Disclaimer: I don't own Blood and Chocolate or any of its characters. If I did, I would be a better writer. I do own Fortress (a.k.a. Tess), the main chara of this story.
I'd like to thank my editor, and give you her penname and all, but she just made her fanfiction account(tho she reads stuff all the time) yesterday so...i havent spoken to her all day...(have drop periods at school and i dropped the period we have together) so i'll just say that i'd like to thank my friend sara. thanks bunches!
i was looking back to the older blood and chocolate fanfics, and i saw one that was about vivian going thrubeing ahalf-wolf and half-human...im sorry i didnt know that was there. i didn't steal any ideas from that person, i got this idea all on my own.
Now on with the story…
Fortress of Tears
Chapter 2 — Wolf Speaker
Tess woke up. It was chilly, with only a hint of sunlight. She was sleeping some kind of grass under her, grass that was so soft and unknown to her. She didn't remember sleeping the night before. And when was the last time her family had gone camping?
Then she remembered what had happened the night before.
Shouldn't I have died? Oh god, where the hell am I? A world of the dead? These thoughts bothered her. She shouldn't be alive anymore. She couldn't be alive anymore. That was impossible. But if she was dead, why was there a soft sound of panting near her?
She opened her eyes, and gasped.
There was some kind of animal standing in front of her. It was like a wolf, but much larger, and darker. And the fact that its' eyes glowed blue, as if there was an ember of fire, always lit no matter what. Trees surrounded her, like a cage. She was in some kind of clearing in the middle of a forest.
—I see you're awake. —
Her eyes widened. Was that thing talking to her? Its' voice boomed in her head, like thunder.
"Uhh…are you talking to me?"
His eyes narrowed. —Do you see anyone else here? —
She wanted to say, "I don't usually talk to weird animals in a forest after I just thought I got killed at the back of the gym by this guy I had just met," but decided against it. The wolf would laugh at her, so scorn, or something.
"And where exactly is 'here'?"
—Good question from someone like you I suppose. —
Whatever that means…The black wolf looked away and sighed. —You…are in a place… where…people rarely come to. You are the first in many centuries to come here. —
"Sooo…You're saying I'm some lucky duck that got poofed here?"
—If you consider being killed by a werewolf lucky. The- —
She sat up quickly. "WHA—? WEREWOLF?"
It stood up, staring calmly at her with its' blue eyes. —The only way you can get here is when a werewolf kills a mortal person when the moon is half full. — It replied slowly to her, making every word coherent, as if it was talking to a three-year-old. It's words sounded wise, as if a godly presence was speaking instead of this beast. — When full moon comes, you will wake up in the lands of loup-garou, and given the Choice. This is what the law says, and therefore you have to obey it. —
Now this is seriously scaring me. Axel, a werewolf? That can't be. He's so handsome…A-a-and he acts like human too!
"So…what's 'the choice?'"
—The Choice isn't something a regular two-legger would go through. You would have some of the powers of loup-garou - strength, swiftness, enhanced senses (hearing smelling etc.). But you can never become a werewolf, only half-wolf. You won't be able to change to wolf form, but you will be able to grow nails into claws for hunting. Your strength waxes and wanes with the moon. For example, when there's a new moon, don't expect to win any fights or travel very far. You have the most power when the moon's full. Any question? —
"Yea…well…since I'm supposed to be dead n' all, won't I be in a tomb? How the Hell and I supposed to get out? Dig myself out?"
The wolf's eyes turned to her face, amused, it's head cocked to one side. —Precisely. It's full moon, remember? It should be easy to get out of there. It's only a layer of wood and dirt. No problems getting out now? —
She nodded. What else was she supposed to do? Then she remembered that she was still lying down on the grass. It was time to move on. She tried to get up, but all her muscles protested. Just gotta face life. No giving in to the pain. Gritting her teeth, she pulled herself up and slowly dragged herself toward a tree. When she got there, she sighed from all the work and slowly leaned onto the trunk, wary of her stiff joints.
"You say that I'm supposed to be at my strongest. If this is my strongest, why does everything hurt so much?"
—Your body is changing, adapting to loup-garou's powers. It seems that you have already made your choice. — The wolf came up to her, giving her a small nudge that almost sent her crashing back to the ground, but she saved herself at the last minute, putting down her arm.
—You see that circlet of light over there? — It swung its' massive head toward a cascade of light only a few trees away. The light was brilliant; it was like the sun. Tess nodded. —Stand in the middle and let the light carry you back to earth. Be ready for any obstacles. —
Tess nodded again. Painfully, she got onto her hands and knees, and started to crawl to her destination. The dark creature took slow steps, its' fur rippling, as if aiding a baby to walk. The light was so bright, she could only see the outline of the animal to whom she had talked to for so long, and learned so much in such a short time, things that would change her life forever. If you would call the future a life. More like a living nightmare probably.
—A word of advice-don't ever go near the ones whom you had known. They know you as a dead soul, not a half-wolf. It would be awkward if they saw something they supposed to be dead back alive. — Tess gave a silent agreement.
She was only a few inches away from the middle of the light. It was hard to see her friend, for the light was blinding her.
—Find the pack of Maryland as fast as you can. The wolf you know as Axel was killed by the pack, so you have nothing to fear. Find them as fast as you can. As fast as you can! — It repeated.
"I will."
—Good. —
Curious, I asked her. "Who…who are you?"
I reached the center. Light was spinning around me. I wished it would stop; it was making me dizzy. I heard a joyous laughter, like tinkling bells.
—Me…strange you should ask. I am nothing but the Lady Moon to my people. Good-bye, Fortress Stalliand, and good luck. It was nice meeting you. —
That was the last Tess heard from the mysterious creature. A soft sprinkle of music flowed down, and up she went, into the blinding light. It felt as if her spirit was lifting from her. Her back arched, the wind blowing her brown hair, the summer highlights reflecting the light. She knew nothing more.