Heart of a Wolf (closed)

[DrStein]

Varg Blackstone. Not many people knew he existed. Fewer still knew his name. And even fewer than that knew what he really was. Varg was a very unusual young man of 18. His featuers were very eclectic, making it nearly impossible to place his heritage. He had tanned skin and a slender athetlic build. His face was chiseled with high cheekbones and black hair with natural rusty streaks he grew down to his waist and tied in a ponytail just below the shoulders. He dressed like a biker or a punk with tattered clothes that could take a lot of punishment before showing dirt and a leather jacket. The most striking feature about him was his eyes. They were a bright yellow and held a smouldering intensity like a predator surveying his territory for threats.

The thing was that Varg wasn't human, though he looked it. There was an entire world behind the veil of the mundane that humans had stopped believing in ages ago. Varg was a werewolf, and a particularly strong one at that. His clan and a few others were all that remained of their race, though the other shapeshifters hadn't been fairing so well themselves.

Varg cruised the city one night on his motorcycle. He had built it himself a year ago from parts stolen from junkyards. He'd always been good with his hands. But the motorcycle wasn't just for joy rides. Varg had always been possessed by a strong sense of justice. There was a difference between natural selection and victimization. And living on the fringes of society, he made it his duty to protect them from the bullies and parasites of the city.

These nightly patrols had actually caused him to build up a reputation. There was a fast-spreading urban legend of a young biker who stood up for the downtrodden, a moder-day knight with a motorcycle instead of a horse and a leather jacket instead of armor. Stories varied of course. Some said he was a giant who wielded a broken parking meter like a sword. Others thought he was a mental patient who was wrongfully imprisoned before he escaped and now prowled the streets looking for revenge on the people who had put him in there. Still others insisted that he was a blind martial arts master on a quest for atonement for some past sin. Naturally, no one had come close to the truth yet.

That night, Varg was cruising down the street when his sensitive ears picked up the sounds of struggling and distressed female voices not far off over the roar of his bike's engine. 'Time to go to work,' he thought as he steered his bike off toward the scene of the trouble.


OOC: This thread is closed for Calyxxx and I. Feedback to either one of us would be much appreciated though.

 

[Calyxxx]

The night had started out innocent enough, Kaylin Cormrand and her 2 closest friends out for a "girls night" at the movie theater. The movie was good, a tear-jerker that left the girls sitting in their seats until after the credits rolled. They were finally ushered out into the slowly cooling streets and were talking enthusiastically about the film: how the lead male was not just a hardened thug, but actually a small child needing comfort on the inside, how the lead female understood him....

The girls 'rounded a corner and were quickly silenced when they saw three men. Leaning against a building, smoking, and absolutely looking for trouble, they heard the girls before they saw them and withdrew their knives. Kaylin gripped her purse tightly and spoke to her friends.

"Maybe we should go the other way." Slowly, they turned around and walked the way they had come, but a call from behind them froze them in place.

"Hey! You birds want to continue flying, you'll have to hand over your bags. Maybe give us a nice kiss and be friendly with us, so we don't get any bad ideas." The voices closed in on the girls and soon they were surrounded.

A hand shot out to take a purse, but the girls pushed, and found themselves running and screaming down the empty street, the men following closely behind. A moment of indecision put Kaylin down an alley, and lost her a shoe, and she found herself trapped. Loudly she called for help, fear thick in her voice. As a man came slowly towards her, blade glinting under the streetlights, she heard the sound of a motorcycle slowly growing closer.

 

[DrStein]

Varg pulled his motorcycle into a deep power slide, leaning into the curve so deep that his ponytail brushed along the ground. He righted himself as he finished the sharp turn and skidded to a halt at the mouth of an alley. He saw a young girl around his age on the ground trying to scramble away from a man with a knife. "Evening!" he called out in a cocky voice as he removed his helmet. "You made three mistakes, cheesedick.

"One," Varg said clamly as he stepped off his motorcycle, "you chose to go picking on pretty young girls."

The man with the switchblade turned his knife on Varg as the young biker approached. "Second, you go waving your little toy around like you're some kind of bad-ass."

The thug made a lunge for Varg with an underhand stab, but Varg effortlessly caught him by the wrist in an iron grip. "Third... you didn't run like hell when I showed up." With a quick twist of the wrist, there was a crack and a scream as the would-be mugger's wrist was broken like it were made of balsa wood.

At the same time, the other two muggers rounded the corner. "Hey, Donnie, we gotta go!" They stopped dead in their tracks as they witnessed Varg pull their friend Donnie by his broken wrist into a hard knee strike to the stomach which was followed by a hammering elbow strike to the kidneys that sent him face-first into the ground out cold.

The two decided to make a quick chage and try to ambush Varg, but he already smelled them. He turned to his side and thrust out a kick with his booted foot, slamming it into the chest of his one attacker while dodging the stab of the other.

Varg grabbed the second thug by his jacket during the follow-through to the stab and tossed him roughly to the ground. He smirked smugly, then winced when he felt a sharp pain against his upper back. His face twisted into a scowl and he looked over his shoulder to see the first mugger staring in shock after smacking Varg across the back with a piece of rusted rebar only for it to have almsot no effect.

Varg turned and wrenched the rebar from the man's hands. "Never, never strike me in the back!" he snarled. With that, he swung the rebar hard into the man's left leg, breaking both the calf and shin bones easily. A quick boot to the face silenced his screams as he dropped to the ground and put him in blissful unconsciousness.

Varg heard the sounds of someone running and turned to see the last of the attackers fleeing down the alley. With a deep breath and a quick windup, Varg threw the rebar like a boomerang or axe. It flew through the air with a metallic whistle before colliding with the back of the escaping mugger, shattering his collarbone.

Varg straightened out his jacket and huffed lightly before looking down at the girl. He kneeled and offered her a hand up as he felt the shaggy fur on his arms and shoulders hidden by the jacket retract back into his skin. "You okay?"

 

[Calyxxx]

Kaylin kept her eyes squeezed tight and her hands over her head, huddled in a corner. The sounds of the three men at last became silent, and was startled to hear a voice above her.

"You ok?"

Smoke coloured eyes peering through her arms, she saw a handsome man, clad in leather and sporting a long ponytail extend a hand for her. Taking it, she was pulled to her feet.

"Thank you. Who were those men?" Meekly she questioned her rescuer, and let go of his hand. She rested her unshoed foot on top of her shoed foot and nervously twirled a strand of honey-coloured hair around a finger. What was she to say to the man who if not saved her life, at least saved her purse? Although she was grateful, she was wary. What if she was saved from muggers only to confront a rapist?

 

[DrStein]

Varg shrugged. "Hell if I know. They're all the same in my book. Asshole, sleaze, cheesedick, cocksmoker, hog-raping shiteater... There's not much difference between 'em."

Varg quickly looked around, the scent of the two others on the wind. "We better find your friends." He could tell they were safe. There was no blood in the air aside from the three muggers he'd knocked out. But it would be better to give this girl a sense of security by finding her friends before she totally panicked.

Varg stooped and scooped up her shoe and purse, handing them to her. "Here. Name's Varg, by the way." He the chuckled. "It's Norwegian. Means 'wolf.'"

 

[Calyxxx]

Kaylin thanked Varg and put her shoe back on her foot.

"Yes, I'd like to find my friends, I'm sure they're worried and scared!" They walked back onto the main street, Kaylin kept a slight distance, and her arms crossed over her chest.

"Your name means wolf? I don't think mine has a meaning. I've looked it up before. It says its a variation of Kay Lynn with a "y" and Kay means pure or virginal, but Lynn means a small lake or a pond... so maybe my name means pure pond?" She knew she was rambling, she always did it when she was nervous. Biting her lip, she tried to keep silent, absentmindedly twirling her hair again.

"Kaylin!" she turned her head and saw her friends running towards her, waved and yelled back to them.

"I'm ok! Are you guys ok?" Happy with their response, she turned back to Varg.

"Thanks again. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up. I wish there was something I could do to thank you." She extended her hand towards the man and looked up at him.

 

[DrStein]

As Varg looked into Kaylin's eyes, he felt the stirring urges and instincts he had been told would come. His clan had warned him to expect this now that he was eighteen. Could this girl really be the one? He felt an attraction to her unlike any before, so it was possible.

He gently took her hand in his, which felt like warm steel wrapped up in calloussed skin. "Thanks again. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up. I wish there was something I could do to thank you."

Varg winked at her with one of his intense yellow eyes. "A chance to see you again soon would be great," he said bluntly. He had to get closer to this girl to see if his instincts were correct about her.

 

[Calyxxx]

The question shocked her and more outwardly than she would have liked. A quick glance over her shoulder, proved her friends were close behind her. She spoke quickly.

"Uhh.. I..umm..." Kaylin flushed with slight embarassment. "Ok...I guess." Sheepishly, her gray eyes found his and then dropped again, fingers still twirling a piece of hair. She felt a hand on her arm and smiled to find it belonged to her friend.

"Hi Kaylin! Who's this? Oh! Is he the one that beat up those bad guys? Thanks for helping us out back there, but we have to go. Come on Kaylin." She felt herself being pulled away. A pulsing urge within her made her call out to Varg as she went.

"Yes, Coffee Talk Express does have good coffee, but usually only after two o'clock. It gets crowded in the morning and lunch rushes. I go there often, I was there last Sunday." Kaylin felt bad for not wanting her friends to know Varg had basically asked her out. She hoped he had understood her coded message. She smiled inwardly and let herself be pulled along by her friends. One turned to her as they walked away.

"Fun Saturday, huh?"

 

[DrStein]

Varg smiled softly, picking up on the coded message. The accents she had put on the specific words made it fairly obvious. He marvelled at the idea that her friends hadn't already picked up on it.

"Have a good evening, ladies," he called back before shoving his helmet on and drove off on his motorbike.

An hour later, and he found himself at the derelict house on Franklin Street. He and a few others of his clan were squatters there. They were the only ones left in this region. The rest of them were scattered to the wind like the mongrels they were.

Varg hid his motorcycle in the shed like every night and removed his helmet and jacket to reveal the tattoo on his upper left arm. A crescent moon with four slash mark in the hollow of the crescent. Actually, if one looked particularly close, it wasn't a tattoo. It was branded into his flesh. The symbol of the Moonshadow.

Wearily, Varg went back to the house, but had made it no further than the living room when a gruff voice stopped him. "You're home early, Varg... and you have the most interesting scent about you."

"I'm horny, okay." Varg answered dismissively.

"Oh, it's more than that, Varg. You've found a potential mate haven't you? 'Bout damn time. You only have seven months left."

Varg heaved a sigh and turned to see the old man seated on the couch reading "Fight Club." His grey hair was short, but his beard was grown out into two braids forming a fork under his chin. "Yeah..." Varg answered. "I know, Leo."

"Make sure she's the one," Leo droned without looking up from his book. "You know what we must do if you can't find a mate by your nineteenth birthday."

Varg remained silent a moment as he mulled the clan traditions over in his mind. The traditions he wouldn't turn his back on for anything in the world. "I know," he answered at last. "I'm going to see her tomorrow. Wish me luck."

 

[Calyxxx]

Kaylin found herself secretly excited about her meeting with Varg. After saying goodnight to her friends and going home, she let her parents know she was in and ran up to her room. She flopped down onto her bed and let out a happy squeal into her pillow. She found it strange that she liked the man. Never had she actually had a "boyfriend" before, and some nervous kissing was the extent of her sexual experience. But even so, she was drawn to him. Closing her eyes, she saw his eyes, his strong jaw line, his long hair, she could hear his voice, smell the leather of his jacket, and feel the strength within his hands.

Jumping from her bed, she went to her closet to find clothes for their meeting tomorrow before turning out the lights and falling asleep.

 

[DrStein]

The next morning, Varg had done what he could to clean himself up. Doing oddjobs in the slums and streets had allowed him to save up some cash, and clever usage of public bathrooms and department stores allowed him to clean up relatively well without being caught or looking incongruously groomed as compared to his bad-boy image.

Two o'clock rolled around, and Varg found himself standing in front of the Coffee Talk Express. He straightened out his jacket, visions of the beautiful redhead from last night dancing before his eyes like flashes of a remembered dream. With his typical predatory stride, he slipped inside and let his yellow eyes scan the place for Kaylin.

 

[Calyxxx]

Kaylin ran the entire distance from home to the coffee shop. She cursed head nurse at the hospital for keeping her late again. It was a volunteer job. VOLUNTEER. Kaylin never understood the nurse's need for her volunteers to stay longer than they wanted.

As she ran she grasped her hair tightly in one hand and expertly twisted an elastic around it, pulling it into a high ponytail, flying out behind her like a streamer. She was quite glad she had nixed the idea of wearing a skirt today, jeans were much better for running.

Panting, she opened the door at the shop, walked inside and surveyed the place for Varg. Not seeing him immediately, Kaylin's heart sank, but decided he may just be late, like her. She walked to the counter and ordered an herbal tea before turning back to the tables. Spying a nice one in the back, she walked towards it, shocked as she moved closer to find that Varg was sitting there, quietly waiting.

 

[DrStein]

Varg was a little disappointed at first when she wasn't there, but took a seat and decided to wait. Not like he had anything better to do. And if worst came to worst, me might be able to track down her scent and find out why she flaked.

Fortunately, it never came to that. He caught her scent and grinned. Kaylin entered the shop, though she didn't spot him at first. When she did see him, she gasped lightly. "This is a switch," he remarked with amusement. "Normally, the guy is supposed to be fashionably late."

He could smell the sweat on her and heard her accelerated heartbeat. She had run here to see him. That fueled his hopes as he gestured for her to take a seat.

 

[Calyxxx]

Kaylin was suprised at how nervous she was. Long after she caught her breath, her heart continued to pound. Sitting across from Varg at the small table, she sipped her tea slowly. She tried to keep her eyes down, tracing the wood grain on the table, but his eyes seemed to have a magnetic pull, and she found herself staring at him.

"Uhh...do you want a coffee or something? I can get it if you'd like." She watched him expectantly, but didn't give him chance to answer. The rambling that came with her nervousness began spewing from her mouth.

"I was a bit scared to come here, I don't really know you except for last night. Thank you again for that, I know you didn't have to get involved. Why did you want to see me again? I'm glad you understood my message. My friends don't know I'm here." She quickly bit her lip, a little too hard as pain seared through her face. She could taste blood in her mouth, and she raised her hand to her lips.

"Ack! I bit my lip! Sorry... I talk a lot when I'm nervous." Her eyes went to the grain again, but were again pulled upwards.

 

[DrStein]

Even through the intensity, his eyes were dancing at the sight of her. She bit her lip, and the smell of her blood soon filled his senses. His mind immediately was filled with visions...

He saw himself reaching out and lapping the blood from her lip as she tried to take his tongue into her mouth...

He saw her raking her nails down his chest in passion...

He saw the two of them fucking, her screams and howls filling her ears...

Varg shook his head to clear it, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He had never had such vivid fantasies about a girl before. He felt the prickle of fur growing on his arms and tried to focus on reversing the transformation.

 

[Calyxxx]

"So..." Kaylin started, "you didn't answer me...why did you want to see me again?" Strangely, she found herself quieted, no longer needing to let a long stream of words exit her mouth. She touched the cut on her inner lip with her tongue, and thought for a moment, finger dancing around the rim of her teacup before looking up at him again for her answer.

She felt her heart pounding again, and her stomach did a small flip-flop inside her. She began to feel slightly awkward and her eyes moved instictively to the clock on the wall behind Varg.

 

[DrStein]

Varg cleared his throat and looked Kaylin right in the eye. "You're different from other girls," he answered honestly.

"I was always brought up to believe that action without thought is the purest form of thought. And when you asked me what you could do to repay me, I acted on my instincts and lept at the chance to see you again." Best to be honest. She had to know now how he functioned. In exchange for some degree of control, you lost a different kind as well. Such was the nature of the Moonshadow.

 

[Calyxxx]

Kaylin thought she understood what Varg was saying.

"Kind of like how I blurted out that coded message last night. I hardly knew I said it until it was out." A finger traced along the grain. "Is that why you helped me and my friends last night? Instinct?"

Her face was hot and Kaylin was sure she was as red as the innards of a blood orange. She distracted herself by watching the muscles in his neck and tracing the outline of his body through his jacket. He sure seemed to think a lot for someone who acted on instinct she thought. It seemed as if the words he said were all quite deliberate, and she knew there was much more in his head than he was saying.

 

[DrStein]

"Sort of," he answered. "I never liked bullies to begin with."

Kaylin's confession of her actions being based on impulse only further proved his theories. He reached out and took hold of her hand that was tracing the wood grain. "I don't regret showing up, though. I got to meet you."

 

[Calyxxx]

Flushing further, Kaylin squirmed in her seat, unable to hide her smile.

"I'm not that great, trust me." she laughed nervously and again glanced at the clock. "I don't regret it either though. I don't get a whole lot of offers from cute guys, you know." As soon as she said it, she gasped and clamped her hands over her mouth, in disbelief over what came out. She could hardly look Varg in the eyes.

"Uh... tea. I need some more... I'll be right back." She stood and walked quickly towards the counter before remembering her cup. Running back, she glanced awkwardly at Varg, picked up her cup and ran back. At the counter, she let her head hit the top of it.

"Idiot!" she scolded herself, recieved her refill and took a deep breath before she walked back to the table.

 

[DrStein]

Okay, the attraction was mutual. As Kaylin excused herself, Varg decided to step things up a bit.

He waited until she came back, her scent like a drug to him now. "I know some pretty nice places in town. Why don't we go for a ride?"

 

[Calyxxx]

"Ahh... A ride? Ok." Kaylin decided almost too quickly that she would go. A lot of her initial nervousness was beginning to melt away, and she resolved to enjoy herself. There was no need to be shy. "I think I would like to finish this second cup first though, if thats alright?" She smiled at him, and her stomach executed another flip-flop.

Quickly, she downed her cup of tea, the hot beverage instantly warming her insides. Instantly she felt calm and self-assured, and mentally pushed her awkwardness right out of herself.

"Alright. I'm ready. Where are we going?"

 

[DrStein]

Varg got up and led her out the door to his custom-made bike that he took so much pride in. He couldn't help but try to look a little dramatic as he stood astride it, offering her his helmet. In truth, the helmet was another test. That thing had long ago permanently picked up his scent. He needed to see if she would be receptive to it.

So far, Kaylin had showed signs of impulsiveness. He could tell by her scent and demeanor that she was still a virgin, as well. Perfect. Varg still had much to do to see if these stirrings inside of him were his instincts trying to draw him to her. It was funny how a creature so driven by its own instincts could be so confused by them.

"I know a nice little place with a great view," he told her. "Of course, we might get in trouble by getting there. You feel up for an adventure?"

 

[Calyxxx]

"Ack! I've never been on a motorbike before!" Kaylin wrung her hands and took the helmet. "Are you sure it's safe? Where do I sit?" Absentmindedly, she dragged the elastic holding up her hair down and wrapped it around her wrist, hair falling in a sunlit sheet down her back before poping the helmet onto her head. "Wait.. I sit behind you right?" As she spoke, Kaylin swung a leg over the metal beast and sat down, her hands holding the seat underneath her.

"Did you say we could get in trouble for going where we're going? Maybe we should go somewhere else?" Her questions were quickly drowned by the sound of the motorcycle's engine starting up. Again Kaylin had to push her nervousness away, and she thanked herself for wearing jeans over a skirt for the second time of the day.

 

[DrStein]

Varg kicked the engine to life and pulled out. His reflexes, senses, and strength gave him a control over the bike that few humans could achieve. The two of them raced along the open streets, taking the curves like water flowing round the bend. With the wind in his face, Varg felt much more comfortable. The helmet he wore was mostly just to avoid drawing attention.

It wouldn't be much further... unless he took the scenic route. He had to grin at that as he banked into another turn.