Hi again! Um, this story is based off the song "Music of the Night" from the Phantom of the Opera. I got my inspiration from the song and The Wolfman (2010) and of course, The Hobbit. Enjoy! R&R! Thanks!
The night grew crisp; the soft wind fluttered through the trees and the faint mist of ending rain coated the air. The feeling of youth and adventure filled the surrounding atmosphere. The darkness of the forest stirred silently, ever so lightly waking the imagination of the restless gentleman prowling deep within the woods. He stepped and crunched helpless twigs and sticks on the forest floor until he reached the dense thicket of the forest. Swiftly glancing about the empty trees, he inclined his head at the complete loneliness that surrounded him. Above him, smoky clouds shuddered away to reveal the luminous full moon, shining brightly against the stark contrast of the dead forest. The restless gentleman's senses filtered out of him, abandoning their defenses in the dark.
Slowly in the safety of the dark thicket, night unfurls its splendor and captures the man. With his sapphire blue eyes, he gazes up at the blazing white moon, a familiar expression coating his jagged features. His senses sharpen to a point as his body convulses and collapses onto the soft earth with powerful shakes. He paws hopelessly at the rough forest floor as his arms crack and stretch until his fingers sprout long, rough claws. The man cries out in agony at the transformation; his jaw shifts to support the snout of a wolf as his legs grow to form powerful haunches that hold his weight as he shakily stands. Breathing heavily, he winces as his canine teeth come in and his black and silvery hair move to cover his entire body. His sapphire eyes deepen to a dark, murky blue as dangerous as any dragon. Slowly losing his ability to think properly, the creature that was once a man looks up at the taunting moon and releases an almighty howl.
Back in the Victorian city several miles away from the thick forest, a young man, with auburn curls, walking through the empty streets directed his head towards the faint howl in the distance. He frowned at the abrupt sound in the quiet city; wolves didn't howl at the moon at this time of night. Shaking his head and thinking nothing of it, the young man ducked into a nearby pub to find its occupants frozen in fear. The man pulled a chair up to a table with two other men whispering and shuddering to each other.
"What's up with everyone tonight?" the young man asked, cutting into whatever conversation the two men were discussing.
"Did you not hear the hungry howl of the beast?" one of the men asked, the fearful look in his eye never faulting.
"Beast?" the young man asked.
"The werewolf," the man with blond hair whispered. "No one's ever seen the beast, but that was it's famed cry."
The brunette man shuddered. "It'll come. To murder us all."
The young man chuckled. "Surely you do not believe such creatures exist. A werewolf? Come on, Kili." He took a sip of the drink that a shaky waitress had placed moments before. "I think it was a stray wolf. Who knows what lives in that dreadful forest at the end of the city."
"You do not know that a werewolf can live there too," the blond replied, nursing an ale.
"Fili, when has there ever been a werewolf in the city?" the young man asked.
"Bilbo, that does not mean it is not possible."
Bilbo rolled his eyes, not believing that a werewolf was lurking the forest. He continued to sip his drink until an old man, drenched in rainwater, stumbled into the pub. Bilbo, Fili, Kili, and everyone in the pub stood as the man entered.
"What happened?" a man with a long white beard demanded.
"The beast has come," the elder answered, shaking with fear. "It has come down from the forest, bloodthirsty and yearning for death." A man with a floppy hat offered the other a drink which the old man took gratefully. Everyone watched him as he set down the glass with a forceful wrist. "I saw it."
Gasps filled the room and everyone sat stock-still. Bilbo glanced at Fili and Kili who both had the same fear in their eyes. Bilbo snorted. "There is no beast. You merely saw a drunk in the streets."
The old man gave him a scrutinizing glare. "I walked through the streets by Dori's Tavern, and I saw the beast run down from the forest." He inhaled a frightened breath as he remembered its grace and swiftness. "It'll be here."
"I do not believe you," Bilbo argued, grabbing his coat and heading for the door.
"No! Bilbo!" Fili shouted. "You'll be killed!"
"Killed by what?" Bilbo said hotly. "There is no beast. It is nothing more than a stray wolf." Bilbo marched for the door and flung it open; he was greeted with a rush of the night's cold air. With one final, scathing look, Bilbo disappeared into the night.
He walked angrily for a few blocks until he realized that no one was in the streets, not even the occasional drunks that staggered around. Bilbo suddenly felt very alone and very scared. Shaking his head, he pressed on while muttering to himself that there was no beast, no werewolf out there. He didn't notice at first, but his pace had quickened; he was nearly running through the streets. The convincing truth that Bilbo did not want to believe was gnawing at him painfully. A beast was out there and would soon find him if what the old man had said was true. He was halfway down a block when he heard pounding footsteps on the pavement behind him; he froze and cautiously turned around.
"By Aule, Bilbo!" Kili exclaimed. "What were you thinking by running?"
"I was frightened," Bilbo muttered before giving the brothers a small smile.
A howl filled the empty streets, echoing off the unoccupied buildings and striking Bilbo, Fili, and Kili in the face.
Fili desperately looked around for a hiding spot. His eyes searched frantically as he heard pounding paws on the street ahead. He saw an abandoned piano shop across the street. "Quickly!" he whispered to the two men. "This way!" He, Kili, and Bilbo dashed across the street, pried the abandoned shop's door open, and slid inside in time to see the beast barrel past the shop.
"Whew!" Kili sighed, taking a deep breath and leaning heavily on the closed door.
"Oh, that was the beast?" Bilbo asked, cautiously walking around the empty, moonlit room. He noticed that several broken chairs scattered the floor, portraits hung to their sides on the wall, and a lone piano sat in the middle of the room. "Where are we?"
"Old Beorn's Piano Shop," Fili answered, peeking out the small window to see where the beast went to. "It has been abandoned for decades now."
"What happened to it?" Bilbo asked. "It looks like something horrible got to it."
Fili locked the door before facing Kili and Bilbo. "Yes," he said solemnly. "This is where the beast first struck. I heard that Old Beorn held a conference to discuss his weekly hunting party out in the forest." He glanced at the splintered chairs around the room and the old, stale blood splatters on the floors and walls before continuing. "It is rumored that a man attending the meeting fell gravely ill that night." Fili gulped as he saw the portraits still hanging up, vicious claw marks slashed its middle. "He... he changed... into a monstrous beast and attacked his closest friends. He killed them all."
"What happened to him; the beast?" Bilbo asked.
"I don't know," Fili answered truthfully. "I do not know."
"Didn't Balin say that he died?" Kili suggested.
Fili shook his head. "He never died. He is still roaming the forest, today." He looked at Bilbo who was approaching the old piano. "Bilbo, do not touch it. This is an-"
"Abandoned area," Bilbo answered. "I see no harm in playing a little tune."
"You saw no harm in not believing that a monster existed," Fili said harshly but Bilbo had already seated himself upon the bench and began playing music. "Bilbo, stop-"
Music filled the room, slowly and gradually, as Bilbo continued pressing the piano keys. Soon, the entire building was filled with the sweet melody of the beautiful song Bilbo was playing.
"Stay back!" The man with a white beard shouted at the approaching beast. "I'll shoot!" He raised his rifle and lined it up with the werewolf's skull.
The beast cocked its head to the side and glared at the old man. He lunged for him but stopped short when the sound of familiar music traveled into the pub. With a sharp growl, the werewolf swiftly turned its powerful body to the direction of the abandoned piano shop. He bolted for it, ignoring the mad gunshots of the brave townsmen with their rifles in hand. He dove past men throwing sharp rocks and flew over women protecting their young until he reached the shop. An angry snarl escaped him as he burst through the door, his hands pulsing with need to crush whoever made that sweet sound.
Fili and Kili jumped and screamed in fear as they saw the bloody beast before them. They ran to Bilbo who seemed to not see the werewolf.
With a smooth stride, the werewolf was glaring menacingly at Bilbo who had his eyes closed and was moving side to side softly, obviously buried in the song he played. Fili and Kili gazed at the monster who seemed to be tamed by Bilbo's music though it still held a look of immense hunger in its eyes.
The beast, meanwhile, glanced up at the moon through the window and whimpered; the thick clouds were returning and soon, the luminous moon would be gone. He looked down at himself and was relieved to see that he still had strands of clothing on. His human brain slowly began to take over his beastly body as that auburn man continued to release such sweet, heavenly music to his cursed, hellish form. With an agonizing cry, the beast fell to his knees and clenched in pain as the wolf began to leave him. The bloodied claws were replaced by bloodied hands as was his long, lanky arms. His wolf-like legs disappeared, leaving his own muscular legs behind. His face contorted and popped as the snout and jagged features vanished instantly. His long, wavy. black, and silvery hair returned; oh, what a familiar feeling it was. The immense tightness that his shoulders held every time he changed into that beast was gone. Slowly, the man stood.
Kili and Fili gasped and threw themselves against the wall, afraid to move as they saw a man instead of a bloodthirsty beast before them. "Bilbo," Fili croaked, kicking Bilbo's back lightly. "Bilbo, stop playing the blasted piano."
"Do not," the man's rough, fresh voice almost pleaded.
Bilbo's eyes shot open. He glanced at Fili and Kili who had great fear in their eyes. Then, he slowly turned his head to face the source of that rough voice; he bit back a yelp. He stared into the sapphire eyes of a fair faced man who had long scratches lining his face and torn, bloodied clothes covering his body. Bilbo couldn't find his voice, and luckily the stranger spoke first.
"I am sorry I frightened you," he said sadly. "I was only returning to see who ventured into my lair."
"This is your... You live... here?" Kili sputtered. "But you are the... the..."
"Beast," the man finished. "I know. I escape every month to the forest, hoping that my counterpart does not return to the city for the blood of innocent townspeople."
"You do not wish to kill?" Fili asked, bravely stepping forward.
The man shook his head. "I do not."
"Do you even know what you do when you... you change?" Bilbo asked, ceasing the music.
"No," the man answered. "I do not know."
Bilbo stood from the bench and eyed the man warily. "You seem so polite, though you are this monster. Why is that?"
"And can we trust you?" Kili cut in, stepping beside his brother.
The man inclined his head to them. "I did not ask for my illness to happen. I was a very respected man before. Then, one night I was bitten during Old Beorn's hunting party by this monstrous, gruesome thing. It took a few tries but I killed it." He glanced around the broken room and sighed. "I thought it was a rabid wolf, but when Old Beorn had another meeting here, I knew it wasn't any old wolf." He looked at Bilbo with his luscious sapphire eyes. "The morning after I had been bitten, policemen found the body of a man in the forest near the abandoned church... where I had been attacked.
"Old Beorn knew nothing of that night... I did not tell him. I thought what happened to me was a curse that I did not wish to burden on anyone but myself. The night he held his meeting was the... the first night I changed." He cringed at the memory of the agonizing pain he went through that fateful night. "I could not control myself. I murdered those people before running over the town, killing as I did." He looked at Fili and Kili. "As a young lad, I always dreamt of becoming some ill-fated creature and now, I do believe a curse has been placed upon me."
"When Bilbo played on the piano," Fili began, "you seemed to... calm. Why?"
"I had not heard that melody in such a long time," the man replied. "It brought back memories of my childhood and my life before... this." He gestured to his bloodied and tattered clothing. "The Music of the Night," he murmured.
"What is your name?" Bilbo asked.
"Thorin," the man replied, giving Bilbo a reasonable low bow.
"Well... Thorin..." Bilbo began, slightly bowing in return. "I... do think we'll be off now." He turned to leave but Thorin caught his arm.
"Please," he said. "Stay. All of you."
"If only you promise not to kill us," Kili said, quickly covering his mouth. "Sorry."
Thorin smiled. "It is quite alright. I haven't had company for thirty years, let alone young ones." He inclined his head and said, "I promise that I will not hurt any of you, only if you promise me that you will lock me in that room..." He nodded his head towards an iron chamber in the wall. "Whenever I change."
Bilbo smiled and nodded. "I... well, at least I promise."
"Thank you," Thorin said.
For the remainder of the night, Bilbo continued to play music for Thorin, Fili, and Kili. He and the brothers fell asleep around five in the morning, having felt confident to sleep now that Thorin was not going to change again. Bilbo honestly felt safe in the abandoned building with Thorin, though he was the beast that terrorized the city. And in the morning, he would wake to find Thorin lying on the floor next to him, a strong arm wrapped protectively around his waist.