A/N:
I hope you all enjoyed the small morsel of fluff in the last chapter... because... Let's just say: "Hold on to your butts."
Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence and magical animal cruelty/ Strong depictions of pain, injury, and blood.
A sound pierced the moonlight. A sound as recognizable as the crack of lightning and the roar of thunder.
A sound that can strike the hearts of lesser beings with fright and fill those hearts with malice.
A howl
soaring into the heavens.
The two women shot to their feet and spun around toward the call. They were met with a gaze as piercing and blue as Elsa's own. Thick fur as black as the deepest shadows surrounded the glowing irises.
The wolf stood there on the top of the rocky hill facing the girls. Fuzzy, black ears pointed straight ahead, meeting the targets of the glowing blue gaze. His shoulders stood taller than any wolf, almost as tall as the green-eyed girl standing in front of him.
Anna did her best attempt at a whisper toward Elsa's ear.
"Ohmygod Elsa! He's huge! What do we do?"
Elsa never broke her stare.
"Just stay calm. He doesn't want to hurt us."
"Are you sure about that?" Anna's heart continued to race at the sight of the imposing figure staring back at her.
"His ears are up, and he isn't baring his fangs. And… I can feel his magic. He is another spirit."
The wolf took a hesitant step forward. As its body moved, they could see the slight glow of tiny blue orbs in the fur, like drops of magical rainwater cascading down the rustling hair.
As he got closer they also saw something else embedded into the dark coat.
"Elsa… those are… arrows sticking out of his back. How is that possible? I thought no one saw him?"
"Clearly someone saw him."
The wolf stopped. He continued to stare at them but now nudged his nose up and down in the air taking in the unfamiliar scent.
Elsa stepped forward and reached out a hand causing Anna to whisper in a slight panic. "Els? What are you doing?!"
"It's ok, vargr. We don't want to hurt you. We're here to help."
The wolf stepped forward once more. He tilted his head as he tried to figure out what to make of this foreign magical presence in his forest. He sniffed her outstretched hand. Magical blue orbs danced off his fur and swirled around her wrist mixing with her own magical snowflakes radiating off her skin.
I can feel his magic! I can feel the power… and the pain inside of him. What has happened vargr? What killed those people? Was it you?
The wolf shook his head side to side.
Then who did? And why does everyone blame you?
The wolf looked down, breaking his gaze for the first time. He sat down straight with his paws in front and his eye line still tall enough to match Elsa's. This close, Elsa could tell that his breathing was labored and irregular.
Please, let me and my friend help you. Let's get these arrows out.
The wolf looked up again but this time directed his stare toward the nervous and fidgety redhead still standing by the ledge behind Elsa.
"Elsa…" Anna tried whispering again, but louder this time. "I feel like he's giving me a look…"
Elsa responded while still trying to examine the injuries on the wolf's back.
"A look?"
"Like he wants to eat me."
"Anna, not everything wants to eat you."
"Els, I swear he just raised an eyebrow at me! He's giving me the stank eye!"
"I'm not even going to ask what that means."
Don't worry vargr. She means no harm. She's just nervous, that's all.
The wolf tilted his head, one side then the other, while still trying to sniff the air toward the fearful girl.
I wonder… If he can sense my magic, maybe he doesn't understand what's going on with Anna because of Andvari's ring?
"Anna, he's just being curious. Now, don't be a scaredy-fox, and come over and help me."
Anna lifted her chin up in defiance at the accusation and began to walk toward the two magical beings in front of her.
"You did not just call me a scaredy-fox," she grumbled as she took a step forward.
She never made it to them.
Elsa was entirely focused on the spirit. Her eyes inspecting the arrows in his back, her hands running through the magical fur, fingers running over scars, and peeling flakes of dried blood off the skin underneath. Her senses were overwhelmed by the magical presence mingling with her own.
She never heard it coming.
It came careening through the forest. A hungry predator, breathless and sharp. Launched with such force that it sailed for hundreds of meters through the trees, arcing up into the canopy and dropping… dropping…
Landing deep into black fur and wary muscle.
Some beings cry out, some scream, and some yell their pain. A being as powerful as a wolf simply yelps and whimpers as its body is knocked over by the force of the metal teeth ripping through his skin.
Elsa cried out.
"NO!"
She looked in horror at the new arrow sticking out of the side of the spirit. No, not an arrow. A shaft as thick as her forearm and fletching made from massive eagle feathers covering a ring attached to a rope that extended deep into the dark forest.
The wolf tried to escape but the rope held him in place. It strained against his desperate attempt to pull free.
Elsa's anger flared like a cold sun as she whipped her head toward the forest to find the one who she knew would be there.
Her ears were greeted by a new sound. A sizzling in the air drew her eyes skyward toward a white satchel with a glowing fuse tumbling end over end.
Then the world went white.
The small floating object erupted into a white light that drowned all eyes unfortunate enough to be looking in its direction.
This time Elsa heard the arrows coming.
Even without sight, she raised an instinctive wall of ice before her, catching the arrows bearing down toward her head.
With her eyes shut, she could hear the frantic flailing of the wolf's body as it tried to get to its feet. The wall of ice had snapped the rope, allowing the wolf to flee toward the forest leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
"Anna?! Are you ok?! Where are you!?"
"Elsa! I'm right here."
Elsa felt the reassuring contact of the other girl's hand on her shoulder.
"Anna... I can't see anything."
"Oh man, you were staring right at that thing when it went off. My vision is starting to clear already. Let me help you. I'll spot the shooter and you blast him, ok?"
Elsa shook her head as she tried rubbing her eyes to no avail. "No. Anna, you have to go after the spirit."
"What?! Elsa, he ran off!"
"I know. You can't let him get away. If we lose him now, he'll die out there before we can find him again."
"But, what about the guy shooting at us? You can't fight someone you can't see."
"I can handle whoever's out there. Please, Anna, he needs your help more than I do."
"But, what if he eats me?"
"Anna!"
"Ok! Ok! I'll go find him! And, I swear, if you die… I… I will have words! You hear me?"
"Anna…"
She gave Elsa a quick peck on the forehead.
"Don't keep me waiting," she finally said as she stood and ran as fast as she could through the trees.
"Well…. Well…...well….."
I knew it. I knew he was up to something.
Elsa could hear the slow rustling of underbrush being trampled by heavy boots and the click of a fresh arrow into the worn crossbow.
"Today must be my lucky day. Looks like I've got myself a two'fer! A werewolf and a witch! My oh my, Percy you are good at what you do."
"As if a pathetic hunter could defeat…"
Her voice was cut off by the sound of shattered glass against her ice. Some unknown substance melting a hole just big enough for an arrow to sneak through. She felt the tip of the searing hot metal graze the skin of her cheek as she deked her head out of the way just in time.
What? How did he...?
"Little girl... You think you're the first witch I've killed?"
Another sizzle entered her ears followed by the clank of metal on the rock she stood on. She blasted in the general direction of the sound but it wasn't in time. A small black ball rolled toward her feet and erupted with a deafening *BOOM*.
Her body didn't feel any force from the explosion. Instead, all of the kinetic energy seemed to have been turned into pure sound that slammed into her eardrums causing her head to fill with endless ringing.
Her senses deprived, her body found itself inside of a solid ball of ice.
"Find the giant wolf, save the giant wolf. Sure thing Elsa, let me just use my expert skills at tracking magical animals and somehow not get my head bitten off."
Bruni flashed a flame on her shoulder.
"No offense Bruni."
Anna ran through the dark forest, trying her best to follow the trail of blood and disturbed foliage through the shadows of the trees.
Bruni jumped off her shoulders and fully ignited, illuminating a path before her as he seemingly flew between the trees.
"Careful Bruni! A forest fire is the last thing we need right now."
*SNAP*
"What was that?" Anna stopped dead in her tracks. She watched as Bruni glided over to a small clearing where he flashed his flames again, signaling her to come over.
As she got closer she could hear whimpers coming from a soft blue glow on the ground.
"Oh my god…"
The wolf was lying there with his paw caught in the steel jaws of a leg trap. The glowing blue orbs of his fur were pulsating slowly as he struggled to pull from the trap.
Anna came over and knelt beside the poor spirit.
"Shhh… it's ok. I'll get you out of there."
The wolf snapped at her. His ears were down, tail tucked between his legs. He was desperately trying to pull away from the trap, to pull away from her, but it was chained into the ground and would not give.
But neither would Anna.
Elsa felt a presumptuous finger tap on her sphere of ice.
"Interesting magic you've got, girl. But I've got a few tricks up my sleeve too."
Leitch pulled out a vial from his belt. A simple glass container with no perceivable opening filled with an unassuming clear liquid. He stepped back and flung the vial toward the sphere.
The glass shattered on contact, spilling the contents across the surface.
And melting through.
A drop landed on Elsa's ankle. It sizzled against her skin and she cried out as she grabbed her ankle, trying to cool the burning sensation. The rest of the sphere dissipated as she tried to back away from the burning liquid dripping into her sanctum.
Her vision still not returned and her head still ringing, she was greeted with a solid block of wood to her temple as the butt of the crossbow was slammed into the side of her head causing her to collapse onto the rock.
"Please! I'm trying to help you! I know you can understand me. I may not have any magic but I'm the only chance you've got right now."
Anna had her arms out in front of her. She was still kneeling, trying to get closer to the trap even as the wolf snarled and snapped his jaws at her. Her heart was racing with fear and determination.
Come on, let me help you. Calm down, just... calm down. I need to calm down. I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid of you… I'm afraid for you. Please…..
The snarling slowly subsided and his body slowly resigned to the fatigue. He looked up at her with those blue eyes that suddenly felt like she was staring at Elsa all over again.
Those eyes look just like hers… that fear… he's more afraid of me than I am of him.
With renewed resolve, she reached out and grabbed the sharp spikes of the trap with both hands.
And pulled.
Holy shit this is hard! How did it not just snap his foot clean off?
Anna repositioned her body, got as close as she could, no longer afraid of the wounded spirit. Firmly planting her feet in the ground and pouring all the strength she had into her muscles to pry open the deathly jaws.
They wouldn't budge.
She fell backward, panting and rubbing her hands from the strain against the metal.
"Ok, asshole. I'm gonna pry that mouth open, whether you like it or not!"
Ok, I have no idea how these things work. There must be a way to open it. How else do they reset them? Or get the animal out in the first place? Think Anna, think!
Let's see what we got here. Jaws, they don't budge. A plate, that seems to be what sets it off. A long handle attached to a chain. Hmmm. The handle kind of looks like it's got a spring near the jaws. I wonder if…
Anna grabbed the handle with both hands and pushed down. The end attached to the jaws was pressed down, pushing the spring and releasing the lock on the jaws allowing them to loosen just enough for the wolf to pull his foot out.
Anna let go and they snapped back into place.
"Yes! I did it!"
Her victory was short-lived as she looked over at the wolf still lying on his side.
My head is still ringing, and my eyes refuse to clear. I have to get up. I have to stop him. I have to help Anna. I have to….
She felt the wind knocked out of her as a boot came up into her abdomen, causing her to roll toward the edge of the rock.
"You know, I've killed plenty of stags."
His boot came down on her back, his spur digging into her skin.
"I've killed, god knows how many, wolves."
Another kick to her stomach.
"But, you wanna know the best part of my job? I'll tell ya."
He crouched down, with his elbows on his knees and his crossbow sitting draped over his leg as he leaned in toward the girl coughing in pain and clutching her stomach.
"Killing witches. Sure, monsters and animals are all fine and dandy. But witches? Now that's where the fun is at. You see, you ain't the first, you certainly won't be the last. Hell, you ain't even the youngest witch I've carved up!"
"You...you're a monster…" She wheezed through fits of blood filled coughs.
"HA! That's rich coming from a freak like you! The monster is the one that pays when you kill 'em, sweety. And a witch fetches a pretty penny."
He placed his crossbow on the ground and pulled out an obscenely large hunting knife from his belt.
"Most folks, they like to burn witches. When you don't have any fire, a noose works just as well. Me? I prefer a more… hands-on approach."
He kicked her over so that she was lying on her back, her neck exposed and veins pulsing.
And all she felt was cold steel against her skin.
"Please… be ok. Please, don't die."
Anna was kneeling over the wolf as he lay there, his breath erratic and the magic around him pulsing slower and slower.
Shit, what do I do now? Elsa still isn't here. Should I go back? Does she need my help? Fuck, I need her help! I don't know how to heal this thing!
"Ok, you're magic, right? So maybe if I take out all of these arrows you can heal yourself? Let's try that."
She frantically looked back and forth between the various protrusions sticking out from his body.
After a hard gulp, she figured, "Best to start with the big one?"
She grabbed hold of the thick arrow shaft sticking out of his side. She braced herself for one quick pull.
Here we go… one…..two….
"Three!"
The wolf howled out in pain into the moonlight. The shaft came right out along with a massive, four-point arrowhead the size of a fist.
"Jesus Christ… talk about overcompensating."
Sudden relief washed over Anna as she looked at the wound already healing itself with glowing magical energy.
Ok, Anna. Next arrow. You got this.
Another shaft, another heave, and another arrowhead pulled from the body. And another and another.
I've lost count of how many I've pulled out. Ok, last one. Let's do this!
Before she grabbed hold of the last arrow something stood out to her.
Huh. This arrow looks different from all the rest. It's… white. The wood is white. Like, really white. And the feathers at the top are totally different. I've never even seen feathers this color of blue before. Some hunter must have paid some serious moola for a few fancy arrows.
Anna took hold of the last arrow.
And then her body was wracked with pain.
She was thrown backward, her entire arm jolted from some kind of energy.
What the fuck was that?
She watched with renewed horror as the wolf started to convulse before her. His back heaved and his tongue hung out as he hacked and coughed, splattering dark blood all over the ground. His feet dug into the earth and his entire body shook with convulsions as dark energy flooded his surroundings.
"Oh….Shit."
What….the hell….am I looking at?
As the body convulsed, the black hair began to fall away, revealing pale skin. Anna's ears filled with the sound of cracking bones and torn ligaments.
Paws grew into hands. Claws flattened into nails. Fur fell to the floor and the creature, all of a sudden, stood on its hind legs. It's mouth foamed as the jaw fractured and reformed itself.
And then those blue eyes were gone, transformed into a hungry red as Anna found herself staring at not a wolf…
But a man.
Cold steel.
Colder and colder against her skin…
Cold enough to freeze.
"What the hell?" Leitch grimaced the words through gritted teeth as he stared disbelieving at the slender, yet powerful hand grasping his wrist.
A blue wave of solid ice radiated out from underneath those fingers, reaching all the way to the tip of the knife and traveling down his arm.
A frozen arm slowly being raised in the air by the woman rising to her feet.
"Let go of me, you bitch!"
Elsa's eyes opened and he fell to his knees, pummeled by the weight of the avalanche behind those glowing glacial irises bearing down on him.
"I do not enjoy killing."
The ice traveled down. Down his arm, across his chest, enveloped his legs and swallowed his neck. His free hand desperately tried to find some means of salvation from his belt of tools before it too became petrified.
"No... stop! Please!"
"But I will enjoy killing you."
The fear in his eyes was forever frozen as they gazed up at the last thing they would ever see.
A cold smile.