Darkness Rising (closed for Zarafina)

[gagonthis]

Darkness Rising
Closed for Zarafina​

The demon turned and opened his mouth, breathing fire at the young man. He was pushed backwards, barely raising his circle of protection in time as the bottoms of his jeans caught fire and his firey red hair was singed. "Christ already. Time out!" He yelled as the demon drew in for another breathe launching another blast of fire, forcing him to duck out of the way. The demon laughed evilly, at least Sharn thought he laughed, the sound that came out sounded like nails on a chalkboard. "I am bound by another to rend the flesh from your bones mortal, but even if I were not so bound I would kill you anyway to harvest your soul." The demon growled and launched himself forward, choosing to abandon his supernatural abilities to tear the youngster apart with his bare hands. Sharn panted, he was nearly out of juice, this fight having drained him. Still he focused all his energy into the ring on his right hand and held it out in front of him, forcing his will into a shield. He cringed as the demon flew towards it.

CRACK! The demon struck the shield and it crumbled instantly as Sharn's concentration was wrenched away by the blowback of magical force. It still saved him though, the demon was blasted backwards twenty feet, landing in a daze. He started to rise, but Sharn was already hoofing it away, as fast as his 5'10 stance would allow. He heard the demon coming at him again, and knew he had to find something to combat him with or he would be dead very soon.

Sharn had been on the run for the past week, ever since he'd defected. He had had enough with the killing. Since he was old enough to remember he had been raised in the manner of evil. Dark ritual marks scarred his body, tributes to the power the Order of Shadows served, the high balor Dravic and his mind burned with the evils he had performed in the demon's name, innocent sacrifaces, drinking the blood of the living, all in the name of power. Sharn had reached his breaking point when the Order had presented him with a means to ultimate power.. through bathing in the blood of infants. They tried to bend his mind to their wills, but he found inner strength and fought them off long enough to escape. Now he was on the run attempting to find safety somewhere, but demons like ole' fire-breath back there weren't making it very easy on him.

He dodged to his left sharply as he felt rather than saw the demon descend on top of where he just was. "Gotta be faster than that!" He yelled, taunting the demon as his emerald green eyes scanned the darkness for anything he could fight with. Sharn was an elemenal warlock, meaning he was one whose magic was of a primarily elemental nature, fire, cold, lightning, earth, that type of thing. Unfortunately Sharn was stunted in his magical development and found the only two elements he had any mastery of were Fire and Cold. This demon was obviously fire based and most likely would resist any attack as such. That left only cold for him to work with. He smiled in triumph as he saw what he was looking for. A large fountain was spouting high dead ahead. He ran for it with all his strength, pulling up just short and turning to face the demon. "I give up! Jesus almighty you're persistent!" He yelled as the demon slowed down, walking towards him tauntingly. "I'm sure they'd rather have me back in one piece right? You don't have to kill me." He kept talking, buying time to gather his strength for his last desperate attack. The demon bared his teeth and Sharn steeled his will, preparing for the creatures attack. "Actually the one whom bound me made no stipulations about bringing you back alive." And with that the demon launched himself into the air, gathering his breathe for another burst of flame as he set his long claws forward to impale Sharn. The young man stood, prepared to meet the assault and at the last possible moment unleashed the power he had gathered, forcing his will into the fountain. Time slowed as Sharn decelerated the molecules in one of the jets of water forcing it into a solid lance of ice that he mentally shoved forward to meet the demon's attack.

SHINK! The icicle lanced upwards, catching the demon under the chin and impaling him straight through the brain as Sharn ducked under its claws, rolling to the side and standing up shaking. The demon hissed and began to smoke, a dark miasma filling the air as the demon was sucked back under. It was impossible to kill a demon in the material world, only banish it back to where it came. Sharn sighed softly realizing he'd just made another enemy on top of the Order in the form of a demon angered at its banishment. With a heavy sigh he turned and limped away, hoping to put as much distance between him and his pursuers as possible.

 

[Zarafina]

Something felt off tonight. Something Aria couldn't put her finger on. She trusted her instincts, though. And instinct was telling her that she needed to stay up, to make a pot of tea, and sit by the fire with Moochie, her cat.

The kettle whistled as she looked out the window of the house her aunt had willed to her. She didn't hear it at first. She was watching the fog. Finally though the incessant whine pulled her away from the glass and she walked into the kitchen. She took the kettle off the burner, turning off the flame, and then reached to the cabinest above for one of her own blends of tea.

She's always been into herbs and plants, ever since she was a little girl. Raised by her spinster aunt Gracie, Areanna, as she had been born, was exposed to quite a lot of strangeness in her life. It was nothing for her to see her aunt cooking up potions and salves for the townsfolk. As a young child she listened as Gracie told fortunes, read tea leaves, palms, and the Tarot.

It was only natural that she picked up some of her aunt's 'tricks' .. though to her, they weren't tricks.

She measured out enough tea for a few cups, then set the kettle aside once the fragrant leaves were steeping. Carrying the teapot and a cup to the den, she curled up in front of the fireplace, and began to watch the flames dance. She had a feeling it was going to be a long night .. even though she didn't quite know why.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn groaned as he forced himself to keep walking, pulling himself along on one leg and a make-shift crutch. The first demon had been tiring enough to fight off, but Sharn didn't expect to face a full blown member of the Order immediately afterwards. It had taken the last of his will to survive the fight, finally escaping by grabbing onto the side of a moving truck as it whizzed by after having his leg broken in what he could tell was at least two spots. The speed of the truck had dislocated his shoulder when he grabbed on, but at least he was still alive. He quickly passed out in the bed of the truck, thankful he still had a little luck left on his side.

Reality flooded his eyes and the pain came rushing back to meet him as he awoke to consciousness. He sat up, noting his surroundings with a groan. He had no clue where he was. Some small town he'd never heard of before, likely a town most people had never heard of. Boonestown, he wasn't sure how long he'd lay passed out in that truck so he wasn't even sure if he was in Illinois anymore or how far away from Chicago he had come.

Sharn grabbed a two by four out of the back of the truck and rolled out of it, landing carefully on his good leg. Walking away from the parked truck he ducked into the shadows, making sure he was not seen. Pulling his sweatshirt hood over his head to hide his ritual marks on his neck as he limped away, seeking a 7-11 or some other open store where he could ask directions to the nearest holistic medicine store or Wiccan bookstore. It would be as good a place as any to start his search for someone who would understand his plight, though he had the feeling that this town was not going to be so accommodating for his needs. He muttered under his breath angrily at his turn of fortune as he hobbled down what the citizens probably considered their main thoroughfare.

Most of the houses were darkened, windows shut against the cold night air as they slumbered, but a few still showed signs of life. Sharn briefly considered approaching one for help, but given the nature of small town folk and the likely way he'd react to a busted up crazy looking person coming to his place late at night he decided that discretion was, for now at least, the proper response.

 

[Zarafina]

Aria was drinking the second cup of tea when she heard the neighbor's dog barking. Moochie's tail twitched in annoyance, and she glanced to the door. It was locked, right?

She sighs, and leaned back, stretching her legs out in front of her. She chuckled when Moochie batted at the cuff of her pajama bottoms. "Silly boy." she cooed, leaning to pet him.

The dog outside howled this time, and she decided she'd better check it out. Rising, she pulled a sweater on over the sleeveless top she wore with her pajamas, and took a flashlight from a drawer. "I'll be right back, Mooch." she called to the cat, who had curled up in the warm spot she'd left on the couch.

She took a breath, and opened the front door, stepping out onto the porch, peering into the night.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn had begun trudging up the main road and after several minutes it became more than apparent that this town would likely not have any people who practiced Wiccan, much less a fully awakened member of the magical community. He let out a heavy sigh as he checked the moon in the sky, noticing the hints of red with a soft curse. A blood moon rising did not bode well for his chances of escaping. Dark magics were strongest during a blood moon and Sharn didn't want to get caught outside unprotected through the night.

He had defeated the demon and escaped from a brother of his order, but they could still easily track him down this night if he didn't have a chance to erect his defenses. He checked his pockets and swore, loudly this time, when he realized all his spell reagents were running on empty. "Great time to run out of salt..." He mumbled as he kept walking down the street, checking every shadow prepared to bolt if needed.

He was going to have to go to ground, there was no way he would be able to keep going through the night as beat up as he was, but he needed to be able to get his hands on some basic household good to set up shop for the night. He was looking around, trying to decide which house to bust into, which house he was LEAST likely to catch a shotgun blast to the face in, when a door opened, flooding the darkened street with light. He tried to duck back into the shadows, but was taken by surprise. "Eeeerrrr... ummmm hello." He said sheepishly as he adjusted the hood to fall further over his face.

 

[Zarafina]

About the same time Sharn noticed the moon, so did Aria, and she murmured a soft blessing, something she'd been taught at a young age. She had the same idea he did about the meaning of the red-tinted moon .. though hers was far more superstition than knowledge.

"Eeeerrrr... ummmm hello." the young man said sheepishly, pulling a hood around his face as the light from her front room spilled out to the street. She blinked. "Uhh, hi?" she replied, switching on the flashlight, though she didn't aim it directly at him. Wouldn't do to blind him .. yet.

"It's late .. " she began, then her eyes narrowed. 'You're hurt. What .. come on in." So trusting, Aria. He could be an axe murderer! she thought to herself. But it didn't make her change her mind. "Come on .. I don't bite. Moochie might though." It was a warning, probably.

She turned and pushed the front door open a bit more, and gestured.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn looked around the broad open street nervously, knowing that if she had any sort of weapon there probably wasn't going to be too much he could do to defend himself other than torch her to death with his mind. But that kind of magical display would be like a beacon in the darkness to any supernatural creature within fifty miles, plus he wasn't sure he had the strength to do it at the moment, so flight was likely his best option.

He was about to make an excuse to slide back into the shadows, move on out of this town when she stopped him dead by offering to let him into her house. "She's not serious is she?" he thought to himself as he looked her over. She was a lot younger than he had initially thought, and not unpleasant to look at either. Maybe it was a small town thing, people tended to be more trusting when they hadn't been exposed to the filth of a large city. In any case he had to decide whether or not to accept, since standing her like a moron wasn't going to make him look any saner. "Ah yes, thanks, I was.... in a car accident, on the highway... a hit and run... barely made my way here..." He said, the lie sounding a bit hollow on his tongue, but he was thinking as he went.

He followed her inside, keeping his face hidden beneath the deep hood of his sweatshirt. If nothing else at least he could probably get his hands on some salt here...

 

[Zarafina]

"An accident?" She grew alarmed then, and started towards him, but he seemed able to walk, at least. "Should i call the sheriff? He .. was a friend of my father's. he'd help .." She stumbled a little over her words, hoping he wouldn't notice. It wasn't like her, to bring up her parents.

She held the door open, glancing out at the street a moment as he crossed the threshold .. a scattering of something crunched under his feet. A blend of salt and herbs lay at the base of the door.

"How bad are you hurt? We only have one doctor here and he's probably sleeping, but .. I can help if it's not too bad." Aria was saying, closing the door behind them. "Was there anyone else in the car?" She glanced to Moochie, who hopped up on the back of the old couch when Sharn entered.

The house had an odd scent to it. Old. Like it was filled with antiques .. and it was. Her aunt had left her everything, and she'd not had the heart to get rid of the furniture. She'd added a nice television, and a computer, but little else. It also smelled a little sweet .. almost incense-y, like the way most occult shops tended to smell after a while.

"Sit .. get off your feet .. " she was demanding, ushering him to the couch.

 

[gagonthis]

"Oh, Sheriff, yeah that can probably wait till morning. The guy sped off down the highway pretty quickly, he's probably in the next state by now, and I'm not that badly hurt. I mean my car's thrashed, but I think mostly just my arm needs looking at, I can make it through the night.." He forced himself to take a breath and stop talking for a minute, he was yammering on like an idiot and he didn't want to blow his cover by contradicting himself.

Suddenly he was gripped by a sharp pain in his head and a feeling of nausea rolled over him. He stumbled as he realized there was a barrier at the threshold of her house. What the fuck?! he thought in surprise as he mustered his internal strength and plowed through the weak magic barrier. He had not been expecting anything like that in a town like this and looked down worried, quickly spotting the source, herbs and salt... a common ward employed by novice practitioners, more a superstition than a real defense, though it could stop some lesser creatures of the nether. He quickly attempted to regain his composure, surprised to find someone with even those piddling defenses in a town like this.

He sat down on the couch, noting the incense smell in the air. He hated incense, it reminded him of his past self, the weak pretender he had been before he had unlocked the door to real power. The smell threatened to wash him away in a sea of memories but he shut his eyes, focusing his attention on the here and now. "I think.... my leg is broken, I know that, I was lucky to find a makeshift crutch of any sort, and my shoulder is dislocated at the best, possibly broken as well." He tested the arm again and let out a sharp gasp of pain. "It was just me in the car, well me and some leftover Chinese, but yeah. I didn't even get a good look at the other car that hit me. No lights on.. must have been some drunk asshole. I guess I'm lucky to have made it. Ummm you wouldn't happen to have any water would you? I'm really parched from my trip here." He said, hoping to get a moment to take stock of his surroundings without her watching over him.

 

[Zarafina]

Aria noticed him stumbling, and she tilted her head slightly. 'You okay?" she'd asked, but shrugged when he made it into the house. She glanced down at the barrier and then at the young man's back. She shrugged, however, and stood near when he settled onto the couch. 'Broken? I should go wake doc then .." she began, biting her lip, genuine concern in her eyes.

".. you wouldn't happen to have any water would you?" The question made her laugh, a smirk dancing on her lips. "What kind of backwater do you think you're in? Of course I have water. I don't have to run out to the well, or anything .." She rolled her eyes, and headed for the kitchen .. though Moochie continued to stare at Sharn.

 

[gagonthis]

"No no, there's no need to wake the doctor.." Bloody hell, last thing he needed was a whole town knowing that a stranger stumbled in during the night busted and battered, and the questions when they saw his face... he gave a silent curse as he tried to think of a way to get out of this one. "It's not as bad as it looks, a cold compress and something to splint it with and I'll be fine till morning, nothing life threatening." He knew he sounded odd, not wanting medical attention immediately, but he didn't have a choice.

Her dog continued staring at him, he could feel the malice coming through its eyes, but it hadn't begun to growl yet. Dogs and cats were both very sensitive to supernatural matters, many a dog had been chastised for barking at the darkness by its owners when unbeknown they were warning against the darkness of the nether. And this damn mutt could sense Sharn was something its master needed protecting against. This could complicate matters.

"I guess it would have been more proper for me to have asked if you could get me some then." Sharn said with a slight chuckle, the first bit of humor he'd had in a while. She disappeared into the other room and Sharn rose, hobbling around the room, investigating what he might have to work with in an emergency, the dog's eyes following him all the while, the phantom of a growl in its throat the whole time.

 

[Zarafina]

(( Psst. Moochie's her cat, not a dog. *winks* ))

"Well .. I can help with a splint if you're sure." offered Aria gently, the young woman shrugging a bit. She moved to tend the fire, and placed another log on it, then reached to take up her teacup. "I'll get you some ice .. and some water .." she said, smiling softly as she walked out of the room into the kitchen.

 

[gagonthis]

(I knew that.... heh.)

"Yeah, help with a splint would be great..." He said, once more making sure that his face was still well hidden. He could explain away a broken leg and dislocated shoulder, but it would be a bit harder to excuse the symmetrical scarring from self mutilation on his face. He sighed in relief as she wandered off, glancing at her cat who stared at him suspiciously.

As he poked around the room he found several surprising things, books he wanted expected to see, some written by credible sources, others by charlatans who had no idea what real magic was. He palmed a couple of small candles, always useful to have, as well as a box of matches. He knew she was in the kitchen, but that was where he really needed to get to, a lot of spells required components to help focus energy properly, a lot of those components could be found in an ordinary kitchen. He couldn't risk it though and quickly hobbled back to the couch before she could return.

 

[Zarafina]

Aria hesitated in the kitchen. What the hell had she done? She let him into her house? Some stranger who wouldn't even show his face .. who claimed he'd been in an accident. Was she insane?

Unaware of him wandering in the other room, the girl poured a glass of water, and almost as an afterthought grabbed some cookies, putting them on a plate. This was lunacy, but Gracie had always said she was a bit touched. And .. well .. she felt like if she could help him, she should. No matter what he was in trouble with.

"Hey .. umm .. " she called as she started back into the room. "I'm sorry .. did you tell me your name? I've forgotten, if you did. I'm Aria .." she added, carrying the water and the plate of cookies to the coffee table.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn had barely made it back to the couch and gotten the cowl of his sweatshirt readjusted to hide the marks on his forehead when she returned carrying a glass of water and a plate of cookies much to his surprise. He nearly laughed aloud at how kind and welcoming she was being. I guess it was true what they said about people in the country he thought ruefully. He snagged one and filled his face with it, not realizing how hungry he actually was. Controlling the unfathomable power of the cosmos could make a man work up an appetite that was for sure.

"My name? I'm Steve." He said, not sure why he was lying to her about this point. It's not as if she would have recognized the significance of his given magical name nor known what to do if he had given her his true name. Most wizards, warlocks especially, carry two names around with them at all times. The name they practice magic under rarely being the name they were born with. A person's true name held power, and those who knew your true name gained power over you, which was the reason most magic practitioners rarely trust anyone with their given names. Sharn gave neither name this time, merely pulling something out of his proverbial hat on the spot. "What about you? I don't think I caught yours... and again, thank you for all your help."

He hungrily grabbed another cookie, munching down. "Perhaps you would be so kind as to allow me to raid your home for bandages or other first aid supplies? I feel I should probably work on getting this leg splinted if I'm going to find somewhere to bed down for the night."

 

[Zarafina]

"Aria ... " repeated the girl, arching a brow slightly, seeming to grow a bit confused. She'd said that already .. hadn't she?

She sat down by the fire again, curling her feet under her. 'You know .. you don't have to hide in this house. Nothing can get in ..." she offered, smiling warmly. She looked over his form a moment, worry showing then on her pretty features. ".. unless it can just walk through walls or something. And last I checked, people couldn't do that." she added, giggling softly .. though it seemed an anxious sound.

Sipping her tea, she nodded. 'Of course .. though I wish you'd let me help. I do know a little something about first aid .."

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn listened closely as she spoke her name again, hoping she would just shake off the fact she had just said it. Sharn was definitely out of sorts enough that it was plausible. He listened closely to the exact way she pronounced her name. It wasn't that he wanted to hurt her, but sometimes knowing someone's true name came as habit for him. He reached out his senses, searching for the magical resonance in it, but frowned when he found none. Either she was lying about her name.... or... no it couldn't be the other option.

"Ah... yeah... I'm just used to keeping covered up." He said, quickly searching his mind for a suitable excuse. "I ummm... well it's somewhat personal, but since you're helping me..." He slowly pulled the hood of his sweatshirt down, revealing the scars he kept hidden. One scar ran up from the bridge of his nose to the middle of the forehead, two zigzagging burn marks branching out from the left and right of the original. Each cheek also had three scars reaching back towards his ear. He started to hide his face, pretending he was shamed by the his dark marks of power. "I was... abused slightly... as a child." He said, forcing himself to choke up a little.

 

[Zarafina]

A shiver ran up her spine and she shifted in the chair she'd curled so casually in, the girl glancing around as though expecting to see someone behind her. Frowning briefly, she turned back in time to see him pushing back the hood.

Aria blinked as she saw the scarring, her eyes going wide, then her expression grew gentle. "That's ... some strange abuse ..." she murmured softly, rising then, moving to sit on the couch beside him, seeming fascinated by the markings.

Green eyes caught the firelight, turning them a strange amber hue, and she lifted a hand towards his face, then caught what she was doing and she blushed, shaking her head lightly. 'Sorry. They .. ' She blinked, and shook her head. 'I've never seen anything like that .. but then, I'm just a backwoods country girl.'

 

[gagonthis]

"No.... it's quite ok..." He said as he pulled the hood back over his head, not wanting to deal with her staring at his face anymore. "They say.... my father he went crazy, I was quite young, but I can remember him talking about the devil being in me, that he had to exorcise the demons from me..." He kept talking, now fully committed to his lie. "So he carved on me and burnt me..." He took a deep breath, acting as if this were hurting him to bring up. "My mother finally called the cops, they dragged him away. He died two years later in an asylum. I'm sorry, this was a poor topic of conversation. I don't mean to burden you with my troubles. If you would be so kind as to help me splint my leg I am sure I could make myself to some sort of lodging facility."

He really just felt the need to get away from her. There was something about this girl, he wasn't sure if it was the kindness he saw in her eyes, or something deeper that disturbed him, but he was most definitely getting a strange vibe off of her. Her closer proximity towards him wasn't helping matters any. It had been many years since he had thought about the pleasures of the flesh, concerned with his quest for higher power, but her breath, close to his face, reminded him of many things he had forgotten.

 

[Zarafina]

Aria frowned and shook her head. 'I'm sorry .. I shouldn't have .." she stammered, rising again. 'I'll go get some stuff to get a splint on you ..' she murmured, pausing to smile at him gently. 'I'm sorry, for whatever that's worth ..'

She left then, disappearing down a hallway, and the sound of her rummaging in drawers and cabinets soon followed. 'I've got bandages galore .. not sure .. oh! Wait! I know .. be right back ...'

She apparently was taking stairs, though the acoustics didn't make it easy to tell if she'd gone up, or down. A house like this surely had a cellar .. and it obviously had an upper floor too.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn smiled at her, part of him feeling genuinely touched that she would be so concerned about his feelings to apologize, the other part recognizing that weakness for what it was. Still, he found it easier to put on a friendly grin than he thought it would be. He raised his hands to show he took no offense. "It's... good to be able to talk about things sometimes. I often don't speak on it enough."

He held the smile till she ducked out of sight. "What?" He said to the cat as it stared at him oddly. "Look, I'm not going to hurt her, I swear.." He whispered softly to the animal. This seemed to be enough for the cat as it went to licking itself clean. Sharn listened as Aria rummaged through drawers.

Sharn frowned as he felt a pressure growing on the back of his mind. The Order was trying to relocate him. Failure of their member must have reached them. Shit, this was definitely bad news. He had to raise a ward, and quickly. He needed to get into the kitchen. Providence seemed to be on his side as Aria clomped upstairs. Sharn hopped to his feet, grabbed his glass and hobbled into the kitchen, quickly opening drawers, grabbing a kitchen knife and a box of kosher salt. He listened to see if Aria was headed back downstairs and decided he had a little more time to search about. He filled up his glass with water so he'd at least have an excuse if she caught him.

 

[Zarafina]

Moochie indeed seemed content enough, the fluffy grey beast curling up by the fire while Sharn moved to the kitchen.

Wherever she had gone, she didn't make any more sound, though after about ten minutes the sound of her steps returned, and she came down the hall carrying several foot-long lengths of thin metal tubing. 'These should work .."

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn hobbled back to the living room, his pockets now full of various household appliances. He listened again, and not hearing her footsteps he set his water down, hobbling to the doorway. The pressure on his head was getting worse, it wouldn't be too long before they pinpointed him. Stupid tracking spells. He didn't have the time or energy to prepare a proper counter, the best he could do now was shield himself. He quickly opened the door, adding fresh salt and herbs to the pile she kept on her front door.

She certainly had the right idea, wherever she had gotten it, but the execution wasn't proper. He spread the herbs and salt around in a small circle, before using the knife to slice a tiny slash in his finger, taking a pain breath as he squeezed a drop into the circle. With an exertion of his will the circle snapped close, and an invisible barrier of protection surrounded the small house. It wouldn't keep him from being located, but it would lead them the wrong way while he escaped.

He had nearly gotten back to the couch when Aria emerged, carrying the metal to make a crude splint. He smiled at her, trying his best to look casual as he began to help her bind his leg.

 

[Zarafina]

"You alright?" She looked torubled, more than could be explained by seeing him walking on his injured leg. But she didn't speak about it, taking the bandages and the metal, working in silence to stabilize his injury. She was gentle, caring .. though her brow continued to show a little wrinkle of worry.

With the splint in place she stood, and clasped her hands together a little anxiously. 'Are .. umm, are you hungry? I could get you something to eat. Or if you'd rather rest I can get a bed ready."

 

[gagonthis]

"A bed? Oh no... no I've intruded on you enough as it is. I really should be on my way, I can find a motel o something, somewhere to stay till the morning..." He said, looking around a little apprehensively, he knew trouble was coming, and he knew he needed to get away from this house as soon as possible.

He was surprised to find as well that he felt the need to not involve Aria in it. In the past he would have had no problem using her, abusing her trust and moving on after whatever they sent after him had been distracted tearing her apart or consuming her essence, but he knew that he would never be the same again.

He was about to rise and wave off her protests when a loud howl pierced the night. At first Sharn prayed it was just a coyote or some other wild animal, but when the second howl sounded his face paled. "Oh bloody hell..." He muttered. "They've unleashed the pack..." He said softly as he stumbled towards the front door.