Yeah I decided to edit a little of the first chapter because I missed some things like a douche. Nothing much has changed so you don't have to re-read it :-)

Finally, night was upon us.

My lungs filled up the scent of Mourningwood; death, decomposition and gun powder.

A slightly odd combination but Mourningwood was said to contain legions of the dead and although I'd only ever met Hollowmen once when I was trying to obtain my mother's old music box.

I wasn't exactly rushing to meet the undead hoards again.

I eyed the old caravan where Walter lay sleeping. I didn't blame him for sleeping.

The past few months had been tiring, especially for him. He wasn't a young man anymore.

It's easy to forget his age when he seems so young but it's getting harder and harder for him to fight by my side.

Well, maybe it wasn't easy to forget but Jasper has always said I was ignorant.

I do admit to being ignorant to many things such as what happened outside the castle walls and how every single female servant disappeared whenever a certain Sir Reaver came to see my brother.

My brother is the tyrant King of Albion and just a few months ago forced me to choose between my people or my fiancé, Elliot.

I know my brother had changed to fit his role as monarch but I didn't think he'd ever kill Elliot.

I just hoped I wouldn't change when I took the throne.

That day I sent my fiancé to his death and that night Jasper, Walter and my faithful hound, Thor, escaped in the dead of night.

It wasn't that I hated my brother. I love him with all my being.

He was my best friend until he took up the throne six long years ago.

He taught me to read, write and fight.

Recently, I have taken to pushing my brother from my mind.

I knew that as soon as I left to overthrow him I would eventually have to decide his fate.

Death or banishment? I'm so sure I could do either but I am all Albion has left.

I am the leader of the rebellion.

Thor bounced down the wooden steps of the abandoned caravan we inhabited.

I thrusted my head in the direction of the lake we walked past earlier before Walter admitted weakness and had to stop and rest.

I trotted away quietly from the caravan. Walter didn't like me going out alone.

It wasn't like I wasn't a hero that could summon fire from my hands or anything.

He was just a little overprotective, like the father I never had.

Thor began following, stopping ever so often to bark at some tree or point out a dig spot I couldn't get to.

Tomorrow we would be on our way to a fort in Mourningwood to talk to some guy called Major Swift, one of Walter's old friends.

Apparently, my brother had sent them out here and most probably to their death.

Walter was even unsure whether they were still among the living.

The humid air warmed my face as I moved slowly not to call upon any unwanted attention.

The warmth was nice after having to help Sabine in the deathly cold of the Mistpeak Mountains.

Sabine was a picky fellow. For him to be a follower of the rebellion I had to fight bandits and awful hollowmen to prove myself as a hero.

To be honest I could have just set fire to the annoying little man but I think his friend would have squashed me to a pulp; hero or not.

It took a little over a month but I eventually retrieved my mother's music box from underneath Brightwall Academy (Why would she put it there anyway?

When I go through to the other realm we're having words), spared the bandit leader after he promised to leave the Dwellers alone and gained food for the poor camp by befriending the obnoxious people of Brightwall and promising Samuel to restore Brightwall Academy to its former glory.

All that just for another follower to defea- I mean overthrow Logan.

Major Swift would be another follower if I could gain his trust. I couldn't say I wasn't nervous.

He was a major. He'd seen battle and the poverty of the streets while I've been cooped up in the castle, forbidden to leave.

My thoughts wandered back to Logan.

How did he feel when a servant informed him I left? Did he weep? Of course not.

He should have expected it. He killed Elliot who was my only other friend and my fiancé.

We were betrothed from a young age and he quickly became my only good friend after my brother took the throne.

I never had made friends easily. People just didn't seem to like me as much as they loved my brother.

I was the shy, lazy and bookwormish sibling while Logan was strong, wise and an amazing fighter.

I'm a terrible fighter.

I get hit more times then I hit and I'm only okay with a gun as long as I'm very VERY far away from my target and they can't hit me but with magic I'm good.

Magic wasn't half as tactical as sword fighting or gun- whatever that was.

Magic involved reading up on the spells and then willing yourself to do it and gaining some odd looking blue lines all over your skin.

Magic was easily my forte.

The moonlight lit up the lake.

It was stupidly clear like something from a fairy-tale.

I'd never seen anything so beautiful.

My ears pricked up as I detected faint footsteps coming towards me. Hollowmen already?

Oh Avo no. I hadn't a sword and I left my gauntlets to channel my magic back in the caravan. How did I even make it this far in life?

I suppose I could just bite them? They wouldn't taste nice but it's better than Walter finding my corpse.

I forced my legs to stand and gazed towards the tree line, ready to rip out the throat of some undead arseholes.

Thor straightened up beside me. "Stay out of this one," I pleaded to the collie.

He eyed me suspiciously, barked in reply and sat beside the lake.

"I'll call you if I need you," The footsteps got closer. I pounced on to the intruder.

"Whoa Whoa girl," The man held me off his throat.

He was a man; a strong man to fight off my grip but not a hollowman.

He wore soldier's uniform, probably from Mourningwood fort (Thank Avo they were alive) but his eyes showed no hint of fear.

I wiggled from his grasp and straightened up in front of him.

Was he a threat or was he safe? His eyes widened with realisation.

He knelt down on the ground in front of me. It took me a moment to figure out he was bowing to me.

"Are you the beast of Bowerstone?" He questioned me.

I barked in reply.

Now is probably the right time to tell you about the beast of Bowerstone.

It is a children's fable, I think was made up to stop people making deals with creepy men.

Once upon a time a woman (her name changes each time) of the town of Oakvale found she couldn't bear a child.

She heard of a dark man that lived in a cave upon a hill that granted wishes for a price.

The woman really wanted a child and therefore took the three day trek up the hill to find the man who may or may not exist.

It turned out that the man did exist.

The woman begged and pleaded for the gift of life and he granted it for her but on the sixteenth year of the child's birth, the child would become a magnificent beast.

On his sixteenth birthday the child transformed and had no control over his actions as a beast and destroyed the town of Oakvale and thus it transformed into an evil place named Wraithmarsh.

The dark man who was proud of his price therefore gave this curse to children of those who ask for his assistance.

Evil wreaked havoc upon Albion until the man disappeared.

People don't know whether he died or disappeared after feeling guilty about his actions.

I don't know how or why I am cursed (another conversation I will have with my mother when I die) but I am cursed as the beast of Bowerstone but for some unknown reason I only transform at night; every night without fail since my sixteenth year.

It had gotten very tedious. For the first time in one hundred years the beast of Bowerstone has been seen.

I have stab marks and gunshot wounds from when I have encountered people in this form.

The beast of Bowerstone wasn't particularly terrifying either.

I generally looked like an overgrown white wolf with gold at the tips of my ears.

I still had my same blue eyes and Walter insisted I had the same regal beauty even though I doubted having any to begin with.

I preferred myself as a wolf.

I think I looked goddam pretty as a terrifying wolf much better than my fat self.

(I think I'm fat but Jasper insists I'm not. He even gets out a chart of my weight and shows it to me every time I complain. I also have no idea where he gets my weight from).

I turned my attention to the man knelt on the floor.

He hadn't looked up from his bow so I surveyed him. His sandy blonde hair faced me with a tanned hand hovering over his gun in its holster.

Should I run? I usually did but he intrigued me. I moved closer to him and saw him grip his gun.

Bad move Anya. I scolded myself. I barked at him again to try and gain his attention.

His eyes didn't waver from the ground.

"Thor. Go to Walter," I looked over at the collie.

He whined in response.

"Don't give me that look," I moved over to my loyal companion.

He whined again. Thor didn't need to speak.

His actions spoke volumes. "I'll be fine boy,"

He rooted himself to the floor.

"Thor!" I barked at him. He growled slightly in response but galloped off nevertheless.

I trotted forward until I was a few inches from the man's face. I could almost smell the fear.

He took a deep breath as he drew his pistol and then I reached forward and licked his tanned face.

I saw him still in surprise and grinned. I was even surprised at my action. I was never particularly bold.

He looked up at me curiously.

I barked at him then turned from him. I returned to my spot by the lake before he appeared and watched my reflection.

Walter said there was a cure for my… condition. All we had to do was find the man again.

Apparently long ago a woman named Elise got her daughter's curse reverted but at another price.

I had no idea what that price was but the question was did I want to be freed.

This curse made me different from everyone else but I had to rid this curse whatever the cost.

I doubt the people would idolise a beast as a Queen.

Everyone seemed similar.

Once around the castle I walked past two people that looked exactly alike.

Perhaps it was the latest fashion.

Warmth radiated from my left hand side and there I saw the solider sat beside me.

He wasn't terrified of me but was watching the moon.

As we both sat I noticed we were the same height.

I didn't think I was that large at all.

Maybe I'd grown in the past four years.

His teal eyes caught me staring at him. He turned towards me and grinned.

"What's up wolfy?"

"Nothing much," I barked back. Then I realised he couldn't understand me.

Walter and Jasper could due to the guild seal each of them carried and the one I wore around my neck.

It sent some sort of telekinetic message and they understood me and this man didn't have one.

"Yeah," He turned his attention back to the lake. He saddened slightly as if he expected me to talk.

I watched the moon yet again then realisation hit.

I knew I had to go; the sun would be rising soon. I stood up and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" He asked me. I turned to him and motioned towards the caravan with my head.

"Oh no. You're not going to kill people are you?" He moved to get up.

I rolled my eyes at him and shook my furry head.

He stopped mid movement and stared at me.

I walked back towards the tree line and back to the caravan uninterrupted with the solider probably still watching me in awe.

Nobody would believe him.

Ben Finn POV

I withdrew my dagger from the chest of a fallen Hollowman before he disappeared like they all did.

"Is that the last of them boy?" Swift shouted over to me.

"I think so Swifty," I surveyed the damage; a few broken wooden chairs and a hole in the wooden door.

It didn't seem as bad as last time.

"Um Major? Captain?" Jammy called.

"What is it boy?" Major Swift appeared and strode over to Jammy easily.

I followed the Major to find Lieutenant Simmonslying dead on the ground.

"Well shit," I ran a hand through my hair as different emotions ran through my head.

Anger stuck out the most. How could Logan just let us be killed off one by one?

Foolish king.

"Bury him," Swift said with barely any emotion.

It was horrid to say but I think the Major was getting used to the deaths of his soldiers.

We needed hope. We needed a hero.

"Major. Can I-,"

"Sure boy you can go for a walk like you do every night," Major tried a worn smile.

I smirked at the Major and moved over to my chambers.

I picked up my notepad, pen and stuffed them into my pockets before leaving the fort.

I obviously made sure I was armed.

It was uncommon for Hollowmen to attack twice in a night but it had happened before and lost us three of our best men.

The road was empty but that wasn't new.

It was always empty.

Why would anyone want to come to this forbidden place? A

ll that was around here was the undead and people visiting graves but even they didn't stay for long.

I sighed. The men were getting restless.

They hadn't seen a woman in months and everyone knew what soldiers were like with women, mainly prostitutes.

Even I had my fair share of women (I blame my blood) and named my rifle Vanessa after the woman who took my virginity.

They were just spectacular and beautiful.

My thoughts wandered back to the numerous women who had shared my company over the years as I pushed past the trees to get to the lake.

Suddenly, a furry object was thrown at me. I grabbed and pulled away the creature.

I realised it was nothing more than a wolf; a female wolf at that.

"Whoa whoa girl," I shouted to the white creature.

She gave me an enquiring look with those bright blue eyes of hers and wiggled out of my grasp.

The creature straightened to their full height coming just above my knees then it hit me.

This wasn't a regular wolf.

It was the Beast of Bowerstone.

Immediately, I dropped to the floor in a bow as not to anger the beast. I'd heard tales of them of course.

"Are you the beast of Bowerstone?" I asked.

She barked in reply.

I kept my head down, taking particular interest in a piece of grass that was poking close to my nose.

I felt her move closer. My hand gripped to my gun. If she wanted to kill you she would have by now.

What if she's just biding her time? I argued back to myself.

She barked but my gaze didn't lift. I grinned slightly to myself.

I hadn't been this stubborn in years.

I looked up slightly and saw her stood beside a border collie and towering over the poor dog but he seemed unfazed almost as if they were friends but how could anyone be friends with a beast?

That poor pooch would be dinner in a few moments.

Surprisingly, the dog trotted away unharmed and the wolf focused her attention back to me.

My head fell back to the grass as I felt her come closer and closer. I took a deep breath. This was it.

I drew my pistol as she moved closer and then… she licked me.

Wha…? I looked up in confusion and a doggy grin spread across her face.

She yapped triumphantly and moved back to the lake side.

She looked so content just watching her reflection in the lake.

Almost like one of her ancestors didn't destroy an entire town (so the legend said).

I stood and looked back at the trees.

I could run and never see this wolf again but then again… it'd make an amazing chapter in my book, 'The Life and Adventures of Benjamin Finn'.

It's going to be a best seller I'm telling you.

So with that in mind I moved next to the beast, who didn't even blink.

I sat beside her and analysed her.

She was a great wolf with the purest white fur except the tips of her ears that were a bright gold and her blackened paws either from mud or was just part of her colouring.

Her eyes were a bright blue full of intelligence and then I realised she wasn't like the other beasts.

She wasn't a mindless animal, there was a person in there and judging by the wolf she was pretty beautiful.

A grin spread across my face and she turned to me.

I looked over at her, my grin grew wider.

"What's up wolfy?" I tried to bite back the utterly terrible nickname but it just came out.

She barked back. Realisation dawned on her.

Of course I couldn't understand a wolf, who could? But still I'd hoped that the beast would be able to speak to me.

It'd make an amazing chapter.

"Yeah," My face fell slightly. My attention made its way back to the moon.

I wondered what my brothers would have thought about this; their youngest sibling befriending the most ferocious beast in Bowerstone.

My face fell a little more.

Of course they would be proud, if they were alive.

William could yet be alive and I've made it one of my top priorities to find him again along with publishing this book and getting Logan off the throne.

The wolf stood up suddenly and turned her back on me, revealing her magnificent tail.

"W-Where are you going?" I asked. She turned to me, almost impatiently, and gestured her head towards the monorail entrance.

"Oh no. You're not going to kill people are you?" I moved to get up. The time had come to kill this creature for Albion.

She rolled her eyes at me and shook her head.

I stared at her gob-smacked. She seemed too human to be a wolf.

How long has she been cursed?

It shouldn't have been long.

Maybe she could have held the curse off for a while and then the mindlessness will come like a storm.

With no sound emitting from my mouth she shrugged and turned away from me and disappeared into the trees.

This would be a story to tell the lads back at the fort.

If they'd believe me that is.