Together

Women of the Otherworld Fanfiction

Singingfrogs

No copyright infringement intended

As she bolted through the dense cover of the tree's she could barely see through a swirling mist of fog, her feet hooking under protruding roots as she stumbled over foliage along the dark barriers of the forest. She weaved through a scatter of mutilated bodies that blocked her path. There was no time to stop and see if they still clung onto the last seconds of life for she knew what had mauled them; somehow she knew what was following her, somehow she knew where she was going and for some bizarre reason she knew she was on a mission.

The young werewolf was staggering and reeling from the blistering pain caused by her wounds, she forced herself to press onwards; she was on the verge of collapse, her eyes flashing red but she knew there would be plenty of time to collapse later. How she knew all of this she did not know, but right now it was imperative she reached the castle she knew to be at least a mile away and she needed to hurry.

Swathed in a ratty old hooded cloak, she ignored the massive amount of blood that gushed from the several deep wounds the littered her back. She was extremely dizzy from the blood loss and questioned herself many times if she was even going in the right direction. But as she gracelessly hurdled over a fallen log everything in her body ran cold forcing her to a stop with petrified stillness. It was like her body refused to move, even when her brain recognized the danger of staying still for a long period of time, her terror kept her unmoving as her enhanced senses worked in overdrive.

It was not the clawing of the tree branches or the screeching of startled owls that terrified her; it was laughter. The haunting bellowing laughter that engulfed her, reverberating through the maze of thick tree trunks and carried by the glacial mist that encased her. She could hear it everywhere; her werewolf hearing failing her, as the eerie forest seemed to resonate the bloodcurdling chuckling that resembled something so familiar.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood tall, the young woman shoving her body to look behind her as a malevolent hooded figure swooped back to the darkness. Again she spun around, the tail ends of a cloak etched the corner of her vision as her overwhelmed senses caused her to bolt. She forced herself from the laughing, desperate to escape and retell the information she needed to bestow to the King; she was in such a panic that she was unaware of the thick twisted root that caught her foot. Just as she was about to tumble head first into the earth, her hands connected to the rough edges of a nearby tree to steady herself from falling. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself.

"I will have my revenge!" She shoved herself back from the tree. Her mind scrambling with recognition as unidentifiable images flashed through her mind as her eyes finally managed to identify the differences of her surroundings. Gone was the unending maze of trees, gone was the jutting tree roots, instead she was standing in a clearing, the mist spiraling on the floor as beautiful wild flowers shone within the dawning morning light. How the hell did she get here? Her mind reeling with uncertainty until her heart trembled within her chest as the familiar voice boomed around her.

"I will destroy the King and his line." She spun around again, her body stumbling with painful distress as her injured back seared with agony as her wounds burned with an intense flame that was all to familiar; she was to go through a pain she had once endured what seemed like a lifetime ago.

"She will stop me from finishing what I started." The memorable voice persisted, his voice so loud she froze. As the anxiety swarmed her body, her body retaliated, her breathing hitched, her breath visible within the dense cover of fog that had engulfed her. She wanted to flinch, to flail away from the figure who was slowly trailing his fingertips over the bare skin of her arms. She wanted to scream, to demand he take his hands away from her, for her diffident persona to break into one of confidence and fire, but her brain and body would not obey the other. His hands trailed over her shoulder, his cold hands sweeping across her neck causing the shuddering of her heart and the heaving of her chest which were the only physical symptoms that displayed the emotional turmoil that consumed her. It was when the wet feeling of his lips touching the sensitive skin of the crook of her neck did her body finally retaliate, forcing itself away from the onslaught of his attentions as she spun around to face him.

What she saw made her confusion increase. His face was hidden, his large black cloak obscuring her view as the robe concealed his form. She could not help but think about the Ringwraiths from Lord of the Rings as she took in his appearance. But before she could even comprehend what she was seeing and thinking, his stone like hand reached out for her, his voice bellowing with uncontained fury.

"I hate that! I hate it!" He thundered, his outstretched hands lunging for her while his robe flickered around his undetermined form. All she could think of doing was shriek away from him, flinging her torso so she was cradling her head by her knees; when she felt nothing, when his body did not shunt hers she fretfully removed her hands from her face to see he had disappeared.

"I don't hate her. No. Not her. Never her." His voice bellowed, echoing around the serene clearing which had lost all beauty as his tormenting tone and distressing words cut into her heart as her apprehension at his sentiments made her agitated and disturbed.

"For we have a destiny." He said to her left, the young werewolf shoving herself so she could look at him, the bottom of his face finally visible. Once upon a time she would have relaxed at the sight, but as her eyes noticed his lip-curling smile her teeth were suddenly put on edge. "We are connected she and I." He vanished.

"And she is not like the others." He appeared directly in front of her, his hand reaching out for her once again as his lips twisted into a sinister yellowed smile. His eyes were still hidden, his inhuman stony hand wrapping around her wrist which she suddenly forced from his gasp, taking an uncontrollable step back as he too took a step towards her. He kept gaining on her. "They were afraid." he disappeared from view again. The young woman just stood there, her eyes scattering to the dark trees that surrounded her, the beams of sunlight unable to reach her as she frantically searched for the man who had been standing in front of her only moments before.

"Conquered." he whispered, coercively wrapping his arms around her shoulders and placing his arms over her bust so his hands could rest to her abdomen; an action for only the most intimate of lovers. She struggled against his hold as her werewolf strength had failed her. "But she has a strength, a strength like a king of old." the wolf grasped hold of his wrist in whatever hold she could muster, lifted her arms into a crossed position before she bent over and twisted, violently removing herself from his embrace as she stumbled further into the clearing. As she spun around to face him, she was not surprised to not see him.

For what felt like minutes he did not reappear. Her eyes strenuously searching. Her instincts always on alert. The chilly temperature was suddenly getting to her, her gaunt features streaked with sweat, as the fever that had overcome her body propelled her down an unfamiliar route of invalidity. Her back blazing with scorching fire as her untreated wounds stung due to the biting chill. However, she was almost certain that she had avoided her attacker, mentally preparing herself for her getaway. She turned, and what she saw had her stumbling. Behind her, stood hundreds of winged creatures; their talons embedding into the earth, their wings effortlessly swaying the mist as their perilous forms sauntered towards her. The terror that overwhelmed her had her shrieking away from the converging group of creatures. Her back throbbed, her open, but usually scarred over wounds itching with familiarity as her mind unconsciously replayed that traitorous event that she had lived through the last time she faced them. She tripped on her feet, her back collapsing to the misty ground below her, the hooded figure and the creatures stalking towards her as she frantically crawled away from them, her eyes never leaving them as the stone man crouched in front of her.

"If I cannot stop her I will have her." He countered with a nauseating smile as he sat on his knees, his unseen eyes sparkling blue from the depths of his dark hood. "I will have my vengeance by her obeying my orders. By forcing her to switch sides." She tried to move, to get out of his grip as his stone hand moved towards her, cupping her cheek. "Riley Thompson, you are mine." He snarled before she was overrun with the creatures who hungrily converged to feed.

She woke with a start.

0-0-0

As Jeremy walked through the recognizable foyer of his home, he was consciously aware of the lack of sound coming from the living room. It seemed Antonio had failed in keeping their newest arrived guest from succumbing to sleep. Clay and Elena were right outside the window on the patio with Nick, catching up on the events that had occurred over the last few weeks; however, it seemed not even their animated talk could disrupt the comfortable silence of the house. He was hoping, that with the introduction of three of their missing pack members, their personalities and their presence could finally bring the house that had settled so comfortably into a sense of hibernation back to life.

Even though he failed to show it he was generally delighted to have Riley back at Stonehaven; it seemed she brought a sense of peace and tranquility via her serene demeanor as her cool-headed mindset was able to dissipate even the most dangerous bouts of anger. He hated to admit it, but things seemed brighter and a little more hopeful now that she had arrived. He greatly appreciated her quietness, a welcomed relief from Clay and Elena's raised voices whether that be in anger, joy, frustration or laughter, whatever they did they did it loud. Every footstep was a pound or a stomp, as they barreled through doorways, sprawled across sofas and carpets, their presence so loud he could hear it in the walls when they were gone.

But, as he moved through the large archway that led to the living room, he could not stop the affectionate smile from reaching his features when he took in Riley's slumbering form; her hands curled tightly to her chest as she clung onto a blanket that Antonio had located for her. Riley's dark auburn locks were shimmering behind her head as she rested on the pillows that were supporting her shoulders and her head. Her chest was rising and falling delicately as she slept, a contented look iridescent on her features as she continued to hug her pillow closer to her. Jeremy could not stop the uncommon smile from engulfing his lips as he continued to watch her sleeping, marveling in her peaceful countenance as she slept.

Nevertheless, he was pulled from his thoughts when the raucous laughter of the intruding trio burst to his ears, their joyous chatter vibrating through the corridors of their home as they headed towards the living room, coming to an abrupt halt when they noticed their alpha standing in the middle of the room, having turned his attention from the sleeping woman in front of them. Nick however smiled fondly towards the sleeping beauty on the couch and struggled to compose his laughter when his eyes fluttered towards the slumbering form of his father who seemed to be catching flies.

However, the composed alpha could not resist the temptation to lower his form to its knees and reached out his large hand to softly brush the stray strands of hair from her face, curling the strands so they was neatly tucked behind her ear. He refused to regulate the smile that washed to his lips as he watched her wake; Riley moved her head into his gentle touch, the air whooshing to her lungs as she stirred. Jeremy momentarily lost concentration as he took in the tall figure of Nick heading towards his Father, taking hold of the open book that was resting on his chest and dramatically closed it in Antonio's face, laughing when he watched his Father bolting awake.

"I'm sorry I woke you." Jeremy breathed softly, observing as Riley fluttered her eyes, her grey orbs unfocused and dazed before the final hold of sleep vanished from her body. "I know you must be tired."

"It's alright." She breathed with an unknowing smile as she stretched out the cramps of her muscles during the time period of remaining in a single position. Jeremy simply readjusted his position once again, getting to his feet as he held out his hand for Riley, smiling at her tenderly as he felt her cold fingers curling around his, aiding her into a seated position as Clay and Elena collapsed onto the sofa facing Riley while Nick came and perched to the other end of the sofa the werewolf Doctor had inhabited. "So what's the situation?" Riley asked, noting how her family moved their gaze from their alpha towards her. "You wouldn't be calling me in the dead of night if it wasn't important." She managed to say, fighting a yawn that she was unable to stop inhibiting her expression.

"Straight to the point I see." Jeremy replied, humor twinkling in his eyes as he leant his hips to the front of his desk while his arms were folded tightly across his chest. "Same as always."

"So are you going to tell me? With the urgency you tried to get me out here with I doubt this can wait till morning." Riley voiced nothing but seriousness in her expression as she nervously looked towards Stonehaven's inhabitants, noticing how each of them had uncharacteristically become uncomfortable everyone except Clay.

"A few days ago, it came to our attention that a body of a woman was discovered at our property line." Jeremy declared, his dark eyes focused purely on her as he tried to read her expression; he was not surprised when Riley hardly reacted, her composed expression radiated her personal character of a professional Doctor. It seemed Riley adopted a way of living to remain as calm and composed during challenging situations; Jeremy knew it was the Doctor within her, knowing how difficult it sometimes could be when she had to notify distraught families about the passing of their beloved family member.

"Sounds eerily familiar." She stated, confusion engulfing her heart when she observed Antonio's knowing smile before she turned her attention briefly towards Elena who listened to what she had to say. "We sure Karl Marsten isn't playing some sort of sick joke on us to force you in giving him better territory?"

"Sound thinking, but unfortunately this time it is not the case." Jeremy replied.

"As soon as we identified the similarities Marsten was the first wolf we got in contact with. He's still in Wyoming having made a comfortable life for himself. He's not one to force a fight now he's got what he wants." Elena imputed, her long silver-blonde hair tightly pulled into a hair band so she did not struggle with the problems Riley did when it came to controlling her side-fringe.

"Leading to my next question; if it wasn't Marsten who could have put the body there?" Riley asked as her tired eyes fluttered between her family members.

"I think the better question is what, not who put the body there." Antonio itemized as he leant his elbows on his knees, his expensive shirt tightly incasing his bulging arms as he moved his attention towards Riley who had given him hers.

"I don't understand."

"The body held three very distinctive but troubling wounds." Jeremy enunciated, his smooth voice bringing Riley's attention back to him while the rest of his pack moved their eyes or their heads towards whoever was speaking. The four of them already understood the seriousness of the situation, but they remained quiet to allow their Alpha plenty of time to detail to Riley what had been occurring at Stonehaven the last few days; each of them knowing she held the key to unlocking the information they had yet to acquire. "Wounds that the police believe to have been given by a large wolf yet Elena and Clay have not tracked any mutts on our territory. On closer inspection of the various newspaper articles it has been speculated that the scratches are far too large to have been done by a wolf. We believe you may have some valuable insights into what may have caused these abrasions."

"So what are you saying? That you have no idea what has killed this woman and the only lead you have is three scratches that may or may not prove valuable in finding the creature or human."

"In a way." Jeremy said with a smirk. "But it's a little more complicated than you studying the articles and giving us a medical opinion."

"More complicated?" Riley breathed in misperception. "Please tell me this isn't some weird American-British miss identification where you actually mean you couldn't determine the cause of death or struggled to figure out how to read the medical garb or something." Riley complained, her eyes moving away from Jeremy's as she looked towards her friends for any sort of inkling that she was right. As she flicked her eyes towards Nick, his somber expression made her blood run cold before she looked back towards Jeremy in resignation. "Go on, tell me how this can be more complicated."

"Maybe it's best if we show you." Elena spoke as she pointed Jeremy a knowing look, her eyes piercing right into his as Jeremy momentarily moved the bangs from his face before pulling at the newspaper that Antonio had procured that was on his desk and passed it to Riley.

The young werewolf calmly took the paper from her elder placing it on her lap before she wrapped her ginger hair around her ear before she felt Nicky scooting closer and she lifted her attention towards him. The unease that was spiraling within her only got worse as she recognized the concern that was embedded deep within his chocolate orbs as he started to reach out for her as if to lessen the pain she was about to feel. But, it seemed he thought better of it and his hand fell limply to his lap. What she saw made her blood run cold.

It was like she was looking through a mirror; the woman was about her age, deep red hair and a pale complexion that had turned blue and green from rigor mortis and the lack of blood pumping around her body. However, it was not the physical resemblance that had spooked her, that she could handle, but it was her scratches. The full back of the woman's rust colored shirt was bloodied and mutilated. Dried and clotted blood absorbed nearly every square inch of her tattered clothing. In between the rips of fabric, Riley could see the openings of flesh. Three large serrated gashes ran from the back of her left shoulder right down to her waist. The cuts were not neat; rather the flesh appeared to have been shredded to ribbons. Riley knew the agony that the victim had gone through in the final hours of her life; she knew first hand just how it felt. But as she continued to look at the photo, at the mutilated flesh, she could see that the t-shirt had been completely torn to expose the terror some scratches; it was in that moment that Riley couldn't help the conscious feeling of her own scars that were resting against the soft material of her top.

"You should have called me earlier." Was all Riley managed to say, her distant demeanor snapping back into place as her professionalism engulfed her, the werewolf using this as a shield to try and process the information in her own time but to also regain control of the anger and the utter devastation that was threatening to take hold of her.

"I would have, but I wanted to make sure I had all the information." Jeremy responded gently, excavating himself from behind the desk, guiding himself to Riley's side to try and make her understand his actions. "As you can see, I didn't want to involve you in this unless it was completely necessary."

"Necessary?" Riley breathed, a pained expression on her features as she took in the photo of the woman that was draped across her lap and the injury that she had sustained. "Jeremy, I know far more about this thing than anyone." Riley retorted, her eyes flashing back towards Jeremy whose calm appearance and small smile seemed to reign in her quick anger, knowing that the animal within her was restless considering the situation she was once again facing.

"But this thing you've been tracking was over in England, we can't be sure it travelled over to the States." Nick questioned a statement that he had intended to aid in calming her when in actual fact it did quite the opposite. Nicky was right, how had it travelled from England to the States? Sure it had pretty impressive wings but surely someone would have seen it, unless there was more than one of them. Now that was an idea that scared her more than anything.

"Unless it's not the only one." Riley whispered, her eyes frantically searching for his and she was momentarily comforted when she felt Nick's large warm fingers wrapping around hers as the pair of them looked to the other.

"What are you saying?" Clay asked, a frown of concern on his expression as he tried to comprehend the idea of a creature that maybe stalking them.

"What I'm saying is that a creature I thought to be alone may not be the only one."

"That is a prospect I am not happy with." Jeremy informed as he again folded his arms. Riley simply looked to him, her mind frantic with different thoughts and emotions, but the most prominent was her failing. Riley had been unable to do anything to help this poor woman; she had been unable to identify the creature she had tracked for so many years and now, as she sat surrounded by her Pack, she knew that she had failed to kill the creature with a detrimental cost. It had found another victim.

"There was no indication that it was alone, but then there were no signs that it had company either." Riley stammered.

"Can you be absolutely sure that each time you faced this creature it was the same one? Did it have any identifiable marks on it that you would be able to recognize?" Antonio questioned as he too tried to move closer to the conversation, Nick's father perching himself to the arm right by Elena whose own unease was etched to her figure.

"Yes, I managed to tear though one of its wings which has scared over. I also gave him a scar that runs across his right eye."

"And you've always faced this one." Antonio ordered again. Riley just nodded her head in agreement. "Then we can only assume that there is only one."

"But then, if we do that and we find more it could have disastrous effects." Nick quipped as he spoke towards his Father who seemed to nod his head in agreement with his son, coming to a conclusion that his last statement was invalid.

"Thing is we need to know more about this creature, to figure out what it is and what it wants before we can even consider going up against this thing." Clay countered, trying to bring the conversation back on track as he trained his attention solely to Riley who awkwardly squirmed under his intense gaze.

"We know this may be difficult, but you need to tell us what happened to you the day you received your own scars." Antonio urged his hands clasped together, Nick noticing Riley deflating as if she had been afraid of the conversation leading to this outcome, knowing that she would have to divulge in a part of her past that she did not want to relive.

"What happened?" Elena asked gently as Riley moved her eyes to her lap and then towards Nick who gave her an encouraging smile.

"I don't know." Riley whispered with a sheepish smile, Nick clasping his hand back around Riley's as he keenly listened to what she had to say.

"You mean you don't remember." Clay said with an edge of irritation at Riley's lack of co-operation when deep down the animal within her was demanding she run.

"That's one of the days I'll never forget." Riley said with a sad smile her head nodding as she absentmindedly played with Nick's fingers that were intertwined with her own. "It's just everything happened all at once making it difficult for me to see what or who attacked me." Riley explained, unsure as to why Nick and Antonio were looking at her as if she were the most remarkable person they had ever met. "I guess that's one of the reasons I've tracked and hunted it for so long. I mean, it was only last month when I managed to locate it in Epping Forest, on the outskirts of London."

"Was that where you were, when this creature attacked you the first time?" Jeremy questioned

"No." Riley started with a shake of the head. "I grew up in a small town a few miles from Chelmsford. My home backed out onto Blakes Wood in Danbury. That was where it found me; I can only assume that it was stalking and watching me."

"What happened next?" Nick asked gently as he ran the skin of his thumb gently over hers.

"I wasn't able to change into my wolf form, so I ran, and then it was on me. I can still feel the way its claws felt as his talons slashed at my back. But the pain was nothing compared to what I had to go through in the coming weeks."

"What do you mean?" Nick said again, asking a question everyone wanted to say.

"I got sick, real sick that had all of the medical people stumped. It also didn't help the fact that I was unable to go to a human Doctor considering my disposition. When I came through, they all told me I was lucky to be alive and I should count my blessings. I guess you could say they were one of the reasons I became a Doctor in the first place." Riley finished with a smile, a small chuckle escaping her lips as she took in her Pack's baffled countenance.

It seemed she was gaining a little confidence around them, to divulge small parts of her past, but when it came to changing, she knew they always stared at her scars with curiosity. Sure, her figure was all right and she had the curves most woman craved, but the sheer volume of scars that littered her skin was disconcerting and she still struggled to accept them when it came to displaying them to a lover, even though there had been very few romantic partners in her life.

"So what do we do?" Clay questioned as he pulled everyone from his or her thoughts.

"We need to talk to the police, to see if they have discovered anything more over the last few days." Jeremy said as he moved his gaze from Riley back to his adopted son.

"And if not?"

"Then we go hunting."