Her nose twitched with an unfamiliar scent invading her nostrils. A low growl came from her throat with teeth bared in a snarl as the points of her white canines peeked out from her lips. She crawled to her feet and parted the makeshift curtains. Before her laid the forest she called home and her 'family' had yet to return. A painful yelp came from beyond the trees and she ran out from the den towards the cry.

"Lupa...!"

A female wolf limped towards her with pups behind. They seemed alright except for the blood of their mother on their coats. Their little, undeveloped howls cried to the sky above as faint light broke through the gloom. She cradled the battered and broken mother wolf, her soft breaths denoting her time was coming to an end...and quickly! "Lupa! Lupa! Tell me who did this!," the girl desperately tried to stop the bleeding as she called out to Lupa in tears.

"Ar...gent..."

"Lupa?!"

"A-argent...man...attacked...fun...for fun...Adolf...he's..."

"I...understand, Lupa."

Argent softly caressed Lupa's blood-matted fur that was once soft and fluffy. Lupa's tongue lolled out from her mouth, the pups curled up along side their mother as Argent set Lupa down to a final rest. The scent from earlier had come from Lupa's fur; she deduced that Lupa fought back hard as the scent belong to a man in his 30s with a touch alcohol in it. Argent's face contorted into a feral mix of woman and wolf. Half transformed she took off her black coat and boots to ensure their later use; leaving on her tank top and pants that were of the same shade.

Argent's auburn hair grew widely as it covered her entire body. Her comely appearance grew into a wolf's savage visage. Her nails grew thick and sharp; ready to decimate any foe. Her teeth now ready for a carnivorous feeding. She grew in height as expected of any she-wolf; slightly hunched over with her ears folded back and claws ready. Unlike the opposite gender of her species, she was much more quicker and agile than they. Her growls inhuman as her rage had risen to the surface. She turned to the pups, her tail not even moving with the wind as it blew her lush coat in the opposite direction.

"Stay here, small ones. Argie has some business to attend to..."

~~~VHD:ROTI~~~

Every shot missed.
No matter how hard he tried the monster dodged it with ease. The man had slipped up, and regrettable pissed off a werewolf that lived in these woods. All he wanted to do was drink a few beers and hunt for a bit. Now, as he gripped his rifle in fear and laid up against some cover he could only think how no one would find him.

"F-fucking She-Wolf!"

The werewolf that hunted him was female and as nature goes they were more blood-thirsty than their male counterpart. Wounded and worn down from running, he had no hope of reaching civilization as his horse combusted into blue flames before he even touched the beast.
He had wondered where it was now; it was quiet as the forest was slowly lighting up as the night faded away. It wasn't enough to see his surroundings clearly though.
The trees were thick and the brush even thicker.

Did it take she as some game? When she first attacked he thought it was all over for him, but he somehow managed to slip away as his shot missed her and scrapped the wolf that he fought before she ripped him into further pieces. He couldn't hear anything except the deafening silence. Silence...complete and utter silence. His heart pounded loudly in his ears, the rifle fell away as he weakly, unwillingly let it drop, and the horrible realization came upon him too late as he was struck down.

A gurgle choke came out as his mouth poured a waterfall of blood; horrified, he'd seen a hair cover, human like claw impaling him. He yelled out as Argent mauled him; ripping many new wounds into him. She tore his insides out, anything that her claws could make a mess of or cause more pain she did it. His intestines laid bare in a mess of other organs; he was practically severed in half. Her teeth sunk into his throat, a brief gargle sounded and she pulled up. Everything was covered in red, from the greenery of the forest, to the earth underneath her. As she rose an odd expression settled on her face, slightly trembling from the adrenaline rush.

Argent looked down at her hand, no longer a beast's paw. She returned to her natural state, pleased that she avenged Lupa's death and saved Adolf, but deep inside she felt disgusted at how soaked in blood she had become. She sighed and sniffed out the closest body of water which was not very far from her position. As her eyes caught a glimpse of the moon as it faded behind the pink clouds above she softly spoke, "Lupa, rest easy...it's all over now".

Argent quickly rinsed herself off in the small pond nearby; mentally noting to burn the man's body to ash when she finished up. "Why did this have to happen...?," she asked sadly, though there would be no one to answer. With her body cleansed from the metallic smell she quickly went back to the man's body. It was nothing but a sick stain on the forest floor. "Burn to ash and all that has been tainted by you", as the last words left her lips she turned her palms skyward. Blue flames encased her hands as she breathed in deeply; a jet of blue fire consumed the stain of a man in a fiery rage. Naught, but ash would remain as Argent turned away from that place, never wanting to return there again.

The den was sorrowfully quiet, yet the gratitude that exuded from the pups and Adolf was pleasantly felt by Argent's keen senses. All curled up to their pop, the pups looked up at Argent as she kneeled down in front of Adolf. Their pupils dilated largely as they eyed her with their tails wagging slightly. "Hello, Adolf and small ones", she gently greeted her pack as Adolf nudged her rising hand. She rubbed his furry ear all the way down under his chin.

"Argent, thank you...for everything...we...love...you"

Argent smiled sadly, "I'm sorry, I couldn't save her life except take one in her stead," she said in a small voice. "Love...you...love you!," Argent smiled at the pups as she picked them up one by one and cradled them till they had fallen asleep. As the pups were comfortably asleep Adolf raised one paw and rested it on Argent's right shoulder. The noble wolf's amber-colored eyes met Argent's hazel ones. "You...be...going...we...shall...survive...," Argent took Adolf's paw and held it in her hands.

Her thumb stroked Adolf's paw gently, he raised the other as Argent hugged her friend one last time; it didn't last long as Adolf begun to pull away gently. "Adolf...?," Adolf broke away and hurriedly grabbed her bag in the back of the den; firmly held in his jaws. He couldn't speak, but Argent got the drift. "I understand, my friend, but if you ever have need of me you know how to call me," she acknowledged she needed to go, and took her bag from his mouth. Stepping outside the sounds of the forest had returned; the chirping of birds sung their morning tune along with the gentle breeze carrying their song into the wind.

"Argent..."

Argent looked behind her and saw Adolf staring at her intensely. Her almond eyes widened, Adolf had a serious look to his eyes; he only looked that way towards an enemy. "A-adolf...?," she stuttered while slowly turning around to face Adolf who had not broken his gaze from her hazel eyes.

"Keep...tame...or...blood...will follow...where ever you...go"

Those words sent chills down her spine. A harsh gust blew her long locks into her face which obscured her vision as Adolf retreated back into the den. Her mood sunk and her shoulders sunk even lower. With her head hung low she turned away, walking into the dense woods. She had the right to be angry, didn't she?

She touched her half-cresent necklace that dangled from her neck in reassurance. No matter what, she would protect her family and friends. As savage as her attack was, that man was no better than any other hunter she'd met. They were all too stupid to listen to reason, that hatred was exclusive to werewolf-hunters. It wasn't too long until she finally made it the road, nothing but fields of green grass and a few stray picket fences broken here and there; a downtrodden path marked with wagon tracks and horse hooves.

"I don't hate humanity, I just..."

She shook off her foul mood and directed her eyes towards the north; her destination, a city of strange wonders and stranger people. CandleBrook. That's where Mara lives and that's also where I'm needed. Oh! The letter! She felt around in her coat pocket for the envelop. "Not there," she mumbled as she felt her back pockets. "No. Nope," she sighed as she opened up her bag in hopes of finding it there. There you are! Tucked between the necessities of travel was the lilac colored envelop. The violet stamp, a symbol of a poppy flower.

Pulling out the letter, she briefly read it through once more and turned it over to the backside where the directions were. I'm already far past Pottstown, and just beyond Groveshire, then CandleBrook is just after this stretch here. Renewed by the excitement to meet Mara once more, she took off in haste; not caring who or what may come in her way as she sped towards the City of CandleBrook.

~~~VHD:ROTI~~~
Whoa

The streets were deserted for the most part except for a few shops opening up and some early birds wandering to who knows where, but that was not what cause Argent to stare in awe. The buildings of Candle Brook were tall and seemed to stand watch over her. It appeared bucolic as she walked in, but as she moseyed further along the buildings rapidly changed into gothic styled architecture. No matter the building, everything seemed to draw her eyes in one direction and pulled them to another. It was no wonder the City was called a place of Wonder.

"This place is...awesome!"

If she had her tail out right now it most certainly be wagging a mile a minute. Cobblestone paths met brick-laid streets and ornate street lamps dimly lit the dark avenues where the sun could not reach them yet. It was definitely odd to see such a well off city; especially one with so many detailed structures kept in great condition. New smells greeted her nose and yet, a few alarmed her. It woke her from the fascinating daydream and made her scan her surroundings. There in the dark, unlit street she could've swore she smelled another of her kind.

In the distance her ears picked up a few strange sounds. It sounded like frantic whispers. Argent dared not to go near, she didn't want to be kicked out of this place just yet.
"Who are you?," she lowered her voice to a level only that which stalked her could hear, the commanding tone forceful and cold. A woman's voice, small and seemingly broken said only one thing.

"A godsend...our lady melded of azure and saffron...!

Azure and Saffron? Melded? What in hell is she on about?! The scent disappeared as soon as Argent took a single step forward. Sniffing the air she could not pick up the trail of the woman. "Its as if she vanished," the strange encounter forced Argent to turn the other cheek for now; that darkness did not feel right and her instincts told her to retreat for now. "I'll comeback, later. I can't be bothered by this now," exasperated she took another street instead. It was well-lit and a little busy surprisingly.

Alright, time to find Mara!

A pleasant perfume wafted in the air, the familiar scent of fresh cut flowers. The scent itself sent her mind swimming with nostalgia, it was definitely Mara's own brand of perfume. Nose don't fail me now! Left, right, straight, another left, then right again; if it were not for the perfume guiding her, she definitely would be lost by now. "Okay, open area...now where is she?," Argent had made it to
the vicinity of the smell.

With her wolfish eye-sight she spotted her, standing in front of an alley perhaps some distance between them. Argent's eyes lit up in excitement, "M-Mara! Hey!," she shouted as she ran over to her. The girl seemed jumpy as Argent bear-hugged her, earning a few disapproving and shocked stares of the handful of people watching this complete stranger hug their beloved Mayor. "Argent...?,"
Mara held her friend back a bit, studying her. "Mara?," confused Argent timidly pulled at the edge of her necklace.

She had definitely not changed in the least bit, except for her black, silky hair extending long past her waist and to her thighs. It seemed a bit comical to Argent as Mara wore an outfit quite similar to a schoolgirl's uniform; except a bit more stylish. The white dress shirt and black blazer held fast to her slim figure. Two plaid bows adorned her outfit, one on the skirt which was also plaid, and one as a bow tie. Underneath her cuffs and skirt were black frills, below that a gold heart garter and black lace stockings. Over them were knee high, chunky boots.

Her tastes certainly haven't changed either

"Argent, I'm sorry! I didn't know it was you! It's been so long since we last met, how are you?," with the warmth of her voice coaxing Argent back into her comfort zone she warmly greet her friend. "Hello, Mara, it's good to see you as well! And I'm doing fine by the way, I'm here to help as you can se-," Argent turned sharply towards the alley they were in front of.
"Argent, what's wrong...?," Mara spoke softly as she noticed the change in her behavior turned quickly from an old friend to a stern guards-woman. The very small crowd dissipated as Mara took notice and sent out her own aura along with Argent's.

"It's a horse...and it's approaching, quickly"

"But it's so dark...!"

"Cyborg and its rider is quite skilled to maneuver it along the sharp turns of this alleyway," Argent stood prepared while Mara also readied herself. Though barehanded, neither were strangers to fist fighting; it's what kept them close, after all. Closer and closer the hooves pounding until the red beaming eyes of a cyborg horse came rearing upward. "W-what the fu-!," startled Argent flinched reflexively as the horse neighed, it's hooves clawing the air and dropping backdown to earth.
The rider caused both girls to stare in shock; it was a girl no older than eighteen years.

Short ebony hair, the face brought memories to the surface though neither felt as if it see their own. The girl dismounted with her hand to her head as if she was in pain. The cloak she wore covered the upper part of her torso and below black pants with a white seam and knee high brown boots. She stuttered, asking if they knew her.

"M-maybe we do! Maybe w-we don't?"

Argent and Mara locked eyes with both feeling uneasy, yet a little sympathetic. The girl seemed familiar enough, but they couldn't remember where from. It's like a blur, no, something was blocking them from remembering. When Mara took the girl's right arm she only watched in curiosity and a little fearful. What they both saw opened their eyes to the person who they were talking to!

How could we forget?! It's you!