Far from the land he had been raised, in the middle of a raging ocean storm, a wolf like beast was sailing away from all he had ever known. He cared little for the thunder and lightning blasting through the sky, his senses were extremely sensitive after all. However, he loved the rain. Water pouring down his snout, soaked into every inch of fur, surrounded by the chaos of the vast and unknowable ocean, and he felt free.
Spotting a small outcropping of land through the madness of everything with his impeccable eyesight, he decided to land and wait out the rest of this tempest. Though it didn't go all that smoothly. Barely catching on an offshore rock his boat shatters. He jumps off and swims to the wind and the waves with every stroke.
Coughing out some seawater, the Wolf man collapses on the edge of the beach that leads to a forest. Breathing hard and scratching the sand he slowly rises to his knees, he lifts his head and howls toward the sky. Then falls down, unconscious, onto the smooth sand.
—
As the sun rose over the land, the man, no longer in wolf form, cracks his eyes open and lifts his face from off the sand. He breathes deeply, taking in the beauty of the world around him.
"You did it Alex, you frickin did it!" Alex jumps to his feet and put his arms in the air. Long brown hair flowing majestically in the wind. Then he yells, letting everything go out to sea, out to the place where he had hated all his life. "No more tribes, no more cowardly followers, I'm free!"
With most of his clothing ripped to shreds, Alex strips off everything but his pants. After washing his sandy hair and body in the water, and taking a quick bathroom break, he checks what he managed to keep from his supplies. It was only a small knife, and a pendant that had managed to stay around his neck the whole way here, wherever that was.
Alex's stomach rumbles loudly. "Oh man," turns to look at the forest far behind him. "Guess foods still gonna be an issue," He grips a small dagger sheathed at his hip, flips it out, and catches it expertly. "Wonder if this place has deer. I've been craving venison for days."
Dashing into the forest he starts to use his wolffish sense of smell to track down an animal. Plenty of smells all around him, but Alex only wanted meat. Sure he likes fruits and veggies, but he'd rather have a roast deer, cooked over a spit, and seasoned to perfection. Unfortunately, he could barely recognize the smells of the surrounding environment, which threw him for one heck of a loop.
Sure he could smell what resembled deer, or what might be cumin, or basil, but all of it was wrong. He was so confused by the smells he actually tripped on a out reaching root. Panicked and embarrassed, Alex jolts back to his feet and looks around erratically. No one saw him, but it was still made Alex feel uncomfortable here.
After much much searching, he found and killed something that didn't smell to strange for his comfort, but the flavor! Oh he savored the beast for an hour, raw of course, as he didn't have a way to make fire given the previous day's rainstorm. Nonetheless the meat was delicious.
Alex had been hunting here for about two weeks, trying the local cuisine, but still without fire. He had made one, but quickly realized that there was something in these woods that didn't take very kindly to his hunting. Whatever it was, it was an expert tracker. Though Alex's superior senses allowed him to stay out of it's way for many days.
He continued hunting, and his pursuer kept pursuing. One night, while out looking for a new delicacy, the being hunting him seemed quite intent on finding him, more so than usual, and there were multiple close calls. It felt as if there was more than one creature after him, and one of them was definitely a tracking animal.
About an hour after this chase began he realized that they were trying to get him out by the river. They were trapping him, manipulating him, and Alex was furious. Refusing to let them have their way he turned a full 180 and charged. Leaping out from the shrubbery he spots a small, yellow, and surprisingly bipedal, dog. Along with a cloaked huntress with leaves in her hair, or was her hair made of leaves? Honestly he was in to deep into his survival mode to care.
Going at the speed he was his opponents were startled; he took this advantage and gripped the huntress by the abdomen and kept bouncing into the trees.
About 12 pm that day.
"Jake?"
"What's up man?"
"Didn't we plan something today?" Finn asked as he leaned his head back on his sofa.
"I don't know, man," Jake sighed. "I thought we were gonna relax today."
"Well we've been sitting here since breakfast," Finn's eyes widened. "Do you think we ran out of adventure?"
"Don't say that!"
"Well what if it's true!"
"What you need is a hobby," Jake stretched his arm to grab his viola. "See, I've got my viola, Bubblegum has her science, and even BMO doesn't just play video games."
"Did you say video games!" BMO cheers.
"How long have you been sitting with us BMO?" Finn questions.
"A few minutes! I was solving a case!"
"See what I mean, Finn?" Jake put his hand on Finn's shoulder. "You've gotta have something to do on the days adventure doesn't come knocking."
Finn sighs; slinking down into the couch. "Alright Jake, I guess your . . ."
Finn was quickly interrupted by a knock at their door. "Oh come on!" Says Jake.
"Whoo! I'll get the door!" Finn jumped off the couch and quickly ran down their stairs.
"I guess adventure's knocking today! Right Jake?"
"Yeah BMO, wanna see what it is?"
"Yes please." Jake grabbed BMO and followed after Finn, who was now at the doorway talking to Huntress Wizard.
"Can you explain the situation one more time? Just so I know what to plan for."
"There's some sort of beast in my forest and I need your's and Jake's help to catch it." HW glanced over at Jake, who was now by Finn.
"I get why you'd want Finn to help, but why me? Jake sets BMO down.
"I can't track it with my usual methods and my senses aren't strong enough to compensate."
Finn looks surprised, but excited nonetheless. "You can't track it; I've seen you track down a single mosquito because it made that mouse friend of your sick. Hows this any harder?"
"It leaves no trail, no droppings, nothing. I'm not sure if it's real or the animals in my forest are just receiving fatal wounds and being eaten all on their own." HW seemed defeated, and a lot more scared than Finn was used to.
"Hey," Finn puts his hand on her shoulder. "Me and Jake are gonna help you find this monster, right Jake?"
"Yeah, we got your back HW!"
"Thanks, we should get going soon, it's much more active at night."
BMO tugs Finn's leg. "Hey Finn. Can I help hunt the monster?"
"Sorry BMO, this one sounds a little too dangerous for you."
"That's alright. Anyway, if you guys get eaten, I'll know where you went!"
Huntress Wizard put down her head a notch as BMO said that. "Finn. Jake. Can we get going now? I want this done with quickly."
Finn reassures HW while grabbing his spare mechanical arm hanging on the wall. "Sure Huntress Wizard, and don't worry so much. We handle stuff like this all the time."
About 12 am that night.
"HW!" Jake yelled as the wolffish monster snatched her up. "I gotta get Finn!" As Jake began to chase after the beast using his stretching powers to lurch forward and to send his mouth backwards. Huntress Wizard her best to try and escape the monster's jaws using her magic arrows, but they can barely scratch it.
Finn was standing at the forest's river clearing during all of this, ready to fight the beast as soon as it left the forest using his trusty nightsword. He was starting to get slightly worried about how HW and Jake were faring when he heard muffled yelling and rustling coming his way.
"Finn!" He drew his sword. "Finn! man, Huntress Wizard is in trouble!" As Jake's mouth came out from the forest, Finn lowered his sword.
"Wait what!"
"I can't hear you just grab on!" Finn immediately grabbed onto Jake's outstretched mouth, and was drawn in towards the situation.
Finn quickly caught up with Jake's body. "Dude what happened?"
"It turned around man, jumped us fast!"
"Is HW ok?" Finn asked angrily.
Jake started to run a little faster. "I don't know man?! It happened so suddenly!"
"Well let's punch that monster to make sure she is!" Finn had his sword ready and was poised to tackle the creature as soon as he could see his prey. Suddenly a large mass of fur launched out of the wood ahead of them slamming its body right into Jake's gut, and launching Finn into a tree.
Standing up as quickly as possible, Finn turns his head to see a large werewolf with burning orange eyes and mangled brown fur, along with a few fresh wounds on its face. At its feet was a stretched out and unconscious Jake. It slowly stepped toward Finn, growling, barking, making itself the one to be feared.
"Hey!" Finn shouted furiously at the animal in front of him. "What did you do to Huntress Wizard!" The werewolf was surprised at the backlash, and stepped back a few inches. "Come on! To scared to fight me?" Finn with sword in hand, and mechanical arm ready to punch this monster straight into the Nightosphere, charged at the fangs and fur in front of him.
"Who does this human think he is? He doesn't have magic like his friend, so what's he getting at?" Pondered Alex, who charged with just as much vigor as Finn. "What do I care, that foolish bravery will die with the rest of this baffoon!" Alex went for Finn's neck immediately, but he was ready for it and immediately put his sword in front of himself to catch the canine's maw. His warrior face shifted ever so slightly when he realized he could barely cut Alex at all. "That right! You can't kill me."
Bragging inside his mind had put Alex off his guard, as he was completely surprised by Finn's metallic right hook. Knocking both the sword and the wolf to the ground Finn is getting a slightly better hold of himself. "Hey, your a werewolf. Right? Doesn't that make you half person and half wolf?" Alex was still slightly stunned. "Cus if your a person I'd rather not kill you."
"Shut it, human!" Alex barked. "I'll show you no mercy, so don't even bother giving any to me!"
"Hey, I'm sure we can work this out, be a little reasonable man."
"Why would I listen to your 'reason'? How would you know I know what that societal construct means?"
"Well you know what societal construct means, so maybe you know how to be reasonable."
Jake was beginning to stir a slight bit. "Sandwiches . . ."
"I dont have the time for this banter." Alex mumbles right before he once again pounces headlong at his enemy. This time round Finn knows Alex's strength and speed, so he sidesteps and tackles the wolf back into the trees. Using his robot arm to get blows in, and his left to defend from the claws and teeth to the best of his ability, Finn is able to back Alex into an especially dense set of trees. However, Alex was able to wear down his stamina to where he could do much more harm than Finn would have liked.
"Heh . . . I've beat monsters 20 times your size bro. I . . . I got this." Finn panted. Hair flowing in the nightly wind (he lost his bear hat a few tackles and slashes back).
"Must have been pretty dumb monsters." Alex remarks, who's breathing has become heavy and coarse.
"Is that an insult?"
"Kinda, but you fight like an animal. It would be an honor to kill you."
"That isn't going to happen."
"Are you so sure about that. Because without something silver, you can't kill me. You can't possibly win."
"Hey . . . quick question." Finn chuckled.
"What you laughing at?"
"Don't some of you wolf types transform back into human form at dawn?" Finn goes in for another right hook as Alex's orange eyes seemed to weaken from fear. It connects, lurching the weakened werewolf into a tree. "We've been at this for a while now, I just wanted you to know the sun is rising behind you."
It was true, they had been chasing and fighting for 6 solid hours now, and now the sun was rising on the two bruised and tired warriors, but Alex wasn't done yet. As one last ditch effort to win this battle he leaped toward Finn, once again aiming for his now much more exposed neck, but it was in vain. Finn simply lifted up his mechanical arm to block the attack, and flung his opponent's back right into another tree, instantly knocking him out. Finn could hardly stay conscious himself and could feel his legs giving out beneath him.
"Hey! Finn! You there bro?" It was Jake, he sounded panicked.
"I'm . . . I'm over here," Finn fell down onto the forest floor, back res. "I'm alright," As he began to lose consciousness he saw the werewolf turn into his human shape. He looked a few years younger than Finn was, brown hair, and a deceptively handsome face. "You aren't all monster after all. That's nice . . ."
Finn opened his eyes slowly, it was bright, and he was numb all over, but he knew where he was. As things cleared up for him he looked up at a familiar ceiling, the ceiling of the Candy Kingdom hospital. "Jake?" He hoarsely whispered.
"Finn? Your awake! Took you long enough." Jake said cheerily.
"Where's Huntress Wizard?"
"She's right next to you bro."
"Hey Finn," Huntress Wizard looked relieved, although she had a lot of bandages herself. "Nice to see you alive."
"Hi. You ok?" Finn said as he turned to look at HW.
"I'm not the one who's been in an all out brawl with a werewolf."
Finn smiled slightly and after a brief pause asked another question. "What about the werewolf? Did you guys . . . Yah know. Kill him."
Jake took on a more serious tone. "He's in the dungeon. He heals way faster than you and HW so PB moved him to somewhere we could contain him once he was all rested up."
"Cool, thanks for not killing him."
"PB said he'd be more useful for experiments." Jake said.
"I never thought those wolf type monsters could get so dangerous ," Said Princess Bubblegum, who was now next to Finn, checking his medical stuff. "When Jake brought you and Huntress Wizard in half dead with what he said "might be a werewolf" in tow I knew I had to prepare for more like him."
"Thanks Princess."
"Your welcome Finn," she smiled with tired eyes while she wrote something down on her clipboard. "Now you need to rest until I say your all good to go."
"How long will that take?" Finn seemed worried about something.
"Finn, I'm guessing you want to talk to Alex, but that will have to wait till at least tomorrow morning."
"His name's Alex?"
"Yes, and after he came to yesterday he talked somewhat openly when we questioned him." PB was now checking on HW. "He hasn't struggled at all actually. It's kinda weird, he seemed like a softie, but a few nights ago we saw him turn and he seemed so terrifying. It had to be him."
"Ok . . ." Finn's eyes were closing again. "Hey . . ." And then he was out cold once again.
Finn awoke once again to see the sugar coated ceiling and walls of the hospital. He felt a lot less medicated than he had what he presumed to be the previous day, and sat up just a little bit.
"Hey sleepy head."
Finn turned his head to see Huntress Wizard sitting next to his bed. "Hi. Can I get something to eat?"
"Sure thing." HW stood up swiftly. "Any requests?"
"Pancakes."
Finn looked around the room and saw Jake, and Lady Rainicorn sleeping nearby. "Sorry I got so bunged up bro, you didn't need to worry so much."
"Bro you up again?" Says a very sleepy Jake, now getting out of his snuggle circle.
"Yeah. HW's just gonna get me some breakfast."
"Want me to make you something?"
"If your not too tired."
"Oh come on bro, you know I can make pancakes in my sleep," Jake stretched and walked towards the exit. "HW you can come with, I could use some help finding stuff." Huntress Wizard and Jake left to make breakfast.
He couldn't really see much else in the morning darkness, but now he could feel his injuries. Boy did they hurt. Though it was fortunately a whole lot less than what it could have been without PB's sugar based painkillers.
He noticed some gifts some friends had left him. "Was I really in that bad of shape?" Among them was a small rectangular tin colored like Peppermint Butler, it intrigued him, so he picked it up. It was striped white and red with a little note taped on.
First he noticed the warning in large red lettering that said "DO NOT EAT", but then the rest was in cute little handwriting "Dear Finn, Mom said you were badly hurt fighting a bad werewolf (I wanted to meet him but she said he was to dangerous). So I made you these little me mints. Throw them on the ground and they will tear your enemy's eyes out. Get better soon. -Peppermint Butler." Looking inside he saw a bunch of peppermints shapes in perfect likeness to Peps himself.
He looked at a few other get well cards and gifts, of which there were a ton. One from Sweet Pea and his parents, another from Starchy (it was a tiny shovel), one from his Mom, and there was another that came with hot chocolate mix from Simon. Finn had almost completely forgotten he was hurting so badly.
Looking down at his left arm (the robot one wasn't equipped atm) he could see a bunch of scars and bandages along one side. His stomach and chest was also in terrible shape. "Man. Alex is one strong dude. I wonder how beat up he was." Finn's thoughts quickly trailed off.
"I've got your pancakes Finn," Said the ever stealthy Huntress Wizard, who was now making her way to Finn's bed. "You like bacon on them right?"
"Who doesn't love bacon pancakes!" Finn says, taking his first bite of food in days.
"I don't know, maybe someone who hasn't tried bacon pancakes."
"Here," Finn takes a well proportioned chunk of bacon pancake and puts it in HW's mouth. "Like them now?"
Though a little surprised, she took her time to savor the sweet and savory delight that was Jake's cooking. "Jake's got a gift for cooking. That's for sure."
"Practice makes perfect is what he always tells me," They were both smiling at each other. "Guess that's why I'm so great at beating up monsters. Also, where is Jake?"
"He's making himself and Lady Rainicorn breakfast."
"Cool." Finn went back to eating his pancakes, giving HW a bite here and there. Jake was back with two platters full of food once they had finished breakfast.
"You all rested up now bro?" Jake said as he nudged Lady awake, and gave her her food.
"I feel alright, I guess. How are you holding up?"
"Well after you we got you here Monday morning I was freaking out, but when you started getting better I felt a whole lot less stressed out."
"Wait! How long have been I been here?"
"4 days, man."
"4 days!" Finn was shocked. "It was that bad!?"
"Bro you have no idea how busted up you were," Jake says through some food. "You should have seen the other guy though. If he wasn't a werewolf he'd be in a coma right now."
"Do you think I can go see him now?" Finn seemed deep in thought.
"I'll go ask PB after I eat these breakfast burritos."
Marceline was worried, Princess Bubblegum hadn't stopped working since Finn had come back from fighting that werewolf, and when PB's like this Marcy always knows something is up. However, she had originally thought it was trying to keep Finn alive that had her worried, but she just kept going after he stabilized and had awkwardly dodged around Marcy for days. She had had enough and was going to talk things out it's PB now.
When she got to the door of PB's lab first she was a large sign that said "Stay Out Please" and she heard mumbling and a whole a lot of welding, so she knocked a little loudly.
A loud clatter followed by "Oh Glob darn it, Didn't you read the sign!" Sounded out from behind the door.
"Bonnie it's me, I just want to talk."
"Alright, come in Marcy." She opened the door to a lab covered in weaponry, all of it tipped, dusted, or made of silver. "I'm quite busy right now, so please don't take to long."
"Woah . . ." Marcy was stunned by what she saw, but quickly turned her head in PB's direction. She looked awful, like she hadn't slept in days, which she hadn't. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine Marceline. There's nothing you need to worry about here."
"Are you sure, you haven't slept in days."
"I said I'm fine," PB's voice was starting to rise. "Can you please let me get back to work."
"No your not fine." Marceline's face was shifting a little bit as she started getting more worried. "You need to tell me what's going on."
"What's your problem Marceline!" PB yelled with her. "Can you not leave me alone for a few days!"
"I have been!"
"Then why are you bothering me!"
"You've been ignoring away from me for days and I'm worried I did something wrong!" Marceline's face went a little less monster like and tears started to well in her eyes. "You just stopped Bonnie. I've barely seen your face since last weekend at my place. Are you mad at me, is their something you can't tell me, just give me something because I just can't figure it out!"
"Oh, Marcy," PB could see the stress pooling up in her girlfriend's grey eyes. She walked over and hugged her. "I'm sorry, I just . . . I'm," She started choking on her words, and her eyes started to betray her emotions. "I'm terrified right now. The first time I saw that monster when Jake dragged it in, and Finn practically dying, I was terrified. You have nothing to do with this."
They both sat down with their backs to Bubblegum's desk and just took a moment to breath while holding each other's hands. "What about this guy scares you so much?"
"I don't really know," PB seemed confused, which doesn't happen often. "I just can't help but be scared, and it's even scarier that I don't know why."
"Have you asked him about this?"
"Alex stopped listening to me after I got the basic questions out of him. He just taunts me now."
"Want me to go down there and taunt him back?"
"When Finn is ready to go down there we'll go with him."
"Works for me." They smiled at each other. "And Bonnie?"
"Yeah Marcy?"
"Promise me you'll get some sleep after that."
"I promise." They shared a brief kiss and got back up. "Let's go check on Finn."
"No need ladies. . ." Jake had just gotten to the lab, and like Marceline, was surprised by the gadgets all around it. "What the math are you working on in here?"
"Anti-werewolf weapons. All of these are prototypes." PB's exhaustion seemed to be taking over. "Is Finn up?"
"Yeah. He should be ready to talk to the werewolf now."
"Well let's get going then."
Jake, Finn, PB, and Marceline were joined by Huntress Wizard on their way down into the dungeon. It was completely empty. Not a single prisoner in sight, and everyone was a tad confused. "Don't mind me asking, Princess, but where's Alex?" Asked Finn, who breathing a little heavy after going down the stairs.
"These bars were made to hold misbehaving candy people, not half wolf killing machines," PB was still walking toward the end of the dungeon. "I've had this for a while but never got the chance to use it, especially since you and Jake clean up the kingdom's problems so well." She then gripped a chocolate brick on the wall and pulled on it to reveal a small keypad. Then inputted a code as discreetly and quickly as possible.
The wall immediately began to raise up from the floor, revealing a rock candy wall which began moving downward revealing another wall. This one wasn't candy however, it was solid steel, and this wall opened at a vertical seam in the middle finally revealing what everyone had come down for.
"Well, look who decided to bring me some company." Alex was currently in his human form, sitting cross legged with his wrists and ankles chained down with silver cuffs. Taking a large whiff of his visitors he said. "I thought I smelled vampire on you, Princess."
PB's face was stone cold "Alex. Some of us would like to ask you a few questions. Can you please answer them."
Alex was shifting his gaze from person to person, resting longest on Finn and Marceline, who both stared back, Though Marcy was a tad bit angrier with her glare "Maybe, I can never tell how I'm feeling so who knows." Said Alex.
"Who'd like to go first?" PB said as she walked back to the group and stood next to Marceline.
HW was the first to speak up "Why'd you kill so many of my animals?"
"Can't a guy get something to eat without getting hunted down," Alex's face was silly, like he was enjoying this. "I get hungry like the rest of you buffoons."
"You could have just gone and asked a local for food."
"Not in my nature leaf head."
"I could have . . ."
"Next!" Alex interrupted. He was beginning to tick Finn off. "Anyone have a better topic of discussion?"
"What's the maths your problem man?" Finn said as he walked closer to Alex. "Don't talk like that to my friends."
"Human. I've actually got a question for you."
"The name's Finn."
"I don't care."
"Ask away then."
"How are you not scared of me?" Finn was puzzled. Alex didn't seem all that scary, even more so when he was in human form. "How are you so dang courageous."
"I don't know what you mean. You aren't nearly as scary as half the monsters I've fought."
"Look behind yourself."
Finn turned around to see his friends starting to back away from him and Alex. "What's going on? What are you doing?!"
"Finn! get away from him man!" Jake said as he quickly stretched toward the exit. "He's gonna hurt you again!" Huntress Wizard had her arrows aimed straight at Alex, and Marceline was guarding a cowering PB in her monster form, hissing furiously.
Finn turned back around to see Alex sitting just as still as he was before, but now his eyes were a bright orange, glowing with an unnatural menace. "Stop it!" He yelled. "Whatever your doing with your eyes you need to stop!"
"I'll stop when your scared of me to!" Alex's eyes flared, as if made of fire, and Finn's friends were now all overcome with fear. HW was gripping her bandages, rolling on the ground in pain. Jake was yelling Finn's name while trying to meld into the stairs; a panicked Marceline holding the now unconscious Princess Bubblegum, but Finn would not be scared.
"I said STOP!" Finn went right up to Alex and kicked him in the face, knocking him swiftly to the floor. "I don't want to be wrong about there being a good person behind this monster, so I need you need to stop hurting my friends." Silence fell over the room, everyone but PB seemed fine.
"What did you just do!?" Marcy said, looking at Alex in pure disgust and anger.
Still lying on the ground Alex replies. "It's a werewolf specialty, fear magic, and it just so happens I'm the best in the business."
"So you made Bonnie paranoid on purpose!" Marceline would have gotten up,and personally torn Alex to shreds right then and there if she wasn't holding PB. "She should have killed you!"
"Wasn't just magic." Alex continued. "I made sure she knew just enough about my kind to launch into that plain awful state she was just in," Marcy looked like she wanted to disembowel him as slowly as possible. "Let me guess, she hadn't slept for days, and she's passed out from my little push." Marceline opened her mouths to yell something, but Bubblegum was kinda awake and weakly said something to her.
"How am I unaffected?" Asked Finn while checking to make sure HW and Jake were alright.
"I literally just asked you that, so I have no clue." Alex said. "I've met some creatures with resistance to it, but complete immunity is just ridiculous. All I can say is that you are no normal human."
"And you are no normal monster." Finn was about to say something else when Marceline floated right in front of him.
"7 . . . 3 . . . 6." She mumbled as she punched in the numbers to close the reinforced cell. "Enjoy yourself in there you jerk!"
"Oh I will, bloodsucker, I will."
Everyone was standing silently outside of Princess Bubblegum's room, each quite unsettled by what had just happened. After Alex's door closed, PB was out cold, so they had hurried back up into the castle to put her in bed to rest. All the while contemplating the maddening fear that they had just experienced. All but Finn jumped when the door creaked back open. Marceline drifted out and quietly closed it behind her.
"I'm gonna go for a stroll," Marcy said as she continued down the hallway. Struggling to hold her human shape. "Clear my head,"
"Hey Marce?" Finn was a little wary of this.
"What?"
"If you need to get anything out you've always got us to talk to."
"Thanks, but I just need to get some air."
"Alright, see ya later." Finn called as she floated around the corner. He, Jake, and Huntress Wizard started walking the other way. "Hey, Jake."
"Yeah, Bro?"
"Think she's okay?"
"You know Marceline, she's a tough person. I'm sure she just needs some time to herself."
"If you say so."
Unfortunately, Marceline was not okay, and if anything can make her mad it's when someone hurts her Bonnibel. Right now all she was worried about was making sure that Alex couldn't do anything like that ever again, so she made her way down to PB's lab where she knew she could find some werewolf killing silver weapons.
After snooping around the various traps, and spikes, and silver powder bombs she found just the right tool for the job. It was just what Marceline wanted, just like everything else Princess Bubblegum designed with her in mind. An axe, pure silver and weighted to perfection. Marceline smiled. She was ready to kill this werewolf.
Alex was surprised when he heard his door opening after only a few minutes, but when he could smell what was on the other side his surprise quickly faded away. "Ah well, look who's back with an axe to grind," He sat up off the floor and looked Marceline straight in the eyes. Taunting her with a grin of wicked delight. "You must be really attached to that Princess to disobey her so soon."
"You heard that?" Marceline was staring back just as venomously.
"Yep. The code to my door, her telling you to leave me for tomorrow, that cute little "I love you." Ears like mine don't miss much darling."
"Don't call me that."
"Would you prefer I stick to bloodsucker?"
"I don't drink people's blood." Marcy was shaking with anger. "Vampires can just eat red you know."
"Yeah, but that's boring," Alex tone was full of channeled anger and sarcasm. "Red-eater just can't roll of the tongue as well," Alex stroked his chin for a little bit then said, and Marceline was ready to lop his head clean off. "Oh, I know! How about . . . Gum-Sucker? Doesn't that sound more befitting of you?"
"Just shut up already!" Marceline swung the axe down on Alex. She was mad beyond belief at this point between all his mocking and messing with PB. "Just shut up and die!"
"No can do, Gum-Sucker," Alex lifted his bound hands and feet towards the incoming fatal blow. "You aren't gonna kill me. No one is," He was ready for this, and as the axe went right for him he made sure it hit exactly what he wanted it to. As his bonds shattered from Marceline's blow his antagonistic smile turned to a cold angry frown. "I'm just gonna leave now if you don't mind."
"Gahhh!" Marceline swung at Alex once again, and this time he sidestepped the attack and countered with a good ol' punch to the face. In the few seconds Marceline was stunned he dashed around her and ran up the stairs as fast as he could. "Get back here!" Marceline screamed as she went full on bat monster mode and turned to chase after him.
"Like I said earlier, your not gonna kill me." Alex was running at top speed taking in as much of the castle as he could using every enhanced sense at his disposal, he could hear lots of guards and citizens around every hall, but didn't bother avoiding them, the murderous vampire behind him was a much larger issue. His sense of smell was currently devoted to finding one thing, or rather one person. "Now let's see where you stashed away that pink friend of yours shall we!" Marceline screamed again and flew after him faster. "Hmm," Alex took a deep breath. "Down this hall, up the stair well, and around the corner at the door that smells like bubblegum. Is that where her room is?"
"Don't you dare go near her!" Marcy chucked the axe right at Alex's back. He could hear the axe coming as soon as it left her claws; he twisted around quickly and caught it like a vertical frisbee. After skidding to a halt he glanced upward to see that the bat like beast chasing him down had gotten uncomfortably close. As Marceline took a massive swipe at Alex, he ducked just as she would have knocked him into the wall harder than a falling boulder.
As she flew over his head he was racing to think of something that would get him out of this. "Wait, I have a battle axe right here." Alex turn back around and leaped toward Marceline and threw the axe head first into her back. Now it was his turn to fly over head as Marcy tumbled right into the floor. "See ya upstairs bat brain." Alex hit the ground running, and went right up the stairs.
Finn and Jake burst out of an adjacent hallway, Huntress Wizard had just left. "What's going on!" Finn said. "Marceline, you okay?"
Marceline was even less alright than last time Finn asked that. With an ear shattering screech she transformed into her monstrous tentacle form and tore down the hall and ripped the stairwell to pieces as she raced to protect PB.
After she was upstairs Jake said. "I don't think she is bro."
"Well we gotta help her!" Finn said. "Let's go." Jake stretched up the destroyed stairway quickly, but they were really far behind Alex and Marceline and Finn knew he couldn't stop them from killing each other. He was scared for them.
As Alex reached the door to Princess Bubblegum's room he shoved it open and slid in quietly. Then proceeded to close it on Marceline's farthest reaching tentacle, chopping it cleanly off. "Come and get me, Gum-Sucker," Alex whispered as he made his way over to the Princess and stepped up onto the headboard, perfectly balanced. "Come slay the monster to save the princess."
When Marceline crashed through the front door she was greeted by Alex shushing her as he looked down at the princess. "Your pal here seems to having a good dream, wouldn't want to wake her up. Right?" He looked up at her with burning eyes, full of his chaotic magic. "Now let's talk this out like civilized people, or I'll make sure she never wakes up again."
The gigantic and imposing beast in front of Alex slowed its slippery movements. "Your bluffing!" Marceline hissed. "There's no way you'd just kill her!"
"I've killed people far more important to me than this wad of gum," Alex replied calmly. "I'd snap her neck in a heartbeat if you make one more movement to kill me," Marceline began to shift back to normal. "Listen to what I want you to hear, and she'll get out of this just fine."
Jake and Finn were standing by the destroyed entryway. "Oh Glob, he's got the princess hostage!" Jake whispered.
"Don't worry Jake, I've got a plan." Finn consoled him. "You stretch your arm into the room as stealthily as possible, pull him down to the ground, and me and Marcy will beat him up."
"I can hear you two buffoons," Alex called out. "And even if I couldn't I'd spot you immediately," The two were silent. "The yellow would contrast very nicely with all this pink. Anyway, back to the subject at hand my pale skinned friend."
"What do you want, Alex." Marceline growled.
"I just want you to hear my side of all this."
"Then you'll let her go."
"I bet my eyes she'll won't die when I'm done talking. Now shut up, sit down, and don't interrupt me," Marceline obeyed, sitting cross legged a few feet in the air. "What was it. Right! I got here about two, three weeks ago, arrived in this strange new land, and after being at sea for such a long time I was starving, so I went hunting for something to eat," Alex lipped his lips. "There were so many delicious new animals to try. Of course at first it was a little daunting, so many unfamiliar smells to sort through, but I came to love it. Unfortunately, because of a certain leaf haired huntress who I couldn't shake I couldn't cook any of it, which only was annoying in the day, when my human side is in control of my taste buds."
Alex breathed deeply, looking out the door at Finn and Jake, who were peeking into the room. "But about 4 days ago, I noticed that the pest that had been following me seemed more numerous, more adept at tracking the non visible, more courageous than before," He grinned angrily. "She has gone and picked up some friends. Honestly, she was easy to take out, who would expect a surprise attack from their prey? The dog wasn't that hard either, a little to soft for his own good, but that stinking human!" Alex glared at Finn with his devilish eyes. "He ruined everything for me!"
"He beat me up, got me locked in a cage, and his friends kept me there, unfed, for four solid days!" Alex continued on his tirade. "Then sure I admit scaring you all half to death was overkill, but you trying to kill me!? What have I done to any of you, unprovoked mind you, that warrants what you have done to me over the past couple days!" Alex was full on yelling now. Marceline and the guys were avoiding his raging stare. "That's right! Nothing! I don't deserve this in the slightest! All I've been doing since I got to this awful land has been trying to survive, and all of you seem really intent on making that more difficult than it needs to be!"
The princess was stirring beneath his feet. "Now, miss vampire, I would like permission to leave here. No one follows me, no one you know bothers me ever again, and your pretty little princess lives." Alex declared sharply. "Do we have a deal?"
Marceline looked at PB, then at Alex, whose eyes were no longer full of that twisted fire. "My name's Marceline, the Vampire Queen, and yes you can leave now."
Alex smiled, then jumped off the board triumphantly. "Hear that!" He shouts at no one in particular. "Alexander Lupin always gets what he wants! Even from the queen of the vampires herself!"
Alex kept a prideful posture as he he left the room, not even bothering to look at Finn and Jake. He had what he wanted, and now these people were no longer his problem, his freedom was once again his.
"Marcy?" PB said as she looked wearily up from her bed. Alex's declaration of victory had final woken her up. "What's happening? Is that Alex?" The Princess was frightened.
Marceline flew over to her and hugged her tight. "Don't worry, he's going to stay far away from you."
"What did he do?" The Princess looked at Marceline questioningly.
"He kinda held you ransom." Marceline was a little teary eyed.
"What!" PB shouted. She jumped out of her bed and went down into the hallway. "Alex! You can't just hold a princess ransom without consequences!" Alex ignored her and kept walking. PB ran up behind him. "Did you hear me! I ain't letting just walk out of this!"
"Shut it Gumwad!" Alex snapped. "You only woke up from your nap because I let you. Now leave me alone or I'll go back on mine and Marceline's deal by snapping your head clean off!" Bubblegum jumped when he raised his voice, and Alex just kept walking.
Marcy was by PB ASAP. "Just let him go, he's not worth our time," she sighed. "I still really want to kill him though."
"Marcy!" PB scolded. "I thought I asked you not to kill him!"
"I'm sorry, I donked up real bad," Marcy was still tearing up. "He tried to scare you to death, and I thought that with him all chained up I could just go in there and do away with him. I didn't think he'd get out and try to hurt you again. I'm so sorry."
"Well I'm alright now." PB said, while trying to comfort Marceline. "Look. We're both tired, how about we both take a nap?"
"Sure Bonnie, but your door's kinda gone," Marceline smiled a little. "I might have smashed it apart. That and the stairs."
"You've done worse," PB laughed as walked back to her room's open entrance. "Hey, you two."
"Yeah Princess?" Finn replied.
"Would you mind helping us put this door back together, and the stairs?"
"Not at all PB," Finn said. "Rudimentary building skills are one of our many specialties."
"Already on it Princess," Said Jake, who was grabbing tools from downstairs to fix up the door.
"Thanks guys."
After quickly nailing Bubblegum's door back into place Finn and Jake left the two alone to go fix the stairs. "Hey Jake?" Finn said.
"What up bro?"
"Do you think Alex is going to keep on being a problem?"
"Man, I don't know," Jake put his tools down and scratched his head. "I don't know what to think of him."
"I'm worried that he'll hate us forever. Just think about what we've done to him the past couple days!"
"He did have a point."
"Yeah, I know he did; I feel awful."
"Just let it go man, worrying about it is only gonna make things worse."
"I'm trying to, but I feel like I hurt someone who needed my help."
"Bro. I don't really trust the guy, but if you feel he needs help, go help him."
"Thanks man." Finn felt reassured. "Are you cool doing this by yourself."
"This is nothing compared to our stairs." Jake joked. "I got this bro. Now go catch that werewolf again."
Alex felt like he was being watched all the way down through the candy kingdom. He knew he was of course. The candy citizens weren't very stealthy, and he could hear them whispering their meager gossip.
"I heard he almost ate Finn." One voice said.
"Why'd they let that monster go free?" Said another.
"Starchys scared, that beast looks real hungry."
Alex sighed and kept on walking out of the city. He was stopped by a small candy person, a cute gum drop girl. "What do you want?" Alex drawled out.
"Your one handsome fellow." She giggled and ran away. Alex kept moving.
As he left the Candy Kingdom gates at about mid afternoon, (he ignored the banana guards as they tried to question and stp him) he heard something behind him; calling out this name. "That better not be the human." Alex thought as he turned his head around, and much to his chagrin, he saw Finn the Human waving him down as he ran towards Alex.
"Alex! Alex wait!" Finn called. Alex turned back around and just kept walking. "Alex man, I'm not going to fight you or anything. Listen to me just this once." Finn was slowing down. "I'm sorry the first thing that happened to you here was being treated like a jerk, but I don't want you to think we're always like that."
"Human," Alex said, stopping but not turning around to face Finn. "You don't want to be my friend."
"What?"
"I know you think there is some sort of nice guy inside me, but there's not. I'm the jerk here. What's happened the past few days was just a misunderstanding."
"C'mon. Not everyone is a complete dirtbag. I mean, one of my best friends used to be the most hated guy in Ooo."
"What kind of name is that?" Alex asked, Finn looked confused. "Nevermind. Listen, Finn, I've never been a nice guy, and right now I'm only being polite because I can't scare you off. So do yourself a favor and stay away from me." Alex looked defeated.
"No."
"Ughh," Alex sighed. "Are we even speaking the same language right now."
"Alex," Finn took up a slightly more confident posture. "Right now we are on neutral ground, after your deal with Marcy everything is good between us," Finn stepped in front of the werewolf, trying to make eye contact. "But I feel awful for what has happened and I'm not going to leave you alone until I can make it up to you."
Alex looked up at Finn and said. "How are you gonna make up for beating me up, locking me in a cage, and kicking me in the face?"
"You just trying to feed yourself, right?" Alex nodded. "How about you come over to mine and Jake's place and he'll make you something better than you could imagine."
"Really? The magic dog is that good of a cook?" Alex said sarcastically. He looked a little less sad now.
"You underestimating me?" Jake said, stretching down net to Finn. "I can whip up anything your heart desires, but I do specialize in sandwiches."
"Sure, Finn," Alex agreed. "But I'm only doing this because I'm too exhausted to hunt for myself."
"Thanks bro," Finn said, smiling wider than he had all day. "Means a lot to me."