Xena stared at the claw marks, frowning.
"Well, do you believe me now?" Ares asked, not caring for the Warrior Princess' silence. "The werewolf made those marks. It was standing right there!"
"They could have been there a long time." Xena remarked as she poked at the deep grooves in the wood. "A number of things could have made them, too. It's not proof of a werewolf. Lots of animals claw on tree trunks."
"But when you combine them with the dead cattle, that the farmer said they were torn to shreds." Ares sighed with disgust. It was clear already Xena was convinced it was all in his head. There were all in very real danger and she still refused to listen! His dark eyes narrowed as he stared at her intensely, his muscular arms crossed over his chest. Xena was acting odd, he decided. It almost seemed if she didn't WANT to hear about the werewolf.
But why?
He watched her walk away towards the barn. Gabrielle was inside milking the cows, he knew. He headed for the house, then changed his mind. Running quickly down a slope thick with weeds, he jumped into a drainage ditch. Due to the dry weather, the ditch was like a cracked river bed. The footing was bumpy and uneven, but its path ran behind the barn. If he was careful, he would be able to sneak up on the two women unobserved. Maybe he could find out what Xena really thought of his werewolf story. There must be something she wasn't telling him. He had thought that she trusted him now, after he had saved their lives and given up his Godhood. Was he wrong? He almost twisted his ankle once, but he made it. Now he just had to climb up a gentle slope. Trying to be as silent as he could, he reached the back of the weathered barn. Finding a small gap between boards, he peered in and listened to their conversation.
"Xena, I'm sorry that he saw me." Gabrielle said as she squeezed fresh milk from the dairy cow. "But I never had this problem with Joxer. I mean, with him I never felt tempted. But now..."
"And I keep telling you, stop fighting it." Xena replied as she knelt by her friend. "You can't resist it forever."
"But I'm afraid of what I might do." Gabrielle glanced up at Xena, her face worried. "What if I kill someone? I couldn't live with that. I see what happens to you, what you do and it frightens me so much. Words can't describe it. I don't want to be like that!"
"You know why I changed you. You were dying. There was nothing else I could do to save you. Besides, it's nice to have a pack mate." Xena's face was worried, but for a different reason. She had thought Gabrielle would have adjusted by now. It's been over a year, more than two years. Yet her friend kept hanging on, refusing to let the wolf gain total control. She even refused to feed on the cattle. "I know you, Gabrielle. You wouldn't kill anyone, not even changed. But you need to learn to relax, to go with the flow. It's tearing you up inside and I hate watching it."
"But what are we going to do?" Gabrielle asked. "I never slipped as far as that before. Even during the day, just being near him..."
"We could use an Alpha wolf." Xena stated, a grin spreading across her face. "We could do it now, that he's mortal."
"Xena, no!" Gabrielle stumbled backward, the milking stool tumbling over. Her face was pale, the mouth open in shock. Then her hands tightened into fists. "Don't you even dare think it! I won't have him go through this .. this nightmare!"
"Don't worry. I'll leave the decision up to you." Xena picked up the pail of milk and put the stool away. "I don't trust myself to do it, you know. But you have to accept the facts, Gabrielle. You're a werewolf and there's no changing that."
Gabrielle watched Xena's back as the Warrior Princess headed for the barn door. "How could you DO this to me? I thought you cared!" she wailed, tears sliding down her face.
Xena pushed open the big door and paused for a moment in the opening. "Change him. You'll feel better."
Gabrielle collapsed into the clean hay inside one of the animal stalls. Her shoulders shook as she cried out her frustrations and fears. Ever since Xena had scratched her, this living nightmare just kept going on and on and on! And the worst thing was, for the first time ever, she had felt the desire to ... to...
A fresh surge of tears burst forth and she cried even louder.
****
Ares crouched outside the barn, one hand over his mouth to still his frantic breathing. He had hoped to overhear something, but this! It was far worse than he ever dreamed. Xena and Gabrielle were both werewolves, Xena apparently being the one who had killed the cattle last night. And Gabrielle ... She had been the one he had seen!
"What am I going to do?" he whispered to himself. He dared not stay where he was. Xena might realize he wasn't in the house and come looking for him. If she found him here...
His terrified eyes went up to the sky. It was evening already. No way he could make a run for it. And where would he go anyway? He could take the horse. But no. That wouldn't work. Xena was too good of a tracker. She would hunt him down. And what if he ran right into those warlords? This was supposed to be his safe spot, his hideout! As he crouched there, he saw the sky grow a few shades darker. In an hour or so, the stars would be out. And after that, Selene would start her climb into the night sky, glowing for all to see.
Darn Selene to Tartarus! Why couldn't Xena have killed her with the other Olympian Gods? But then, she's the only one Xena really worshiped, wasn't she? Selene, the Goddess of Werewolves!
Rising from his hiding spot, Ares made his way to the side of the barn. He stuck his head out around the corner, watching for movement. Nothing. He stepped out into the open and hurried forward. His mind was a jumble and he had no idea what he was doing. His training told him he should focus, but it was so hard. Then his spotted the apple tree off to the side, in the nearby field. It was fall, so the fruit should be ripe. He could gather an armful and say he had been busy picking them. Yeah, that's what he'd do. He just hoped Xena would believe the lame story. He ran over to the tree and sighed in relief. Luck was with him and the low-hanging branches was heavy with ripe fruit. Saying a heartfelt prayer of thanks to Aunt Gaia, he tore two dozen apples off the tree in record time.
He was heading back towards the house, both arms filled with apples, when he paused near the open barn door. He could hear faint sniffling coming from inside. "Gabrielle?"
Taking a few steps into the dark interior, he was relieved to spot the warrior bard sitting in the hay. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she was still herself. He thought of the silver dagger she had given him, of the things she had told him this morning. Had she actually been trying to tell him she was a werewolf? To warn him?
Gabrielle glanced up at Ares and saw him standing there with apples up to his chin. A weak smile appeared on her face and she even laughed a bit. "Don't tell me you were actually doing physical labor! Why Ares, what ever got into you?"
"Well, I was hoping you knew how to turn these into pies." Ares said, grateful the dark in the barn hid the terror in his eyes. He knew he was crazy just for being in here with her, but what else could he do? His arms started to tremble and the pile of fruit became unstable. Two apples rolled off the top of the pile, then three more. Before he knew it, the entire pile of apples crashed to the barn floor. Luckily, most of them landed in a pile of hay.
Gabrielle laughed more, the laugh stronger this time. She wiped her wet face, then rose up from the hay where she had been crying. "Just like a man, thinking with your stomach! Let's see if we can find an easier way to carry those to the house."
Xena poked her head into the barn, her blue eyes locking on Ares and the pile of apples next to him. "There you are. I was wondering where you were. You weren't in the house, so I grew worried."
"I was picking apples." Ares replied, his voice firm and unwavering. "There's a lot of them out there on a tree."
"Good thinking. Gabrielle can make pies. I got us brown sugar." Xena patted Ares on his arm. "Let's get inside and start cooking supper. I'm starving!"
After piling the apples into two baskets, Ares followed Xena to the house carrying one while Gabrielle carried the other. It was going to be a long night.
****
The sun had set and it was time to go to bed. The problem was, Ares didn't WANT to go to bed, not with two werewolves, that is. Yet if he didn't, they might suspect he knew what they were. Which meant he HAD to sleep with two werewolves!
All through supper he had been nervous, which just increased his appetite. He ate more than his share of the cooked chicken and had polished off an entire apple pie by himself, not to mention the large hunk of bread. Xena didn't seem to notice and Gabrielle only laughed, saying of course he had to eat more than they did. He was a man! Then she had told him how she enjoyed having him around, cooking for him. Now the food sat in his stomach like a lump of lead.
"Come to bed, Ares." Xena told him as she settled on her side of the bed, which was closest to the window. "You've been prowling around like an expectant father long enough. Forget about your imaginary werewolf and go to sleep. There's nothing out there."
Yeah, YOU'RE the werewolf!!! he wanted to shout. The werewolves are in here, with me!
But he just sighed and walked over to the bed. He sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly took off his boots. He was doing everything he could think of to stall. But then they were off. So he poked at his toenails to see if they needed trimming. They didn't, but that only made him think of those long claws he had seen. He could imagine only too well what they could do to mortal flesh. A shiver passed through his body and he bit his tongue to force himself to be quite.
And I gave up my Godly powers to save WEREWOLVES!!
Then another thought occurred him and he paled even more.
Was Eve a werewolf? He remembered how bloodthirsty Livia had been. She had enjoyed killing and slaughtering, enjoyed it just like Xena had. And when you got down to the bare facts, Livia had been worst than Xena. Was that the werewolf in her? And was she cured of her lycanthropy now or was she just pretending, with the violent wolf lurking beneath the surface. And that story. The woman had been Xena! Why hadn't he realized it before? How could she had been a werewolf all those years and he had never known?
Maybe I didn't want to know.
Standing, Ares readjusted his pants. As he did, he checked to see if the silver dagger was still secure at his hip. Earlier he had hidden it there, inside his pants. Gabrielle knew about it, but Xena didn't. And he didn't want her to. It comforted him somewhat to feel its hard form under the cloth of his trousers.
Not being able to delay any longer, he started to crawl into bed between the two women. He paused for a moment, staring at Gabrielle's arm. A red circular mark marred the smooth surface. It almost looked like a burn. Staring at it, he remembered the sound she had made earlier in the wagon, when he had tried to comfort her. Had the silver burned her?
Ares gulped. The physical evidence stared him in the face. The two women he loved were really werewolves.
"Well, do you believe me now?" Ares asked, not caring for the Warrior Princess' silence. "The werewolf made those marks. It was standing right there!"
"They could have been there a long time." Xena remarked as she poked at the deep grooves in the wood. "A number of things could have made them, too. It's not proof of a werewolf. Lots of animals claw on tree trunks."
"But when you combine them with the dead cattle, that the farmer said they were torn to shreds." Ares sighed with disgust. It was clear already Xena was convinced it was all in his head. There were all in very real danger and she still refused to listen! His dark eyes narrowed as he stared at her intensely, his muscular arms crossed over his chest. Xena was acting odd, he decided. It almost seemed if she didn't WANT to hear about the werewolf.
But why?
He watched her walk away towards the barn. Gabrielle was inside milking the cows, he knew. He headed for the house, then changed his mind. Running quickly down a slope thick with weeds, he jumped into a drainage ditch. Due to the dry weather, the ditch was like a cracked river bed. The footing was bumpy and uneven, but its path ran behind the barn. If he was careful, he would be able to sneak up on the two women unobserved. Maybe he could find out what Xena really thought of his werewolf story. There must be something she wasn't telling him. He had thought that she trusted him now, after he had saved their lives and given up his Godhood. Was he wrong? He almost twisted his ankle once, but he made it. Now he just had to climb up a gentle slope. Trying to be as silent as he could, he reached the back of the weathered barn. Finding a small gap between boards, he peered in and listened to their conversation.
"Xena, I'm sorry that he saw me." Gabrielle said as she squeezed fresh milk from the dairy cow. "But I never had this problem with Joxer. I mean, with him I never felt tempted. But now..."
"And I keep telling you, stop fighting it." Xena replied as she knelt by her friend. "You can't resist it forever."
"But I'm afraid of what I might do." Gabrielle glanced up at Xena, her face worried. "What if I kill someone? I couldn't live with that. I see what happens to you, what you do and it frightens me so much. Words can't describe it. I don't want to be like that!"
"You know why I changed you. You were dying. There was nothing else I could do to save you. Besides, it's nice to have a pack mate." Xena's face was worried, but for a different reason. She had thought Gabrielle would have adjusted by now. It's been over a year, more than two years. Yet her friend kept hanging on, refusing to let the wolf gain total control. She even refused to feed on the cattle. "I know you, Gabrielle. You wouldn't kill anyone, not even changed. But you need to learn to relax, to go with the flow. It's tearing you up inside and I hate watching it."
"But what are we going to do?" Gabrielle asked. "I never slipped as far as that before. Even during the day, just being near him..."
"We could use an Alpha wolf." Xena stated, a grin spreading across her face. "We could do it now, that he's mortal."
"Xena, no!" Gabrielle stumbled backward, the milking stool tumbling over. Her face was pale, the mouth open in shock. Then her hands tightened into fists. "Don't you even dare think it! I won't have him go through this .. this nightmare!"
"Don't worry. I'll leave the decision up to you." Xena picked up the pail of milk and put the stool away. "I don't trust myself to do it, you know. But you have to accept the facts, Gabrielle. You're a werewolf and there's no changing that."
Gabrielle watched Xena's back as the Warrior Princess headed for the barn door. "How could you DO this to me? I thought you cared!" she wailed, tears sliding down her face.
Xena pushed open the big door and paused for a moment in the opening. "Change him. You'll feel better."
Gabrielle collapsed into the clean hay inside one of the animal stalls. Her shoulders shook as she cried out her frustrations and fears. Ever since Xena had scratched her, this living nightmare just kept going on and on and on! And the worst thing was, for the first time ever, she had felt the desire to ... to...
A fresh surge of tears burst forth and she cried even louder.
****
Ares crouched outside the barn, one hand over his mouth to still his frantic breathing. He had hoped to overhear something, but this! It was far worse than he ever dreamed. Xena and Gabrielle were both werewolves, Xena apparently being the one who had killed the cattle last night. And Gabrielle ... She had been the one he had seen!
"What am I going to do?" he whispered to himself. He dared not stay where he was. Xena might realize he wasn't in the house and come looking for him. If she found him here...
His terrified eyes went up to the sky. It was evening already. No way he could make a run for it. And where would he go anyway? He could take the horse. But no. That wouldn't work. Xena was too good of a tracker. She would hunt him down. And what if he ran right into those warlords? This was supposed to be his safe spot, his hideout! As he crouched there, he saw the sky grow a few shades darker. In an hour or so, the stars would be out. And after that, Selene would start her climb into the night sky, glowing for all to see.
Darn Selene to Tartarus! Why couldn't Xena have killed her with the other Olympian Gods? But then, she's the only one Xena really worshiped, wasn't she? Selene, the Goddess of Werewolves!
Rising from his hiding spot, Ares made his way to the side of the barn. He stuck his head out around the corner, watching for movement. Nothing. He stepped out into the open and hurried forward. His mind was a jumble and he had no idea what he was doing. His training told him he should focus, but it was so hard. Then his spotted the apple tree off to the side, in the nearby field. It was fall, so the fruit should be ripe. He could gather an armful and say he had been busy picking them. Yeah, that's what he'd do. He just hoped Xena would believe the lame story. He ran over to the tree and sighed in relief. Luck was with him and the low-hanging branches was heavy with ripe fruit. Saying a heartfelt prayer of thanks to Aunt Gaia, he tore two dozen apples off the tree in record time.
He was heading back towards the house, both arms filled with apples, when he paused near the open barn door. He could hear faint sniffling coming from inside. "Gabrielle?"
Taking a few steps into the dark interior, he was relieved to spot the warrior bard sitting in the hay. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she was still herself. He thought of the silver dagger she had given him, of the things she had told him this morning. Had she actually been trying to tell him she was a werewolf? To warn him?
Gabrielle glanced up at Ares and saw him standing there with apples up to his chin. A weak smile appeared on her face and she even laughed a bit. "Don't tell me you were actually doing physical labor! Why Ares, what ever got into you?"
"Well, I was hoping you knew how to turn these into pies." Ares said, grateful the dark in the barn hid the terror in his eyes. He knew he was crazy just for being in here with her, but what else could he do? His arms started to tremble and the pile of fruit became unstable. Two apples rolled off the top of the pile, then three more. Before he knew it, the entire pile of apples crashed to the barn floor. Luckily, most of them landed in a pile of hay.
Gabrielle laughed more, the laugh stronger this time. She wiped her wet face, then rose up from the hay where she had been crying. "Just like a man, thinking with your stomach! Let's see if we can find an easier way to carry those to the house."
Xena poked her head into the barn, her blue eyes locking on Ares and the pile of apples next to him. "There you are. I was wondering where you were. You weren't in the house, so I grew worried."
"I was picking apples." Ares replied, his voice firm and unwavering. "There's a lot of them out there on a tree."
"Good thinking. Gabrielle can make pies. I got us brown sugar." Xena patted Ares on his arm. "Let's get inside and start cooking supper. I'm starving!"
After piling the apples into two baskets, Ares followed Xena to the house carrying one while Gabrielle carried the other. It was going to be a long night.
****
The sun had set and it was time to go to bed. The problem was, Ares didn't WANT to go to bed, not with two werewolves, that is. Yet if he didn't, they might suspect he knew what they were. Which meant he HAD to sleep with two werewolves!
All through supper he had been nervous, which just increased his appetite. He ate more than his share of the cooked chicken and had polished off an entire apple pie by himself, not to mention the large hunk of bread. Xena didn't seem to notice and Gabrielle only laughed, saying of course he had to eat more than they did. He was a man! Then she had told him how she enjoyed having him around, cooking for him. Now the food sat in his stomach like a lump of lead.
"Come to bed, Ares." Xena told him as she settled on her side of the bed, which was closest to the window. "You've been prowling around like an expectant father long enough. Forget about your imaginary werewolf and go to sleep. There's nothing out there."
Yeah, YOU'RE the werewolf!!! he wanted to shout. The werewolves are in here, with me!
But he just sighed and walked over to the bed. He sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly took off his boots. He was doing everything he could think of to stall. But then they were off. So he poked at his toenails to see if they needed trimming. They didn't, but that only made him think of those long claws he had seen. He could imagine only too well what they could do to mortal flesh. A shiver passed through his body and he bit his tongue to force himself to be quite.
And I gave up my Godly powers to save WEREWOLVES!!
Then another thought occurred him and he paled even more.
Was Eve a werewolf? He remembered how bloodthirsty Livia had been. She had enjoyed killing and slaughtering, enjoyed it just like Xena had. And when you got down to the bare facts, Livia had been worst than Xena. Was that the werewolf in her? And was she cured of her lycanthropy now or was she just pretending, with the violent wolf lurking beneath the surface. And that story. The woman had been Xena! Why hadn't he realized it before? How could she had been a werewolf all those years and he had never known?
Maybe I didn't want to know.
Standing, Ares readjusted his pants. As he did, he checked to see if the silver dagger was still secure at his hip. Earlier he had hidden it there, inside his pants. Gabrielle knew about it, but Xena didn't. And he didn't want her to. It comforted him somewhat to feel its hard form under the cloth of his trousers.
Not being able to delay any longer, he started to crawl into bed between the two women. He paused for a moment, staring at Gabrielle's arm. A red circular mark marred the smooth surface. It almost looked like a burn. Staring at it, he remembered the sound she had made earlier in the wagon, when he had tried to comfort her. Had the silver burned her?
Ares gulped. The physical evidence stared him in the face. The two women he loved were really werewolves.