Blinking his eyes, Ares awoke to bright sunlight shining in through the
window. He had spent a large portion of the night swinging from believing
the werewolf had been real and then being sure it had been a dream. He just
couldn't make up his mind! Even the tempting, almost naked forms of the
women on either side of him couldn't take his mind off it and that really
said how shaken he was by the incident. Finally pure exhaustion had
overtaken him and he had fallen into a dreamless sleep.
"Maybe I did imagine the whole thing." Ares muttered to himself as he crawled out of bed. He spent a few minutes searching for his boots and started pulling them on. "Being mortal is like being condemned to Tartarus. I thought it was bad before, but now.."
"Good, you're up!" Gabrielle smiled as she entered the bedroom and watched him pull on the second boot. "Xena and I are going into town for some supplies. Do you want to come along?"
Ares thought about it for a moment. He knew he should really be keeping a low profile due to the warlords after him. Yet the werewolf, if that's what it had been, kept preying on his mind. If there was a local monster haunting the area, the townspeople would know about it. And why did Xena just dismiss what he had seen? It was so unlike her! Heck, she knew monsters existed, for she had killed many of them herself. But it looked like he was going to need proof this time. And that meant taking the risk of going into town. "Sure, I'll come."
"Great!" Gabrielle grinned and bounced a bit on the balls of her heels. She seemed to be in very high spirits.
"What are you so happy about?" Ares asked as he stood up and ran a hand through his hair. Gods, how he missed always being neat and clean! These days if wanted to get clean, he actually had to wash, in water! With soap even! At least his back didn't ache this morning from sleeping on the hard ground, like he had way too many times in the past year.
"It's just seems so much like a vacation!" Gabrielle told him. Then the smile faded and she moved closer to Ares. Her voice lowered. "You have no idea what it's like traveling with Xena, what I gave up to be with her."
Gabrielle paused for a moment and glanced behind herself at the empty bedroom doorway, her head tilted as if listening. Then she continued. "She's done such horrible things in the past, things I'm sure even you don't know about. And I find myself growing more and more like her. It frightens me. I try to resist, but it's getting harder every day..."
Ares looked down at Gabrielle and gripped her by the shoulders. Gabrielle had gone through a lot of changes. She had cut her hair and had turned from a bard into a warrior almost over night. The speed of it had surprised even him! "There's nothing wrong with being a warrior. You know that. It can be a very noble profession, like Hercules and Iolaus. I know Xena dragged you through a lot, that you've seen a lot. And all I see is a brave woman who knows how to defend herself and those she loves. Someday you'll be a better warrior than Xena because you use your heart."
"I know." Gabrielle pulled away from him and left the room.
Ares stood there for a moment, slightly confused. Had Gabrielle been trying to tell him something? Ares shook his head. That werewolf was affecting his thinking.
***
Some time later the three arrived in town. Xena had ridden Argo while he and Gabrielle rode in a wagon. A farmer, Xena had told him, drove a wagon. Ares picked at the pale ragged shirt he now wore. The thing reminded him of a sack. But Xena just smiled and told it was a great disguise. It only reminded him how he missed his fine leather vest and gauntlets. At least he still had his earring. Gabrielle parked the one-horse wagon on a dusty road in town and they got off.
As towns went, it wasn't much to look at: the usual houses with straw roofs and barking dogs and dirty children. Ares watched Xena head off to the marketplace for the supplies. He was about to follow her when loud shouts caught his attention. Taking another glance at Xena's disappearing back, he decided to go investigate what the commotion was about. He knew the sounds of a fight and this was not one of those. Rounding a corner, Ares spotted a large crowd in front of one of the buildings. A weathered sign creaking from above proclaimed it was the town's bar.
Hope swelled in Ares' heart. Maybe here was proof of the werewolf! He hurried over to the crowd and slowly inched his way to the front.
"And something killed my cows last night." A weathered man said. He was dressed like all the other poor people of Greece in a homespun shirt and pants. The major difference was this guy's clothes was spotted with dried blood. "Three of the herd. I never seen anything like it. They were just torn apart. There's something out there."
"What do you think it was, Jake?" A man's voice called from the crowd.
"I don't know." The man shrugged, but there was wild fear in his dark eyes. "I only know tonight I'm staying in town!"
Ares took the information in, adding it to what he had seen last night. Should he tell the townspeople he had seen a werewolf? He decided that maybe that wasn't such a good idea, especially when he should keep a low profile. Many towns, he knew, blamed newcomers for their problems and things could quickly get out of control. They might even try to say HE was the werewolf, especially if they ever learned he was the ex God of War. No, he had learned what he needed to here. He slowly inched his way back out of the crowd and headed down the street towards the wagon.
A few moments later he saw Gabrielle emerge from a weapons shop down the street. Spotting him, she met him at their wagon. As far as he could tell, she hadn't bought anything, which didn't surprise him. These little towns rarely had quality weapons. "I just heard some farmer's cows were torn apart last night."
"Oh, Ares, surely you don't think it was..." She said, not finishing the sentence. There were too many people that might overhear.
"Yeah, I do." He also glanced around. Then he spotted the familiar shape of Xena heading their way with the supplies. "You know there are no dangerous animals in these parts that could explain it."
Xena reached them, dropping the supplies on the ground. She gazed up at Ares, a smile playing across her lips. "So, what do you think?"
Ares glanced down at the cage filled with squeaking chickens. Feathers flew up into the air and littered the dusty ground. There were also sacks of flour and other things Ares really wasn't interested in, unless it was cooked and ready to eat. Two cows trailed behind Xena on ropes, as well as a fat pig. "I think I'm starting to look more like a farmer?"
Gabrielle laughed. "Oh Ares, you're too handsome to be a farmer!"
Ares was taken aback by the comment, especially coming from Gabrielle. He had always thought she never cared for him much. Was he wrong? Suddenly it seemed important that she DID like him, although he had no idea why. And now, with a werewolf on the loose and warlords after his head, was no time for him to fall for Xena's little sidekick! "You really think so?"
"Of course!" Gabrielle reached up and placed a tattered straw hat on his head. "I even got you a hat."
"Gee, thanks." He muttered.
"Enough of this talk. Help me get this stuff loaded onto the wagon." Xena ordered and they all bent to do her bidding. Soon they were back on the road heading for the farm. Xena rode out in front, on Argo. She circled back to them and pulled up alongside. "I'm going to do some scouting, see if any of those warlords are around."
Ares watched Argo gallop off, sighing. He leaned back against the high back of the wagon and closed his eyes. Gabrielle was driving and there really was nothing for him to do until they reached the farm. Only a few minutes had gone by when he felt Gabrielle shove her elbow into his ribs. His brown eyes flew open and he stared at her. "What?"
"I got something for you." The bard-turned-warrior held a cloth wrapped package in her hand. She shoved it in his direction. "Here. Take it."
"You bought something for ME?" Ares asked, truly surprised. Reaching out, he took the small package. Unwrapping the brownish gray sackcloth, he found a shiny dagger. It took Ares a moment to realize why the dagger was so shiny. "This is silver."
"Yes," Gabrielle agreed. "Silver to kill a werewolf."
"I thought you didn't believe I saw a werewolf?" Ares asked as he held the silver dagger in his hand. The sunlight reflected off it and he admired its fine blade. The blade was long and narrow, straight and true. He hefted it experimentally, seeing if it was balanced. It was. He didn't want to think about how close he would have to be in order to use it. The thought was not comforting. And it would only take one scratch or bite to infect him.
"But I feel so guilty." Gabrielle explained to him as she held the reigns in her hands expertly. "It was my fault you saw it."
"Gabrielle, it's not your fault at all." Ares assured her as he moved closer to her on the wooden bench. He placed his muscular arm around her shoulders, the one that held the shiny new dagger. His hand rested against her upper arm, the hilt of the dagger against her skin. "Because creature had nothing to do with the story you told me and I don't want you to feel guilty about it. I tell you, I really saw it! It was right outside my window, just looking in at me with these burning eyes and those terrible teeth. And the claws on its hands. Uggh! I don't know why you and Xena won't believe me."
He felt her body jerk away from his and he took his arm away. He could have sworn he heard her whimper, but it had probably been one of the animals. "Look, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
"It's OK." They reached the farm then and Gabrielle leaped down from the wagon. She went around to the back and carried an armload of bagged supplies into the kitchen. Ares went to help. After everything was put away, an idea popped into Ares' head. Walking around the farm house, he reached the spot where the werewolf had stood the night before. Maybe if he was lucky, it had left some physical evidence behind. Something solid to show Xena, to prove the danger was real.
Ares heart started to pound loudly in his ears as he stared at the wooden window frame. The werewolf had left deep claw marks in the wood.
"Maybe I did imagine the whole thing." Ares muttered to himself as he crawled out of bed. He spent a few minutes searching for his boots and started pulling them on. "Being mortal is like being condemned to Tartarus. I thought it was bad before, but now.."
"Good, you're up!" Gabrielle smiled as she entered the bedroom and watched him pull on the second boot. "Xena and I are going into town for some supplies. Do you want to come along?"
Ares thought about it for a moment. He knew he should really be keeping a low profile due to the warlords after him. Yet the werewolf, if that's what it had been, kept preying on his mind. If there was a local monster haunting the area, the townspeople would know about it. And why did Xena just dismiss what he had seen? It was so unlike her! Heck, she knew monsters existed, for she had killed many of them herself. But it looked like he was going to need proof this time. And that meant taking the risk of going into town. "Sure, I'll come."
"Great!" Gabrielle grinned and bounced a bit on the balls of her heels. She seemed to be in very high spirits.
"What are you so happy about?" Ares asked as he stood up and ran a hand through his hair. Gods, how he missed always being neat and clean! These days if wanted to get clean, he actually had to wash, in water! With soap even! At least his back didn't ache this morning from sleeping on the hard ground, like he had way too many times in the past year.
"It's just seems so much like a vacation!" Gabrielle told him. Then the smile faded and she moved closer to Ares. Her voice lowered. "You have no idea what it's like traveling with Xena, what I gave up to be with her."
Gabrielle paused for a moment and glanced behind herself at the empty bedroom doorway, her head tilted as if listening. Then she continued. "She's done such horrible things in the past, things I'm sure even you don't know about. And I find myself growing more and more like her. It frightens me. I try to resist, but it's getting harder every day..."
Ares looked down at Gabrielle and gripped her by the shoulders. Gabrielle had gone through a lot of changes. She had cut her hair and had turned from a bard into a warrior almost over night. The speed of it had surprised even him! "There's nothing wrong with being a warrior. You know that. It can be a very noble profession, like Hercules and Iolaus. I know Xena dragged you through a lot, that you've seen a lot. And all I see is a brave woman who knows how to defend herself and those she loves. Someday you'll be a better warrior than Xena because you use your heart."
"I know." Gabrielle pulled away from him and left the room.
Ares stood there for a moment, slightly confused. Had Gabrielle been trying to tell him something? Ares shook his head. That werewolf was affecting his thinking.
***
Some time later the three arrived in town. Xena had ridden Argo while he and Gabrielle rode in a wagon. A farmer, Xena had told him, drove a wagon. Ares picked at the pale ragged shirt he now wore. The thing reminded him of a sack. But Xena just smiled and told it was a great disguise. It only reminded him how he missed his fine leather vest and gauntlets. At least he still had his earring. Gabrielle parked the one-horse wagon on a dusty road in town and they got off.
As towns went, it wasn't much to look at: the usual houses with straw roofs and barking dogs and dirty children. Ares watched Xena head off to the marketplace for the supplies. He was about to follow her when loud shouts caught his attention. Taking another glance at Xena's disappearing back, he decided to go investigate what the commotion was about. He knew the sounds of a fight and this was not one of those. Rounding a corner, Ares spotted a large crowd in front of one of the buildings. A weathered sign creaking from above proclaimed it was the town's bar.
Hope swelled in Ares' heart. Maybe here was proof of the werewolf! He hurried over to the crowd and slowly inched his way to the front.
"And something killed my cows last night." A weathered man said. He was dressed like all the other poor people of Greece in a homespun shirt and pants. The major difference was this guy's clothes was spotted with dried blood. "Three of the herd. I never seen anything like it. They were just torn apart. There's something out there."
"What do you think it was, Jake?" A man's voice called from the crowd.
"I don't know." The man shrugged, but there was wild fear in his dark eyes. "I only know tonight I'm staying in town!"
Ares took the information in, adding it to what he had seen last night. Should he tell the townspeople he had seen a werewolf? He decided that maybe that wasn't such a good idea, especially when he should keep a low profile. Many towns, he knew, blamed newcomers for their problems and things could quickly get out of control. They might even try to say HE was the werewolf, especially if they ever learned he was the ex God of War. No, he had learned what he needed to here. He slowly inched his way back out of the crowd and headed down the street towards the wagon.
A few moments later he saw Gabrielle emerge from a weapons shop down the street. Spotting him, she met him at their wagon. As far as he could tell, she hadn't bought anything, which didn't surprise him. These little towns rarely had quality weapons. "I just heard some farmer's cows were torn apart last night."
"Oh, Ares, surely you don't think it was..." She said, not finishing the sentence. There were too many people that might overhear.
"Yeah, I do." He also glanced around. Then he spotted the familiar shape of Xena heading their way with the supplies. "You know there are no dangerous animals in these parts that could explain it."
Xena reached them, dropping the supplies on the ground. She gazed up at Ares, a smile playing across her lips. "So, what do you think?"
Ares glanced down at the cage filled with squeaking chickens. Feathers flew up into the air and littered the dusty ground. There were also sacks of flour and other things Ares really wasn't interested in, unless it was cooked and ready to eat. Two cows trailed behind Xena on ropes, as well as a fat pig. "I think I'm starting to look more like a farmer?"
Gabrielle laughed. "Oh Ares, you're too handsome to be a farmer!"
Ares was taken aback by the comment, especially coming from Gabrielle. He had always thought she never cared for him much. Was he wrong? Suddenly it seemed important that she DID like him, although he had no idea why. And now, with a werewolf on the loose and warlords after his head, was no time for him to fall for Xena's little sidekick! "You really think so?"
"Of course!" Gabrielle reached up and placed a tattered straw hat on his head. "I even got you a hat."
"Gee, thanks." He muttered.
"Enough of this talk. Help me get this stuff loaded onto the wagon." Xena ordered and they all bent to do her bidding. Soon they were back on the road heading for the farm. Xena rode out in front, on Argo. She circled back to them and pulled up alongside. "I'm going to do some scouting, see if any of those warlords are around."
Ares watched Argo gallop off, sighing. He leaned back against the high back of the wagon and closed his eyes. Gabrielle was driving and there really was nothing for him to do until they reached the farm. Only a few minutes had gone by when he felt Gabrielle shove her elbow into his ribs. His brown eyes flew open and he stared at her. "What?"
"I got something for you." The bard-turned-warrior held a cloth wrapped package in her hand. She shoved it in his direction. "Here. Take it."
"You bought something for ME?" Ares asked, truly surprised. Reaching out, he took the small package. Unwrapping the brownish gray sackcloth, he found a shiny dagger. It took Ares a moment to realize why the dagger was so shiny. "This is silver."
"Yes," Gabrielle agreed. "Silver to kill a werewolf."
"I thought you didn't believe I saw a werewolf?" Ares asked as he held the silver dagger in his hand. The sunlight reflected off it and he admired its fine blade. The blade was long and narrow, straight and true. He hefted it experimentally, seeing if it was balanced. It was. He didn't want to think about how close he would have to be in order to use it. The thought was not comforting. And it would only take one scratch or bite to infect him.
"But I feel so guilty." Gabrielle explained to him as she held the reigns in her hands expertly. "It was my fault you saw it."
"Gabrielle, it's not your fault at all." Ares assured her as he moved closer to her on the wooden bench. He placed his muscular arm around her shoulders, the one that held the shiny new dagger. His hand rested against her upper arm, the hilt of the dagger against her skin. "Because creature had nothing to do with the story you told me and I don't want you to feel guilty about it. I tell you, I really saw it! It was right outside my window, just looking in at me with these burning eyes and those terrible teeth. And the claws on its hands. Uggh! I don't know why you and Xena won't believe me."
He felt her body jerk away from his and he took his arm away. He could have sworn he heard her whimper, but it had probably been one of the animals. "Look, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
"It's OK." They reached the farm then and Gabrielle leaped down from the wagon. She went around to the back and carried an armload of bagged supplies into the kitchen. Ares went to help. After everything was put away, an idea popped into Ares' head. Walking around the farm house, he reached the spot where the werewolf had stood the night before. Maybe if he was lucky, it had left some physical evidence behind. Something solid to show Xena, to prove the danger was real.
Ares heart started to pound loudly in his ears as he stared at the wooden window frame. The werewolf had left deep claw marks in the wood.