The Wolf and the Witch (reserved)

[ERedBoyd]

Anton Lycon raced through the dark damp woods, his paws tearing through over fallen logs, his breath billowing hot mist in the cold night! Behind him, the sounds of dogs and men echoed their warnings behind him! He glanced up through the trees towards the cliff which was quickly approaching ahead of him as an arrow whizzed past his head planting the head into the trunk just off to his left. A second arrow shot past him, landing in the earth in front of him and snapping at the shaft!

"I see him!!! There he is!!! Fire!!" Voices yelled out from behind him!

The humans behind him didn't really bother Anton that much as betrayal of his own brother against him near the village of Culdesac, which lay 10 leagues south of the Capital City of Tear! He had grown up with his brother in the village, learning all there was to learn about how to live in the woods, how to fight, and how to survive in this unforgiving world. Both of them orphans due to his father dying in one of the numerous wars Tear had waged on it's neighbors and his mother of a broken heart, neither boy had had any choice in how they would live. It wasn't until they had reached the age of 16 when Ramor had chosen to enlist in the army of Tear. This had enraged Anton as he had felt it had been a betrayal of his father's spirit. Ramor left to join the fight and abandoned Anton to his own means.

Anton spent the bulk of his youth working as a farm hand for hire, scrapping up whatever he could to do earn whatever he could earn. He had even joined a band of werewolf hunters which had been the worst decision he could have made. On one particular mission, he got separated from his team and was bitten by the very werewolf he had been hunting. The team, upon finding him bitten, opted the only thing they deemed merciful to a bite victim. They attempted to kill him. He had no desire to die though and fought them off and escaped into the darkness.

As with every werewolf, by the time the next full moon had come, he had changed into a werewolf himself. He spent a few years trying to find the very person who had infected him but to no avail. Werewolves were becoming a growing problem as well. Someone or something was biting more and more people and turning them. As a result, this created panic in the humans of the entire Kingdom as well as neighboring lands. Bands of roving werewolf hunters would go out and slay any they could find. He had the good fortune out of staying out of the crosshairs of his the bands, until recent.

He saw the cliff racing up to him and he skidded to a stop right at the edge of it. He turned and looked back at the oncoming torches and knew they would be on him soon. Ramor lead this band of hunters as well, having leaving the military and forming a team of his own, realizing there was way more money involved with hunting werewolves than fighting in the army. He saw his brother step out of the tree line no more than 50 feet from him and he growled, "Brother! Why! It's me, Anton!"

Ramor looked cold and distant, hate and anger in his eyes. He growled, "My brother is dead! You killed him!" He lowered his crossbow at Anton and fired! The bolt caught Anton in the shoulder and sent him flailing off the cliff! Pain coursed through him as he plunged into the icy depths of the River Timal, which ran along the western border of Tear down into the Kingdom of Three Peaks and the dark forests of they Illian. Anton struggled to stay afloat through the rapid currents as it washed him further and further away from his home... the pain in the shoulder screamed at him! The river dumped out over a waterfall once more hundreds of feet down! Darkness hit him the moment he crashed into the water!!

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian Atwater made her way down the length of the river, basket hung in the bend of her elbow for collecting various flowers and herbs and roots. Another werewolf attacked the previous night had reignited the panic in Culdesac. The hunters had chased one out to the cliffs, their leader Ramor saying he shot him with his own arrow. But the werewolf disappeared over the cliff, falling to the river.

The coven was tasking themselves with casting a protection spell over the village, even though they lived there in secrecy. There was always a quiet speculation that witches lived in the town, but she along with the other witches were able to hide in plain sight. It was Lillian and her mother, who led the coven, the mayor’s wife, along with a handful of others.

Lily stopped her progression along the riverbank. There was a man lying on the ground at the edge of the water. He wasn’t moving. Lilian slowly made her way closer, setting the basket down. Was he alive? She bent down and tentatively brushed her fingers along his neck, feeling for the beat of his heart. It was faint, but there. She pulled at his shoulder, rolling him to his back which drew a groan from him. He looked familiar, but she couldn't remember from where or put a name to the face. There was an arrow in his shoulder. It was the arrow of a werewolf hunter.

With a gasp she took a step back, her heart beating just a little quicker. Werewolf. He must have been the one to fall over the cliff, she concluded. Even having the strength of the wolf inside him, it was a wonder he survived.

There had been discussion of a spell that could be used to get rid of werewolves permanently. It wouldn’t kill them, simply remove the wolf from the human. But it had to be cast on a werewolf for it to work on all of them. This could be that chance.

She paced back and forth for several moments, working through how to bring him back to town without causing a scene. Perhaps finding a secluded spot nearby would be a better option, instead of zapping her magical energy to transport him.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Pain... All he felt was pain... and cold. By the Goddesses he was cold. He was alive though. He knew it. He felt the water around the lower half of his body as lay half way in the river that was coursing with it's frigid rapids. He could hear the sounds of the water crashing into the short and against rocks that sat above the top of the water. He felt the sun on his face, warm on his otherwise cold body. Somewhere behind him, he heard foot steps too.

He tried to move and felt the agony in his shoulder and a whimper of pain escaped his lips. The steps behind him stopped and he lay there still, trying to pretend to be unconscious still. Tried as he might though, he couldn't stop his body from shivering even as the foot steps drew close to him. He had to concentrate... the arrow in his shoulder should not be hurting like this. Normal arrows, sure they sting when they break the skin but were easy to rip out so his body could begin healing back up. Normal wound's would be completely gone within hours. They certainly shouldn't be hurting like this one was right now.

The only thing that could cause so much pain wrapping through his body because of the arrow is if the tip of the arrow had been dipped in silver or a silver nitrate. Oddly enough, that is the one thing that can cause real damage to his kind. He knew his brother had known him to be a werewolf and no doubt he had prepared to kill him. He still couldn't believe his own brother had struck him down though, not after everything they had been through together.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and could see a woman standing nearby, looking down at him. It was curious though how this little woman didn't seem afraid of him, just cautiously curious. It didn't matter, as long as she didn't bother him, he wouldn't bother her. He just needed that blasted arrow out of his shoulder. This kind of injury would take considerably longer to heal depending on how much of the silver remained in his body after he pulled the arrow out. Slowly, he weakly raised his hand up into the air and reached across his chest to try and pull the arrow out.

It was then he felt something else... some force coil around his wrist, both his wrists and pull them down to his side. He raised his head and looked down to see what was trying to restrain him and he saw nothing. He felt something, but saw nothing. His eyes shifted to the woman who now seemed to hold a hand up towards him, her pointy finger and pinky aimed at him while the thumb and remaining fingers coiled up into a fist. Was she doing this to him? God he was so weak at the moment. He would rage in anger if he had the energy to fight. He growled, "P...please. release.. me. I mean no harm to you..."

 

[sweetlilith]

The moment he moved she reacted. Her hand shot out in front of her and she willed his arms back down to his sides. He growled at her, requesting to be released and promising no harm. She hesitated, a part of her almost believing him, but shook her head. “No,” she said, her voice slightly hoarse. “I can’t do that.” They needed him for the spell to work. The coven was unsure of how they would trap a werewolf, none of the witches brave enough to try and trap one on their own. And here she had one almost literally laying at her feet.

Lillian flicked her wrist, the power that bound her pulling him up into a sitting position. She knelt down in front of him, inspecting the arrow that was embedded in his shoulder. If it was left in, he would stay debilitated, which would allow her to use weaker binding spells to keep him trapped and save her energy. However, leaving the arrow where it was left to chance for infection, and they had another 30 days before the next full moon. Another 30 days before her coven could attempt the spell and rid the world of werewolves once and for all. That was not a chance they could afford.

She took hold of the broken shaft and pulled harshly, warranting a snarl from the man. “Would you rather I have left it in?” she asked sarcastically, staring at the arrowhead. Shiny silver, covered in red blood. She took a cloth from a pocket at her side and wrapped it before stuffing it away.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Anton felt the silver in his system still after the arrow was ripped out. It would take some time for him to heal fully and being this was the last full moon before the next cycle, he would do it all as a human. He pulled on the... whatever it was... that was holding his arms to his side and felt absolutely no give at all. He felt darkness creeping into his vision as the pain was so nearly overwhelming. If he had been able to change back into the wolf, he could heal much faster than he would normally.

He studied the woman holding her hand in that strange way at him and she looked as if she had a million things on her mind. He said, "I need you ... to let me go. I can't be found. I have to leave before ..." He fell silent not wanting to give up too much information.

He saw her eyes shift to him and he fell silent saying, "Please. I really have to get away from here. I will head down the river towards the Calook province and no one will see me again."

She shot a glare at him, obviously he was annoying her or breaking her concentration or something. He said, "Who... are you? Why are you holding me here?"

Did she know about his little secret? Had she seen him as a werewolf?

 

[sweetlilith]

“Up.” She flicked her wrist and pulled him into a sitting position, and with another flick pulled him to stand. Lily remembered a clearing a little ways back, with some denser tree coverage for some semblance of shelter. She could keep him there until they needed him. “Let’s just say the village could use your help in about a month's time,” she vaguely answered one of his questions, which was met by a frown. “There’s only one reason why that arrow would be in your shoulder.”

She guided him along the river’s edge and he staggered over the uneven ground. They progressed slowly, back towards the village. “My name is Lillian,” she finally said. If she was going to keep him captive for the next few weeks, she was going to need to build some sort of confidence with him. As he healed and grew stronger, there was more risk that he could hurt her and escape.

Several more minutes of silence passed over them as they moved through the undergrowth, heading further into the treeline and away from the rushing waters of the River. “Anton,” He said, though his voice was still rough from pain and anger.

There it was. That first little thread of trust. “How long have you been a werewolf, Anton?”

 

[ERedBoyd]

Anton moaned in pain as they began walking along the river, his arms secured to his sides. He hoped she would not have figured out his little secret. Now he would have to do something about it. He growled, "What... are you talking... about?" He had to play dumb at this point. There wasn't any other way...

Up the stream, the sounds of men could be heard. Somewhere off in the not too far distance a voice yelled, "Search both sides of the river! He had to wash up somewhere!"

Anton turned and looked back at Lillian and said, "Please... they will kill us both! Please I need to get out of here." He began pulling once again on the restraints of energy he could only presume which mean Lillian was a witch! He said, "They will kill a witch as quick as they would kill a werewolf ... "

The voices could be hear drawing closer. The sounds of tracking dogs barking and sniffing and baying could also be heard.

 

[sweetlilith]

She stopped and listened to the shouting. The hunters had announced the previous night that they had gotten one of the werewolves, but he fell over the cliff. Now they were looking for him, likely wanting confirmation he was dead. She considered handing him over, but that meant she had to stay nearby to keep him restrained. Anton was right, if they found her to be a witch, she was as good as dead as him. If it were only one or two men, she could handle them, but she could hear at least five voices slowing moving towards them.

She pulled her hand back, releasing the hold she had around his wrists. She watched him for a moment, before bolting into the trees. Anger filled her as she ran. She had found the solution to the problem that had been plaguing the village for the past several years, but had to let him go to save herself.

—

A mixture of smoke and steam curled its way through the air from the chimney of a small stone cottage that sat at the hedgerow of town. Inside, Lillian Atwater stared out the window at the clouds drifting through the sky. They were slowly changing, going from bright white to dark gray in the distance.

It had been five days and she was still upset with herself. She never told anyone that she a werewolf in her clutches. It wouldn't have done them any good, knowing he had gotten away. The hunters had come back later that day, never finding a body by the river. It was assumed the current swept him further towards Calook, where the rapids surely would have drowned him.

“Lillian?”

The brunette pulled her gaze from the window where she had lost herself in thought. “Coming, Mother,” she said, grabbing the various crystals from the window ledge. She set them down on the table before moving to a cupboard to the right of the fireplace and pulling several containers to also place on the counter.

“My dear, we must stay focused for this protection spell to work.” Lillian watched as her mother worked her way through the different containers, pulling herbs and flowers and roots from each one. It was always mesmerizing, how she moved and worked. The older woman paused, frowning at one container she’d just opened. “Lily, go grab some rosemary,” she directed, moving on to another jar.

The younger woman stepped out of the cottage, looking up at the sky again. It had grown much darker, and rain was beginning to fall. She took a deep breath and smiled at the smell of wet trees and ground filling her nostrils. She loved the rain, it was when she felt most powerful, most at peace with her inner witch. She rounded the back of the house where a large hedge of rosemary grew along the back wall.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Anton watched the woman dart into the woods and he smirked to himself. So the rumors were true in town? There really were witches in the village and he had found one. He had other problems to deal with though for now. Those men were looking for him, not her. He turn and ran into the river and dove in, letting the current carry him away.

~~~ Two days later ~~~

A man who no one knew walked down the road into town, wearing a cloak and hood, stolen boots, pants, a sword and dagger on his side, a bow and quiver on his back and button down shirt. A bag of gold hung on his belt from a merchant he had no choice but to kill the day before. He had shaven and cleaned up and had wrapped his shoulder in bandages. He made his way to one of the little taverns, pulled out a silver pound and set it on the table as the waitress came by and she came back a bit later with a plate of boar meat, cooked potatoes, some peas, a large chunk of bread and a flagon of mead. He slid another silver coin into her hand and she smiled and headed away.

The table he had chosen had been simple and gave him a clear view out of the window leading into the main street of town. He sat quietly eating and ate his meal, listening to the dulcimer player singing his songs. Every so often he would slip out to use the outhouse and come back, drinking and eating. He was looking for someone... anyone. He curled in slightly when he witnessed a pair of the werewolf hunters walk by and the local sheriff, barkers selling their wares, children playing, and all manner of people going about their business. None of them were the woman he sought out.

It wasn't until the sun was going down when he finally found her. Lillian walked down the street towards a woman selling a variety of breads, holding a basket filled with wrapped packages of meat and cheese. He sat forward and studied her, not realizing the waitress had walked up to him. She said, "You are looking at Lillian, the mayor's daughter. She is out of your league stranger, however, i have a room upstairs..."

This caused him to glance back over to her and realized what she was proposing and he said, "Another time." He slid another silver coin into her hand and kissed it before gathering his things. Lillian had walked off with two loaves of bread with her other items. He kept his distance and watched as she went about her business trying his best not to be noticed himself.

Eventually, he had followed her back to the Mayor's home and he nodded, validating to himself what he had suspected. For the next day, he found himself living on the room of the building across the way from Lillian's home watching in silence at the comings and goings of the home. It seemed after the Mayor left for the day, numbers of women would walk in and out of the house at various times of the day. If Lillian had been a witch and she lived here, could all these women be part of a coven? Where they all witches? If so it was VERY dangerous to know of them or try to do anything with them. However, he had also heard of witches that cast portal spells which could send him to a distance land where no one would be looking at him... was it worth the risk? A part of him wanted to get up and leave down and keep running. However, he suspected that the hunters were still out and about looking for him and it would be unsafe to leave town. Perhaps a bargain could be struck with Lillian to help get him away from the town. It was stupid given that she had tried to take him captive though. NO, he needed leverage.

On the fifth day, he spotted one particularly young woman in her teens walk out of the building holding a package in her hand, darting quickly through the streets. Something about that package seemed important though he had no idea what. She darted right down the alley next to his building he was sleeping on. He raced along the roof, and leapt from the roof and landed on the ground next to her! She girl started to scream out but he brought the handle of his sword up and knocked her hard across the back of the head, causing her to fall unconscious.

He quickly bound the girl up nice and tight and carried her and her package with him into a storage unit nearby. He carried her up into the loft and laid her down in a bed of straw. He slid a gag into her mouth to silence her. He then pulled the package out and opened it. It was a wooden case filled with dozens of glass vials of different kinds of fluids. If it was a coven, perhaps these were some kind of potions though there would be no way for him to tell short of drinking them and there was no way he would do that. He saw the girl waking up and her eyes shot up to him. He put a finger to his mouth and said, "I am not going to hurt you girl. What is your name?"

"Anne..." She said with a trembling voice through her gag.

Anton said, "I promise you are not in any danger. I need to talk to Lillian. Can you deliver a message to her for me?"

Her eyes widened and she nodded. He said, "I am going to keep your case here for now. I need you to have her meet me in this loft in one hour. Tell her I want my arrow she took from me back." That ought to help her ID him. He added, "Tell her that I mean no harm and just need to talk to her. Once she comes to talk to me, she can have this case back. Can you cast spells?"

She shook her head and he said, "So if I untie you, you won't try to cast anything on me?"

She shook her head no again. He pulled his bow and arrow out and said, "Okay. I am trusting you now. Do anything stupid at all and you will force me to kill you... you are too pretty for that." He reached down and untied her and watched as she scrambled down the ladder and out of the barn. He set the case down in the middle of the loft, then ran over to the opposite side of the barn on the secondary loft, tucked himself behind some hay, pulled his bow and arrow out and sat back to wait. This was either really stupid or bold. What she did next would determine which.

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian spun to find Anne having run up behind her. She looked terrified. "Anne? Are you okay?"

The young girl nodded, taking a deep breath. "I-I'm fine," she stuttered. "Th-there was a man. He t-took the box." Another deep breath. "He said he wants to talk to you."

"Me?" Lillian's brow furrowed in confusion. "Did he tell you why? Did he tell you his name?"

Anne shook her head. "No. He said he wanted his arrow back."

Anton.

She should have known he would come back. She should have struck him down, leaving him for dead to the hunters. But she had the slightest sympathy for him, he had been begging for her to release him and obviously in so much pain. But now he was back in her village. They still had three weeks till the next full moon, but that didn't mean he couldn't cause chaos. There were rumors that newer werewolves were able to change without the light of a full moon, and they could still infect their victims. "Where is he?"


Lillian stalked over to the barn Anne said she climbed down from. Fury practically radiated off of her. He terrified one of her coven sisters, he stole the box of potions they were going to use for a protection spell over the entire town, he said no one would see him again. Yet here he was.

Never trust a lone wolf.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Anton watched as the barn door opened and he heard Lillian's voice say, "Anton?"

He said, "Your package is in the loft. Is your little girl okay? I didn't mean to scare her. I just needed to talk to you where you can't just bind me up like you did."

He kept hidden on the opposite loft and studied her as she looked around for him. He said, "Listen, keep your hands where I can see them. I don't want to hurt anyone, but I can't let you capture me again. I need your help..."

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian climbed up the ladder. The lighting was dim, but enough for her to find the box full of vials and bottles. She inspected it, everything seemed to be intact. It had taken them nearly a week to fill the box, along with two others that had been distributed to other witches in the town.

"She's fine," Lily said matter-of-factly, now glancing around. He was on the opposite side, judging by the direction his voice was coming. He sounded stronger now, she noted. She could just make out the shadow of his silhouette. And what looked to be a bow. Of course it was a trap. It had been almost a full week, he'd be strong enough now to put up a fight.

She lifted her hands in front of her to keep them in his view, giving an annoyed sigh. "Why do you need my help?"

 

[ERedBoyd]

Anton studied her for a long moment saying, "I know what you are. I know what you belong too. I know you are the Mayor's daughter and your mom is like you. I know you have coven scattered all across this town. I know all of it and I have made plans to let the town and Tear know if anything should happen to me. If there is one thing more terrifying to human's than werewolves, its witches. Do you understand what I am saying?"

As she glanced towards his general direction, he watched her nod and say, "Back at the river, you said the town could use my help in about a month. You know what I am. I didn't have a choice in this. What exactly does the town need help from someone like me?"

Slowly, he raised himself to his feet, bow and arrow aimed at her. He knew she knew he was here so why make the pretense. He saw her hands move and he pulled the string back to his cheek aiming it at her saying, "You move your fingers and hands again and I will have no choice but to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone... so don't force me too. What did you mean? What does the town want from someone like me?"

 

[sweetlilith]

He stood, her hand twitched, and he pulled the bow back. Anton learned a lot about her and her coven from afar. She was impressed, but also concerned. Lillian didn't care that he knew she was a witch, that was a problem she could handle on her own. But now that he knew about the others, about her mother, that was a bigger issue. There was a lot of threatening coming from someone who didn't want to hurt anyone.

She sighed. "We are going to get rid the werewolves. Not kill them, but separate the wolf from the human." Lillian paused, watching him watch her, process the information. "But we need one transformed, and alive, to do so."

 

[ERedBoyd]

"What?!?!" Anton said lowering the bow. He said, "You... you can do that?"

His eyes never left hers as he studied her. He said, "I was told... it can't be done. Once you were bitten, it was over."

Anton said, "I will volunteer if what you say is true. I want my old life back... before I was ... bitten."

He didn't realize just how low he had dropped his bow as his mind raced about the prospect of becoming free of the wolf in him!

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian watched as his guard dropped, as did his bow as a result. He became distracted, preoccupied by thoughts. She sent a blast of energy towards him, knocking him back and the bow out of his hand. Not enough to cause any injury, but enough to keep him off balance for a few moments. She quickly snatched up the box of vials and bottles and slid down the ladder.

Standing in the doorway, she looked back up at him. "If you truly want to help, you and I need to gain trust. We need to figure out a way to restrain you for the next time you change. What do you need from me to know I will not harm you?"

 

[ERedBoyd]

Big mistake! Anton felt the energy hit him and in a panick reacted! He pulled himself up to his feet as she scrambled down the ladder and as she turned and saw him, he had pulled his dagger and flung it hard!

As she finished her statement, he saw her eyes widen as the the dagger buried itself in her shoulder!! As the shock hit her what was happening, he leapt down from the loft landing next to her and had the arrow pressed to her neck, his hand on over her mouth said, "You use your magic on me again, I will decide you are trying to hurt me again and I will kill you do you understand me?!?!" The arrow tip had drawn the faintest droplet of blood on her neck. He was as taunt and tight as a drum waiting for her next move!

When nothing came, he said, "Good move. Get in here and I will fix your shoulder..."

He pulled her back into the barn, kicking the door closed. He snatched the box from her hand and tossed it onto a bale of hay before pulling her back towards the stalls in the back. He kept that arrow taunt on him as he tore a piece of his shirt and quickly went to work binding her wrists behind her back. He didn't know how witch magic actually worked through and wasn't sure if this would actually stop her but for now, he had no choice. He looked down at her and then the blade in her shoulder.

He said, "This is how it is going to happen... I am going to pull this from you. My blood will heal your wound very quickly. I again, if you do anything at all stupid, this arrow will go through your neck. I don't know who I can trust anymore so all I can do is protect myself. I want to trust you, but I won't take magic used on me again!"

Anton then reached to the blade and pulled it out with a powerful rip! He heard her scream out and voices from outside the barn, men and women's voices alike! Anton's wolflike fangs grew in his mouth and he pulled his free wrist up and tore into it, causing tears and a pool of blood draw. He moved his wrist over her shoulder as her eyes widened! He kept that arrow pressed tight to her neck as he poured his blood onto her wound!

A second even louder scream came from her and the voices outside yelled out, "In the barn!! It's in there!" He heard a mob racing for the door!

Anton said, "You will be better in a few days." As he did, he noticed something small in his head. Something that was instinctively... her in his mind. An arrow shot past him and he turned his head to see several guards drawing swords and bows!

He covered her cut with the cloak. It would heal in minutes. He knew that from experience. Anton then turned and raced into the barn, leaping up into the loft. Another powerful leap and he had burst through the roof of the barn and raced away along the roof tops of the buildings out of town... All the while that little piece in his mind that was her, burrowed just a bit deeper...

 

[sweetlilith]

She should have walked out the door, but she tried to give him a chance. Pain seared through her shoulder, and then he was next to her pushing the head of his arrow into her neck. She glared at him, half listening to his words. He wanted to trust her, but his actions said otherwise. More pain shot through her as the dagger was removed.

A scream. It came from her.

Tears spilled from her eyes, her breath came in heavy bursts, her heart pounded. If he wanted to trust her, why would he harm her? She didn't hurt him, she only used her magic to protect herself. Lillian watched as he drew blood from his wrist and poured his blood over her shoulder. It burned, feeling like someone had pulled a poker from a fire and drove it into her.

She screamed again. Shouts could be heard from outside, an arrow flew through a window. Anton leapt up into the loft and again through the roof, and he was gone.

"Miss Atwater, are you alright?" Voices were frantic around her, fingers ripped at the torn fabric that bound her wrists together.

"I'm fine," she lied. She couldn't tell any sort of truth about this encounter. Not that he was a werewolf, that he had used his blood to heal her, that she angered him using magic to protect herself. "Just… Just a vagrant. I'm fine, really," she tried to reassure. Lillian retrieved the box. "I need to get this to Mrs. Pickettay. Tinctures," she explained, another lie.

She made her way out of the barn, avoiding questions if harm was done to her. She needed to get out and away.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Ramor Lycon watched the scene of brief chaos as he peeked around the corner of the barn door and saw his bastard brother Anton! Joel Mercer, the team's resident sharp shooter and archer had been the one to shoot an arrow at Anton which only JUST missed him! Joanna Mercer, Joel's wife and master trapper, raced into the room holding Spear which had a rope tied to it. She hurled the spear up at the roof, hitting a foot away from where their query had leapt out and over the roof.

Ramor growled, "He went up top! Get the others on it! Now!" Joel and Joanna nodded, glancing at each other and while Joel scrambled up the ladder to the loft to try and crawl out onto the roof, Joanna raced back out to the main street, pulling 3 more men with them to spread out and hunt for the wolf! There was an older man who ran with a limp holding some kind of pistol with a grappling hook on it named Victor Smith, a tall lean man with a black ponytail holding a large hammer named for lack of an imagination Hammer, and finally a man who stood on 3 foot tall stilts which were mounted to his feet named Speed.

As the team broke away and did their thing, he asked the woman who had been kidnapped if she had been okay. Calling his brother a vagrant shown him that either she was hiding something or she really didn't know who he was. He turned and followed her out of the barn. Ramor turned to Lillian and said, "Miss... um... Miss Atwater. Miss, please wait just a moment."

He ran around her a moment and said, "I am sorry to ask this, but, was this what Anton was after?"

A woman whom he could only presume as her mother based on her being about 20 years older with the same body and build as Lillian walked up saying, "Lillian, are you okay? Anne just told... me... who are you?" Her eyes locked on Ramor.

Ramor glanced at Lillian once more as she looked up at him. Her eyes were amazing and he couldn't help a small smile on his face as he shifted to look at the mother and the smile faded instantly over her glare. He said, "Umm. Hi. My name is Ramor Lycor. My team and I heard her scream out and came to her aid. The vagabond appears to have escaped up onto the roof. My team is hunting him down." His eyes glanced back to Lillian once more and felt his face flush slightly. She was VERY easy on his eyes...

The mother turned and said, "What?! Did he hurt you? Why did you scream? Is that blood on your cape? What happened!?!" Lillian's mother was growing increasingly more franctic by the question.

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian stopped as Ramor placed himself in front of her. She recognized him as the leader of the team hired to hunt down the werewolves in their area. He knew Anton's name, though. Did Ramor know him personally? She held the box a little tighter. She was not letting it out of coven hands again. "I don't think so, no."

She glanced over her shoulder as her mother approached the two. She studied Ramor as he introduced himself and briefly explained what had happened. His team was hunting Anton down… Would they kill him? Ramor's eyes found their way back to hers, and his face flushed. Amusing.

"Mother, it's not mine. I am fine." Lillian pulled out of her mother's reach as the woman went to tug on the cloak at her shoulder. It no longer burned or ached, but she couldn't take a chance that her mother would see the injury if it were still there. "If it would make you more comfortable, Mr. Lycor here can escort me to Mrs. Pickettay's cottage. But she needs these tinctures, remember?" A voice in the back of her head whispered 'no' at the suggestion. She brushed it away.

Her mother glance between the two and then nodded. "Yes, okay. Then come right back. We need to finish cooking."

Lillian nodded and started down the path through town, not wanting to waste time. "Come on," she urged. She needed to get back as soon as possible. Not so she and her mother could finish the potions, but to meditate and connect to the spirits.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Ramor found himself pleased that she suggested he escorted her to cottage. To be honest, he was about to make the same suggestion just then only she beat him to it. He looked to the mother and said, "It really would be my honor."

They quickly raced down the path and out of view of the mother and he said, "She usually gets what she wants when she wants it... doesn't she?"

Seeing her nod, he kept his eyes up on the roof tops and listed as his team seemed to move further and further away. The sound of a rifle broke through the night causing everyone who could hear it to glance about nervous. Ramor said, "Never you mind everyone. Return to your homes this night. Lock your doors."

Some of them did as he suggested while others did not. All the while he struggled to even keep up with Lillian as she scurried through the townsfolk headed towards the edge of town.

As they got towards the cottage, the sound of heavy clomping came from the edge of the forest and grew louder and louder. He saw her put her guard up and he stepped between her and the incoming saying, "It's okay. It's speed."

Speed raced along on those stilts about 3 times faster than any normal human could run and when he saw Ramor, shifted direction towards him and came to a stop a few paces away saying, "It made it to the forest and we lost sight of it. The team is tracking it and looks to be heading towards the Al'Thor Farm. This particular farm was about 50 acres in size and belonged to one of the more prominent land owners in the area. Tam Al'Thor was the leader of his clan who lived there. More than 30 people lived on the premise through the large manor and several smaller cabins scattered throughout the land. Of those living there was his wife, 4 of his 5 sons, their wives and children. He even had a few grandchildren there as well. The land was more of a clanhome than an actual farm though they grew pigs, cattle, and sewed hops, wheat, and a variety of other food items for the town.

Ramor looked to Speed and said, "Then why are you here? Get back out there and help!"

Speed nodded, tipped his hat to her and then turned and took off running. In a speed no human should be able to go, he was gone in a blast back out into the woods. Ramor said, "Please do not fear, I will keep you safe. How much further is this cottage you speak of?"

 

[sweetlilith]

Lily made her way through the town, side stepping people with ease. Ramor seemed to struggle to keep pace with her, but only just. She fought off a smirk of amusement. "When Alexandra Atwater asks you to jump, you ask how high," she said, satire plain in her infliction.

The crack of a rifle shot echoed off the walls of buildings around them. There was a sense of uneasiness among the townsfolk as Ramor directed them to go home, which only half seemed to follow his direction. Lillian continued along to the other side of town, hugging the case tightly to her chest. She only slowed, glancing towards the sound of heavy thudding. Ramor placed himself between her and the approaching sound.

She listened as the one he called Speed seemed to give a report. Her heart tightened, he kept calling Anton 'it.' While she was furious he threw a dagger into her shoulder, she felt a wave of empathy for him at that moment. He never asked for this, just as she never asked to be a witch. But she was able to grow into it, learn to adapt while her powers were still weak. He likely did not have that luxury.

Ramor's attention was back on her, pulling her from her thoughts. He would protect her? She'd heard the offer before, though usually from men who were after something. Usually to bed her or to align themselves with her father. Ramor seemed… Genuine. Another smile fought to spread across her face, this time winning. "Thank you," she said while stepping past him. "It's just around this bend."

She waited for him to fall in step next to her, now reaching the outskirts of town with fewer people. Most of the coven lived around the perimeter of the village. It made it easier to go past the hedgerow to collect herbs and roots and other ingredients for spells and potions. Though now they were using their locations to hopefully cast a blanket protection spell.

"How long have you and your group been together?"

 

[ERedBoyd]

Ramor smiled and said, "Our team worked in the Army together. The 31st Regular Command. We were just a few of many but we all had a common experience with those filth werewolves." He spat on the ground as he said the name. He hated werewolves and vowed to kill them all, even if one of them was in the form of his brother.

He didn't catch a sideways glance at him from her but they reached the cottage as he finished and he stood back several yards as she walked up and engaged in conversation with her. He saw the woman of the cottage glance over at him a few times and at one point, saw Lily glance over her shoulder with him. He hated when people talked about him where he wasn't able to defend himself. He waited though patiently. As he did, his eyes looked her up and down, examining the curviture of her body, the long dark hair, the clothes she wore, and the small little gestures she made with the woman. She was a VERY attractive woman to him and he hoped he would get to know her more.

Somewhere in the distance, two more rifle shots go off in the woods followed by a howl of a werewolf, followed by a third shot. He hesitated as she turned and looked back into the woods. He said, "Never you mind about that. My boys probably just killed it. Just in case though, would you allow me to escort you home?"

He offered his arm to her as she walked up to him.

 

[sweetlilith]

Mrs. Pickettay glanced warily over Lillian's shoulder as the box of various potions and other special ingredients was placed in your hands. The brunette tried to ease her concerns, explaining he was only escorting her after she'd been attacked, which that only drew more worry from the older woman. She gave a brief synopsis of the events, leaving out that she'd been hit in the shoulder with a dagger and then healed with werewolf blood. She assured her that Ramor knew nothing of what they were or what was in the box.

As the two spoke in hushed tones, Lillian could feel his eyes on them, more specifically on her. She glanced back at him just barely to find she was right. He wasn't leering, but definitely focused on her.

Rifle shots cracked through the air, punctuated but a howl, as she made her way back to him. She looked to the forest line, her heart suddenly feeling heavy and her shoulder ached. Ramor told her not to worry, they had probably killed it.

'Him,' she silently corrected.

She hesitated before taking the arm he offered her. She was mindful next to him as they made their way back towards her arm, careful of how close she walked and kept her grip soft where her hand rested in the bend of his arm. "Is… Anton, was it? Is he a werewolf? Is he the one that's been attacking our village? The only one?" She hoped she came across innocent enough.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Ramor fell silent at the mention of his brother. It was a scandal of which he was not sure he would ever recover from. Here he had been working hard to support his only living family he had left by joining the military, earning higher rank and pay while sending back half his pay to Anton to maintain the small farm he had managed to hold onto for him. Then his brother got stupid and got bit, turning into one of the creatures they had both sworn to destroy as kids. The werewolves had killed his parents, not turned them, killed them and ate them. Now Anton was one of the monsters and he had to kill him... or better use him to find the rest of his pack and kill all of them.

He realized he was silent a bit too long lost in his own thoughts and he quickly drummed up what she had asked him and he had said, "Well, he is a werewolf yes. I believe he is working with his pack to attack farms along the outskirts of the town." There was a drive in the way he spoke that suggested he would not ONLY do it, it was inevitable. He walked with her back towards town saying, "Are you familiar with the werewolves?"

He glanced at her sideways as she shook her head no. He didn't have any idea if she did or not. He said, "Many years ago, thousands or so, the Goddess of all Animals, the Mighty Hilda the Wise, had owned all of the lands of the planet. She had agreed with the other gods to allow humans to grow and till and shape the lands to serve their purposes so long as they stayed away from the great forests and lakes. The other gods reneged on their promise and allowed humans to encroach more and more into the woods and wilderness. As a punishment to the humans and the other gods, she captured a mighty lumberman who had been cutting down her trees, Tolkar. She had a wolf bite him and with the bite and her magic, turned him into a mighty immortal wolf man, half wolf and half man, covered in all black fur and with ravenous appetite for human flesh. She loosed him on mankind and for a time, he slaughtered all he saw, but it was not enough for her. She gave Tolkar the ability to change other humans into into creatures like himself, though not immortal."

He guided her across the small bridge that covered a small stream that ran through the town and continued, "He created hundreds of werewolves and they came dangerously close to slaughtering all human kind. The problem was, not only could he change others into being like him, but those can bite others and make others the same. The problem was, the further up the family tree you went, the more feral the beasts became. Those that was fourth and fifth gen wolves were more wolf than human. It was decided to form bands of hunters to slaughter all these creatures and developed the weapons and tech to do so. The war against the wolves began to turn back towards human favor."

Ramor realized he had been in his lecture mode as he had realized they had reached her home and he looked at her saying, "I am sorry... I tend to ramble when I get umm.. nervous."