TO KNOW WHAT YOU SEE AND WHAT YOU DON'T

Well it seems that now I can't avoid the truth I have a werewolf and I have to talk to her as I agreed. I've been putting off this conversation for so long, maybe because a part of me has been afraid, this is a monster after all. It's been two days now since our last chat and I've already noticed that Gabrielle stays out of sight during the day and remains in her room out of sight. She also walks the palace at night in her werewolf form on all fours I have no idea why she does this, she just does. May be in her mind night is the only time to come out as most of the staff are asleep. The other thing I don't understand is why the walk is the same it's always through the upper corridors. Then down in to the royal gardens and then past the hall where the child minder looks after the palace children and then back up to her room.

She doesn't go near the walls and she stays away from the guards, also she always walks with her head down she never looks up. I've watched her from my balcony she knows I'm there I'm sure of it but she never looks up. She just walks past ignoring me and the world around her she has also become a huge point of palace gossip. Maybe even more so because she's only out at night and the staff try to see her, not that I blame them there is fascination in seeing a being like this, it's not like any of them have ever seen a werewolf let alone a live one. Not that everyone is happy with that notion I've already had complaints from both my head cook Kalika and the head cleaner Tiara.

Tiara is furious as Gabrielle walks her muddy paw prints through the halls and leaves a real mess which is apparently only made worse by the fact that her mattered golden fur has started to come out in chucks. Gabrielle apparently scatters the pillars and doors pulling of huge chucks at a time. Clearly like a real wolf she can shed her fur as a new fresh coat grows through. Though that's not Tiara's only complaint the other is that Gabrielle has no dignity and is basically walking around the palace naked and the fact that her tail covers her private parts doesn't make things any better, its still the principle. Frankly I don't see what the fuss is about its all fur though frankly I don't wish to contemplate how her reproductive organs work in that form or how they look.

So for Tiara's piece of mind she'll be told to wear something to cover that area whether she likes it or not. The head cook Kalika's complaint is that she doesn't want Gabrielle near her kitchen period. Because she's a monster and that her very presence would terrify the staff no matter what form she's in. Xena put her hands together looking up slightly as the sound of footsteps echoed through the hall clearly Iona had finally brought Gabrielle to her. She watched as the door opened and Gabrielle walked in closely followed by Iona. She was in human form but then it wasn't night yet. She watched as Iona closed the door putting a hand on her sword as she took up her guarding position watching Gabrielle closely. Gabrielle was dressed in her shirt and trousers once more. She breathed in deeply looking up from her writing desk watching as Gabrielle eased out her ivory pipe from her pocket.

Xena eyed her for a long moment. "It's rude to smoke in my presence." Gabrielle eyed her pipe. "I would smoke if I had any opium and coltsfoot leaf for me to smoke, Empress." Xena breathed in deeply. "Then as I said before you need to write a list." Gabrielle pulled a piece of parchment out of her pocket. "Here's my list!" Xena leaned back. "Give it to Iona she'll give it to the servants who do the shopping at the markets." Gabrielle passed her list to Iona watching as she took it looking it over. She looked up slightly watching as Gabrielle put her pipe away, clearly she was a smoker as she was already experiencing anger due to smoking with drawl.

Saying that though Gabrielle from what she'd seen so far didn't have manners and seemed very cold in general. She took in a deep breath, wondering where to begin she looked up slightly speaking calmly. "Are you settling in? You've been here a long time now. No doubt you're getting to getting used to my palace." Gabrielle folded her arms. "Yes I'm getting used to your palace." Xena leaned back further sensing her coldness. "So tell me how long do werewolves actuality live?" Gabrielle looked up sharply. "Why does it matter?" Xena raised an eyebrow. "It matters to me, since I've never been the presence of a live one."

Gabrielle looked at the floor. "They can live to be hundred or even older if they don't get their head cut off and sold for fifty dinars." Xena blinked meeting her forest green eyes. "You live for a very long time, no wonder it's been so difficult to hunt you all down and kill you as a species." Gabrielle breathed sharply she wished right now that she could smoke. Xena looked up feeling a long drawn out silence echo between them she sat up slightly feeling the need to break it once more. "So are your parents werewolves?" Gabrielle tapped her boot on the floor. "No their human." Xena felt a smile form. "But you had a werewolf in your family I assume it skips a generation?"

Gabrielle smirked slightly. "No it doesn't I was born human my family are human, I had a human upbringing." Xena eyed her for a long moment. "Then how are you now a werewolf?" Gabrielle raised both eyebrows. "Is this going to be the depth off our conversation you insult me and try to be clever, when in truth you know nothing?" Xena eased up her hand as Iona reached for her sword hilt. "She has the right to express herself in these conversations." She watched as Iona let go off her hilt eyeing Gabrielle in disgust. She leaned forward putting her hands together looking at Gabrielle. "So how does one become a werewolf Gabrielle, I'm curious?"

Gabrielle narrowed her gaze. "They don't get a choice it's forced up on them with out their consent." Xena looked up sharply. "Was it forced up on you?" Gabrielle felt her teeth grind together. "Yes, and now I have to put up with people like you who treat me like an animal." Xena looked at her empty parchment on her desk. "You are an animal." Gabrielle put a hand on her face trying to hide her disgust. "You know what saddens me the most about this?" Xena put her hand on her elbow. "No what's that?" Gabrielle lowered her gaze. "When you didn't know I was a werewolf you were nice to me. You even cared enough to bring me my breakfast when I couldn't see."

Xena narrowed her gaze putting her hands together again speaking calmly ignoring the younger woman's only show of open emotion. "That was then, this is now." She sat back putting her feet on the table leaning back. "The servants are unhappy with you, they have complained about you walking around in your other form naked." She eyed her for a long moment. "Apparently, your fury rear end is noticeable so from now on you can find something to wear bellow to cover yourself up." Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "I need material to do that." Xena raised an eyebrow. "Well I'm sure you'll figure something out." She looked up slightly. "You also need to go to healers right now and be in werewolf form."

She nodded to Iona. "Iona will of course escort you there." Gabrielle sneered in disgust. "As you wish…Empress." Xena ignored her cold tone as Iona let Gabrielle out closing the door behind her. That could have gone better in fact it could have gone a lot better. Clearly she hadn't started this off in the right manner at all. Gabrielle disliked her that was clear as for her only show of emotion she very much doubted that it was real. Human beings felt things, monsters didn't and she already knew that Gabrielle was very smart. She'd seen what werewolves did to people when they killed them and she doubted that they felt anything as they tour them apart and she was fooling herself to think any different.

8

Phantasos watched as the huge werewolf sat down on the healer bed in front of him this was such a dream come true. He'd always wanted to study a werewolf he had studied the pieces of the dead ones brought in to the palace. To get a full body though was rare he had copies of medical study notes on Minotaur's and Satyrs from Athens. He'd leant early on that werewolves were completely different to them on every level from the parts he had studied.

From the body parts he had seen werewolves had a much thicker ribs in their chest which were very strong unlike a Minotaur's which was quite weak despite having incredibility powerful collar bones and shoulder blades as well as neck and skull bones to carry the weight of their horns. Satyrs on the other hand had weak pelvis bones. While Centaurs had incredible power in their front and back legs all of these beings were classed as intelligent because they could speak and had the same rights as humans, it was only werewolves which weren't they were classed as animals.

There was so much that was unknown about werewolves just bits and pieces and now he'd finally get a change to be to study a living werewolf and be the first person in Greece to do so. He was already fascinated this werewolf had healed herself over night something which no other being could do. There was more though her body was human during the day and at night it became this, it was a complete metamorphosis like that of a caterpillar changing in to a butterfly but unlike the butterfly she could do it over and over again changing every night if she wished. That was what the staff who'd seen her walking around at night had told him.

He moved forward seeing that the werewolf was still, Iona was outside the door if at any moment this werewolf played up she'd be in the room to put her in her place. In all honesty he thought all this was a bit harsh, this werewolf even now was being completely submissive ever since she'd walked in the room on all fours, as soon as he'd told her to sit on the bed she'd done so with out question. He breathed in where to start? He pulled his small desk over closer to the bed with its quill so he could make notes as he worked. She towered over him but her head was lowered and her ears were down. He raised his hand. "Can I see one of your hands?" Gabrielle rose her clawed hand watching as he slowly put both of his on it turning it carefully studying it as he started to make notes.

Phantasos looked at the thick heavy claws and long hands which had a paws pad just like that of a wolves although the shape was very different due to the lengthen hand. He stroked his beard. "So how long does your race live?" Gabrielle rolled her eyes great this question for the second time tonight. "We can live to be a hundred or older." Phantasos moved his fingers feeing the bone under the fingers. "That's very old, how are you so long lived?" Gabrielle breathed in deeply speaking in an emotionless tone. "Because we can heal ourselves, we can walk away from wounds that would kill a human being." Phantasos raised an eyebrow. "Yes I saw that your scar healed over night is that the healing your referring to?"

Gabrielle nodded she was tired now and not really in a fighting mood despite that she didn't want to be here. "Yes." Phantasos moved his other hand up to her mattered coat pulling slightly which caused some of the golden fur to come free revealing a short fresh new coat underneath. "I see your coats malting, just like a grey wolf's, is that normal?" Gabrielle eyed her mattered coat. "My human hair was damaged in the pit in the process so was my fur, now that my bodies healing my coat will malt as my human hair grows back." Phantasos moved to his scroll writing quickly. "Fascinating." He turned back looking at her eye which had the deep scar which seemed to present in both werewolf and human form. "If you heal in this manner why is it that the scar on your eyebrow hasn't healed?"

Gabrielle looked up slightly. "Because scars which you get before you become a werewolf never heal they always remain." Phantasos blinked that was a surprise. "Became a werewolf? You mean you were human once just like me, I assumed that you were born a werewolf." Gabrielle looked at her clawed hands. "Yes I was human just like you once." Phantasos leaned closer to her this was even more fascinating. "So werewolves aren't born there made? How is that accomplished?" Gabrielle shook her head. "You misunderstand, werewolves come in to being in two ways two werewolves have a child and that child is born a werewolf. Or a human being has this curse forced up on them."

Phantasos moved his hands looking at her long ears clearly she wasn't being forthcoming but then this was her first time doing this. She just needed more time to adjust then she'd be more open. "So you can never be human again like me?" Gabrielle eyed him for a long moment. "No I can't It's a permanent curse with no cure and I'll be this way until I die." Phantasos raised his eyebrow. "Sounds like you've been a werewolf for some time." Gabrielle lowered her gaze. "Yes I've been this way for a long time." Phantasos moved his hand to her arm feeling the bone structure and the muscle tone around her chest. "Do you ever wish you could be human again?" Gabrielle narrowed her gaze. "Yes."

Phantasos looked up slightly he could hear the coldness and resentment in her tone, which seemed strange to him. If werewolves could become this powerful and strong and be able to transform every night when ever they pleased why would they want to trade it? He moved his hand to her shoulder feeling the powerful shoulder muscles and deep set shoulder bones. "Why would you want to be human again when you have this hugely powerful body?" Gabrielle sneered slightly she wasn't going to answer that question it wasn't as if he'd understand anyway. Phantasos breathed in hearing the silence in the air clearly no answer was forth coming. Gabrielle as she called herself hadn't been as hostile as before, but she was still very cold when speaking to him.

He breathed in deeply. "Open your jaws." He watched as she opened her mouth showing off all her teeth which were gleaming white. He looked down catching sight of the golden tooth replacement which had been merged in to a larger tooth point which was quite remarkable. He could see the wide inner throat which was well muscled clearly she could swallow large things whole. A chicken would be no issue she could eat it no problem, but that begged another question to have a throat like this it meant that werewolves had to be big eaters. He used his hand closing her jaws watching as the upper and lower canines locked together but protruded out of the lips ever so slightly.

He moved his hands away. "I assume with these jaws you can eat anything?" Gabrielle looked up slightly. "Yes." Phantasos looked at her. "Are you mostly meat eater though or vegetable eaters?" Gabrielle shook her mane. "Both, it depends on the werewolf which one they eat more off." Phantasos smiled. "Oh I see its personal choice dictated by monster in question." Gabrielle eyed him in disgust. "Yes." Phantasos smiled ignoring her look. "Is there is anything you can't eat?" Gabrielle looked away slightly. "There are a number of herbs we are can't stomach, they make us very sick and there not even poisonous." Phantasos pulled up his quill and parchment. "What are they?"

Gabrielle snarled aloud. "You don't seriously believe I'm going to tell you that, do you?" Phantasos looked up sharply instantly realizing why she was acting this way. "You misunderstand I'm not a person who believes in killing others, I would not use this to hurt others of your kind. My work here is for the benefit of the greater good. I have no intention of cutting you open or causing you great pain in any of our sessions. I just want to study and learn that's my aim here." Gabrielle narrowed her gaze. "You do realize that some of the worst things have been done with the best intentions don't you?" Phantasos breathed in deeply. "Look I'm not your enemy here the more I can learn from your race the more I can educate people about you the more they know about your species in general the more they can learn."

Gabrielle laughed but it was cold laugh. "Oh you want to start a revolution? What do think people knowing about werewolves will make any difference to anyone? Because believe me it won't, there's big money to made by killing us." She raised her clawed hands. "But I'll amuse you by telling you these herbs because I know it won't make any difference. Because in the not to far future werewolves will be extinct as a species, and all your revolution will be for nothing because it will be too little to late. You'll be talking about a monster as you call it, which no longer exists."

End of part 13

Silvermoonlight

As you've all asked for an update to this story I feel it's only right to honour your requests and give you what you desire, enjoy :)