A TRULY PAINFUL INJUSTICE THAT TORMENTS THE SOUL
I remember everything now, my name, my age I remember the painful tragedy that is my life and I even remember what happened to me after I was taken out of that pit a month ago in vivid detail. I hate the Greek gods they curse me every time, bastards may be this is because I rejected them for another god who is from an older in religion than them. My name is Gabrielle I was born in the town of Potidaea and I'm about to die. How ironic since looking back at my memories now with crystal clarity the woman whose on her back with her sword pointed at me was the one who wanted nothing more than to save me. Now her palace warriors are about to kill me and she'll no doubt hack my head off when their done and keep it as a trophy.
Humans are all the same and she was only nice to me when I was human but I'm not human anymore so I guess all bets are now off. I lived through worse maybe this will be a happy reprieve a quick death, the death I couldn't gain in battle. I curse this body for its abilities in that I can heal up much quicker than any normal person if I'd have been human I'd have died a long time ago. I should be dead now I was left in that darkness to starve till the end but this ironic curse kept me alive much longer than humanly possible. My body also did something so I could cope. It shut down my mind blocking off all my memories from me, so I didn't go insane in the darkness. The werewolf part of me withdrew along with these memories and who I really was keeping me awake and making me a shadow of my forma self.
Once I started to gain my strength back and my wasted body returned to normal it all began to resurface. Clearly though it just needed more time and a few more triggers from my past. I'm so fortunate that the Empress of Greece kept everything that was stolen for me to see once more, yet I'm also unfortunate as it will now be my undoing as usual my timing is bad, nothing ever changes. It's the story of my miserable life wrong time, wrong place, now I'll get to be a pelt for the Empress to wear, may be I should be flattered. I mean she been hunting my kind to extinction, give her another twenty years and we will be no more than a myth spoken about my scholars and bards who wished they'd been there to witness our end.
I look at my fur which is heavily mattered, I look a mess I don't think I've ever looked so bad. Mattered fur, half cut mane, all thanks to these people cutting my human hair short. If fate had been different I would have been able to get rid of this fur as it would all fall out as a new glossy fur coat grew in its place. Even my mane would have grown back as my hair got longer well I guess I really don't get to die looking my best. May be I won't be a pelt may be I'll be a skeleton on display or a skull on her mantel piece. That's the best part for humans to brag about the over sized skull which make the skulls of wolves look mediocre.
I slowly close my eyes well it's been fun I guess, if I'm lucky my god Ouroboros will take pity on me and allow my eternal soul to pass through her eye and onwards in to the next life. May be there I can try my hand at life again and have no memory of this one which has been nothing but pain and misery. Xena stood still feeling the shock hit home the werewolf could speak? The words were clear as was the voice which was identical to her human one only there was the slight growling echo from the throat over laying it. Her gaze shifted as Demetrius ran through the door the shock spreading across his face as he saw the werewolf in front of her.
The men all looked unsure and surprised which meant that this creature talking was not her imagination but very real. Demetrius snarled as he raised his sword. "What are you fools waiting for? Kill that monster now!" Xena raised her hand in a sharp motion. "No!" She ignored his shock watching as they lowered their crossbows. She got to her knees lowering her sword slightly ignoring the fear in her gut as she spoke. "Did you just speak?" Gabrielle opened her eyes narrowing them as she looked at the woman beside her. She sneered slightly. "Yes I spoke!" She lowered her arms putting down the carved bird. "What's wrong are you surprised that a monster like me can talk?"
She moved forward on all fours seeing the slight fear in the other woman's face now she was the bigger one towering over her rather than the other way around. "Now that we've established that I can talk how's about you cut to the chase and get on with killing me! I'm part of a dying race anyway, so one more won't make much difference." Xena felt her eyes dart she ignored the shock as it filled Demetrius's face this female werewolf was now talking and she had very different personality to the one she'd seen before. It was very cold, almost hateful. She had never seen a living werewolf this close before in her life and she could now see something which was surprising even to her, the eyes were identical in colour to human ones despite the slightly larger pupils.
She breathed in gathering her strength as she spoke. "I was told that werewolves don't speak." Gabrielle raised a clawed hand she wanted to laugh mocking at the taller woman but somehow she knew it would feel like a shallow victory. "I doubt you've ever kept one alive long enough to ask a question, plus for fifty dinars a head it's not like anyone would bring you any live werewolves." Xena got up slowly watching for any movement keeping the sword firmly in her hand. "I was also told that werewolves are monsters twenty four seven." Gabrielle looked up laughing slightly but it was cold laugh even to her own ears. "Well I guess I get to break that delusion for you, what a crying shame."
She lowered her ears. "Now you can tell your country that werewolves are human during the day light hours. May be this can be an excuse to accuse those you don't like and skin them alive in the same way you do my kind!" Xena looked at the huge female werewolf for a long moment it was trying to bait her on purpose. "Why so angry monster?" Gabrielle turned sharply. "My name is Gabrielle! Not monster and I remember every part of my life as well as this whole of this month in very clear detail!" She shifted on all fours. "The only reason I haven't ripped out your guts so I can watch you die, is because for some reason which I really can't fathom you helped me out of that pit, despite that you had me put in there to start with."
Xena raised the sword. "I'd kill you first." Gabrielle raised both clawed hands. "Then spare me the small talk because I hate waiting to die." Xena lowered her sword slightly. "I didn't put you in that pit." Gabrielle sneered slightly. "Yes you did!" Xena breathed in trying to control her anger. "No I didn't! I had no idea who you were even there, there was no mention of you in the palace records!" Gabrielle raised a clawed hand. "I was screaming in that pit for days and no one came to help me!" Xena put a hand on her face feeling the frustration hit home. "The elite warriors aren't allowed to throw anyone down there they don't even guard that area! I have a law against any one being thrown in the pit!"
Gabrielle lowered her ears. "Well I guess that law you put in place clearly doesn't work!" She slowly stood up on her hind legs feeling her claws tap the decorative floor. "I mean thanks to you and you're so called law I've spent the last two years rotting in the darkness!" Xena breathed looking at the golden werewolf who now towering over her. She swallowed before regaining her composer once more despite the twinge of fear she felt as she pulled out her arms. "People listen to my laws and nothing like this has ever happened before!" Gabrielle moved closer so she was with in inches of her face. "Clearly they weren't listened to your so called laws if they were I wouldn't be here right now!"
Xena narrowed her gaze. "I've done everything to help you stay alive since I pulled you out of that pit!" Gabrielle felt her teeth grind together. "Yes and now you're going to kill me, how ironic!" Xena breathed in deeply. "If you haven't noticed I'm the one who just told them not to fire on you!" Gabrielle put a clawed hand on her chest not bothering to hide the sarcasm in her voice as she spoke. "I'm so flattered that you've told them not to fire on me, considering my heads worth fifty dinars on the open market." Xena breathed in sharply realizing that everyone around her was just staring in shock at this whole spectacle.
She put a hand on her face gods she was arguing with a werewolf this was insane on every level. Talk about the gods testing her, it felt like they were doing so right now, with this. Just about everything she'd been led to believe about werewolves was clearly wrong. Normally she wouldn't care but something about this was drawing her in. In all the time Gabrielle had been here she knew nothing about her and even now she knew nothing. The werewolf who was arguing with her right at this moment was even more a mystery. Maybe that was what was drawing her in she wanted to know the truth, yes she could kill this werewolf but what would it accomplish? If she killed it she would never know the truth of who was working behind her back in side her own walls.
She was tired of assassin attempts and her staff turning on her because they saw her as weak because she had a soft heart. May be a selfish part of her saw this talking werewolf as something useful, who would attack her if she had one of these creatures around? Every one was terrified of werewolves. Plus this one could talk which intrigued her, so little was even known from these creatures and in these last few minutes she'd learnt more than she had in the last in three years which was that they could talk and they weren't in this form all day only at night. During the day they were human just like everyone else.
She lowered her sword looking at everyone. "Lower your weapons." Demetrius eyed her, his gaze turned to huge monster. "Empress she's a monster, she will kill you!" Xena narrowed her gaze. "I said lower your weapons, now!" She watched as Demetrius lowered his weapon along with the other warriors who all looked even more uncertain. She raising her sword slowly up to eye level taking in a deep breath watching as the green eyes studied her very intensely. She took in a deep breath she was insane to do this and she knew it but she knew that this was the only way to see if this female werewolf would attack her and if she had a any sense of honour.
She threw the sword down watching as it clattered as it landed close to the clawed feet, a confused look spread across the huge face for a moment it showed itself more in the eyes than anywhere else. Oh yes she was insane, but if there was one thing she had come to learn from her time in Rome it was that sometimes you had to roll the dice and pray that it would pay off. She looked up slowly meeting the green eyes. "I'm not going to kill you and nether is anyone in this room." Gabrielle breathed in deeply great she knew just what was going to happen now, it always happened to her she was never given any choices of her own. She felt her teeth grind together. "What do you want from me?"
Xena raised an eyebrow clearly the female werewolf in front of her was very bright, she knew there was an offer involved namely one that would spare her life. "I want you to stay here in my palace." Gabrielle narrowed her gaze. "As your prisoner?" Xena folded her arms. "No as my guest, it's clear to me now that I know nothing of werewolves as you say, so I want you to teach me." Gabrielle laughed but it was a cold laugh even to her own ears. "You want me to teach you, why what in it for you?" Xena looked in to the green eyes clearly this werewolf was very smart and not easily fooled unless she knew all the facts. "I get to learn and you get to live so long as you don't harm me." Gabrielle leaned forward snorting in disgust causing the woman's dark hair to be blown back sharply.
Xena narrowed her gaze she knew she was being mean, her deal basically meant that this werewolf's life was forfeit and that if she touched her it would mean her death. "Do we have a deal?" Gabrielle felt her claws tap the decorative floor, the bitch, she had no way out of this if she hurt this woman she'd die, if she left this palace she'd be hunted down for her head. She loathed forced deals, in which there was no choice ether side of the equitation. Xena eyed the werewolf who was looking down at the floor she felt a smug smile form. "May I remind you that in side these walls you get to live, outside my palace you'll be hunted down for your head as you already know?"
Gabrielle leaned forward roaring in her face, with all her might blowing her hair back. She felt her hand form a fist as she watched the Empress step back the smugness disappearing instantly as her face turned to anger but her eyes didn't hide the fear very well. She could see it even if the others in the room couldn't. She clearly had never looked down a living werewolf's throat at all its teeth before and she do well to learn that she was not a pet dog. Her jaws could rip a person's head clean off and her throat was power enough to swallow it whole. She'd eaten her over sized blue pheasant in six bites not that it tasted that nice, but it had the only thing around at the time.
She eased out her tongue running it the length of her teeth before speaking. "As you wish." Xena watched as the jaws closed fully she never seen anything like it before every tooth in that mouth was razor sharp. She looked down she could tell from the eyes that the werewolf knew that she had scared her and as far as she could was concerned that would the last time she ever scared her like that. Gabrielle raised her clawed hand. "So I guess this the part where you tell me I have to sleep outside or in an open prison cell?" Xena looked up sharply she breathed in feeling her teeth grind together. "No this is the part where I tell you that you can return to your room." Gabrielle felt a cold smile form. "How fascinating so I get to stay in that room for the rest of my time as your guest is that right?"
Xena turned sharply meeting the green eyes. "As I said before you are not a prisoner in my palace you can go anywhere you wish, as before." Gabrielle eyed her she slowly lowered herself down on to all fours not bothering to hide her disgust as she spoke. "I'll be so interested to see how long you stay true to your word." She shook her mane. "After all my life is forfeit and you can choose to change the rules of this agreement any time you wish." She moved forward on all fours. "It would so easy for you to do so." Xena watched as she walked away from her. "I'm honourable to my agreements." Gabrielle looked up slightly meeting her light blue eyes. "That's what every one says in beginning, then they realize that it much more fun to watch others suffer, I doubt you'll be any different."
Xena looked up meeting Demetrius gaze. "Please escort our guest back to her room and have one of your guards bring the chest with all her belongings to the room. Then inform the staff that we now have a werewolf in our presence and not to be concerned from this day onwards if she's seen walking the palace at night." Demetrius nodded as he moved closer to the golden furred werewolf, he didn't like this one bit it was insane and this beast was dangerous regardless of whether or not it could speak. "Come!" Gabrielle felt her clawed hand tap the floor as she moved forward on all fours looking at the remains of what had been her dress.
She eyed the man in disgust as he looked at her. "I am not a dog keep that in mind before you call me like that again." Demetrius opened the door watching as walked through on all fours keeping her tail low to the ground. "You could've fooled me." Gabrielle eyed him as they walked through the long corridor which led to her room which was completely empty, as most of the staff were sleeping now. She looked up at the man who was no doubt a commander, she could tell by his clothing. "Small minded idiot." Demetrius sneered slightly, clearly it wasn't just that this monster was rude to the Empress it was rude period and clearly it didn't care who it insulted. He looked up catching sight of its room. "You should learn manners monster, I will not tolerate rudeness from you."
Gabrielle laughed enjoying the mocking sound as it filled the air, she looked up seeing an annoyed expression appear on his face. "You seriously expect manners from me when you give me none in these first few minutes of walking the corridor? You disgust me your just like every one else you expect everything but you give nothing in return." She put her clawed hand on the double doors forcing them open as she walked inside staying on all fours. "I don't obey bastards like you and don't think that when I return to human form that I won't remember this little conversation, I'll remember everything." Demetrius pulled back as the double doors were suddenly slammed in his face.
He snarled aloud this was a mistake on the Empress's part this was a monster and he would ensure that he protected everyone from it, it was dangerous. Frankly the Empress should have killed it but as always her sense of honour and kindness had guided her judgement. He stepped away form the double doors its very being here was wrong, so what if it could talk it didn't change what it was, which was a monster. Gabrielle walked in to the room staying on all fours, once more she was just a prisoner and a puppet to the whims of others nothing ever changed. She didn't think as she used her clawed hand to smash one of the desks chairs out of the way she watched as it hit the wall on the opposite side of the room before hitting the floor hard.
She should have died so many times, but every time she lived and she had no idea why. She eased up a clawed finger running it down the scar on her eyebrow which always remained what ever her form she was in, forever staring back at her and mocking her. She should have died on that night eleven years ago back when she was no more than sixteen, but the Greek gods had instead cursed her by letting her live.
End of part 10
Silvermoonlight