Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
The endless rhythm of the clock on the far wall seemed to thunder and shake with every second that passed. Each movement of the second hand was heralded with a sound that made the occupant of the bed cringe.
Sveta was lying awake again. It did not matter to her how ornate the bed was or how soft the sheets, there were times she simply could not sleep.
Tonight was one of those nights.
The first time this happened was many years ago, when she had barely become a teenager. It was right after her father had fallen in battle with the Sanans. Her mother passed soon after due to a combination of grief and illness.
The funeral had been a citywide affair, with the entirety of Belinsk openly weeping for the loss of their beloved king and queen. No one shed more tears, however, than the royal princess. Even the adolescent prince regent had a markedly sad expression on his face as he hugged his sister to him.
That time, she couldn't sleep, not for lack of trying, but for the tears. It was left to her brother to care for her. He did not mind, as he had been doing so for several years. "What's the matter, Sister?"
"I can't sleep, I'm still upset about what happened to mama and papa," responded the teenager. Despite the fact that she was quickly growing up and no longer resembled a little girl, there were times she was as cute and helpless as one.
Volechek smiled comfortingly at his sister. "I know. But think of it this way: she can finally see Father, wherever he is. Mother doesn't have to be lonely anymore. And don't forget that I'll always be here for you, Sveta. All you have to do is call for me, and I will appear." He stroked her chin tenderly, earning a giggle from the beastgirl.
For the first time in seven days, she smiled. That night, she slept heavily, with her loving brother at her side. A faint smile crossed her face as she remembered that. Her brother had loved her so much.
Right after the Sanan governor and the rest of the occupants had been driven out their advisors had suggested that he marry. He refused, saying his sister needed him more than anyone else.
She loved her brother and he loved her, none questioned that. That was perhaps why she suffered a severe case of insomnia when the damnable Luna tower was activated.
Every time she closed her eyes in the following week, all she could see was the horrible devastation wrought by the weapon her brother had unleashed. The streets ran red with the blood of innocents while monsters prowled about in search of their next victim…or meal.
She would look up at the Luna Tower and see Volechek's sorrowful face as he tossed the orb at her, all the while lamenting his foolishness. Tears stained her face as she tried to run towards him, only to see him keel over and die right in front of her very eyes.
"NO!" she shrieked and then blacked out. She would wake up with a start, sweat beading on her face. She would look in the mirror in the cabin and see an exhausted girl with dark circles under her eyes looking back at her.
Frowning intensely, she would walk out onto the deck and pace nervously around it, heedless of the pirates operating the vessel. One of these nights was dark and moonless; the pirates had to use lanterns to see their surroundings.
It was then that their ship suddenly pitched forward, rocked by a harsh impact from behind; the beastgirl was thrown towards the captain's cabin into the arms of Eoleo. "Whoa there! What the hell's going on?!"
She opened her mouth to answer, but a loud shout interrupted her as monsters boarded the ship, intent on feasting on the occupants. Both Adepts turned to the chaotic scene as friend fought foe in a desperate struggle. Eoleo grunted in displeasure as he drew his axe while Sveta got into her stance. Without another word, they charged forward.
The next few minutes were a complete blur. Her memories of the event were hazy, but at some point she transformed into her werewolf state and swatted her enemies away like flies.
The adrenaline from the fight combined with the exhaustion from her insomnia made her into little more than a wild animal. Claws and teeth flew about in brief flashes as the moon slowly shed its cloud covering. Blood splashed the decks until it was awash in it.
Belowdecks, a certain Venus Adept stirred slowly in his sleep as he quickly awoke upon hearing the din of battle. He groggily put on a pair of pants and boots, grabbed his sword from the wall, and rushed outside to join in the fray.
The sight that had greeted him was not a pretty one: bodies of both enemy and ally littered the floor while blood was spattered everywhere. Eoleo lay on one side, totally knocked out.
And there, in the middle of it all, stood a beautiful purple-and-white she-wolf, her green eyes lit with a feral, almost hungry look to them. The moonlight reflected off the horrible red hue staining her claws, adding to her fearsome appearance. "S-Sveta?"
His somewhat timid question was met with a snarl. Fangs were bared as a sword was brandished. Both flashed dangerous silver as they rushed forward to paint the deck in a new coat of red.
He hesitates to raise his blade against her, she remembers. Thankfully, it is not Matthew's blade that opposes her, it is Tyrell's.
The fire Adept does what he can against her, but his efforts, though valiant, are in vain. If hordes of fiends and demons easily fell before the might of the she-wolf, what was a mere human?
Nowhere is this truer than at present, as she renders the redhead indisposed with a simple swipe of her paw. A feral smile etched onto her face, she turns to a horrified Venus Adept.
He told her that he remembered the look in her eyes. It was that of a predator, of one who had finally caught their prey and was soon to claim its life.
Gone was the serious yet sweet beastgirl princess, replaced by an entity best described as a monster. The hunger in her eyes was utterly terrifying, he told her.
She dove at him with a claw raised. This swipe would have decapitated the unfortunate target had it not been stopped by a sturdy rock wall. "Sveta, please! Compose yourself!"
The wolf did not understand. All it knew was that it was tired and that its enemy was somehow not dead. It longed to rectify those errors, but restrained as it was, that was impossible.
The young man shook his head sadly. This was the only way to defeat the girl without inflicting lasting damage. He put his sword down and slowly walked towards her, maintaining the stone wall all the while.
For her part, the beast did not understand. Her foe had her incapacitated and yet was showing no hostile intentions? What did he have in mind for her? Perhaps he was hoping to make her his own?
This 'thought' crossed her mind and she grew enraged. Feral or not, no male was going to take her against her will! She tried to thrash around, but the stone held firm. She was not going anywhere.
Therefore she was surprised when he held her muzzle in his hands and stared into her eyes. She believed this to be a challenge, but his expression was one of sadness, not aggression.
How dare he touch me like this! Kill him! KILL HIM! Make him suffer for taking advantage of me! He must die!
Now this was a voice she had not heard in some time. During her sleepless nights, the voice would whisper things into her ear, things that roused her mind, made the adrenaline flow, prevented a peaceful rest.
Most times, she was able to fight this voice off, however briefly, and obtain an hour or two's worth of sleep. But here, her bestial instincts only enhanced the voice's influence. Neither of them could understand a show of tenderness.
This was why the beast inside her could not comprehend it when the blonde suddenly pressed his lips to her muzzle. Why is he showing affection? Is…he my mate?
The shock from the kiss allowed Sveta's human half to regain her senses, exhausted though they were. She took control of her own body once more.
Slowly, the she-wolf's features softened and shrunk, she lost muscle mass, her hair returned to its original silver color. Where once stood a ferocious alpha female, was now the crown princess-in-exile of Morgal.
Neither Adept noticed the transformation, however, instead fully focused on their current actions. For her part, she was equal parts surprised and overjoyed.
Ever since she met him and his group at the Teppe Ruins, she had been curious about him, a curiosity that soon blossomed. She would blush whenever she talked about him, a fact that did not escape her brother's attention.
Volechek was very vocal about his distrust of the young Venusian, but she felt she was right on the subject. Besides, he had done nothing but help her, so she saw little reason not to trust him.
She had never expected him to be this forward however; not that she minded, of course. Their tongues fought for dominance, with him winning due to her exhaustion.
He explored her cavern, making note of every feature and flavor found within. She moaned quietly as he gently rubbed her back, the stone wall long since dispelled.
At that time, she noticed that her eyes were becoming heavy. How did that happen, she wondered. She knew she was tired and an insomniac, so this was new to her.
Was Karis casting Sleep on her? No, that was impossible; her sleeplessness combined with her Jupiter affinity ensured she wouldn't fall prey to such a sneaky move, even if it was a surprise attack.
Despite her musings, she felt her body being overcome with tiredness; her eyelids felt heavy as stone. Sighing happily, she allowed herself to succumb to the sandman's peaceful embrace.
Matthew chuckled as a light snore escaped the beastgirl who was currently being held upright through his power alone. "Is she okay? She gave me quite a start there," asked Eoleo.
The Venusian smiled and nodded. "She was just tired, that's all. I guess all it took was a bit of affection," he replied. He lifted her up bridal-style. "Hey Eoleo, is it okay of she sleeps in your cabin? It's the closest place."
The Pirate King nodded. "Eh, I was gonna wake up soon anyway. Ya go on ahead and watch her, mate. I don't think any of me crew's gonna be too fond of 'er for a while. Best to keep 'em occupied."
"Thank you," he answered. He carried her over to the captain's cabin and laid her down on the bed. He sat down in a chair right beside her and dozed off into a light sleep, listening to her soft snores.
Sveta smiled fondly as she remembered waking up in a soft bed in the stern of the boat, with a dozing earth Adept next to her. The ensuing moment was the one that led them to realize their feelings for one another.
"Still worried about Bilibin, Sveta?" he asked, climbing into bed next to her. She turned to look at her husband.
Even after growing up and becoming a man, he still had those same compassionate blue eyes. "You worry too much, dear. You know that with Passaj and Ayuthay's help we can keep them in check."
The beastwoman took a deep cleansing breath. "But I still cannot trust Alex. What if he turns against us?"
"He brought down the Tuaparang singlehandedly, Sveta. There's no way we can just ignore that," he replied.
"All that worrying is making you an insomniac again. I don't want you to want you to cause our daughter any undue stress," he said, rubbing her stomach for emphasis.
The Queen of Morgal smiled at her Prince Consort. "You are starting to sound like my mother," she said, but closed her eyes to comply. "But I could never continue like this without you. Good night, Matthew."
The Venusian ran a hand through her long hair, eliciting a contented purr from her. "Good night, love," he said, kissing her forehead. "Don't forget that I'll always be here for you, Sveta. All you have to do is call for me, and I will appear."
That night, she slept peacefully with her champion at her side. There was no trace of sleeplessness on her face at all.
END
Makoto: Aaaaaaaand…CUT! Beautiful, simply beautiful!
Sveta: Could someone please explain to me why I'm doing this?
Makoto: It's simple Sveta-chan. Authors love to torment their favorite characters.
Sveta: I still do not see why it has to be me. And stop calling me that; you don't know me personally.
Makoto: Try and stop me, Sveta-chan. There's nothing we can do about it, anyway.
Sveta: *sighs*
Makoto: Remember, that review button keeps the author happy!