking hands were anything to go by, moving to a new residence would start like, yesterday. Taré waited silently beside him, probably scrutinizing his progressing mental breakdown but Shade couldn't give less of a crap about that right now. A rocket could've made it to the moon in the time it took the Koilura to open the damned door. He stepped over the threshold and extended his hand back for the outcast to take. Her gaze shifted warily between Shade's hand and at a point somewhere inside the house, her nose scrunching curiously.
"Someone lives with you." It wasn't a question. Taré's words both stung and astonished Shade; Mushin had only been living with him a week and already the house reeked of his scent.
ReplyDelete"Not anymore. Been dead for a while now." Honestly, last night seemed so far away now, although the ache coursing through Shade's body betrayed that ruse.
"You live alone?"
"What's it to you?" Shade snapped, ignoring the way she flinched at his tone. Why was she pressing the issue?
"Nothing, just..." Taré gnawed on her lip anxiously, her features guarded and calculating. "... You don't usually see another wolf without living in a large fam- what?"
Shade had only grinned, a smile that did not quite reach his eyes, upon hearing Taré's response. His mouth ached doing it; he hadn't smiled all that much lately. "I'm sorry. It's not important." Then, as an afterthought, Shade suddenly added, "Are you hungry?"
The outcast barely managed to open her mouth before Shade was disappearing into the house towards the kitchen. He was getting jittery; he felt he had to do something, anything, to keep his mind busy and off of-
Shade wondered idly if Taré was still just beyond the front door where he'd left her but, after a quick glance around the corner, saw that she was standing awkwardly in the living room. He couldn't fathom was she was thinking as she took in the scene of the room with precaution. She looked almost as nervous as he felt.
Maybe Shade should've asked beforehand what she liked to eat. Suddenly he was starting to feel like a major dick for the way he was treating her. He wasn't sure how he could make it up to her hospitality-wise (Shade wasn't even sure if she minded all that much), but maybe offering up his sleeping quarters would be a good start. He definitely could NOT go into that room anymore and expect to sleep soundlessly through the night. Not when he'd shared that room with-
Yeah, Shade really needed to find a different place to live.
She was cautious as she walked into what seemed like the living room. It had been so long since she had been in civilization. She remembered, thankfully quite vaguely, what it was like. She shook the memories that began to arise as she decided it was better to walk about than sit.
ReplyDeleteHer eyes moved towards the way that the male had disappeared to. It was so odd. She could sense the wolf within him, if only so slightly, but it was shrouded by something else. Something dark as far as she could tell. It made her nervous, but Tare was not the type of person to cower from something simply because she did not understand. Yes, he was odd, but everyone was entitled to their own lifestyle.
Besides, it was clear he had lived with another person. Their scent was all over the house, their mark was in every minute detail of the place. She wondered if it was a mate? She wouldn't be surprised, he was a worthy male as far as she could tell.
Tare would have wondered deeper into the house, but she would rather not further contaminate her process. She was so close to the permanent transition, she was sure of it. And just being in a house made her feel as if she was taking serious steps back from her progress.
Just a few days. . . it was all she needed.
"So, uh. . . if you have no place to go, I have a room upstairs you can rest in." The male's voice brought her attention away from her thoughts and to the plate of food he brought in. Her stomach nearly leapt out of her body and ate the food itself. Funny, she hadn't felt hungry until then. The adrenaline from the earlier chase must be finally wearing off.
"Course, you don't have to. It's just an option." She forced her eyes away from the mouth watering steak that sat on the plate to look at the male. How could she be polite? Her mind raced to remember what she would have said in another life, when she came up with nothing, she took a chance and spoke.
"I'll take the room and food." Wait. . . she was being blunt wasn't she? By his face expression, she assumed he really didn't care, but she wanted to be kind. He was really helping her, and she knew it was probably uncomfortable for him too. "Thank you." She added quickly. She couldn't help the small triumphant orchestra in her head as she knew that was the right response. Not really leaving room for any further talk, Tare took a seat on the floor and grabbed the plate of deliciousness awaiting. Yea. . . she's totally nailing it.