Ugh, the second part is so clunky. I disliked writing that part the most of all that I've wrote.
"If I'm gonna drive, girl it's gonna be one hell of a ride."
Waking up the Devil by Hinder
Levi glanced towards the sky. What? Three hours? Two?
He shook his head. Why did I run? A Lycan does not run.
He shook his head again. This time he glanced towards the Manor. He saw the elf enter earlier in the day. So what? Young Artemis is working with the new Alpha?
He growled. He had been in his wolf form for the last hour. She is not your Alpha yet. She is no Lycan.
Levi heart lurched at the thought of his old friends. I shouldn't have gone with the plan. Not one of his own kind wanted him anymore. All those were now dead, or at least lied too. Levi was sure they would all hear the story of his great betrayal.
He snarled, swiping at the tree he was leaning against. Nick will die.
"That's your plan?!"
"I don't hear anything from your end Foaly."
"But that's your plan?!" Cried the Centaur.
Artemis sighed. He knew it wasn't much of a plan. But it was the only chance they had.
"Wolves howl at the Moon, correct?" He asked.
"Yes..."
"But wolves are not magical creatures, correct?"
"Yes... but th-"
"So why do they howl at the moon?"
"They don't, they howl to find pack mates..."
"What about Lycans then? They have no need to."
"Artemis! What does this have to with anything!"
"Bare with me, I watched the recording by Captain Orland, and I noticed that the wolves continue to do the motion of howling, despite no sound being heard."
When Foaly did not interrupt, he continued, "I edited to get just the sound of those howls, and they are still making a noise, just at a higher frequency."
"Like a dog whistle." Holly said.
"So, if we do a scan for this abnormally high frequency in Ireland, at midnight we should have only one Lycan in Ireland at that time, and that must be our friend."
"If we ignore our contact of course."
"Yes, that went without saying Foaly."
Holly sighed at Artemis. "Keep in touch Foaly, Holly out."
As she cut the call, she glared at Artemis. He looked back her, "What?"
"Nothing." Her eyes did not stop glaring.
Artemis felt himself become uncomfortable. He straightened his tie and stood. "How about a game of chess?"
Holly looked at him with confusion, "But you'll thrash me..."
"I promise I'll wait at least ten turns." He said with a ghost of a smile.
The elf frowned at him. "Fine."
True to his word, Artemis beat her in eleven moves. "Why am I even trying?" Holly whined.
"Again? This is helping me think."
"Fine Mud boy."
As Holly stared at the board, watching Artemis put the pieces back to their places, Holly's thoughts wondered.
He's really in his element here... like when I'm in the field.
"Ladies first."
The game continued, but Holly was not paying attention to the game.
"Order me to do something."
"What? You need to get out of here before Kelp finds out what I've done!"
"Order me to."
"Run, now!"
"No."
The human winced once, before running. A single glance from him highlighted his dazzling green eyes, and she glared at him. He simply nodded and he ran.
Why was he in pain?
Why did he tell me to order him?
Why did I let him go... "Checkmate..." Holly muttered absently.
Artemis looked paler than he normally did. "B-but... w-what... Holly!" He swept an arm across the board uncharacteristically scattering the pieces, "How did you do that?!"
"Order me to do something."
"What? You need to get out of here before Kelp finds out what I've done!"
"Order me to."
"Run, now!"
"No."
The human winced once, before running. A single glance from him highlighted his dazzling green eyes, and she glared at him. He simply nodded and he ran.
"Do what?" She blinked at the looming Artemis. "What did I do?"
Artemis looked at her incredulously. "You beat me and you weren't even paying attention!"
The human winced once, before running. A single glance from him highlighted his dazzling green eyes, and she glared at him. He simply nodded and he ran.
Not as cold as those of the young Fowl.
To Holly's surprise, Artemis leaned in, and kissed her.
Memories of the zoo flooded back to her. The tingle of the kiss brought back the attraction she felt. She did not feel the same intensity.
"Artemis?!" She jumped back, startled at his forwardness. He looked even more confused than before.
"What did I do wrong? I did everything Butler suggested..."
Holly glowered at him. "We have to focus, and you and your Frond-damned hormones are going to screw up everything!"
"I don't underst-"
"You never do Arty!" She slammed her palms onto the chess board as she said his name, "I asked Trouble out!"
Artemis simply stared. "Trouble... b-but why?"
"We don't have anything in common Artemis!" She shook her head, "This Friday, I'm going to be with Trouble, he's just..." She waved her hands around, "Much more like me!"
Artemis looked at the floor. "I'm sorry... I didn't know.."
"D'arvit! Look at the time, call Foaly, I'm going to get some air." The elf stormed out, leaving Artemis to brood.
He looked at the time, 23:35. He sighed and called the Centaur.
"Stupid Mud boy." Holly stormed the gardens of the Manor. It was far enough the Manor for her not to bother shielding to hide from the rest of the Fowl family. "Mrs. Holly Fowl?" She snorted.
"I have to get out of here..." Holly stormed off, "I should stay, but then Artemis might kiss me again. Frond!"
She walked up to a large tree, and slid into a sitting position, her back towards it. She rubbed her eyes, "I need more sleep... and to do the ritual..."
She glanced around, looking for an acorn, but saw none. "Of course... just my luck..."
She leant her head against the tree, and looked to the sky. There were no clouds, and the stars and Moon was clear against the background of space. The Moon looks absolutely delightful...
"Since when do I care about the Moon?" She laughed, "This Lycan thing is getting to me..."
She found she could not take her eyes from the Moon, and she could swear she felt her magic reserves topping. She laughed again.
"That's not how it works." She muttered.
Is Artemis really that bad?
She frowned at the stray thought. He's a Mud man. He also has a terrible personality. His eyes are nice... even if one them is mine...
She shook her head. No, she thought firmly, it wouldn't work anyway.
"You'd be surprised."
The voice behind her made her jump, and she pulled her gun and aimed it towards the voice. The black Lycan stared at her, as if the gun was nothing but toy.
"The Moon is like us..." He growled, slowly approaching her, "A magical conduit..."
"Stay back!" Holly said, her voice broke, betraying her fear.
The Lycan did not care, he simply looked towards the silver satellite. "Luna is a fickle creature, is she not? Waxing... Waning... blocking our view of the Sun... as if she is jealous..." He dragged his eyes from the Moon.
Holly was still scared, but she was always taught that Lycans were terrible inhumane monsters. Yet this one was talking about the Moon...
"And like Luna... Lycans are jealous... the short lives of man... the magic of Elves..." Holly braced herself for an attack.
"But we are not Luna, and she chooses her own..."
Preparing for an attack from the Lycan that did not come, she didn't realise the pain was coming from inside of her...
Holly's head whipped back through it's own force, and pain crippled her body, sending her spiralling into darkness.
"Okay Mud boy, let's see if this works..."
"It will Foaly..." Artemis sighed. Even the Centaur noticed the viable change in his behaviour.
"Where's Holly?" Artemis struggled to control his urge to twitch.
"She needed some air."
Foaly raised an eyebrow, but the a ping of his radar caught his attention.
"Well, I can't say I wasn't expecting this, but I have two counts of this frequency in Ireland, one near Dublin with our contact, and one... in the trees south of the Manor..."
Artemis bolted out of the room shouting, "Holly!"
Short was a curious specimen.
If it wasn't for her species, she would have been a top candidate for the Rite. Strong body, strong will, and despite her fear, she held her own against a ten foot tall werewolf.
Levi smiled, but it came out more of a snarl in his wolf form.
The young lass was currently suspended, as was the norm for the first transformation. Her neck had whipped back, and her limbs were growing. Fur was sprouting from her skin. The only obvious difference to that of a human transformation, was the mass of blue sparks jumping around her body.
Her body grew exponentially, and moments later, her jumpsuit split, leaving her bare. Her skin became the Lycan hide, and the fur continued to sprout.
Her eyes opened and a gasp came from her mouth. As she murmured, her mouth slowly formed into a snout, and her hand sprouted claws. Her feet soon followed.
She was moaning, borderline growling and snarling now. Her teeth became fangs and her snarls were making her drool.
As her fur grew in length, her snarls became more pronounced.
Levi's eyes never left the young elf.
As the process finished, she landed on the ground with a thud. She howled instinctively.
Her fur was a beautiful brown, identical to that of her hair. Her mismatched eyes looked even more pronounced than before. She regarded Levi with a look of indifference, her body betraying no emotion.
Levi knew he was on dangerous ground. She was an Alpha. One of the strongest Lycans, and during the first transformation, the Lycan had a raging blood lust.
Levi watched her eyes. The only warning he got, was a glint of amusement in her eyes, and she was off.
As a Lycan, she was about six feet tall, an average human size. Her frame, however, was much more bulky, and she ran with the grace of a hunting cheetah.
With a snarl, Levi followed.
Holly had never felt so alive.
From the pain, she felt as if she would never walk again. What she got was not what she expected. The feelings she got were not what she expected either.
As she got her bearings, she stared at Silver Stride, and he stared back. She tried to look aloof, even angry, but she just could not conjure the feeling. She just felt so alive.
She also realised that Silver Stride did not seem as tall anymore, and before he could stop her, she ran. Hearing a growl from behind her, she tried to run faster.
Her legs felt amazing as she ran, with the wind through her fur. She bounded as fast as she could, admiring the Irish forests in their glory, the only difference from her elven eyes seemed to be the distinct increase in contrast. The greens were more green, the browns were more brown and even the stars in the sky seemed to be brighter.
The Moon made her heart pound. It looked so much more magnificent through her wolfen eyes.
Why am I enjoying this? If Kelp found out, he'd had my badge.
The thought of Kelp made her stop suddenly. She couldn't tell Kelp. He hates Lycans more than anything...
She turned to her second shadow.
"Please tell me this is reversible?!" She snarled.
"Normal new bloods have until the next full Moon." He said, locking his eyes onto her glare.
She narrowed her eyes even more, "I'm not normal though."
He nodded simply, "No."
Her eyes widened and she sat back. "You've don't know do you?"
Silver Stride sat opposite her, both of them were in seated positions similar to that of tamed dogs. He offered her a sad smile, but it came out as another snarl. "You're the first fairy we've had in a while."
Despite his facial features looking menacing, Holly found that she understood what he was trying to do.
A sudden gurgle in her stomach made her want to vomit. Silver Stride gave her another smile, "About now, new bloods get their first urges..."
Holly looked at him with a bout of confusion before it hit her. "Blood?" Her voice high for her intimidating form.
Another sad smile, "Fresh meat generally, and if you do not feed, you will find that you may struggle to have self-control, even while not in your current form."
Holly retched. "You mean I could just try to eat someone while I go about my daily business?"
"That is the price we pay..." For the first time, he pulled his eyes away.
Holly did notice this motion, but it was the enormity of her situation that she struggled with.
So... I'm a monster... the first magical wolf...
"If it makes you feel better, I guess you're the first ...faerwolf..."
Holly stared at him. Silver Stride looked at her as if he made a comment about the weather.
Holly chuckled dryly, and he gave her soft smile. Holly's heart was not in it. Her entire world had just changed.
They have an elongated spine, coupled with a small tail for balance. They have fingers along with claws. These claws are extremely sharp, and can cut through metal, if the Lycan is experienced enough.
In terms of sexual organs, males have penises that are in a way similar to that of wolves. The average size of an erect Lycan phallus can reach up to sizes of three feet. Females have vagina that are hidden under a patch of fur.
Both male and female Lycans suffer a period insatiable lust every two years. This is a remnant from when the Lycans needed to breed to grow their numbers. Female Lycans have the equivalent of a 'period' two months before, and lasts until, the breeding cycle. This 'in heat' section will last a further two months.
Excerpt from The Complete Works of Wolfenkindby Dr. K. Kopple.
The last footage of Holly was of her storming out of Fowl Manor.
I did everything.. I did the research... and after looking into her eyes a kiss should have made her happy...
The last footage of Holly was of her storming out of the south gates of Fowl Manor.
We kissed before... what changed?
Artemis frowned. She showed no sign of lying when she told him.
"Foaly, she's gone."
"D'arvit Holly!" Swore the Centaur.
Artemis started to pace. "What do we do... what do we do..."
"You're the one who plans Mud Boy... Frond, she'll be the death of us." Foaly fluttered around his saferoom. "If it helps, Trouble's on his way with a team."
Artemis suffered a single twitch to his brow.
"Good. If anyone could help, its Kelp."
Butler walked into Artemis' room with a dark look on his face. "Definitely signs of a large animal."
Artemis looked blankly at the shredded fabric in Butler's hands. The same blue as Holly's jumpsuit.
"That'll be Mister Dunkeld then."
"What do we think he's going to do?" Foaly asked quietly.
"Ransom? Perhaps just eat her?" Artemis bristled at Butler's suggestions.
"We'll just have to wait and see." Snapped the young Fowl, earning curious looks from both his manservant and the Centaur.
Levi watched Short pace.
She was definitely upset about her new powers, so was I in the beginning.
"What do you want me to call you?" He asked, pulling her out of her respite.
"Er, Holly, Short, Captain, take your pick." She turned towards him, "What about you?"
He smiled softly, "Levi, Leviticus, Dunkeld, Silver, Silver Stride, Lieutenant, take your pick."
She chuckled softly. "So Levi, what do we do now?"
He sat back in thought. "Normally we'd take a new blood out hunting. Teach them how to control their urges."
Her mouth dropped. "We are not killing anyone."
He raised his claws defensively. "It doesn't have to be human or elven, just.. fresh..."
"I'm a vegetarian." She stated firmly.
He grimaced. "If a new blood told us that, our trainers would have forced fed him a live rabbit."
She gave him a look of horror, before pacing again.
Levi still did not know what to make of her. An Alpha who refused to eat anything living, oh, and she's a fairy.
"This need I have..." She seemed to pacing even more now, "How fast does it get worse...?"
"By the end of the week you'd be eating anything with a heartbeat."
She pulled a face. "So I guess I really need to?"
"Are you good with self-control? If so, you could probably wait until you..." She shook her head violently.
"No... I just really don't want to kill anything... Fairies can feel a creatures pain..."
Levi snorted. "As a Lycan, you should find that your magic and empathic control all but muted."
She stopped. "Heal." She said, putting her claws onto a nearby tree.
The normal blue sparks where there, but when they reached the tree, they bound back onto her.
Levi spoke, "You are a conduit, and I have to recommend, try avoid touching other fairies... you'll bleed them dry."
The lass nodded, but she wasn't listening. She tried again, but same thing happened.
"I can never use magic again..." She turned to Levi, grabbing his arms, "Can I?"
"I'm sorry, I don't have the answers..."
"Then who does?!" She growled.
He returned her snarl, and pushed her off. "Aegis could have. But now he's dead. As well as my closest allies."
The new Lycan gave him a look of sympathy, "I'm sorry... what happened?" She asked softly.
He turned from her. "Nick usurped control on the clan after you killed his father, we were planning a counter coup."
She nodded, this time putting her claw on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. He turned towards her with a new fire in his eyes. Time to teach the young ones. "When was your last period?"
She looked aghast at the question, and growled at him, "That's none of your -"
"I don't care, but you'll have to calculate a completely new system."
"What? Why?"
"They'll happen every two years, and you'll get god damn horny afterwards." He ignored her blush, "So avoid touching me from next week."
"I'm confused..."
"Don't worry, it'll make sense at some point." Levi chuckled. The lass was in for one hell of a surprise.
She seemed to go into thought. Once again, Levi found himself inspecting the new recruit.
The soft Irish winds made her fur flutter, and she held herself in the stance of a leader. If he had to compare, she had the same stance Rud would have when he was contemplating Levi's advice.
"You said you were planning a coup, then who is our informer?" She asked.
"Informer? No one. Elder Gardner would accept all criticisms, no one felt the need to be a whistle-blower." He stated, clenching his fist. "I guess Nick felt a bit disillusioned, he wanted the Fairies wiped from the face of the Earth... Why?"
Short looked at him, her eyes opened wide. "The LEP is meeting the informer tonight..."
Levi snarled. "It's a trap. No doubt."
"D'arvit! We need to get to Dublin, the meeting is set in the next hour!" She growled. She started running before she had even finished speaking.
Levi ran aside his new leader. Huh, my first order.
Commander Kelp checked at the time. "How long have we got until the meeting?" He asked a nearby techie.
"An hour sir."
Kelp nodded absently.
No one truly trusted the Lycans, and it was pretty much agreed that this was a trap. An equipment malfunction was doing nothing to allay fears.
Around the perimeter of the meeting place, Kelp had ordered some of Section 8's best soldiers, as well LEP veterans, into positions to overlook the meeting, as well as to keep an eye out for other wolves.
His communicator went off, startling him.
"What is it Foaly?!" He snarled, "I told you radio sil-"
Foaly interrupted him, his voice void of his usual sarcasm, "We think Silver Stride has Holly."
Kelp paled. "How sure are you?"
"We found her jumpsuit, evidence of a large mammal and the last readings from her suit seem to be distorted..."
Kelp frowned, "What do you mean?"
Foaly's voice sounded strained. "That's just it, we have no idea. She blacked out for a few seconds, before waking again, but then a huge magical surge short circuited the suit."
"Surge?"
"A sudden explosion of energy..."
"But she might still be alive?" Foaly nodded.
"We can't be sure..."
"I'm on my way, Kelp out." He cut off his technical advisor. If Holly was in danger, he had to go.
He waved over his second-in-command, "Follow the plan, I'm taking two guys to find Short."
Kelp took two LEP officers, much to their surprise, and dragged them towards the location Foaly sent him. It was not lost on him that it was Fowl Manor.
Kelp's mind wondered.
She'll be okay... she wouldn't miss our date, I mean, she asked me... D'arvit, why did I say yes? It's so unprofessional...
He shook his head, Mother will be pleased.
Holly also thought about her up coming date.
I have my dress ready... Where did Trouble suggest again... I'm gonna need to get the details off him. He always did have good taste.
She glanced at her new partner. Since her transformation, she didn't find his wolfen appearance intimidating in the slightest. He held himself well, like a soldier, and he was extremely considerate.
He seemed to be completely focussed on their goal. Even as she was here fretting about her love life.
I still have to eat something... She shuddered. Something living with feelings...
Silver Stride seemed to sense her fears, "Only the initial urges are for flesh, it is possible to sustain yourself on other food though..."
At the speed they were sprinting, a normal person would not have heard a word. But Holly felt that she could hear everything with extremely clarity. His voice, his breath, their claws on the dirt, all of it was as clear as day.
"Are there any other downsides?" She muttered, more to herself than to Levi, but he replied anyway.
"The recurring lust and the subsequent lack of lust are the biggest annoyances." He chuckled.
"You mentioned that before, what do you mean?" She frowned.
"Every two years, after a your period, you'll get ridiculously horny for a few weeks." He chuckled again. "Don't take it the wrong way, but your scent suggests that you're nearing the time..."
She glowered at him. He wasn't wrong, she would finish the day before her date, which was the original plan.
They ran the rest of the distance in silence. There was a slight awkwardness, but Holly just ignored him until he grabbed her, and pulled her to the floor.
"Gah! What are you doing?!" She hissed.
"Be quiet, and listen." He closed his eyes, and his ears twitched.
She frowned at him, but copied the motion.
The sound of insects was distinct, as where the pair's breathing. But she still did not understand. "I can't hear anything..."
"Don't hear, listen. Stop thinking about it and just let your mind wonder."
She frowned again, but tried to stop thinking about Kelp.
Then she heard it, and her eyes snapped open. She identify the soft purring noise, "Shielded fairies?"
Silver Stride nodded glumly, "Now smell."
She watched him with interest. Like Artemis during their chess match, or like Kelp during a training exercise, and Foaly on his computer, he was completely in his element.
She took a deep breath, before spluttering. The smell of wet dog made her eyes widen.
Levi opened his eyes and returned her look with a grimace, "Lycans."