SEARCHING FOR AN HONEST TRUTH IN THE DARKNESS

Phantasos sat down on the chair in the healer's room he slowly began to sift through his note and study drawings. So far he had, had Gabrielle in for three sessions, though in the last two she'd been very quite only answering yes or no. He didn't have the answer he needed which was how do humans turn in to werewolves through wounds, was it a bitten wound or a scratch? It was a fascinating study though he now had lots of sketches and he was leaning so many new things. Gabrielle never argued or played up in these sessions she was very well behaved. He also noticed that in werewolf form, all she had was a ripped piece of cloth which covered her private parts. So far he'd had her bite down on thick planks of wood so he could get punctures and look at her teeth lay out on both her upper and lower jaw.

He'd had her put thick rope in her mouth and then had her rip it apart just to see how much effort it took and the space of time involved. He'd even gotten her to bend bronze metal used in hoplite plate which she could do surprisingly enough, but she wouldn't do it with her teeth only her hands. Apparently werewolves could re-grow teeth if they lost them but the tooth wouldn't grow if it got broken half way down which meant they had to pull it out to force a new one to grow in its place. Clearly they were creatures of thought as they wouldn't risk shattering there best weapons if they could help it. He flicked further through his notes eyeing his sketches. He was now interested in doing experiments with extreme hot and cold nothing to hurt her, he just wanted to see how her skin would heal with a small burn on it and see if her skin could tolerate extremely cold water.

He looked up as Kalika walked in through the door he watched as she coughed painfully. "Is your cough playing up again?" Kalika groaned eyeing him. "Yeah, can I have my normal herb mix?" Phantasos stood up picking up one of the herb mixes. "You know the reason you get this cough is because you spend too much time in the kitchen's heat, you need to get out more." Kalika ignored him as she eyed his written notes on the werewolf. "Why do you waste your time with this monster?" Phantasos watched as she took the herb mix. He slowly sat down in the chair taking a sip from his warm green tea. "I find Gabrielle a very well behaved monster, she causes no trouble and lets me poke her left right and centre in werewolf form."

He picked up one of his parchments. "All in all she's fascinating." Kalika sneered eyeing him. "You should have Xena kill her and then mount her." Phantasos looked up slightly. "Gabrielle is a young woman has that not passed your notice? Killing her outright would be murder." Kalika snarled aloud as she eyed him. "You know just because she wears that human skin it makes no difference, she's still a monster." Phantasos raised an eyebrow. "Tell me why do you hate this young woman so much? I mean she does just what she's told she goes to the Empress's talks and behaves. She comes to my healing room and behaves over all she very obedient despite her lack of manners." Kalika turned sharply feeling the anger burn in her stomach. "I had a brother once we grew up together on a farm in Thessaly."

She breathed in deeply. "One day we went walked in to the woods at night and one of those vile monsters attacked us. It tour him apart right in front of me! I had to watch and listen as he screamed and begged for my help! I swear the werewolf that ripped him open was smiling at me the whole time I saw it in the monsters eyes as it was killing him!" She moved towards the door. "My brother died that night and he was sixteen I was twelve and I've never been so afraid in my whole life! So no I don't share any kind views of these monsters I'm glad the Empress put forward the hunting law in place and I hope that she kills every last one of them starting with the one in this palace!" She didn't think as she slammed the door behind her trying to ignore the memories of brother's screaming as it filled her mind.

8

Why am I having these stupid discussions with the Empress? Oh that's right because I don't have a choice! I might as well be her pet since she treats me with a mild neglect like I'm a tray dog at her beck and call. I'm tired, I'm not getting enough sleep saying that I've never had that much sleep through out my life it's been plagued with nightmares. Nightmares which I truly deserve, since I've done terrible in the name of my race, things that I never wanted to do but were forced to do on command, there is so much blood on my hands and it'll never wash over of. This blood haunts my nightmares it's been many years since I've had a restful nights sleep, I can't even remember what having one is like now.

May be that's why I take this form and walk the halls at night when it's empty its takes my mind of sleeping and when it finally comes to me I'm tired and can just sink in to the pain or the blackness. I don't know if I'll ever be free of my nightmares but I have come to believe that they are there because I deserve to suffer for them. I also don't know if these talks with the Empress are accomplishing anything, I see the way she looks at me, it's a look I've so used to. A look of distaste because I'm not human and a monster. I doubt she cared that I was ever human and I doubt my most recent story about being wounded and watching my best friend's death pulled any strings with in her heart.

That's always how it goes though humanity does not care for the suffering of werewolves. It's like asking the sun to care for moon when they don't meet and will always be apart in the sky. That will always be the way of things if there's one thing I've truly learnt in all these years it's that as much as you try you can not change some things, they will always be beyond you, no matter how hard you try to obtain them. Gabrielle lowered her ears as she rested her head on her clawed hands. She was lying on one of the huge marble lion statues which were at the back entrance of the palace which led in to the royal garden. Any person even a normal person could climb up very easily and sit on to the lion's backs as they were in a lying position themselves. In her case she could literary lie on them stretched out fully on her stomach, because there heads were lowered she could see the stars and the moon above her. She breathed in closing her eyes no one bothered her on these statues and since the staff didn't look up they didn't see her lying on them.

"Hey!"

Gabrielle felt her ears snap up she turned sharply seeing that a young woman who was looking up at her a smile on her face. She recognised her instantly she was the same woman who had been looking at Demetrius through the curtain some time ago. She shook her mane slightly as she eased up her head eyeing her. She probably just wanted her to move off the lion so she could clean it. "Its okay I'll move, no doubt you want to clean this statue!" Thaleia raised her hand. "No please that's not what I wanted." Gabrielle eyed her for a long moment. "Then what do you want?" She tapped her clawed hand on the stone. "Oh wait let me guess the Empress wants to see me."

Thaleia breathed in deeply. "No she doesn't want to see you." Gabrielle narrowed her gaze. "Then why are you talking to me?" Thaleia put her hands together gods this was going to be harder than she had first though. "I just wanted to ask if I could sit up there with you." Gabrielle sighed shifting her tail and legs in wards. "Go ahead." Thaleia pulled herself up on to the lion statue sitting in the large space Gabrielle had made for her she watched as Gabrielle put her head back on her large clawed hands lowering her ears again. She clearly just assumed that she wanted to look at the stars and she normally sat up here not that she was sitting up here because she wanted to talk to her.

She breathed in as she thought about what to say. "The sky is really beautiful tonight don't you think?" Gabrielle looked up sharply eyeing the young woman who smiled at her, why was she talking to her? No one in this palace ever spoke to her, the only person who'd been nice to her had been the child minder Fedora and even now she couldn't fathom why since everyone else hated her even being here. She met the young woman's gaze. "Their nice..." Thaleia raised her hand. "Do you think the Greek gods painted them in the night sky?" Gabrielle breathed in deeply. "I wouldn't know since I don't worship the Greek gods." Thaleia looked at her. "Who do you worship?" Gabrielle pulling herself in to sitting position, she turned slowly to face the young woman. "Seriously why are you talking to me?"

She raised her clawed hand. "No one ever talks to me! People don't even like the sight of me in this palace." Thaleia watched as the forest green eyes darted she could now see them right up close and it was clear what her mother was talking about. They were human eyes as human as the eyes this woman had during the day. Despite the head which was huge and encased them they stood out in the dark golden fur catching the star light which bounced of the green iris's lighting them up. The emotion in them was also clear there was conflict in there and it was clear as day like any human beings eyes they were saying how this woman felt.

She felt a smile form. "You seem very lonely I just thought you might want someone to talk to." Gabrielle sneered slightly not caring that doing so exposed her gums and teeth on one side. "You think I need someone to talk to so you're here out of pity or better yet guilt, I'm flattered." Thaleia breathed in steadying herself Gabrielle sneering at her was nothing more than her showing emotion as she would do in human form. "I didn't come to speak you because I felt sorry for you, quite the opposite I came here because I respect you." Gabrielle pulled her lip back down this was a new one which she'd never heard that before. "If you haven't noticed I'm a werewolf what possible reason could you have for respecting me?" Thaleia felt her smile widen. "Because you've put up with the way people have been treating you which is badly. I don't doubt for a second that the way you are now, you could hurt people but you choose not to. That shows restraint a lesser person would just give in to their anger."

Gabrielle stopped still there was truth in those words she took in a deep breath before speaking. "I don't enjoy watching innocent blood flow anymore, or causing others pain, I've seen far too much of it in my lifetime." Thaleia looked at her. "But you don't seem like the violent type." Gabrielle tapped her clawed hand on the stone. "Looks can be very deserving." Thaleia leaned back the harshness had gone from Gabrielle's tone. "I think you believe that about yourself because everyone calls you a monster." Gabrielle looked up slightly this young woman was so much like she used to be a long time ago, when she used to see the good in everyone. She shook her mane. "Its much more complicated than that."

Thaleia breathed realizing that Gabrielle had no intention of going in to the topic further she pulled a small bag out of her pocket. "I've heard that you smoke so I got you some coltsfoot leaf from the supply cabinet, there a lot in there and no one will notice that this has gone missing." She pushed the package over watching as Gabrielle took it the confusion appearing in her eyes. Gabrielle eyed the small package. "You stole this for me?" Thaleia breathed in deeply. "No it's from the stores which are there for every ones use by the Empress's law. There are even herbs in there which the healers can use in medicines." She paused looking up. "No one told you?" Gabrielle looked at the package. "No they didn't." She looked up at the young woman. "What's your name?" Thaleia felt a smile form. "It's Thaleia." Gabrielle looked up slightly. "Then Thaleia thank you for this coltsfoot leaf." Thaleia watched as Gabrielle's gaze travelled back up to the stars, her mother was right this was no monster. Gabrielle was just like everyone else, she knew this wasn't much of a conversation but it was a start. Hope fully she could get to know her better in time, no doubt though it was take time Gabrielle was very untrusting of people that was very clear to her now.

End of part 17

Silvermoonlight