Thank you Den of Meade for the review last chapter! Also, since I cannot answer you via PM, I shall do it here.
I do believe the story you were referring to is Last Chance At Humanity by iceandfire105. I have read it and, while I do enjoy the fic and their character, I assure you that Jeanne is no Kathryn nor was she meant to be a rip off of her. While this story and iceandfire105's story is of the same content, they focus on different aspects of the questline. I feel that iceandfire's story has that romance aspect that many people love while mine focuses on family and the bond that the siblings share with perhaps a dash of romance. Don't get me wrong, I do love that story and Miss. Kathryn Wiess, but this is a different view of the same event (though I'd imagine Ammon and Kathryn may have met each other on the streets, but that's simply my little fantasy).
So, rant aside, please read and review! I do love feedback, even if it's just a few words of praise (or something that needs to be improved). I can't improve the story without any constructive criticism. Happy reading!
Ammon stayed there for another moment, gently petting her light fur, and did his best to compose himself. The mastiff came limping towards him and whimpered in pain. Ammon's attention was torn from the worgen for a second to gently pat the mastiff on his bloodied head.
He took out a thick coiled rope from one of the saddlebags and cautiously approached the fallen beast. He bound her securely, though perhaps a little more so than usual, for if his suspicions were correct then they had hell to pay when she woke again.
"You think that's 'er?" The sudden question made him flinch violently despite his training to know what goes on around him. He made certain that the worgen was still in a deep sleep before turning and giving Damion a heated glare.
"Whatever do you mean?"
Damion gave him an unamused look, unusual for the sarcastic man, and waved a hand at the fallen worgen. "Her. Do you think that is your sister?"
Ammon regarded him for a moment or two, sizing him up, before responding. "She does share features with my sister. However, I cannot be certain until we get a potion down her throat."
Damion nodded and gave the worgen a hard look. "Tha' bitch tore through five of my pups, four of the best hunting dogs Gilneas has bred and took a chunk out of Ramond before you took 'er down. We -with Ramond's permission- kil- euthanized him before he could change."
Ammon felt the blood drain from his face at the revelation, glancing between the blood-soaked worgen at his feet and the somber man in front of him.
"I hope yer happy that you have yer sister back. It came at a steep price."
Ammon didn't say anything -he didn't know how to respond to that- and went back to the task of securing the worgen with numb fingers. He felt Damion's stare at his back for another moment before the man whistled at the mastiff.
"Meet back at camp."
Ammon halted his cob and gazed at the busy camp with trepidation, unsure if he should even show his face after what had happened. In the end he sighed and pushed his horse to a brisk walk, deciding to ignore their stares. Where else could he go, really?
As he approached, he noticed the other worgen -the big male- already in the cage, and he steered to get a better look at him. The rogue had to bite his lip to contain the gasp from leaving his lips as soon as he got a good look at the dog worgen; he knows that shade of brown anywhere. Ammon's eyes roamed the bound form thoroughly and bit his lip harder when he found what he was looking for.
A bare line of skin parted the fur diagonally across his left haunch, identical to the scar Cerdic had gotten from a boating accident in their youth.
Ammon shook his head to clear it and rode around to the door of the cage where one of his fellow hunters stood waiting for him.
"Took your sweet time gettin' here," he grumbled, glancing at the bound she-worgen draped behind him, "Get that bitch in there before she decided to tear another one of us apart."
Hot anger flooded Ammon at the comment though he kept a mask of cool indifference and hastened to get his sis-worgen off the nervous cob and into the cage. The hunter assisted in shoving her in there and securely locked the iron door, rattling it to make sure it was sealed.
"Pack up your things Delroy; we head to Keel Harbor in an hour. Damion's orders."
"This your latest batch Damion?"
"Yeah. Lost quite a few dogs baggin' this lot."
"That's unfortunate. Are you delivering this one or wish for someone else to bring them down?"
"Neither. One of my men wants to do the deliverin'."
"Oh? Which one?"
"Th' rogue. Delroy."
"Ah. They are free to pass… You will port a mile or so outside of Duskhaven. Someone will be by to take a look at them."
"Right… Thanks…"
One dizzying portal ride and cart ride later, Ammon finally found himself on the outskirts of Duskhaven. He gently pulled on the cart horses' reigns to slow them as a familiar young woman came trotting up on her own Gilnean cob.
"Well, I'll be damned! Ammon Delroy, is that you?"
A small smile turned his lips up as he came face to face with Gwen Armstead. "It is… at least the last time I checked. How have you been Miss. Gwen?"
A small frown tugged on the corners of the woman's lips and she sighed, shaking her head slightly. "As well as it could be, considering…"
"Right…" Ammon mentally facepalmed at his stupidity. It was her city that was holding the feral worgen being experimented on… and that went over so well with the city's population.
"Anyway," Gwen visibly made an effort to look chipper and urged her horse to move closer to the caged worgen, "Looks like you get yourself two fine worgen in there. Any idea to their identities?"
"Well…" Here, Ammon hesitated, debating on telling his old friend his suspicions or to outright lie to her. Gwen lifted a dark eyebrow and he gave in. "I—I do think it might be Jeanne… and Cerdic…"
"What?" Gwen leaned in to get a closer look at them. "How do you know?"
"They were found together up in the Northern Headlands… near our old home. The female has her eyes and the male has his colouring…"
Gwen daringly reached through the bars and gently lifted an eyelid on the she-wolf, revealing an iris the exact match to the human's beside her. "Well, I'll be damned… It does look like hers!"
"I told you." Ammon shifted on the wooden seat and bit his lip briefly. "You have room for them?"
"Of course I do! Come!" Gwen kicked her cob into a brisk trot, moving to take the lead. Soon enough, Gwen was leading Ammon down a path moving a little ways away from the main city and closer to the stocks, where there was a very large barn sitting there. Ammon lifted a crimson brow at it; that hadn't been there the last time he'd been in this region.
A cacophony of barks, howls, and snarls tore the air as they neared and Ammon wanted nothing more than to clap his hands over his ears to block them out. Gwen seemed unfazed by the noise, leading him around to the back where there were many large cages lining the walls, each containing a single or a pair of very angry worgen. She stopped and dismounted in front of a cage nearest to the back entrance and waved him over.
"Reckon this will be to their liking?"
Ammon looked over the cage, which had a good lining of straw and a bundle of old horse blankets in the corner, and nodded his approval. "I think it'll do. They're not going to be happy either way…"
Gwen shrugged and busied herself in opening the empty cage. "How much longer are they out?"
"Dunno. I should probably give them another dose… Just to be safe."
"Please do."
Two darts and much struggle later, both worgen were safely secured inside the cage.
"Well," Ammon muttered, wiping his forehead and leaning against the old cart, "That was a struggle."
"No kidding." Gwen mimicked him and, after a moment's more of resting, pushed herself off of the cart and made her way to her horse. "Go and get yourself a room at the inn. You look like hell, Ammon."
"Where are you going?"
"The King needs to know that the Prince's betrothed has been recovered."
"…. She is not going to be happy about that when she comes to…."
"No… But everyone's sacrificed something for this country… It's her turn."
Ammon pursed his lips and glanced back at the drugged she-wolf and turned back to Gwen. "I think she's made one of the ultimate sacrifices already, Miss. Armstead. There's no telling in how she's going to take that on top of her being a worgen… permanently."
"You're right… I apologize."
"It's alright." Ammon gave the woman a small teasing smile and tilted his head towards the long winding road up to the king's manor. "Don't you have a ride to go on?"
"Right. Blimey, it's good to see you again Ammon."
"Same here Gwen."
The young woman kicked her horse into a fast trot and Ammon watched them go for another moment or two before turning back to the emptied cart and its horses.
"Well, let's get you two into an actual stable to rest."
Plopping himself into the drivers' seat, the rogue spared a last long look to the two worgen, the beings that he held closest to his heart, and flicked the reigns.
The first thing the she-worgen noticed when she finally dragged herself to consciousness is the fact that the world was so full of noise. Whimpering in pain, she made to cover her ears with her paws and found that she could not lift them, no matter how hard she tried. Nor could she open her eyes. It was like trying to move through thick mud and her thoughts were as sluggish as molasses in winter.
Defeated, the she-worgen laid on a flooring that was definitely not her horse blanket and let the rest of her body try and wake, trying very hard to ignore the snarls and yips of the other worgen. She didn't know how long she laid there; all she knew was that she had been captured and that her denmate was beside her. The she-worgen lifted a lip in disgust (after she finally regained feeling in her face) and slowly opened her eyes.
They put her in a cage. A bloody cage with straw and blankets and too many other worgen in one place. No wonder everyone was angry and on edge; they were being treated like prey and it's too crowded for anyone to live comfortably.
She fought down the impulse to voice her anger and instead concentrated on clambering to her paws, which she did eventually with help from the steel wall. Settling down on her haunches, she poked her denmate with a long clawed finger. A pained whine and a bleary eye looking up at her was the result and she had to agree with him this time.
"It go away," she informed him and she was answered by another long, pitiful whine.
The she-worgen huffed out a sigh and staggered to the pile of tattered horse blankets, sitting back on her haunches again to sort through them. She took the biggest two and threw them over her denmate, who grunted in appreciation, and curled up with the remaining two. She fell into a more natural sleep as soon as she got comfortable on the straw.
Ammon made his way to the noisy barn stifling a yawn; it had been a rough night for him. Being worried and anxious about his two new captures tends to do that to a person, especially if they might be his lost siblings. The rogue stopped short when he saw a couple people standing outside of the barn, chatting quietly in the early morning air. It probably wasn't uncommon for people to be curious about the worgen, though it'd be a stretch to say the same for the King of Gilneas, who was standing outside the rickety barn as if it was something he did every day.
"Lord Delroy," Genn greeted, nodding his head towards the young rogue, "I hear you have brought in your siblings."
"I-It does seem that way, your Majesty." Ammon glanced at Gwen standing beside the King and she simply gave him a grin. "I cannot know for sure until the cure has been attempted on them."
"I agree." Genn hummed and glanced into the barn. "I do admit I am curious to set eyes upon the two in question. With your permission..?"
Gwen stopped in front of the cage that held them and gestured to the King, who leaned forward to get a good look at them. They both were awake and, in the female's case, snarling.
The she-worgen was slender in body though lean muscles rippled under her silver and white fur. Her abnormally long black mane was messily plaited and hung halfway down her back. What really stood out about her was the colour of her eyes; a vivid emerald green that were an identical match to the ones Jeanne and Ammon share.
The male, even crouched in the corner, was still a huge creature. His fur was a hazelnut colour with darker brown points and markings on his face. He had a more average sized mane, though just as darkly hued as every other worgen they've encountered. Beads and small, short plaits decorated it. Like the she-worgen, his most distinguishing feature was his eyes; a deep green, much like the leaves in the forests.
The male regarded the trio with what seemed like a wary curiosity, an expression mirroring their own. He didn't seem to be really bothered by his capture, seeming more inconvenienced than angry or panicked.
His female counterpart, however, was pacing back and forth across the cage in what seemed like anger and restlessness. She kept her eyes on the three at all times, sometimes growling when she passed by them.
A soft chuckle startled Ammon into wheeling around to look at his king. The king had his eyes on the female, who had paused at the new sound, and a small smile on his worn face. Genn stepped closer to the cage, ignoring the warnings both Gwen and Ammon blurted, and stared the female down, smile still on his face. The she-worgen reared onto her hind legs, standing much like a human would, and met the king's stare with a furious one of her own.
Tense moments passed as the two had their silent staring contest. After what seemed like an eternity, the she-worgen sniffed once and dropped back down on all fours. Genn's grin widened a fraction before he stepped back and turned to his stunned companions.
"Was there any doubt, Lord Delroy, that this worgen is your sister? The male is your brother. Why else would they be hunting, and by extension, captured together?"
Ammon's brow furrowed as he regarded the elderly king with the utmost look of shock on his face. "Many unrelated worgen hunt together, Sire… How can you be so sure?"
Genn simply glanced back at the two worgen for a brief moment before replying simply, "Look at them."
He turned back to his companions with a serious look upon his lined face. "These two have now become a priority to receiving treatment. I cannot rest easy until the two people missing from the family closest to mine has their minds back. See to it that it's done Miss. Armstead."
