Together

Women of the Otherworld Fanfiction

Singingfrogs

No copyright infringement intended

She was beginning to tire of the ache within her hands; the air around her was chilly and uncomfortable as she padded through the long corridors of Stonehaven. All she wanted to do was rest her hands to the familiar keys of a piano and allow her hands to become lost to the music. It was a skill very few people knew about and one she had kept hidden from the likes of her Pack considering she knew the view certain individuals would have concerning this hobby. Again, they had never come to visit her while she was in London so they were unaware of the piano that dominated the side of her living room; but her hands felt like they did after hours of playing and the stress that was refusing to leave her body would have been easier to deal with if she had the ability to have a few hours to herself.

So that was why she was spending a Saturday in a way very differently to her usual routine. Normally she would have a lie in before heading to the local theatre to meet with a few fellow musicians for a much needed practice session considering they provided the music for several, admittedly low key productions, but she was playing all the same. That was the reason why she was craving the need to play a little more than usual. Today was her practice day and instead all she had planned was a long-distance phone-call with a witch she had never met to discuss the troubling discoveries of yesterday.

They had spent hours looking over the carvings on the walls trying to understand them; she knew that none of them could give any decent answers as they were just as in the dark as she was. However, the one thing she did take from yesterday was her waning patience with the constant looks of sadness or comfort pointed in her direction; she didn't want their comfort, she wanted answers and she was going to do all in her power to make sure she got them.

However, another impatient clanging of the breakfast bell pulled her from her thoughts and caused her to walked down the large wooden staircase and towards the living room. But, in her bleary eyed state it seemed she missed her step; before she was able to right her position she felt her foot slipping from the edge of the wooden staircase and was immediately heading towards the stairs, this time it was her bottom that met the wood and not her foot. Why was she the one who was gravitationally challenged?

"You know, it's your foot that's supposed to help you down the stairs." A voice resounded and immediately pulled Riley from her pain. The young Doctor simply flung her head back to try and push the hair away from her features to see who was coming towards her. It was not surprising to see Antonio heading around the staircase banister and towards the stairs; it seemed he was to help her once again considering he helped her evacuate the Explorer when she slipped and made herself look like a fool.

"And here I was thinking us werewolves are supposed to have the grace of our animal counterpart." Riley mumbled as Antonio smiled down towards her, his hands held out in front of him as he invited Riley to take his hands to help her up. As soon as she grasped hold of his hands he pulled her to her feet and continued to smile when he watched her rubbing at her backside.

"Come on, they're waiting for us." Antonio chimed before giving Riley a wink and moved through the living room and towards the doorway that led to the kitchen. The young Doctor simply followed her elder, cricking and stretching out her back as she went.

The floorboards were creaking under her weight as she headed towards the kitchen, the morning sunshine twinkling though the dense branches of tree's and onto the wooden floor of Stonehaven; had it not been so cold Riley would have been inclined to go outside for a run, but as the young lady clung onto her jumper a little tighter she really didn't fancy getting hypothermia.

However, the sudden warmth that overwhelmed her senses managed to calm Riley's mood and shivering as she headed into the kitchen. For once the closeness of her Pack comforted her as she took in the playful tussling of Nick and Clayton in the corner, and the fond expression that had overwhelmed Elena's features as she placed a hefty plate of pancakes onto the table. As the Doctor moved deeper into the kitchen she could see Jeremy discussing something calmly with Karl, whose impeding form seemed to take up the whole of the doorframe. It was mornings like these that she missed the most. Each of them were so care free, so distracted by the companionship of each other that they did not care for the upsetting situation that had occurred yesterday for they had each other, and for a werewolf that was all you needed.

"Riley! There you are!" Elena cried, a large smile taking hold of her features when she saw Riley padding into the room, the young Doctor rubbing at her eyes with the heel of her hands, trying to ignore the sudden attention of her Pack, each of them, baring Antonio had turned to face her and she couldn't stop her heart from trembling within her chest when she took in the most beautiful smile Nick gave her from across the room. "Care to give us a hand?" Elena finished and let out a relieved sigh when she noticed Riley nodding her head and heading towards her.

No later than ten minutes, Riley was seated at the table next to Clayton and Karl, her stomach audibly growling as she turned to face her Alpha who was seated at the top of the table and taking first pickings. After all, it was only polite to let the head of your Pack eat first. As soon as he had tasted his first pancake he allowed the rest of them to eat and for once, Riley wasn't surprised when Nick dived for the chicken; it was his favorite after all.

For what seemed like only seconds Riley could see Antonio and Clayton moving in for their second course with Nick following close on their heels. However, as Riley was quite happily tucking into her unusual American style pancakes she was not surprised when Jeremy started discussing something that must have happened the evening earlier.

"Have you heard anything more from your contact Karl?" Jeremy asked as he shoveled another sausage chunk into his mouth. Riley wasn't surprised that when she looked from her plate and towards her Alpha that she wasn't the only one confused by his statement.

"Jeremy?" Elena asked with a frown, obviously oblivious to the new information that Jeremy had yet to give to them, her eyes frantically searching his before moving towards Karl, not missing the smug look that was overtaking his features.

"I may have been able to make sense of some of the information we discovered yesterday." Karl stated, his expression blank but his eyes twinkling with humour considering he was in the know compared to the rest of the Pack whom had been left in the dark.

"What do you mean by information?" Nick countered, a mouthful of chicken having been pushed into his cheek, as he looked towards his elder who was almost twice his size. "Has one of you're contacts come through with a lead?"

"In a way." Karl said, his knife cutting into a pancake, as he spoke he never once moved his eyes to the person speaking as if his attention was solely focused on the food on his plate.

"And?" Riley implored, struggling to keep her impatience hidden as she spoke to the man; it seemed she was the only one to notice the potential emotional slip and quickly recovered her composure. "Has this thing happened before?" She asked casually.

"One of them may have mentioned something about discovering a group of bodies being found in a back alley in Sydney Australia."

"Was anything done about it?" Elena questioned, her food momentarily forgotten as she gazed towards a man she was struggling to accept into her pack.

"The Pack Alpha discarded the evidence as a human problem as the deceased were rapists and petty thieves."

"That's not the point." Nick voiced evenly as Karl nodded his head agreement.

"That's what I said and have demanded he get back to me with the information we're missing. Unfortunately I'm still waiting for a phone call to understand what really happened."

"So now all we can do is wait?" Clayton balked as he shot his eyes towards his Alpha. "We potentially have a unknown raging psychopathic creature going about murdering young innocent woman, sacrificing them to fuck knows what god and all we're doing is waiting? They're already one step ahead and we're struggling to pick up the pieces!" Clayton defended, his pent up anger and frustration bubbling to the surface as his emotions got away from him. Riley just shot Nick an anxious glare, one that he returned before Jeremy coolly countered Clayton's sudden outburst.

"We're doing all we can." Was all he said to his adopted son, his expression blank as he continued to graze at the eggs he had piled up on his plate.

"Besides, we all know that we're still unsure as to what we're up against and we no longer have the numbers to split up and look for the information that may or may not help us." Antonio inputted, nothing but seriousness shining on his countenance as he spoke to his pack mates, a little surprised when Karl nodded his head in agreement.

"But what about Riley?" Nick asked, his voice low and full of emotion. Riley just looked towards him, unsure as to why her heart was thumping in her chest as he implored towards his alpha and his father, as it seemed her safety was his biggest concern. Nick obviously felt her eyes studying his somber expression and turned to face her, returning the very small smile she gave him before turning towards Jeremy who was looking between the two of them and towards Antonio with a look neither of them were able to decipher.

"We will do all we can to make sure she is kept safe…." Jeremy started.

"I really don't need you guys to sugar coat this thing!" Riley interrupted, her words surprising her pack as she spoke to them. "For all we know I could get hit by a bus tomorrow before I get murdered by this thing. All I care about is stopping it before it kills another innocent woman or someone I care about."

"Then what do you suggest?" Jeremy asked.

"Go into town, get a feel for the locals, see what they're feeling and what they think is going on." Riley stated, unsure what to think when she noticed Elena, Clayton and Nick nodding in agreement.

"Riley's right Jer." Elena started as she turned towards him, "Bear Valley has an extensive rumor mill and we maybe able to get a human insight to this whole thing instead of going into this with a werewolf mindset."

"I understand." Was all Jeremy said, "But we will split into teams to investigate after we've spoken to Paige."

0-0-0

Riley woke with a start. Her body was trembling, chest heaving and her heat palpitating within her chest as she felt the chair bouncing underneath her; the armchair reacting to the sudden flailing of her body as she was dramatically pulled from her dreams. She could only flicker her eyes, her eyelids painful as her eyes continued to droop due to her comfortable position entwined within Nick warm jumper. The Doctor was trying to gain an element of familiarity as she slowly and carefully heaved her body into a more comfortable position, her eyes fluttering towards Nick's concerned look as the rest of their Pack filtered into the study, a room with the only available computer barring Riley's laptop.

Sweat was plastered to her body as she continued to regulate her breathing and her accelerated heart rate, struggling to push past the tormenting images that were refusing to extract from her mind. Riley simply let her head fall back so it was resting on the back of the armchair as she gazed out of the window to quietly watch the fluttering snowflakes that were landing on the ground.

The werewolf rubbed at her eyes, feeling the uncomfortable clamminess of her skin as she pulled at the sleeves of Nick's jumper to try and warm her hands. But she also did not want to speak of what weighed on her mind. Although Riley could see it on her pack mates faces as they gazed towards her; expressions of concern or worry while Clayton and Karl shot her looks of agitation or loathing. It seemed they blamed her for the circumstances that the Pack were currently involved in and as she sat within the walls of the study, looking out of the window wrapped in one of Nick's jumpers she couldn't help but believe them.

But she was exhausted. Shattered from staying up half the night because she feared of what she might see while she was sleeping; trapped in the same painful thought conversation that was the predictable coda of her life. Her fervid mind left her feeling disheartened and perplexed; of all the people, of all the species, and of all the circumstances, this situation had to evolve around her. Her dreams were getting far too complicated as she saw images of a young woman trying to defend her home. She was seeing hundreds of faces she didn't recognize while others became so prominent within her mind she was struggling to compartmentalize what was real and what was fantasy. Did she somehow possess the information they required? With enough time would she be able to identify what this creature was and could she somehow search for an answer that would lead to its death? All of these unanswered questions flew around her mind and with the looming appointment her pack had with Paige, the recuperation she needed to try and counteract a years' worth of disrupted sleep was inhibiting the efficiency of her mind as she tried to figure out as to what and why this creature was attacking her, her pack and the inhabitants of Bear Valley.

She looked into the cozy space that was the study; she could see Elena preparing the computer for their Skype call with Miss Winterbourne while Nicky was attending to the fire that had died due to her neglect. Nevertheless, it was when Jeremy walked into the study that she lifted her tired gaze, her grey eyes staring directly into his dark ones as she tried to focus on him. Jeremy had dark purple bruises shining under his eyes and Riley noticed that the shadow of stubble was starting to overcome his jaw. How could she have been so blind and inconsiderate? Here she was threating over her future, her past and what was too come and she had never once considered her pack. This was a stressful situation that was affecting all of them and she was moping around the place thinking she was the only one affected by this thing. Jeremy had to juggle his responsibilities as Pack Alpha at the same time as trying to understand why this creature was attacking them. He had to remain strong and impassive as the numbers of dead bodies began to pile up to unacceptable numbers while dreading the possibility that one of his own could end up in a body bag or seriously injured. Nevertheless, as Riley took in the weary forms of her pack mates she couldn't help but think about what each of them were thinking.

Elena had to try and reign in Clayton's furious temper as he raged about the dangers Riley had brought them. The only thing Karl thought about was protecting himself at the same time as sucking up to Jeremy and finding new imaginative ways of insulting her. While Antonio and Nick had the added pressures in protecting their weakest due to the close bonds they had formed with her.

Riley was quickly pulled from her thoughts when she felt rather than saw Nick coming to perch on the large arm of the lounger she had inhabited. It seemed that there was no place left for him to sit and as she smiled up towards him she allowed the older werewolf to take hold of her hand and give it a comforting squeeze. But it was the Skype calling tone that brought everyone to attention. It seemed that the unanswered questions of the previous day were about to be answered and as Elena accepted Paige's call the young Doctor couldn't calm the anxiety that was swimming at the pit of her stomach.

The witch looked nothing like she was expecting. Paige must have been no older than twenty-five, with her long curly brown hair falling to her hips and barely able to be tamed as her locks, framed her average features but sharp green eyes. Riley's enhanced senses took in her appearance and she couldn't help but think that she was remarkably cute; from what Clayton and Elena had told her, that even though she looked pretty and even though she meant well she could be incredibly annoying.

"Elena, hey!" Was all the young lady managed to say before the screaming of what seemed to be a young girl reverberated over the line. Riley just shared another rather concerned looked towards Nick who was still clinging onto her hand as they heard Paige screaming back until she turned back to her computer screen with a rather awkward expression. "Sorry about that, Savannah is being a little hard work at the moment."

"Is she okay?" Elena questioned with a rather fond smile. Riley knew why Elena was being so considerate to the young girl; after all she had been the one to rescue her from the compound that had kidnapped her about half a year ago. Savannah was also the reason behind Elena's sudden motherly instincts that had plagued her over the last few months. From what Riley had seen and what Elena had told her the werewolf was both terrified but excited over the whole thing. It seemed that Savannah was the reason Elena was considering children.

"She will be." Paige said with a smile. "A lot has changed for her over the last few months so it's just going to take her a little while to settle. But anyway, you're phone call sounded pretty urgent. What is it that I can help you with?" Paige finished, locating a pen and paper as she prepared to write down the information they were about to give her.

"Straight to the point, a girl after Riley's own heart." Elena joked as she looked towards Riley who couldn't stop the smirk from moving onto her lips before the older werewolf turned back towards the witch. "Has anything been reported in your area concerning a couple of murders that have happened here in Bear Valley?"

"Nothing has been said here in Boston. But you wouldn't have asked for my help if you weren't a little bit suspicious."

"We've located five bodies of local woman with their necks slit and three large scratches etched onto their backs." Jeremy started. "Under further investigation we believe the bodies were not sexually assaulted and had poison present in their wounds."

"Poison?" Paige questioned as a deep frown engulfed her features.

"That's right." Riley voiced as the rest of her pack turned to face her. "We've been unable to identify it but the poison works in a way similar to that of Komodo dragons. As soon as the poison is in the blood stream it renders the victim's nervous system useless and is also the likely cause of their deaths."

"This is Doctor Riley Thompson, we spoke of her a great deal when the ordeal with Ty Winslow occurred." Elena mentioned as she fluttered her eyes between her pack mate and her friend.

"Of course, it's nice to finally meet you." Paige expressed with a smile, a smile that was returned with a nod and a smile from Riley. "And you're sure this is connected to whatever is killing these woman?"

"We find that mutts are unable to hold back their instincts when murdering their victims and none of the usual werewolf kill signs were displayed on the bodies." Clayton stated as his emotionless expression made sure he kept Paige at arms length; it seemed these two would never see eye to eye.

"So why do you need me?"

"Elena will be sending you some photos taken from the most recent murder site. Yesterday Nick and Riley found a motel full of dead vacationers just on the outskirts of Bear Valley and located a hidden cavern with disconcerting pictograms etched to the walls. We're hoping you may be able to shed some light onto what they might depict." Jeremy uttered as he looked towards Paige who seemed to be sorting through the files of her computer so she could click on her downloaded files. Riley, along with her other pack brothers remained silent as Paige's eyes swept over the rather dark pictures they had taken yesterday.

"Is this genuine?" Paige sudden voiced as she snapped her eyes towards the Northern American Pack who were crowded around the small computer screen.

"Is something the problem?" Antonio asked as he took in Paige's anxious expression. "Do you know what they are?"

"If this is authentic I can't believe you guys have found it." Paige exclaimed with an excited smile.

"Paige please stop us from guessing." Elena complained her eyes shining with trepidation as she fluttered her eyes towards her husband who was uncomfortably readjusting his seated position.

"You have found one of the most important magical sights concerning King Arthur Pendragon."

"Arthur Pendragon?" Antonio voiced with concern. "As in the Arthur Pendragon of Camelot?" The older werewolf stated again, trying to put emphasis on his words as he leant forwards to get a closer look towards Paige who was nodding exuberantly.

"That's right." Paige stated kindly with a smile. "It was the first written recordings that proved that magic was out there and people had the ability to use it." How could Paige be serious? Did she really expect the Pack to be so naïve that they would actually believe in the possibility of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table? Sure, growing up she had been fascinated about the legend and the stories of Arthur and Merlin; hell the BBC program had become an obsession but that was all it was, a story. So how did Jeremy and Nick and Elena expect her to react when they found out that this whole thing could be linked to Arthur Pendragon?

"So what has it got to do with us?" Clayton interrupted, "Last I looked we were Werewolves, not magicians."

"Let Paige explain Clay." Jeremy said before turning his attention back towards the computer screen.

"Do you guys know about Arthur's father Uther?" The young witch asked and nodded her head in relief when she saw the Pack stating that they had. "Well during his rule of Camelot Uther detested anything and everything that involved magic. He destroyed countless kingdoms and settlements that house druids, he murdered anyone suspected in practicing magic and he also murdered, imprisoned and destroyed countless creatures of magic like Dragons and Griffins."

"Isn't there a legend that states Arthur's manservant was a sorcerer?" Riley asked, basking in her ability to bestow a little of her Arthurian knowledge to her family in front of her.

"That's right and it was on Uther's death bed that Merlin came clean to Arthur and to prove to his old friend that he wasn't a danger to Camelot he helped ease Uther's passing into the shadow world."

"I take it that Arthur's rule of Camelot was anything but easy." Nick asked as he fluttered his eyes between Riley and Paige.

"In a matter of speaking, and many of the legends tell you many different tales and situations in which he may have been involved. I cannot be sure, but the story I was told when I was a little girl could be far from the truth and I may be leading you in the complete wrong direction as I try to help you solve the mystery of the murdered girls."

"Let us worry about that Paige." Jeremy smiled as Paige rambled to herself a little.

"Well Arthur and Merlin made a fantastic team and they managed to defend Camelot against many attacks, whether that was from neighboring kingdoms or from a magical attack."

"Didn't Arthur have a half-sister that had Magic?" Jeremy enquired.

"Morgana was indeed a witch and practiced in Black Magic, a type of magic that corrupted the hearts and minds of many strong men and she became a formidable foe to Arthur and his Knights. It was when his daughter Ayleth was born that the King seriously started to consider ridding Camelot of Morgana's magic."

"How did he do it?" Riley asked.

"He made a deal." Paige said to her sadly. "Arthur turned to King Ball of Merrywood a neighboring kingdom. Ball had just sired a son with his new wife and Arthur believed that the aligning of Camelot and Merrywood together would give him the strength to locate and eventually kill Morgana and her army."

"And did it?"

"When the two children were growing up the pair of them became incredibly close friends and the future joining of the two kingdoms seemed to be a strong reality but unfortunately as the pair of them grew things changed."

"Ayleth fell for another man?" Riley whispered quietly as she thought back to the memories of her dreams.

"In a manner of speaking, but there were other factors that need to be considered. Ayleth became her father's pupil and was trained in all manner of disciplines to wield a sword, a practice that made her neglect her other studies. Her mother wasn't best pleased when she would rather tussle with the knights than study drawing and knitting; she also didn't like math or science."

"Well what did she like?" Clayton complained.

"She was pretty adept in geography and politics, two traits that helped her during her term as Queen. Merlin, her father's advisor, seriously struggled to find her sometimes for her lessons on Magic. Normally she was found in the stables with her horse or messing around with her rabbit."

"Did she posses magic?" Riley asked in concern, her confusion evident on her features as she asked a simple question; during her dreams Ayleth had never once shown the possibility of harnessing magic.

"No, but Merlin taught her how to detect and fight it."

"She sounds like the complete opposite to Faucon." Jeremy voiced.

"She was." Paige said with a smile. "Ayleth was never a scholar, instead she was a woman of action; very much like her father."

"And what did her mother think of this? I hardly doubt it was proper for a woman to be meandering around the castle in chainmail." Elena queried.

"Her mother was not best pleased, but she accepted Ayleth for who she was. Even though she didn't study she had the noblest of hearts that shamed many of Arthurs Knights. So much more than Faucon could ever deem to be."

"What was he like?" Nick asked.

"Faucon was drawn to the power of dark magic, he became manipulative and malicious and nursed an unhealthy obsession with Ayleth that became even more troubling when she started to spend a great deal of time with Sir Percival a Knight of the Round Table and Ayleth's future husband."

"So what happened?" Riley stated curiously.

"Arthur refused Faucon Ayleth's hand, severing all hopes of aligning the two kingdoms for he knew his daughter's heart belonged to someone else. Many people believe that his daughters and his wife's happiness was Arthur's weakness and I have to agree with them. However, in Faucon's fury he sort out Morgana and demanded she help him destroy Camelot and take what belonged to him."

"Ayleth." Elena uttered.

"Exactly. And he came pretty close on numerous occasions after several successful kidnapping attempts. But Ayleth was strong willed and minded and she never let herself be defeated. Arthur also refused to give up hope in finding her when she was missing. However, it was Faucon's hatred that led Merlin to protect Arthur and his family in a way no one ever considered. He created a spell to give Arthur and Ayleth and the rest of their family the strength to defeat Faucon and Morgana; Merlin gave them the gift of shifting in to a wolf at the same time as commanding other animals. Many witches and sorcerers believe that Arthur Pendragon and his family were the first line of werewolves to exist."

"You're serious?" Clay balked with a laugh as he focused on Paige's expression.

"As I said before this is all just hear say but many believe that Merlin's magic didn't just pass to Arthur and Ayleth but the rest of his family and descendants. Morgana herself created terrifying winged creatures in hopes of deterring Merlin's magic which was far greater than hers could ever have been."

"How was she defeated?" Clay asked again.

"No one knows but the pictures you sent me detail of a great battle that saw Ayleth wielding her father's sword, understanding and using the power of Merlin's stone at the same time as harnessing the love from her mothers pendant. To this day many magical scholars are looking into the possibility that the conflict was resolved but in their hearts they can't seem to accept that. Arthur, Morgana and Ayleth and Faucon were never defeated in battle and each of them just waited for an attack that never came. Ayleth married Sir Percival and together they had two sons that had the remarkable gift of shifting into a wolf just like their mother while Faucon sired a son."

"And this prophesy?" Riley voiced, "Sure as hell proves that this conflict hasn't been resolved."

"The prophecy was uttered with Arthur's dying breath so that any member of his family baring the mark of strength would hold the spirit of his daughter and have the knowledge and power to destroy Faucon once and for all. But for hundreds of years his family line has continued and never once has someone been identified."

"We may have just found her." Jeremy uttered as he looked towards Paige with nothing but seriousness in his expression. However, as Riley shifted her eyes towards Jeremy the lack of emotion and surprise that was registered on his features made the young Doctor a little uneasy concerning his loyalty. Had he known about the possibility of her birthright? Had he suspected that she could have been part of the original line of Werewolves considering Paige believed Merlin had 'cursed' Arthur and his future sons and grandsons. Was she part of this line and if so why was she a wolf considering she was female and was she the one charged with the daunting task of destroying King Faucon and the creatures he controlled? But Riley didn't know what to think. Instead she continued to listen to Paige, to try and understand the absurdity of the whole situation and try to shift the uncomfortable feeling of truth and familiarity.

"I don't understand and how were you able to translate the scripture in front of me, its in ancient Celtic."

"Because I was able to read it." Riley expressed in all seriousness before she looked towards Jeremy for his confirmation; when she got it she heaved herself to her feet and pulled at the collar of her shirt. "And I believe that this is the mark you're scholars have been waiting for." Riley finished as the colour within Paige's cheeks drained.

"Oh shit."