THE SPILLING OF BLOOD IN THE THICK TURMOIL.
Xena watched as the werewolf moved up another tunnel. She could feel herself getting frustrated, they'd been moving through this labyrinth for what felt like hours. She watched as the werewolf lowered himself on to all fours, making his way up a smaller darker tunnel. Xena turned putting the torch in a holder before leaning down to follow him. It wasn't the worst tunnel she'd been it. It wasn't pleasant though. The werewolf stopped and raised his hand, pulling a lever which was on the wall. She narrowed her gaze watching as the light suddenly streamed in. The werewolf disappeared from view as he leapt out in to the open. Xena gripped the rock as she eased herself up. She felt the clawed hand grab her, heaving her out.
Xena looked around her, she was in a woodland area. She turned, catching sight of the tavern where she'd been staying, she turned to the werewolf who was standing close by. He pushed down on a rock nearby with his clawed foot, causing the tunnel opening to close up, showing only a stony surface. Xena turned to the werewolf, who had his head lowered. "I owe you one." She was about to say more but was cut off by a long drawn out howl which hit the air. She looked at the werewolf. "I have to go, I have to find Gabrielle." He nodded calmly. Xena broke in to a run as the werewolf ran the other way, disappearing from sight.
8
Gabrielle pulled the fur cover over her shoulders, she could feel the coldness of the cell. She looked at her clothes which were neatly piled up. She breathed in sharply, feeling a sudden rush of heat go through her body, it wouldn't be long now. She looked over at Alexia who had wrapped herself up in a sheet and had her back to her. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the silence. Everything seemed so peaceful. She found herself suddenly going stiff, something was off. She didn't get a second chance to comprehend that thought as she heard the door fly open at the far end. There was a cry of pain, followed by a soldier's body flying through the air.
She watched as the soldier hit the floor hard on his back, going limp in front of her cell. She blinked for a moment, only to turn as another soldier was thrown to the ground. He looked up only to be hit squarely in the face by a female fist. Gabrielle narrowed her gaze, it wasn't Xena. She found herself going quiet as Kyra's face appeared. Kyra grinned at her husband, who was standing in the doorway, he had hit those men so hard with his back hooves that it had been great to watch. She looked over the soldier who was groaning she felt her smile widen as she pulled out the keys from his belt. She turned to meet Gabrielle's gaze while watching as the other Amazons came forward. "My Queen."
Gabrielle looked at for a long moment. "Kyra?" Kyra grinned as she raised the keys, which caused everyone in the cells to go insane with chatter. "I've come to get you out of this cell." She smirked as she looked at the keys. "I mean, them putting you in here with the werewolves. You're not a werewolf." She stopped sharply, seeing Gabrielle's clothes lying next to her.
"Are you crazy? Don't open that cell!"
She watched as one of the Amazons punched the healer as he came through the door, another grabbed him, putting a dagger to his throat. Kyra looked at him, narrowing her gaze "Shut up." Erasmus folded his arms tapping a hoofed foot. "You do realize little man, that harming an Amazon Queen is punishable by death!"
He grunted aloud. "Now I don't know why she's not wearing her clothes, but if you did something to her I'll be happy to end your life right now!" Athan looked at the dagger to his throat. "She's not your Queen! She's one of them!" Kyra rolled her eyes as she turned the key, hearing the cell unlock. "I hate you people, you lack honour on every level." Erasmus sneered slightly "They all act this way because of their general, he's dishonourable and they all follow suit." Kyra nodded as she opened the cell's huge thick door. She walked inside, kneeling down beside Gabrielle. "You should put your clothes back on." She stopped, feeling Gabrielle grab her hand, she looked down, feeling the heat.
She looked up slightly. "Gabrielle?" Gabrielle felt her body suddenly get hotter. "The keys." Kyra raised an eyebrow. "My Queen?" Gabrielle looked up slowly. "Please give me the keys." Kyra nodded, putting the keys in her hand. Athan's eyes widened in shock. "You stupid crazy Amazon! You'll be the death of us all!" Kyra turned slightly. "You know little man ,I'm really beginning to dislike you!" She turned ,pulling up her sword. "Say one more thing and I'll cut out that tongue of yours! You hear me?" She stopped, seeing that the Amazons' eyes had suddenly gone wide. She looked at them for a moment, only to hear Gabrielle groan painfully behind her. She turned around watching as Gabrielle doubled over screaming in pain, Kyra found her sword dropping from her hand as fur burst through the woman's flesh. The hand that held the key changed in front of her as claws burst through the nails. She found her breath leaving her all at once.
Human legs turned into huge muscled furry ones with long claws. She watched as the fur blanket came off as the upper body reformed, turning into pure muscle and fur. The face of her friend slowly vanished as it turned into a long snout with razor sharp teeth. The last screams vanished, turning in to roars as the long tail swung and the ears pulled back. She watched as the green eyes slowly reopened, their pupils gleaming in the low light. The huge werewolf in front of her slowly turned as it looked at the keys in its hand. It lowered its head to look at her before shaking its huge mane of golden fur. Gabrielle looked at Kyra, keeping her eye on the sword close by.
Kyra didn't think as she grabbed the sword from the straw, raising it. "No!" She watched as the werewolf's eyes travelled to her weapon. "Stay back!" Gabrielle breathed in deeply as she raised the keys again, looking at them. She watched a brown furry head rise to look at her from the other cell window. Bastiaan's grin widened. "You're an Amazon Queen?" Gabrielle sighed aloud. "Yes." Bastiaan laughed aloud. "I love it! The Amazons came to rescue you." Gabrielle lifted the keys higher, ignoring Kyra's frightened gaze. "Which one unlocks your cell?" Bastiaan pointed a clawed finger. "Second on the right." Gabrielle closed her hand feeling the metal ring bend she pulled the key off forcefully using her teeth She held it gently before spitting it through the barred window, watching as Bastiaan caught it in his large clawed hand. Kyra looked up slightly as two of her Amazon sisters come forward, she raised her hand stopping them. She wasn't sure if she was seeing this, but she knew it was real.
The brown werewolf had made growling sounds but so did the one in front of her, it was like they were talking. She watched as another key flew past her as the golden werewolf threw it at the cage behind her. It landed hard just outside it and was picked up by red-clawed fingers and pulled in to the cell in a swift motion. She raised her sword. "Hey!" The werewolf in front of her turned sharply. "Tell me your name." Gabrielle rolled her eyes, she was getting sick of this. She wasn't a stupid mindless animal! She raised her free hand to the dark stonewall then used a clawed finger as she began to scratch as best she could in the hard stone.
She growled, trying her best to get the words to look right. Kyra stared in shock as she watched the name slowly appear. It was badly written, but it was a name all the same. She found herself suddenly laughing out loud as she looked up, meeting the forest green eyes. "By the gods, you're still in there…."
Athan looked up catching sight of the name. "That's not possible! She's an animal, how can she know how to write her name?" Kyra slowly lowered her sword. "Oh I can't wait to tell everyone how wrong you've all been! The look on Apostolos' face is going to be priceless!" She moved out of the way as Gabrielle stepped past her. Bastiaan snorted as he left the lock open on his cage. "I'd rather not bother seeing his face… I'd rather kill him." Gabrielle carried on walking, noticing how still the Amazons were as she passed the keys in to the other cells. "Doing that will just make you look like a monster. It's also just what he wants you to do."
Karsten smiled, as he was given his key. "She's got a point Bastiaan." He shook his long grey mane. "We should all leave if you ask me… I mean, there's nothing here for us." Alexia pushed her cell door open. "I'm not leaving, I'm going to find my husband." She closed her clawed hand. "Then we'll both leave together." Kyra raised an eyebrow as one of her Amazon sisters leaned down slightly. "Are they talking?" Kyra nodded, watching as Gabrielle tapped the claws on her feet as she tossed the last key in to waiting hands. "I think so." Erasmus stepped back as one of the werewolves ran past him. "Well, they're not as dangerous as we thought. I mean, they're obviously still themselves, it's just the form that's changed."
8
Demetrius heard another howl he looked over at the forest, watching as Apostolos came forward. "They're coming!" Apostolos sneered, watching as his soldiers sped into instant action. He turned sharply, "Man every wall! I don't want them to make it past our gates!" Demetrius looked up as another howl broke the air. "Where's Xena?" Apostolos folded his arms, watching as the bows slowly rose. "Xena's won't be joining us in this battle." Demetrius turned sharply. "What?" Apostolos growled. "We don't need her or her girlfriend." Demetrius turned, feeling his anger churn. "You stupid bastard! You put her in the tomb didn't you?" Apostolos raised his sword. "Yes, and I put her girlfriend in the cells along with your wife." Demetrius narrowed his gaze. "We needed Xena, she's a hero!" Apostolos snorted. "No, she's a disgusting werewolf lover just like you." Theodore laughed. "Yeah, and we don't need any more of those."
Demetrius eased up his sword. "Shut up Theodore!" He watched as the red haired man went quiet His gaze moved back to the general. "You are going to kill us all if you carry on like this! There won't be anyone left to defend this city!" Apostolos growled as he stepped closer. "I can do what ever I please, I'm general here, not you!" Demetrius grunted "You're only general here because you blackmailed me! You don't deserve this position! You're an insane bastard who doesn't care about who lives or dies or who's good or bad in their werewolf form." He raised his sword higher. "They're all just animals to you!" Apostolos sneered. "They are animals!" Demetrius snarled. "My wife is not an animal! She never once hurt me in her other form!" Apostolos laughed. "So you're going to take me on in battle… I don't think you have the nerve to kill me." He looked around him, seeing that all the soldiers were starting to get nervous, not knowing what to do next.
"He may not but I do."
Apostolos turned sharply, only to feel pure agony as a fist made contact with his face. He pulled back painfully, feeling the blood as it ran down his chin. He looked up, meeting an ice-cold pair of light blue eyes. The tall warrior woman was standing in front of him, her teeth bared. "Xena?" Xena snarled as she narrowed her gaze. "Where's Gabrielle!" Apostolos felt his teeth grind together. "How in Tartarus did you get out of the tomb? No one ever gets out of there!" Xena slowly eased her sword out of its scabbard. "I had help from a friend." Apostolos turned, eyeing Demetrius coldly. Xena swung her weapon. "Actuality it wasn't him…" Apostolos turned hearing another howl from the forest. "You're not going to kill me Xena… you're weak and you don't kill people anymore." Xena raised her eyebrow. "Oh really, well there's a part of that you misheard." She watched the general swing his sword. "What was it I misheard?" Xena eyed him. "I'll happily kill anyone who harms Gabrielle, which puts you top of the list." Apostolos rolled his eyes as he readied himself. "You're pathetic. I can't believe how much you dote over that stupid little blonde."
Xena watched as their weapons clashed together. "She is not stupid." Apostolos ducked as her sword went over his head. "She was stupid enough to get caught, pitiful really." Xena swung her weapon full force, narrowly missing him as he sidestepped. "I wouldn't call knocking out four of your well armed men pitiful." She grinned evilly. "One of the Centaurs was nice enough to tell me all about that on my way up here." She swung again, watching him step back. Apostolos sneered slightly. "You're a stupid lovesick woman." Xena felt the force as their swords smashed together. "Better than being a cold bastard like you." She pulled back as he tried to punch her with his free hand.
He grinned, feeling the force as there weapons clashed again, he turned, seeing that Xena was backed up against the main wall. His gaze suddenly widened as a huge black form appeared, leaping through the air towards him. He turned, hearing the sudden commotion as his soldiers' cries rang out. He watched as the armoured monster leapt clean over Xena. He cried out in pain as its clawed feet slammed into his chest. The world spun, causing him to lose his footing. The world flew past as he fell off the side of the stairs that led to the main wall. All he felt was pain as his body made contact with the solid ground below. He looked up, still clinging to his sword as an armoured brown foot appeared.
He looked up in horror seeing the fully armoured werewolf in front of him. He raised his hand in panic as a shower of arrows flew in his direction, he tried to get up, only to choke painfully. He knew he'd broken something. The long clawed hand grabbed his shoulder and he cried out again as the claws pushed in to his upper arm, causing blood to flow. Xena didn't think as she flung the Chakram, watching as it made contact with the werewolf's helmeted head. It let go of the general as its helmet fell to the ground. It roared as it backed up, meeting her gaze she snarled as she leapt off the wall, landing in front of it. She watched as it smirked, raising a bloody clawed hand.
Xena pulled back, grabbing her Chakram. Her gaze moved sharply as the cries of the soldiers sounded again as four more fully armoured werewolves came over the wall. She raised her sword, watching as a number of soldiers close by grabbed their long spears. There were five in all. She swung her weapon ignoring the screams of the villagers, who started to run away from the scene. She could hear Demetrius as he shouted out the orders driving the soldiers in to action. She narrowed her gaze as she looked at the armour on the werewolves, they all had helmets but she could see plumes on one of them which signified that that one was in charge. They had wrist and upper chest armour while their feet were also covered.
All wore loin cloths which were black to match their armour. They looked like some elite force, one which had been sent for a purpose. She looked at the general who was trying to crawl away. She twirled her sword, she'd deal with him later, right now killing every one of these armoured werewolves was more important.
8
Bastiaan eyed the others as he tapped a clawed foot on the floor. "I told you I'm not staying!" Karsten snorted as he sat on the ground outside the cells. "I agree, we have no reason to stay… even if we did it wouldn't accomplish anything." Alexia watched as the other werewolves nodded, her gaze turned to the Amazons and Centaurs who were watching with interest. She raised a clawed hand. "I agree, but I told you already I'm not leaving without my husband." Bastiaan snorted. "It's dangerous here, we can come back in the morning. We can sneak in and get him… but in this form we are at risk." He twirled a clawed finger. "We'll be killed on sight for having tails and a pair of teeth."
Gabrielle pricked up her ears as the sound of screaming hit her air. She could see the others hadn't heard it because they were too busy arguing. Karsten folded his arms. "What's your thoughts Gabrielle?" Gabrielle turned, she couldn't seem to ignore the screams and shouts which were getting louder. Karsten raised his ears. "Gabrielle!" He watched as she slowly turned to look at him. "I mean, you must agree with us, right? That we should all leave here!" He narrowed his gaze listening to the cries. "Leave them! They would never help you! Let them fight and die. They want a war where no one's left alive!"
Gabrielle turned away, only to feel him grab her arm. Karsten leaned a little closer. "They will never come to like you, it's not your fault, it's just to them you're the enemy." Gabrielle yanked her arm out of his grip. She couldn't help the anxiousness she was feeling. She knew she couldn't ignore it. There were many innocent people there as well, who couldn't fight back and didn't know how. She closed her eyes for a long moment before opening them again. She didn't care if she was a monster in their eyes, she had the power to help them. She moved away, feeling Karsten grab her arm again. The huge grey werewolf looked at her, the horror showing in his face. "Don't help them!"
Gabrielle snapped her jaws close to his face, causing him to let go. "I'm not leaving." She moved further away, watching as Bastiaan looked up sharply. "Why do you want to do this?" Gabrielle turned slowly. "Because it's right! There are innocent people there who can't defend themselves. I'd gladly give my life to save them." She bolted in a run on all fours, she had no idea where she was, but she carried on moving. She knew that Kyra was following her, she could also hear the hooves of the Erasmus as well. She could smell the fear as she got closer to it and it made her blood boil.
Karsten snorted, watching her go. "She's insane!" He turned, watching in surprise as an old werewolf appeared, slowly walking up to them moving his hairless ears while shaking his black mane. "She's not insane, she's the only one of you who's truly doing the right thing." Karsten looked up sharply, watching as the old werewolf sat himself on the well "Who in Tartarus are you?"
The old werewolf breathed in deeply. "Who I am doesn't matter, the more important question is when are any of you going to do the right thing?" Alexia grunted. "I don't care who he is, he's right." She dropped down onto all fours. "I'm going after her… I might still be able to catch up with her if she's not gotten too far." Bastiaan put a hand on his chest. "I'm going with Alexia…"
8
Xena smashed her sword across the werewolf's face as it came at her. She turned, kicking another forcing it back, which gave the soldiers a chance to stab it. Blood splattered all over her arm as the man opposite her had his arm torn off. She turned, grabbing the werewolf by back of its neck before it could attack the fallen man again. She heard it howl as she sliced her sword across its throat, which caused it to fall forward as it coughed and whined before hitting the floor in a heap. She turned, seeing a number of arrows as they rained down, hitting another in its unarmoured legs. She sliced her sword across the side of another's unarmoured face.
These weren't nearly as difficult to fight as the one she'd run into in the woods two days ago. They were sloppy and not as fast on their feet. She flung the Chakram hitting another's helmet which caused it to tumble backward, giving the soldiers their moment to stab it in the stomach and shove their spears in to its exposed neck.
She caught the weapon as it came back, she turned sharply as someone's scream hit the air. She watched as the leader slammed his hand into one of soldier's stomachs then raised the dying man slowly off the ground. The leader grinned as he pulled out the man's insides before throwing his lifeless body at the nearest wall.
End of part 10
Silvermoonlight
