CHAPTER 2

MEETING

Four years had passed. Olose was living alone in the woods overlooking the ruins of his old home. People had come by shortly after the massacre, but finding no survivors soon turned away. Nobody ever found Olose, and nobody knew what had killed the villagers. Soon rumour began to spread of an evil monster that prowled the night. People shied away from the area, frightened by the rumours. The odd adventurer would come looking, hoping to find and slay the beast. They never found anything, of course. Except the unfortunate few that hunted on a night where the moon was full. They did not return at all.

Olose was stood in the darkness. Night had fallen once again, and this time the worse storm he had ever seen gripped the land. Lightning bolts tore through the sky, thunder crackled and rain poured down with more force than he had ever seen. His wooden shack had been swept away by the water, running down the slopes of the woods to where it had been constructed. He stood alone, watching the rain fall. He no longer looked like he had done four years ago. Now his hair was so long it reached down to the base of his spine, and he had a long unshaven beard hanging from his face. He wore basic clothes he had made from animal skins, and had been living off animals and monsters he had killed for the four years he had been in his self imposed exile. He had sworn to never go near a populated city again. It was too dangerous. For them, that is. He was too dangerous.

Now he was reconsidering. His home, and what little possessions he had made for himself had been swept away by the storm. He stood with his arms in the air, letting the rain blast down upon him. The ground beneath him was being churned by the force of the water, and fields all around were reduced to thick slushy mud. He stood beneath the trees, staring up into the storm. Would it be so bad? Could he live in a town again? If he left before every full moon? Nothing could come of it. And he could almost begin to live an ordinary life.

He laughed. No. That was no option. He couldn't risk it.

"Come on, nature!" He called out, laughing. "Do your worst!" Olose had taken a habit of speaking whenever he could to make sure he never lost his ability to form language, as he had heard would happen to those who were away from civilisation for lengths of time. A lightning bolt struck a tree nearby, and a branch fell down. He laughed. "Nice try!" He cried. He smelt the burning wood, and walked over to the branch, still slightly flaming. He kicked the wet mud over it, putting it out. His sense of smell had greatly evolved since his curse had manifested, and now he could pick out any scent in the entire area. He could smell the terrified animals as they tried to desperately find shelter. He could smell that a goblin had just been killed. He laughed. It would teach it for wearing that metal facemask. The lightning must have jumped straight too it. He was also glad that he couldn't smell any fire, only the smouldering wood near him. It meant that the lightning hadn't set the wood ablaze. He groaned, his hair plastered against his back by the rain, and began to slush through the mud, looking for some shelter.

He slid down a slope and came to a small pile of rocks. He knew the area well, and knew that those rocks were the caved in entrance to an alcove. He pulled away the rocks and slipped through the gap, finding himself in darkness. It was dry darkness though, so it was an improvement. He heard the thunder crash outside, and decided to venture deeper into what appeared to be a long cave.

His vision soon adapted to the darkness, another perk of his curse. He soon emerged in a huge cavern, and paused, feeling a chill. He recognised it. He was home.

The last refuge of the werewolves. In his four years of exile he had never explored the nearby caves, but could now see that his old home had been terribly close to where his original family had hidden. Clearly the soldiers had returned to ransack it, for all that was left now was the odd barrel and piece of rotting wood. Even the bodies and weapons were gone. He sat down in the cave, listening to the rain that echoed down the tunnel. He was dripping wet, but not cold. Over the years, he had discovered that any injury he took would instantly heal. His body would regenerate if anything went wrong, and counter any pain. It seemed to do the same for temperature. He was utterly unaffected by the cold or the heat. It would have made him a less effective killing machine. He had to be unstoppable in his quest to destroy everything. He sighed heavily. He felt as if there was a weight upon him, just being in the place that he had fled from so many years ago. His brain had repressed all memories, until the night of the first transformation. Now it seemed as clear as day. He hated that place. He hated the people in it. It was their fault. It was their fault he was what he was. He killed who he killed.

Olose cursed them, curling up on the floor and deciding it was time to sleep.

The sun shone through the trees as Olose emerged from the cave. He yawned, and looked around. There was a sense of aftermath in the air. Trees had been completely stripped of their leaves, the ground had been so churned it was now knee deep mud and the air was cool. The rain had stopped however, which Olose was glad of. He sighed, taking in the fresh air after a night in the damp cave. He noticed something strange. A scent on the air. Something that wasn't quite natural. It was perfume. A strong scent coming from somewhere. He curiously clambered down the hill and sloshed through the muddy woods, tracking the scent. There was somebody nearby, but not a warrior. Not an adventurer. An adventurer wouldn't smell like that.

He sensed the scent growing in strength, to such an extent it nearly overpowered his advanced sense of smell. Whoever the scent belonged to, she must be literally stinking of perfume for it to carry so far. He paused on top of another slope, looking down on a path that cut through the woods. It wasn't much of a path anymore, but more a marsh. The mud and waste from the woods and run down the hills onto the path, and the rain had turned it into a thick slosh. He scanned the area, and quickly spotted a hume girl. She looked extremely frustrated. She was stood still, but squirming oddly. It didn't take Olose long to figure out that she was stuck in the mud. He quickly approached her, moving quietly, deciding that he would have to free her.

Something glistened in the rising sunlight. An earring. He decided to take a good look over her. She was most definitely no adventurer. She was clothed in an overly formal black evening dress which tightly clung to her body. Her arms were bare, and he could see that her fists were tightly clenched as she struggled to move. Her fingernails were bright red, and showed up brightly against her unusually pale skin. Her hair was as black as her dress, worn up above her head in a fancy arrangement that was beyond Olose's ability to describe. She clearly had a lot of hair, but it was all worn above her head, leaving her think neck and face completely clear. Long diamond earrings hung from her ears, and Olose could easily tell that each one must have cost three times more than even the most expensive suit of armour. She was clearly very rich. He ran down the slope and sloshed onto the path. She quickly looked up, startled. Olose must have looked a little like a wild barbarian or a caveman, so he could understand her fear. She had deep brown eyes that went wide as his met hers. He looked over her face. It was heavily caked in make-up. Her lips were bright red, and looked like they were dripping with gloss. Her eyes were surrounded by thick eye shadow, making her brown eyes look darker. She was clearly very rich. And high up in status, judging by how she made herself appear. No adventurer, trader or even citizen would comfortably allow themselves to appear that way. Olose realised he hadn't done anything for quite a while when he saw that she was panicking, struggling desperately and trying to free herself.

Lady Arcadia De Lily was the daughter of two of the richest citizens in the whole of Tavnazia, a great city belonging to all five races. Her father had been a powerful Lord, who had helped to build the city and turn it into what it was to that day. And as his daughter, she had been risen in extreme nobility, only ever seeing the rich side of life and being delivered to the fanciest parties and meeting the richest and most influential citizens of all of Vana'diel. However, she had soon become old enough to function on her own, away from her parents. She was now nineteen, and her parents had decided to let her begin to see the world. She had decided to travel to the elvaan city of San d'Oria, despite the elvaan's natural alienation for other races, they had the grandest city in the land, and Arcadia had always loved it when they visited in her younger years. She had decided to journey there alone, but her parents had forbidden it. They had assigned to her a squad of body guards, but she had decided to dismiss them, being certain that she could manage the journey alone.

The storm the night before had worried her, but the rain had stopped and she had vouched to begin her journey, catching a chocobo and carriage out as far as it would take her before proceeding on foot. She had quickly become hopelessly lost, finding herself unable to remember the directions she had been given and having left her map with the dismissed bodyguards. She tried to journey onwards, but was quickly becoming worn down, not being used to travelling and lacking in the stamina required. Her feet quickly began to hurt, her stiletto heeled shoes being distinctly unsuitable to long journeys. However, due to her upbringing, she wasn't used to wearing anything less. She had quickly decided she needed to find somewhere to rest, and to receive directions. She soon found signs of a path, and decided that it must lead to somewhere. It turned out it led into a wood, and she decided it would be best to follow it in the hopes that there was a village hidden amongst the trees. She had managed to struggle through the path, despite the fact that it was quite muddy. It quickly became deeper, however, as she ventured within the woods. It didn't take long for her feet to sink completely. Her high heels cut through the mud like it was butter, and she became stuck.

She had struggled uselessly, but in the end was forced to concede defeat. Her parents had given her a link pearl to contact them if she got into too much trouble. She decided that it was time to use it. She had reached around her neck, removing the necklace that the light pink jewel was hanging from. Her soft well-moisturised hands ran over the pearl, and it slipped from her grip, splashing down in the mud. She reached to get it, but couldn't reach it. It had fallen too far away.

That was when she had known she was in trouble.

Now she was confronted by a ragged looking man, who was either about to help her or skin her alive. She couldn't hide her own fear. She trembled uselessly as the man approached her. He put his hands on her shoulders. She felt his rough hardened hands against her own soft and silky skin. He pulled gently, and she found herself lifted up, removed from the oozing mud. He placed her on the nearby slope, where she slipped slightly before regaining her balance. The man moved across the path, picking up her link pearl and throwing it to her. She missed the catch, but spent no time in swooping down and picking it up.

"Better?" The man asked. She nodded sheepishly. "You don't look like the type who will last long-" He paused, trying to think of an appropriate place. "-well, anywhere." He finally said. She looked at him, clearly frightened. "You have a name?" He asked, continuing casually. Arcadia looked at him for a moment, before suddenly remembering to speak.

"My apologies." She said in a voice dripping with formality. "I am Lady Arcadia De Lily, daughter of Lord Valance." The man smirked.

"And what is the daughter of Lord Valance doing out here?" He asked, having absolutely no idea who Lord Valance was, but deciding to keep asking questions. Each time he spoke he asked the questions quickly and casually, in a matter of fact manner. It put Arcadia on edge. It was if he just needed to know the facts, so came straight out and asked. She was from a world of formality and strict rules, even in conversation, so she was feeling quite out of place when confronted with this strange figure.

"Urm, I'm a little lost, to be honest." She admitted awkwardly.

Olose stumbled back for a moment, caught off guard by a memory. Something in her eyes as she had said that, some innocence shining through, had reminded him of someone. Underneath all the make-up, jewellery, fancy clothes and formality, for a moment, he had been reminded of Talia. He knew at that moment that he had to help her. He had to help her find her way. He had been hidden for four years, but he was still human, he still knew when to help and to be kind. He swore he would make sure he helped her. Perhaps, in time, he decided, he could help enough to make up for the mistakes he had made. For what he had done.

"Well, where were you headed?" Olose asked curiously.

"I am heading to San d'Oria." She answered in an irritatingly posh voice. "I am to make acquaintance with-"

"You can just say 'I'm going to San' you know?" Olose sighed. She looked at oddly. "Forget it." He added. "I've got a rough idea of where it is, and I know it's not the way you were headed." He said after a pause. "I can show you the way. At least until you encounter a guard or something. San d'Oria have their troops marching everywhere, conquering anything that moves at the moment, so it can't be too hard to find them." Arcadia nodded. She decided that it was much better than having to crawl back to her parents for help. They'd never have to know that she got help.

"I thank you from the depths of my heart." She said with an overly formal courtesy. Olose rolled his eyes. "I will make sure you're rewarded when we reach San d'Oria!" She added enthusiastically. Olose smiled. It was weeks until the next full moon. He was safe for the moment. He decided some company could prove interesting, even if it was this potentially annoying girl.

"Come on, we'll cut across the woods." He said, climbing up the muddy slope. Arcadia tried to follow, but slipped uselessly. She tried to get her footing again, but slipped forwards. She put her hands down to steady herself, and suddenly recoiled, realising they were now covered in mud. She stumbled back onto the path, and sunk once more, becoming stuck again. "Oh, I can see this is going to be fun." Laughed Olose sarcastically. Arcadia managed an innocent smile.

Some time later, Arcadia was struggling through the hilly woods behind Olose. She was now covered in mud, having slipped over multiple times. She slid down a hill, loosing her footing again. She landed roughly. Olose turned around and offered her a hand back up. She laughed nervously, brushing a strand of hair that had fallen from her elegant hairstyle back.

"Do you have a name?" She asked, trying her best to appear informal by imitating what he had asked her. Her naturally upper class accent made sure she failed in this task, but she had at least tried.

"Yes." Olose answered, managing a smile before carrying on through the woods. Aracdia struggled behind, trying to keep up, slipping and sliding on the muddly slopes.

"Urm, so what is it?" She called, falling behind, slightly irritated by the man's complete disregard for what she had meant before.

"Olose." Came the answer. Olose was uneasy about saying his surname. After all, it wasn't his real surname. His real surname had died back in that cave when he was four.

"I am pleased I met you." She said, snapping back into her usual overly formal self. Olose sighed, before managing a chuckle as he heard her yelp, slipping and falling down. He turned around and lifted her up again by her bare shoulders, surprised by the soft feeling of her skin.

"You're lucky you did." Olose smiled.

"Yeah, I would have been stuck for a long time." She admitted, blushing slightly. Luckily her blush was hidden beneath her thick make-up, meaning Olose failed to notice.

"No, I meant before the beastmen came." He told her. She looked at him with a worried glance.

"Beastmen?" She asked.

"Yeah, they would have come and killed you pretty quickly. You really shouldn't be travelling alone." Olose told her.

"I was not planning on getting stuck." She explained, sarcasm penetrating her voice.

"They would of killed you were you stuck or not. You're just lucky most are still reeling after last night's storm." Olose gave in reply, sounding weary, but almost enjoying the power he had over her.

"I could have avoided the beastmen." She told him, sounding quite confident. "They would not have seen me." Olose laughed aloud at this.

"They would have found you instantly." He told her.

"How?" She asked. "I would have stayed out of sight."

"Sight isn't the only sense the beastmen rely on." Olose told her. "How do you think I found you?" She looked blank. "You wear so much perfume every single beastman in this entire area must know exactly where you are, they track by smell and have a far stronger sense of smell than humes do." She paused awkwardly, sniffing the air and her own scent.

"There is nothing wrong with smelling nice." She said shyly.

"There is if you're planning to survive out here." Olose answered bluntly. "But then again, you're really not the 'surviving out here' type." He laughed. Arcadia shook a little. She was quite clearly scared. She hurried close to Olose, sticking by him.

"Will you protect me?" She asked in a panic. "If anything comes?"

"I'll handle it." Olose smiled. She smiled back.

"Thank you." She whispered softly.

"Now, come on." He smiled. "It's still quite a long way to San d'Oria. We could take a short cut across the fields but the rain will have reduced it to a marsh." Olose didn't mention it was also the site of his old village, the village that he had destroyed. He couldn't bring himself to go back there.

"Could we not make it through?" Arcadia asked. "It would save time." Olose sighed. He couldn't go back there. He knew he couldn't.

"It's far too muddy. I don't want to be pulling you out every two seconds." He told her with a wry smile, crushing the sadness that gripped him deep down inside his soul, replacing it with forced humour. Arcadia laughed with embarrassment.

"I guess you are right." She said. "Well, lead on then." Olose smiled, gesturing for her to follow him. She hurried after him, trying to keep as close as she could.