Judy: Thank you, happy to know that quality hasn't dropped.
Moonpriestess30:
Ch35 - This felt a little more explained and natural compared to the other version
Ch36 - They always make me laugh and I love writing them
Ch37 - I hope you liked it. Updates should be pretty regular!
Chapter 38 – The wild within.
Makatza decided to stay out the camp when they arrived, she didn't want to put the other elves on edge with a large wolf wandering around. Silvanus stroked her softly and sighed, 'you'll come back when you're normal, aye?' He says with concern. Makatza nods and rests her head on his shoulder, hugging him tightly with an awkwardly bent paw. He nods feeling depressed that he couldn't help his daughter and stands up, 'I love you, Lethallan.'
Makatza smiles and howls a little at him, infusing her voice with magic, 'I love you, father,' she says making his face light up in glee. She hadn't called him father before and it was a nice feeling. They would write letters to each other and he would tell her stories of her mother, it gave her a stronger connection to this world and like Isabela said, what did she have to lose? He laughs and runs back over to give her a tighter hug making her laugh as only a wolf can.
'Oh my Lethallan,' he says squeezing her tightly. 'When ya are back to normal, we will hunt, jus' you an I,' he smiles as he strokes an ear back. 'We will spen' propa' time together, aye?' He asks. Makatza nods and licks his face a couple of time. She would like that, time away from the city and any other problems she seemed to be accumulating. He nodded and patted her head one last time, 'till then my Lethallan,' he smiles as he moved away and towards the camp.
She whined a little without realising as he left and then shook her head vigorously to shake some sense into her mind. Aveline and Fenris had volunteered to stay at the cart with her while Hawke and the others went to inquire about this tool that Merrill required. Fenris was a little concerned, ever since she had returned he had felt something deep inside his very being towards her. It was confusing and very frustrating, if he didn't know where she was or see her he felt an anxiety grow and it was powerful, almost nauseating. He glanced over at Aveline who was content reading a book, with a quick look at Makatza where she was sniffing some rocks he felt confident that they wouldn't be heard. He cleared his throat, 'Aveline,' he said a little unsure.
'Yes? What's up?' She asked as she lowered her book and looked down at him from where she was sitting on the edge of the wagon.
'I wish to ask you something that I do not want... anyone to find out about,' he said feeling a blush around his ears as he ran a hand through his hair.
Aveline smiled knowingly, she had an idea as to where this was going but she didn't want to pressure him. 'Of course, I'll answer what I can,' she said kindly as she moved over on the side to allow him to jump up and join her. She didn't mention that she caught him looking for Makatza briefly before turning his attention back to her.
He paused for a moment, 'you... you have cared about someone... intimately before,' he says trying to phrase it well but failing.
Aveline suppresses a smirk and laughs and merely nods, 'I have had a husband yes,' she clarifies. He clears his throat again and going by the way he was moving his hands as he spoke he was clearly finding it hard to project what he was asking. 'Do you find that you're starting to care for someone?' She asked unable to keep quiet.
He went silent for a moment before sighing. 'How do you know it is not just concern for their well being?' He clarifies.
She tapped her nails along the spine of her book. 'Hmm, okay, let's put it this way. You and I are friends yes?' She said smiling as he nods. 'If I was in danger you would try to help me, yes?'
'Yes, without a doubt,' he admits, it was a nice feeling having Aveline call them friends. He had always gotten on with the Guard Captain over most things.
'Even if it was a couple of bandits you'd feel some expression of concern.'
'Yes, we all know how quickly a fight can turn,' he agrees. Aveline nods and looks at his expression, he seemed to be really fighting with whatever he was asking about.
'Okay, so, do you feel anything more when you think about a particular person in a fight with bandits?' She asks posing the question as if she was totally ignorant about who it could possibly be. He made a non committal sound and looked over at the camp thinking to himself, he definitely felt more than just concern when Makatza was in a fight; anger, fear, panic to name a few. 'When Wesley was in a fight I would feel a mixture of just everything, pride, terrified, anything you could think of it would be pounding in my heart,' she speaks sadly. 'Losing him was my greatest fear coming to life,' she mumbles. Fenris watches as she inhales deeply trying to stop herself from crying, despite his usual resistance to contact he reaches over and places a hand on hers for a brief moment of comfort. 'Thank you,' Aveline wipes her eyes and squeezes his fingers for a second before letting go. She clears her throat, 'my point is Fenris, if you feel that way towards someone you shouldn't fight it.'
'What if the feeling is constant? As if you can not relax unless you know where they are?' He asks very, very quietly, almost embarrassed.
Aveline tries to hide the sweet smile that she wore and failed, 'ah, that my friend is just the beginning. It'll wear off if the relationship goes further, if you admit your feelings,' she shrugs. 'If they're reciprocated your feelings will change. If she doesn't feel the same your feelings will fade, eventually.'
'She?' Fenris says in a little worry.
Aveline laughs, 'unless it's Sebastian, I'm going to assume it's the young lady that you spend a lot of time with,' she teases lightly making his face flush. 'I understand that it's probably conflicting because she's a mage-'
'No,' Fenris interrupts, 'she is different to mages,' he says simply. 'Probably far more dangerous as well.'
Aveline pats his arm, 'takes a dangerous woman to be with a dangerous man,' she smiles. He chuckles and shakes his head feeling a little better now that he had spoken about it. There was still something bothering him it didn't feel like everything had been answered there was more to his feelings than that, almost primal and it worried him. They turned their attention back to the wolf that was nipping at butterflies that flittered around her head, her collar brand catching the light and sparkling lightly. 'You did a good job on her collar,' Aveline praised. 'I'll spread the word that there's a large cross breed in the city, keep the guards from bothering her or panic to spread.'
Hawke wandered over and sighs as he reaches the pair. 'We've got to go on a thing for the Keeper before Merrill can get this stupid tool,' he says rolling his eyes. 'I'm taking Anders, Sebastian and Merrill obviously. This could take a while, could you take Makatza and Bubble home? Varric and Isabela want to stay at the camp they're investigating some of the elven beer and Silvanus is showing Varric his arrows or something,' he says with a shrug of his shoulders. 'Just take Makatza home... or to the pub, whichever you think is going to cause you the least hassle,' he says thinking. 'You'll figure it out I'm sure. Wish me luck, knowing the way things go I'm going to get my ass bitten by something,' he mutters. He pauses to give Makatza a pet before walking back into camp.
Aveline shrugs a shoulder. 'Just us then, Makatza you getting in the cart or running alongside?' She calls over as she climbs to the front seat and grabs the reins, Bubble who had been snoozing in the back lifted his head with a yawn. Makatza got up and stretched happily before lightly trotting ahead of the cart. 'Must feel a bit restless,' Aveline commented as she clicked her tongue.
It had been about a half hour running beside the cart when Makatza noticed something in the tree line. She skidded to a stop and looked around, there was a scent in the breeze that was familiar. Bubble walked up to her and asked her as to why she had stopped but she didn't answer him. Just as she was going to turn away she saw the flicker of white again and a breeze wrapped itself around her suggestively asking her to follow. Her primal instincts which she had taken to calling her inner wolf had perked up it's ears, she was being summoned. With a deceptive turn of speed she changed her point of focus and sprinted into the forest. Aveline and Fenris had stopped the cart and Fenris jumped down as soon as he saw her run. 'Where is she going?' He asked in worry as he reaches into the cart and grabbing his sword. Aveline swore, she couldn't just leave the mirror, she would have to let Fenris go with Bubble and attempt to find her. Bubble sniffed the leaves picking up her scent she had run quite fast and where he had paused for Fenris to catch up he had lost her. She was following something that was sure, there was another underlying scent, something unnatural.
Makatza ran through the trees following Wither Fang as she appeared here and there around thirty metres ahead. It was the smell of blood that hit her before anything, it was thick and potent. She slipped around a couple of trees and caught the scent of humans, male by the smell of it. She could hear whimpering and her ears pricked up as one of them spoke. 'Grab the ones that are still alive,' he said to his friend, 'that bitch caught me somethin' wicked,' he grunted as he lashed out with his foot and kicked something with a thud.
'Easy, you don' wanna mess up the fur any more, decent pelts are worth a fortune. Besides it serves you right, you pillock,' the other one hissed as he kneeled down. 'How many pups are alive?'
'Looks to be only two, ow fuck!' He said as he reached into the hollowed out tree stump that the wolfs cubs were cowering in. 'Nippy little bastards,' he swears as he pulls a bag out his belt. 'The piss lords of Kirkwall will pay a pretty penny for a hound like you,' he chuckles grabbing one by the scruff making it squeal.
Makatza could feel herself panting in anger, her mana was swirling around her as she became more agitated. She looked past the men and saw Wither Fang standing on a mound, the spirit nodded. 'Avenge this young mother. Care for her young. Respect the wishes of the dead for those you stole life from when dying,' Wither Fang said softly before disappearing in a breeze of leaves.
Makatza growled deeply as she emerged from the undergrowth making the men spin around in fear, it was at that moment that Makatza could see the dead wolf being skinned by the tall one with a mop of greasy hair. She snapped and snarled. 'Oh shit, you don't think this is the dad do you?' The one holding the pup asked, she could sense their fear and she growled louder and barked ferociously at him, saliva dripping from her jaw.
'Jus' fucking shoot it! Look at it's pelt! That'll be worth more than all these put together!' The greasy one said in panic. Blood dripped from his fingers and the small dagger he was using to skin the dead mother. Makatza howled loudly, her magic causing a painful ringing to sound out making them both drop what they were holding. The pup fell to the ground with a pained yap and crawled back under into the tree stump.
The men looked at each other and then with a spray of grass and dirt they began to run making Makatza run on instinct. She easily caught up with them and didn't even think about it as she jumped on the one that wanted her shot and clamped her jaws around his head, he screamed in agony as he felt her sharp teeth pierce his skin and begin to fracture his bones. Makatza snarled and growled as she increased the pressure and felt his skull shatter under her bite. She tore the clump of hair, blood and flesh from his head and saw that he was still alive, just unable to move. His eyes were wide and she could see the whites clearly as his body shook in shock. Feeling no remorse she allowed her body to do what it wanted as she left him turning to face the other one who was pressed against a tree in pure fear. The smell of urine filled her nostrils as the man's bladder released, he held up a small crossbow. Makatza watched as the point of the arrow swayed from side to side in his attempt to aim, she didn't even move when he released the bolt and it grazed her shoulder. It was the pain that made her inner bonds snap and her full inner wild was unleashed. She snarls and leaps onto the man as she ravaged his throat, blood spraying up her chest as he gurgled. Her teeth tore more and more of his neck until she reached his spine, his face and surrounding area practically unrecognisable.
Makatza felt like a bystander in her own body, she was reacting to sounds and sights, the smell of blood and pure instinct. She turned as she heard the sound of feet and paws coming towards her. Bubble stumbled to stop as he found her, Fenris almost tripping over the Mabari. He looked around at the dead man and the other who was still twitching and not quite dead even though he was missing half his brain. 'What...?' He asks as he takes in the situation. He notices the wound on her shoulder and puts two and two together. 'Hunters,' he says bitterly. Makatza wasn't reacting the way that he thought she would, she was backing up and snarling at him. 'Makatza, we need to go back to the cart,' he says carefully as he looked at her. Then he realised, her eyes were amber, not her usual blue and brown. 'Feral...' he murmurs to himself.
Bubble whined and cowered behind the elf who was crouching down and taking slow steps forward as he held out a hand. He had to remind her of who she was, her mana was pulsing from her heavily and blood dripped from her fur. 'Don't... she'll bite' Bubble whimpered knowing that Fenris couldn't understand him.
'Makatza,' Fenris says softly not flinching as she snapped at him in warning. She was confused, she didn't know what he was going to do, the blood was making everything hard to think about so she was running on instinct and right now all she wanted to do was get back to her pups. 'Remember me? I made your collar,' he says softly as he manages to reach forward and lightly grasp the leather, 'the collar that you wear, because you are Makatza,' he says increasing his grip feeling her breath as she growled baring her teeth. Then he made a unintentional mistake, his lyrium flickered into life with a pulse of her mana scaring her and she snapped at his arm. He swore as she tightened her grip, she split the skin on his forearm and tasted his blood. He grabbed her collar and pulled her even closer. 'You are Makatza! Katza!' He said in great pain. 'Remember?' His arm burnt in agony and he gritted his teeth. 'Remember, guinea pig?' Fenris says desperately with his eyes watering, she was going to snap through his arm at this rate.
Makatza jolted back into control and slowly opened her mouth and backed up, Fenris swore as he cradled his arm and looked up at her. Her eyes were swirling in colours and gently settled into the usual blue and brown. She panted and shook her head, 'I bit you,' she whined.
'I will be fine,' he assures. She starts to back away. 'Makatza, you have to stay... you can not run. Please,' he said with a wince. Blood stained his fingers and lazily dropped onto the forest floor.
Her mind reeled, she could taste his blood in her mouth, feel her heart pounding. The desperate fear that climbed into her throat, 'I could have killed you,' she whined. She had to move, had to leave, she couldn't be trusted around him, around anyone. She turned tail and quickly disappeared into the forest. Fenris swore and shakily got to his feet, he had to find her but he had to get his wound treated first, he was losing a lot of blood. With one final look to where she had run he thumped a tree with his good hand and turned to go back to the wagon.
I have now got six chapters in stock so I will be able to update mon-fri, once a day for the foreseeable future.
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