Circle Of Sisters

14. Snip, Snip, Down The Well

Wolf tested the long rope carefully after he had lashed it to the crossbar that ran underneath the small gabled roof over the Well. The last thing he wanted was an uncontrolled plummet to the depths below. Just like Virginia had done. Wolf shivered in dread at the thought of her broken body floating aimlessly in the waters. Super fast healing powers given her by the werewolf's blood would do her little good if she drowned first. Wolf stared sightlessly at the other werewolf in town. Elias was hastily stowing their belongings into two small packs. Will had already shouldered one and now Elias stooped to lift the other onto his broad shoulders. Neither Will nor Elias seemed particularly panicked, Wolf realised, and he had to admit to himself that he wasn't nearly half as worried as he should be. If there was one thing he had come to know over the past weeks, it was that whatever was in store for Virginia's life did not involve death at the bottom of a Well, not even a magical Well. Will and Elias had finished their preparations and stood waiting expectantly. Wolf scanned the village surrounds once more, but it remained as eerily quiet as it had been all along. The Idiot had resumed his snoring from under his floppy hat, sprawled out on the cobbles.

"Ready then?" asked Will.

"Yes, yes. I'll go first, then you, then Elias. I don't know what's at the bottom, but wait until I tug on the line before following" Wolf replied briskly. He was seriously tempted to leave Elias behind though. The moon had almost cleared the horizon. What if the spell had worn off completely and Elias had returned to his former cycle? There would be no escape for he and Will if the man turned monster on them down there. But then, if Elias was to turn, then so would Virginia. As if he knew he was being considered, Elias met Wolf's gaze evenly.

"I know you don't trust me. I don't blame you. But I have Virginia's best interests at heart and you know this, Wolf. You'll need a third person down there tonight"

"What if you transform down there? How do you know your body hasn't returned to normal? We could be minutes from another disaster"

"I won't, and neither will she. I know my own cycle Wolf, just as you know yours. We have weeks yet to prepare" Elias answered, and Wolf could tell he was being truthful. Except for Virginia's best interests. Wolf knew that they were vastly different to what he himself might consider them to be. But there was no time to waste worrying over how and when Elias would make his move. And it was a relief suddenly, to realize that the moon had indeed cleared the horizon as they spoke. She hung full and powerful in the sky, illuminating the three figures in the square. Wolf did not miss Elias' quiet sigh of relief in any case. Wolf nodded at the man then and gathered a good handful of rope. Swinging his legs over the side, he took a deep breath before lowering himself off the ledge and beginning the slow descent.

Wolf had good upper body strength, but even his strong arms had begun to ache long before the end of the wellshaft came. In the gloom he saw the end of the rope dangling just above the water level. He tried to judge the depth of the water, but the swirling colours gave him little to go on. Holding his breath, he shimmied down the last few feet and into the water. It was immediately warm on his skin and faint currents eddied around him as if the water were alive. He hoped the magical stuff wouldn't take it into it's head to turn him into whatever if saw fit. He still didn't quite believe that Wishing Wells weren't just the haven for cheeky fairies. But he saw no-one as he floated, spinning around slowly. He reached up to tug on the rope and felt it go taut with the weight of Will as he made his way down. Wolf swam over to the nearest edge and hauled himself out, shaking off the excess water. While he was waiting for the others, he began sniffing widely in all directions. The heavy, damp air in the Well held a multitude of smells, but Virginia's was by far the strongest. She had stood for long minutes exactly where Wolf stood right now. Wolf admitted that he was more relieved that she had survived the fall than worried about the fact that she wasn't still here. He put his nose right up to the wall where she had placed her hand a moment, trying to work out how long ago it had been. At least six hours ago, the answer came back to him from that wolfy part of his mind that he usually had little concious contact with. He never needed to tell his wolf mind what he wanted to know, but it always supplied the right answer anyway. Wolf kissed the wall where his beloved Virginia had touched it, before turning away to see the feet and legs of Will come into view at the end of the rope.

"It's okay, just drop in. It's deep enough" he called softly. The whole body of his brother appeared in a rush then and disappeared for a moment under the surface. Will flailed his way over to the edge after tugging on the line once more. Wolf leaned to help him out and the two brothers waited in silence as Elias came expertly down the rope. Wolf guessed that Elias might have been half way down the wellshaft when he suddenly yelped in surprise. The end of the rope coiled up quickly and there was the sound of some heavy object bouncing off the walls. Elias appeared, falling mutely into the pool with a huge splash, the end of the thick rope following him in. Elias vanished deep under the water. Will leapt back in just as his head made the surface again, gasping and choking. Wolf waded in to help Will lift Elias out onto the rim of the pool. The werewolf coughed mightily for a few more seconds. Wolf coiled up the remaining rope, searching for the end that he knew had been cut. The neat slice across the fibres confirmed his suspicions. Elias meanwhile had regained his voice.

"Did you see that! Someone cut the rope!" he grated. Wolf nodded, showing him the severed end. Will snorted in disgust.

"Charming, just wonderful, these people!" he shouted up the well, but Wolf doubted if anyone above would hear it. No doubt they had done their dirty deed and crept away. And probably be the toast of the village tonight, he cursed silently. Well, there was no changing the fact that they were trapped down here now. There was no way they'd be able to climb back up the slick stone walls to the surface. That left only one other option. Wolf stared across the pool, seeing the vague outlines of the tunnel leading away into the earth. He sighed, feeling his natural wariness at being in enclosed spaces. Give me the sun and stars any day, he thought soberly, knowing that Willem would likely be experiencing the same misgivings about this place he'd followed his brother into. He and Elias were going through their packs, checking and fastening straps. Elias had a shallow graze along his forehead where he had scraped it on the side of the wall as he had fallen. The blood smell was a sharp tang in the air and Wolf's own blood sang in recognition. On any other full moon night he'd be well clear of this place, hunting, feasting on the raw warm meat of his kill. He shook his head to clear the rampant images that flooded it. Time to hunt Virginia now. To kill? his wolf mind asked, ever hopeful.

"No!" Wolf said aloud in the darkness. His voice echoed off the walls. The other's stared at him in surprise.

"What's that?" said Elias, patting at his cut head with his shirt sleeve.

"Nothing" Wolf replied as he stepped back into the water to swim across to the other side. Will and Elias followed, making small ripples dance across the surface as they paddled. The three stood in front of the opening to the underground tunnel.

"What's down here, Wolf? What manner of creatures live down here?" Elias asked. Wolf had to admit to himself that he knew little about where they were or where they might end up. They were not in the Dwarf Kingdom, he guessed that much. Dwarves lived primarily in and around Dragon Montain which was to the west of where they were. Plus, Dwarves carved their own roads through the earth, paving, shoring up and generally leaving their marks of passage. This place, and this tunnel was a natural creation. No one had smoothed over the rough stone here. All these things came together in Wolf's mind as he sought to answer Elias' questions. There could only be one other race of folk that lived deep under the ground, a rarely seen people, lovers of darkness and wet places. Wolf smiled in the gloom.

"Goblins"

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Virginia had ceased her struggling within minutes, realising that it was a lost cause. Whatever held her did so effortlessly. It still covered her mouth with one hand, but her eyes remained free to use. The creature walked quickly and softly through the narrowing passage. The way continued to be lit by the eerie green and silver light emitted by the fungi on the walls. After a few minutes, her captor came to a junction where it took a smaller side passage and then another and another. Virginia quickly lost track of the turns. After several turns and minutes, the creature stopped at what looked like a wide cavern with many different tunnel exits going in all directions. Virginia felt her feet strike the ground again as the creature stood her up. As it turned her around, she got a good look at it's face for the first time. Virginia had seen many odd visages since coming to live in the Kingdoms, but this was one she had never seen the like of. The face was a sickly green colour, as was all the creature's skin that she could see. It was a man-shaped face, but it was covered in a great many lumps and bumps that resembled warts or boils. Virginia fought not to let her first impressions show too much on her own face, but she guessed that she must have failed as the creature smiled faintly.

"Not such a pretty sight I know" it said. The voice was definately male, and soft. Not angry or aggressive. Virginia decided to smile back at the creature, tentatively, to see how it might respond. It grinned widely, showing crooked but very white teeth. No fangs at least, thought Virginia with some relief. Perhaps it wasn't looking to make a meal out of her after all. In fact, it's whole manner now was almost appologetic. She held out her hand to the strange man.

"My name is Virginia"

"Oh, I know, I know. My name is Clayface" the man replied, taking her hand in a firm grip. The skin felt damp and clammy, not unlike a frog's skin.

"Clayface, I hope you don't find this a rude question, but, what are you?" Virginia asked. The green man's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, of course, I forgot. You're new here, to these worlds I mean. You've not seen one of us before? I'm a Goblin. This is where we live for the most part. Under the ground, but in the nice earth, not the cold stone like those dwarves do. Not often do we come to the surface. It's a bit hard on the skin you see". Virginia nodded in understanding, before the name triggered a memory of something her father had told her.

"Did you say your name was Clayface? Are you the same Clayface who my father met in the Snow White Prison? He escaped through your tunnel". The Goblin made a small bow.

"One and the same, Miss Virginia"

"My father told me a lot about you Clayface. He told me that you stood up for him when Acorn wanted to kill him after he discovered your secret escape route"

"That I did, that I did. It'd have been a shame to let my carving talents go to waste" the Goblin replied, grinning widely once more. Virginia didn't understand the last part of his statement though, so she let it pass in favour of a more pertinent question.

"Clayface, why did you grab me like that? Am I your prisoner now?"

"Prisoner? Oh no, dear me no. Honoured guest more likely. I'm sorry if I frightened you, but I had to get you safely away from the bunyips"

"Right. The bunyips?"

"Yes. I don't 'spose you've heard of them either. Nasty little things. Live in the bottom of many wells around here, pinching the coins. They're cowardly for the most part, but they'll take down anyone small enough and on their own. They don't get much fresh meat" said the Goblin matter of factly. Virginia shivered and glanced back over her shoulder. Clayface put his hand gently on her arm.

"It's alright Miss, they won't follow too far into Goblin territory, but still, we shouldn't linger here for too long. We should go. It's a long way after all" he continued, tugging gently on her sleeve.

"No, wait, please. I need to think a moment. Clayface, how did you come to be here? Were you expecting me? My mate, and friends, they'll be following me eventually. I should wait for them. And what do you mean 'it's a long way'? Do you know where I'm to go?" Virginia spilled her questions out in a great rush, the precariousness of her situation suddenly becoming clear. She felt her breaths coming quick in the gloom of the cave. The Goblin pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"Expecting you? Well, yes, in a manner of speaking. I'm a carver after all. But, people don't just fall down magical wells every day, and you didn't fall did you?"

"No. I don't know what happened"

"Of course. But, anyone who does, well they all end up in the same place, eventually. All I'm doing is showing you the quickest way. Else you might be wandering down here for years and years. Time is short for you, yes?" Clayface spoke calmly, as if trying to coax a wayward child. Virginia wasn't exactly comforted by his vague responses, but she was becoming used to the people of this world not spelling it out in black and white. Words have power in themselves. Be wary with them lest you lock yourself onto a path of regret. The bodiless voice floated through Virginia's mind. It wasn't Snow White's, she was sure of it now. Virginia felt the gooseflesh creep across the skin on the back of her neck. The Goblin gave no sign that he had heard anything, but he did look closely over her shoulder at one of the openings of the cave. Shallow gurgling laughter came out of it and the sound of many feet pattering. Virginia shivered and the Goblin took her arm once more.

"We really should go. The bunyips are getting bold these days". Virginia nodded mutely and drew her cloak around her.

"What about my friends, Clayface? Won't the bunyips attack them?"

"Two grown half-wolfs and a human male? I doubt it very much, Miss Virginia. And if they're good trackers, they'll catch up with us in no time, you'll see. Come on, lets get a few more miles into Goblin territory and they'll leave us well enough alone" he said briskly, starting away up a narrow path that led in what Virginia guessed to be a westerly direction. She wondered what time it was up above. Wolf would probably still be asleep and Elias and Will would think she was with him. Virginia discounted the Village Idiot being astute enough to raise the alarm, even if he had even figured out where she'd gone. So, for the time being at least, she was in this alone, but strangely for Virginia, this thought didn't come with any dread at all. She felt invigorated, following a mysterious trail under the earth like a hound on the scent. She padded after Clayface, content for the moment that he would not lead her astray. She didn't even stop to wonder how he had known who would be coming after her.

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Elias dabbed at his sore head experimentally. The bit of cloth that Will had torn off his shirt came away still with spots of blood on it and he had developed a good sized lump as well. He sighed and put the cloth back in his pocket. No sense in hoping for sympathy down here, not with Wolf in company anyway. Will, at least, had given the injury a cursory once over as Elias had sat unsteadily on the edge of the deep cistern after his plummet down the wellshaft. Elias cursed silently those above ground who had thought to cut off their escape whilst he was half way down the rope. Couldn't they have waited until he was down first? Maybe the good people of the village thought him to be a half-wolf as well, although the obviousness of that struck him as ridiculous. They had known he was human (or human looking), just as plainly as they'd known the wolf's in their midst. Elias remembered the dulled thrill of alarm that had passed though the Inn's common room as they had entered yesterday. But there had been no outcry, no thrown pitchforks or mobs chasing them out of town, thanks to the presence of Virginia. It was a puzzle to Elias just how the people of Little Lamb Village had come to deify Virginia and at the same time conviently forget how close they had come to derailing the whole process through their persecution of Wolf. It made him wonder how many of the supposed villians of many tales were just that. History was written by the victors, after all. Elias had been impressed in spite of himself at Wolf's response to the villagers. The big half-wolf cut an imposing figure at the best of times and the tension in his stance would have been alarming to anyone who guessed that he might have a grudge against them. Maybe that was why they had cut the rope. They feared that Virginia would lose control of him during the full moon and he'd run through the village as though it was a giant chicken house. Elias smiled at the imagery. Well, it was a moot point now. Virginia had disappeared into the bowels of the earth and now, so were Wolf, Willem and himself.

Elias waited patiently as Wolf cast about in the entrance to the underground world, seeking Virginia's exact trail. To Elias, the scent lay as bright as a neon pointer in his mind, and he supposed it might be the same for the half-wolf's. Warm air gusted out of the tunnel then, bringing with it not a fresher Virginia-scent but a new one. This one was immediately unpleasant. It was not unlike a Troll, as Elias had remembered smelling in the dungeons of Wendell's palace, except that this reeked not of dead flesh and leather but of rotten leaves and worms. The swamp where Hera dwelt had had a similar smell to it, but this came from a live creature. Or more than one live creature, if the sudden pattering squelch of feet were anything to go by. Elias looked to Wolf as a measure of danger, but the big man stood uneasy in the dark.

"What comes?" Elias asked him. Wolf turned in the dark to face him. Only the glitter green of his hunting eyes could be seen.

"I, ah, well, to be sure..." he began, but Will interrupted him.

"I know. They're bunyips is all. Little things, pesky, smelly. Live in bogs and at the bottom of wells too. Penny pinchers, they are, though what they do with their hoards of coins is anyone's guess"

"Are they dangerous?"

"To us, not likely. But I hope our Virginia didn't come across them by herself. It's said that they're sneaky cowards. They'll only attack in numbers, and only when their victim is alone" Will whispered, crouched down near the floor. Wolf stirred and growled loudly in the darkness. The natural curve and shape of the walls made his voice echo weirdly down the tunnel.

"Come on" he said brusquely, ignoring the sudden silence from the bunyips. Elias shouldered his pack and followed Wolf and Will away from the pool at the bottom of the well. The surface underfoot was wet with a tiny trickle of water, and smooth where the eons of flowing had eroded the rock. Within a few feet of the entrance, he began to percieve a glowing sensation coming from above and he saw unusual shaped fungi were responsible for it. It was a pale light, but welcome, and his excellent vision made the most of the display. Ahead, Wolf paused to give the fungi a glance before continuing on down the passage. Elias noticed that he moved quickly, but cautiously as well. Will mimicked his brother's stance.

After just a few minutes, Wolf paused once more, but this time his posture indicated that something had disturbed him very much. Elias hurried forward to learn what it might be. Will was kneeling on the floor of the earth passage, his nose close to the dirt and stones.

"Ahh, something wrong has happened here Wolf"

"Quit telling me what I already know, fool" barked Wolf back to his older sibling. The two glowered at each other for a second, their luminous eyes tinged now with red. Elias held up his hand between them.

"Peace! Tell me at least what has happened" he spoke into the charged silence. Will flicked his gaze over him.

"A struggle. Virginia, and...someone else, a Goblin I think. A Goblin has taken her from this place. Carried her is my guess. Her scent runs very faint from this spot. She hasn't touched the ground for a while past here" Will spoke softly and precisely. Elias bent down to see if he could read the same from the earth, but apart from a confused muddle of scents, he couldn't honestly put the pieces together as well. But he didn't doubt the half-wolf's conclusion. They had much more experience at tracking than he did. He straightened and glanced to see Wolf pacing back and forth, angry.

"Why would a Goblin want to carry off Virginia?" Elias asked Will but Wolf exploded before he could answer.

"Why anything? Oh, what's the point? Goddess-be-damned, but we have had nothing but trouble since you came into our lives Elias! How I wish I had just slaughtered you on sight in Central Park that day!" he shouted. Elias stepped back reflexively, seeing Wolf's hackles start to rise up in aggression. The Wolf that Elias had come to know seemed to vanish before his eyes. In the dim light his long canines glittered. Elias fought to keep from cowering under that gaze, but inwardly he crumbled. His feet went out from under him and he landed heavily, winded on the floor. Across the cavern, he saw Wolf leap as if in slow motion towards him, heard the sickening snap of teeth close to his ear. Elias braced himself as best he could for the attack, but he was hopelessly overpowered by the moon enraged half-wolf. A part of his mind cursed and bellowed in rage. Damn it, if he could only survive till the next new moon, then Wolf would have his hands full with him then! If only Virginia were here; she would be able to stop Wolf from killing him. Or maybe Wolf had only been waiting for this opportunity.

Suddenly, the weight of Wolf bearing down on him was gone as Will joined the fray. The sounds of fighting wolves filled the cavern. Elias rolled over, struggling for breath, to see Will dump Wolf on his back and put his knee up to press firmly on his neck. Wolf snapped and snarled but was unable to free himself. For long moments the two brothers continued to struggle together, before Wolf suddenly went limp. Will leaned over to put his face up to his younger brother's.

"Submit!" he said hoarsely in both the human and wolf tongues. Elias watched in mute fascination as the Rule Of Pack was enforced on Wolf. He had been bested. He had no choice in the matter. It was submit or die. Literal death or not. Wolf turned his head as far to the side as Will's hold allowed him. The nod was small, but enough for Will. He stepped back and away, releasing Wolf. Elias saw that his muscles were trembling with the effort it had taken to hold his much stronger opponent. He fumbled in his bag for the canteen of water, taking great gulps as he sank to the floor in exhaustion. Wolf had curled up in a ball, nose to tail, and Elias knew that he shed tears. The sight of the big, dominant male reduced to this was a profound one for Elias. It made him realise that whatever he felt for Virginia was as insubstantial as the wind when compared to the bond between her and her Wolf. But, like the wind, it would never go away.

It was at this moment that the bunyips decided to attack.