Together
Woman of the Otherworld Fanficion
Singingfrogs
No copyright infringement intended
She had no idea how long she had been searching. The bright light from the sky was twinkling to mere glimmers as the branches of the dense forest prevented the sunlight from illuminating the pathway that was slowly vanishing beneath her feet. Only a few moments ago she was able to track and search for any signs of life and detect the footprints that were embedded within the well-travelled path; instead she had to ignore the setting sun and concentrate on detecting the bent twigs or misplaced leaves as she continued on her task set by her father. After all, the man she was seeking had the potential to eliminate the threat that was looming over her family's kingdom.
She placed her hand to the bottom of her fine dove-grey suede coatdress, lifting the lapels from her trouser clad legs as she repositioned and angled her slender figure over the fallen tree that had fallen in her way. She ignored the silhouettes of branches that seemed to reach towards her with emaciated arms and finger like projections as she clambered deeper into the opaque forest; oh how she wished she could have her horse with her, knowing that it would have been far quicker to reach her destination on horseback than on foot.
However, the foreboding air was biting at her being as the temperature dropped; the young woman simply lifted her arms, the sleeves that featured the elegant medieval patterns were wrapping around her arms as she trudged further into the closing darkness. She could feel the enormous ornate silver buckle pressed underneath her arms, her coat unable to move from its tight hold on her body as the fine, deep blue sash that had been laced down the front was tightly gathered at the back of her coat. Nevertheless, that wasn't what was making her uncomfortable; there were no sounds of chirping insects, no sounds of falling leaves just the wheeling of the wind against the trees branches and the continuous thumping of her feet against the compacted wooden floor. She was conscious about how she had yet to see any animals considering she knew of the deadly creatures that lurked within the various woods that were within the kingdom boarders.
Cockatrices were the descendants from the lizard creatures of the Forests of Balor and dominated most forests in this region of her homeland. Her eyes constantly scanning for their typical dens that were embedded to the side of a hill; it was a creature with the legs of a dragon and the head of a rooster and as she travelled the worn path she hoped she would identify one for she did not want to be turned into stone. Maybe that was the reason her father insisted she carry a mirror, for it was one of the only ways to truly kill a Cockatrice.
The young woman simply shook herself from her troublesome thoughts and ducked lower to the ground, ignoring the feeling of someone's eyes staring at her back as she took in the tracks which were unmistakably made by Essetir Rabbits. She could not stop the smile from washing to her features as she realized she was on the right track.
She simply continued her journey down the old forest road on the western boarders of Essetir and knew she was coming closer to the abandoned Druid settlement of Castlrock and the old home that was her trajectory. But, as she continued on her excursion her eyes could detect a clearing in the forest resulting in her heartbeat to quicken as the anticipation of reaching her goal was beginning to course through her veins. As the last rays of sunlight flooded through the trees and into the clearing the young woman finally arrived at her destination. In the centre of the clearing was a large, very ancient tree that's thick branches were twisting and rising in any and every direction. But the rather bizarre occurrence happened to be the house that was embedded into the trunk of the tree. The stonework was barely able to hold the foundations of the house, causing the sidewalls to lean at dangerous angles. The roots of the tree were protruding from the base of the old wooden door and the windowsill. However, the thatched roof was wobbly and uneven with the second floor slanting to the side as if it was drooping or about to fall from its perch within the tree.
She could do nothing but stare with her mouth hanging open at the prospect of walking into the unsteady house. She simply brought in a huge lungful of air before her boots clapped against the cracking stone steps as she knocked her knuckles against the ancient door.
"Hello?" She called, leaning her head towards the door. "I am searching for a man named Gregory Bostel." She voiced again. She re-adjusted her long mahogany hair, pulling it over her shoulder as she pressed her ear to the door. "I am known as Ayleth Pendragon, daughter of King Arthur of Camelot, I need to speak with you about a matter of great importance." She finished, and her answer was silence.
Ayleth just moved her hand to the door handle, feeling the cool metal against her palm as she pushed with her strength on the lock. It did not budge. This act then resulted in her shoving her shoulder to the wooden door, slamming her body to try and open the old wooden door. With her inadequate strength Ayleth took a few steps back, angled her body to the side and lifted her leg, mustering all the strength she had left before shoving her foot to the door. The resulting crash resonated around the building and surrounding forest as the door was flung from its hinges and created a clear path for Ayleth to enter into the household.
The woman pressed her hand to either side of the now vacant doorframe as she ducked into the building. Her curiosity and unease were shining around her as she anxiously walked into the unstable building, which was creaking and groaning under her feet. It seemed the building was so old and rickety that her small frame was unable to prevent the construction from creaking.
It took her eyes a few moments to customize to the sudden change in her environment considering the light from the almost set sun barley reached the main area of the home leaving thick and large shadows engulfing the small home as Ayleth walked further into the front room. The three large windows to her right were crooked and capped in dirt; bowls and cutlery littered the shelf just by the door and the table that dominated that side of the room and was positioned under the window. A wooden armchair was curled into the corner of the building while another large armchair sat just to the other side of the house. Due to the dim lighting the woman could not see anything up the stairs or further into the house. With the creaking floorboards and her echoing footsteps she began to search, looking for any signs of activity. She was ordinarily perceptive of her surroundings and as she searched for the Druid in his home, her unease was beginning to worry her.
Something stirred behind her.
She snapped her body around, her hair flinging behind her as she brought her petite but slender figure into an upright position, her hand instinctively reaching and resting onto the hilt of her sword as her eyes searched the darkness.
"Hello?" Her smooth voice echoed, her breath misting the air around her. "I know you're here." She finished again, taking cautious steps towards the snuffling. As she rounded the corner, moving past the large armchair she relaxed, moving her hand from her sword when she took in the sight before her. A large, mousy brown Essetir rabbit was nervously scrutinizing her every move. "Well hello there." Ayleth started, her lips moving into a smile as she ducked to her knees so she had become level with the giant rabbit. She reached into her pocket, pulling out what appeared to be a piece of bread. "Here, it's only bread, it will help to restore your strength." She voiced and smiled comfortingly when the rabbit nervously hopped closer, its enormous hocks pressed to the floor as his front feet rested to the wood as he reached his nose to sniff the bread. His nose constantly twitching, his eyes wide and alert before he sat back onto his hocks and took the bread from Ayleth who was encouraging him forward. "How long have you been trapped here? It has been a great many days since this building has been inhabited."
However, Ayleth was pulled from her conversation when she felt the vibrations of the earth. The rabbit flicked its ears, whiskers and nose in the air as if its sixth sense picked up on the danger. Ayleth simply took in the shaking pots and pans that were clanging together, the moving of the furniture and the dust and dirt falling from the ceiling of the building. But, it was not the shaking of the earth that worried her. The house creaked and buckled vociferously; the foundations disintegrating around her caused the house to plummet from its perch within the tree. Ayleth knew she needed to act quickly, so she scooped the rabbit into her arms, conscious of its front paws on her shoulder and unconsciously compared it to the size of a medium hound as she hurled her figure from the building and stood by the front of the clearing.
Nonetheless, she was unable to witness the destruction of the home as her eyes were focused on something far more terrifying that she knew was responsible for the sudden earthquake. She looked down to the rabbit that was patiently waiting at her feet before the pair of them seemed to arrive at the same conclusion as they bolted to the nearest tree. The ground was still shaking around them, the ground cracking and opening as the plates of the earth rubbed together. Ayleth shoved her hand to the nearest branch, heaving her figure gracefully onto the branch before she lifted her foot, pushing her figure towards the top of the tree while the Essetir rabbit jumped and leapt from the different levels of the tree until they reached the peak.
Her eyes were frantically studying the vast landscapes of Balor. The rising and falling of the land rose higher and higher into the peaks and the dark rocks of the Isgaard Mountains; but what terrified her was the enormous, cycling energy beam that was spiralling from the base of the mountains and into the sky. The great rumbling ringing louder than before; rolling the ground as it echoed in the mountains. She could see it far beyond the Mountains of Isgaard as it leapt into the sky and splashed the lowering clouds with sapphire. As she took in the darkness, and the valley of shadow and cold, the deathly light seemed unbearably violet and fierce. Flairs of livid lightning, forks of blue flames, sprung up from within the mountains and encircling the hills and into the sullen clouds. Ayleth's blood ran cold and she could feel the nervous twitching of the rabbit as he thumped his hocks onto the branch.
"That's coming from the Isles of the Blessed." She muttered, but as she watched, taking in how the light suddenly dissolved into the night her neck seemed to be burning. As she lifted the pendant that was resting around her neck, an electrical current swarmed throughout her body, travelling down her arm, across her shoulder and down to her toes. Her pendant was shining a bright white and Ayleth could only look at it in bewilderment. What did this mean? What was happening? She knew she needed to speak with her father, for something was happening, and she had no idea how to stop it.
0-0-0
Night had given way to day and Riley was seriously struggling to comprehend the images of her dream. Her subconscious had been overloaded with confusing and overwhelming information that was preventing her from starting her day as she constantly fell back into her thoughts. Why had that young woman been searching for someone known as Gregory Bostel? What was that foreboding flash of lightening and why the hell did she call herself a Pendragon? Sure, Riley knew a fair bit about the Arthurian Legend, had been obsessed with it when she was growing up for the world of King Arthur and his noble knights of the round table had been a world far better, and much more interesting compared to the broken household she had grown up in; right up to her sixteenth birthday before her first change- then things got a little more complicated. But right now, her dreams didn't seem to correlate to the situation at hand; nothing had ever been mentioned about bodies of murdered woman with three grotesque scars within the legend, and she was pretty damned sure that Excalibur wasn't stuck in a stone somewhere.
"Riley?" Jeremy's voice sounded, forcing Riley from her uncomfortable thoughts and shoved her eyes to the dark eyes of her Alpha. As she looked around to study her pack she awkwardly shuffled on her feet when she realised she had been daydreaming during Jeremy's instructions. "Is everything okay?" Jeremy finished, fluttering her grey orbs to Karl who had a humorous twinkle shining in his eyes and a small smirk etched to the corners of his lips.
"I'm fine." She started as she crossed her arms over her chest as if too pull away from the conversation.
"Anyway, Elena and Antonio I want you to take the west side of the forest, while myself, Clayton and Karl will take the north." Jeremy expressed as he looked towards the relevant parties. "That leaves Nicholas and Riley to take the east side."
"And if the creatures in our section? What then?" Elena questioned as she stood quite comfortably at Clayton's side as her husband draped his large, heavy arm across her shoulders, obviously a little apprehensive with the idea of separating. But, when it came to protecting his alpha or his mate, the wolf within him would always choose his Packmaster.
"I don't want anyone taking on this thing alone." Jeremy voiced as he answered Elena's voiced concern. "Detail to us your location and wait for back-up. From what Riley has explained to us the strength of the Pack is the only asset we have going up against this thing."
"And if we loose it?" Nick queried, his arms firmly crossed over his chest as he stood next to his father and old friend.
"Then you track it but keep hidden, I don't want any of you ending up like the dead girls found in Bear Valley." Jeremy finished and when he was satisfied that none of them had any other questions he turned his back to his family and started for the woods with Clayton and Marsten right on his heels.
0-0-0
They didn't need to rush into the forest as a labyrinth of pathways had been created by who Riley believed to be the hunters of Bear Valley; the odd hunting trap was lying by their feet, but as she awkwardly stumbled down the well used pathway she was pleasantly surprised that her sensitive hearing was unable to hear the rustling of any movement within the forest in front of them. The question that kept swimming around her mind was how far would they get until an intrusive member of the local community would start raising hell when it came to the reason why they were wondering, alone, within the acres of forest that lay in front of them.
But, Riley was wishing the weather had been a little more accepting of their circumstances; it was firmly into the sub-zero temperatures, the snow was biting at her ankles and the sun was nowhere to be seen as the bleak, grey clouds covered the sky. It was a perfect day for tracking as the dim lighting would help to cover them and the tepid temperature would prevent them from overheating. Riley just laughed inwardly for she doubted overheating would be a problem; the pair of them were unable to move fast enough, as the forest had become rainforest thick and every part of the wooden floor was heaving with protruding tree roots, overwhelming ferns and thickets along with spindly vines as each of the plants fought for even an ounce of sunlight. She was an intruder in an environment perfect for animals. Now, unlike a lot of people she had the ability to turn into an animal and as the pair of them continued further on their trek both of them knew the inevitability of a change was imminent; they just needed to find the most appropriate area.
However, Riley was abruptly pulled from her thoughts when a familiar scent overwhelmed her rather pathetic sense of smell. She blinked a few times as her olfactory gland was overcome with the familiarity of something that reminded her of home. Riley just lifted her nose higher into the air as she realised they were coming closer to whatever it was that was radiating the scent of the creature.
Nick hadn't even realised that Riley was no longer following until he was unable to hear the familiar crunching of the undergrowth under her light feet. A frown was pressed to his features when he turned around to see her testing the air with a frightful familiarity. He just headed back towards her and reached out for her hand. When she felt his fingers curling around the palm of her hand he couldn't stop the smile from engulfing his lips when he observed her looking down to their clasped hands and then her grey orbs met his brown ones.
"Are you getting something?" Nick asked her gently as he came to stand next to her and allowed Riley time to suddenly go back to her smelling of the air.
"There's a scent upwind that reminds me of something back in England." Riley informed as she looked up at him with worry shining deeply within her grey orbs; Nick simply returned her gaze with a wary one of his own. "Our only chance of locating this thing is with one or both of us shifting. Our sense will be more accurate and we can get a better handle on tracking it."
"I think you could be right. I saw a thicket a little way back there." Nick voiced as he motioned his head behind the pair of them. "You can change there and ill see if I can find somewhere." Nick expressed and smiled when he saw her nodding her head in agreement before she trampled back the way they came and started searching for the area Nick had spoken about.
Riley was still in the final stages of her change when she felt something prodding at her side. Contorting her almost changed body she twisted to the side to her sudden intruder; she was a little surprised to come face to face with Nicky. Sure, the werewolves of the pack were not conscious when it came to stripping down naked in front of each other, Riley herself had tripped over Nick and Clay who were lounging around Stonehaven starkers, but one of the most private aspects of a werewolves life was when they changed and that was when each of them individually obtain their privacy. So as Riley's contorting body had its privacy intruded on by her Pack brother she knew something must have been amiss. Nicks dark brown wolfish eyes were hard with seriousness as his eyes bore deeply into her grey ones; he warned Riley to keep quite and as her body was caught off guard with the final tremors of her shift her ears swivelled when she heard the trampling of snow, snapping twigs and the joyous laughter of a party of hunters.
Riley then knew why her privacy had been stolen from her and she simply laid on the ground, her chest heaving as she recovered; Nick himself was standing to attention, his nostrils flaring, his ears twisting and his eyes flicking as his forepaws stood either side of her. As usual, he was always the protector. They must have been covered by the thicket for a further ten minutes, each of them patiently waiting until the hunters had completely vanished from view and out of their hearing range and once Riley had felt Nick's fur rubbing against her side and a quick lick to her muzzle she knew it was time for them to get on with their duty.
As the pair of them continued to follow the stench that was the creature, the pair of them couldn't keep the disdain from sparkling in their eyes as they arrived in a boggy area that no hunters had been bothered to venture. Riley knew that had anyone attempted to cross the bog, squelching boots, muddy footprints and the odd lost shoe would have been noted. There wasn't any. But, they didn't have the option of circling around. The scent that was present on the wind was bellowing in this direction and as Riley lifted her nose to the west the trail evaporated and her enhanced eyesight couldn't see the edge of the bog so neither of them knew how far a detour would take them and for how long. Mud was oozing between her toes and pads and the melting water from the snow was clumping the fur on her forelegs; Nick couldn't prevent a snorting laugh from tumbling from his wolfish lips as he observed the disdain in Riley's expression as she lifted one of her front paws and a clump of mud that was covering her entire paw. However, the young werewolf knew that Nick would have hooted with laughter if he could, because as she replaced her foot back to the ground it shot forward on the slick ground resulting in Riley to loose her balance and slipped into the mud.
As she regained her composure she glared towards her companion who just rubbed against her side, circling her body as he brushed his side along her flank, tail flicking across her muzzle, then walked around to her other side. Unconsciously Riley stumbled closer, ducked her muzzle under his throat and she held still. Anticipation quavered through his body, a palpable vibration against her cheek. He nuzzled her ear with a small nip as if asking if she was ready. She answered him by moving away, the pair of them not particularly excited for what they might find considering the seriousness of the situation that they were involved in. Riley just licked Nick's eye before she lifted her nose higher into the air. She had a better knowledge of the creature, of its scent and its behaviour, so it was her duty to be the lead tracker when it came to the pair of them. So, with careful movements Riley took a step forward and started her journey through the swamp.
However, as soon as Riley had reached the edge of the swamp, her limbs heavy and capped with mud her nose was overwhelmed with a scent so familiar dread as heavy as lead had her heart plummeting within her chest. Without even a bark she bolted, a snow trail dusting behind her as she sprinted through the forest, knowing she was making her own trail as Nick's panicked bark vibrated to her ears. She twisted and turned, jumped over fallen tree trunks or maneuverer herself around protruding tree roots; Nick barking his concern as he struggled to keep up with her.
He was beginning to panic; he had lost sight of Riley and as he continued to trample through the thick underbrush and the path he had created his nose was constantly searching for her scent on the air. He couldn't stop the threatening scenarios running through his mind, he just hoped to god he was overreacting. He quickened his speed, the dense cover of trees fading into an unfocused blur as he sped down the forest trail, completely ignoring the natural sounds of the forest. His only concern was locating Riley and what she had been tracking.
The older werewolf skidded to a stop, his paws causing him to stumble as the snow tumbled around his ankles as his eyes finally recognized the animalistic form of Riley. Riley lifted on of her front paws to the ground, the next following suit as she created a rhythm of movements, obviously penetrating the surface level of snow to try and uncover what had been covered by the snow. Nick moved towards her, his long legs shoving his animal form in her direction, his eyes never once leaving her as her light coat aiding in her camouflage against the bright background.
Nevertheless, as soon as he reached her, the young werewolf finished what she was doing and took a careful step back to allow Nick a chance to see what she had discovered. Nick just looked at her with one of his wolfish eyebrows raised in confusion, unsure as to what Riley was asking him. Riley let out a small whine as she lowered her muzzle towards the small crater of snow, her tongue curling around her nose as she readjusted her paws on the ground and encouraged Nick to look.
As Nick stalked forward his stomach churned at the sight. Lying in front of him was the body of a young boy that had been mutilated and disfigured. The front of the boys rust coloured shirt was bloodied and torn. Dried and clotted blood absorbed nearly every square inch of his tattered clothing. In between the rips of fabric, Nick could see the opening in the flesh. Three large gashes ran from the side to just above the navel; he also noticed that the cuts were not neat, rather the flesh appeared to have been shredded to ribbons.
Being a werewolf, Nick knew something about painful injuries. He'd seen it all- from laceration to amputations, scabs to scars, fractures to sprain. But for him to see it happened to a young boy, he was struggling with the comprehension of what was lying in front of him. The grotesque wounds were proof of the suffrage. He could only imaging what it was like to be badly injured, running through the dark of night with nothing but an short sleeved shirt for warmth, bleeding profusely and desperately trying to keep from falling unconscious, all the while avoiding the creature and fighting to escape. But as he lifted his eyes towards Riley, and the scars that marred the flesh of her back, and the story of her turmoil that she had yet to tell he knew that the distress she suffered would haunt her for the rest of her life.
But, the pair of them were suddenly pulled from their discovery when the sound of breaking twigs and the snapping of leaves lifted to their ears, their faces shoved towards the sound immediately and in sync. The pair of them moved onto stiff legs, their legs straight and strong with tension as they lifted themselves to full height, tails held vertically over their back while dark eyes were staring penetratingly towards the offending area. Nick curled his lips over his canine teeth, a low rumbling grown emanating from deep within his chest; Riley herself had her jaws gnashing together as she dangerously searched the forest for signs of movement and danger.
Nick brushed against Riley's legs, his body sulking against the snow as he stalked through the covered wooden undergrowth, managing to conceal himself at the same time. Riley noticed he had adopted a quick pace, his tail wagging as he peered intently on his quarry, obviously having identified a hidden object. The young wolf follow, forcing her eyes to concentrate on the silhouette of a figure standing behind a large shrub. Nick let out another warning grown and soon came to a stop just behind the figure and began to prepare his body to pounce. Riley watched, with her heart beating rapidly in her chest as Nick flung his body in the air, through the bush and out of sight. Nevertheless, a loud shrieking whine radiated to her ears and before Riley could even consider other plans of attack she barrelled her way through the bush and towards Nick who was painfully shaking his head as if he had just suffered with a heavy blow from a mutt. Riley rushed to Nick's side, her muzzle forcing his eyes to look down towards her, her medical mind was never far away, even when she was in wolf form and as she gazed at him, as his eyes came back into focus she realised that he was alright. It was in that moment that she turned to see what Nick had lunged at.
Lying on its side was a large five-foot stone gargoyle statue. Normally when Riley through of Gargoyles she thought of the happy, rather encouraging statues from the Hunchback of Notre dame or the elegant sculptures that decorated the sides of ancient Cathedrals as Protectors of the building; however, the sculpture that was in front of her was making her fretfully uneasy. Riley lowered her head and cautiously headed towards the figuring; something was so familiar as she observed all of the grotesque markings. The bat-like wings rose and curled with the humerus, radius and ulna bones visibly on display with a thickness and length of something Riley had never seen before, her heart also shuddered as she took in the enlarge phalange bones that were carpeted with veining skin that acted as the wing. However, it was not the intense volume of large muscles or the hideous feet and paws of the gargoyle that terrified Riley but it was its face. It's face was largely constructed of a mouth full of large canine teeth, its eyes were hard and its eyebrows overhung its eyes in a dark glare while the wolf like ears hung back like a furious wolf about to strike. The whole creature had Riley shrieking back in fear but as Nick pushed his shoulder into her, pushing her away Riley knew why. Nick had been frantically barking for her attention and he restlessly paced around a dark puddle of something. Before she even reached the pool of blood she knew what it was. The overwhelming scent of iron wafted to her nose, and she snorted her agreement and followed Nick at his side.