Song is, "Beethoven's Virus (Full Version)" by Diana Boncheva feat. Banya.
https/youtu.be/DtKCNJmARF0
Chapter 1: The Bannik
Bokovoy Range, Russia, November of 1904
Deep in the white covered mountains of Russia, Dubh's wolf trekked through the shoulder deep snow as he climbed a very steep hill. He'd been on the run for quite some time now, and not just from the Van der Linde clan but from his former ally Apate and his little sister Cahira. His mother was the only one who didn't understand just what Mallacht and he had done.
Dubh slipped and he tensed as his paws lost leverage on the hill. He froze for a few moments before sighing and closing his eyes. A fierce breeze brushed through him and he looked up at the cloudy night sky, watching the thick snow flakes fall. Dubh gauged how much further he had to climb to reach the village of Valok. He only had to reach the top of the hill for his salvation, but leave it to karma to make his last resort hard to get to.
"There's a blizzard, but this isn't so bad," he thought to himself. "I can do this."
Even though his whole body ached and felt stiff from the long uphill journey through blistering winds and freezing snow, Dubh strained to continue forward. He grunted and squeezed his eyes shut before climbing once more. Paw by paw, the black wolf made the ascent uphill, the wind still wailing around him. When he finally pulled himself to the top, he shook his fur before looking down an incline at the silhouette of a village.
The Valok Pack. The town belonged to werewolves and the Alpha was Konstantine Sidorov, Dubh's only remaining friend. He'd been to the pack's village many times in the past and had always been welcomed there, so hopefully nothing had changed. As he walked forward, the wind continued to whistle and howl around him and he shivered. He could really use a soak in their hotspring baths. The snow started to level off and was no longer quite so difficult to go through. Dubh shook himself again to relieve the stresses of his traveling but then he tensed when he smelled something on the wind.
A werewolf.
Dubh sniffed around and his eyes squinted as he pierced through the fog with his sight. He caught movement in his peripherals and he turned his head to see a large, very thick coated white wolf. Dubh relaxed and took a deep breath. "Alpha," he said with a bowing of his head.
"Dubh," Konstantine replied. "It's been awhile."
"It has."
The bigger wolf jerked his head towards the village. "Come. Let us get out of the cold," he said before padding forward.
Dubh followed quickly and soon they got to a small house near the middle of the village's town square. Konstantine shifted into his human form and opened the front door. Dubh rushed in and Konstantine followed after looking around for any signs of life in the village, then he shut the door and grabbed some clothes from the ground. He dressed himself in black trousers, a long white wool jumper and a leather coat adorned with hanging sections of white fur.
"Hungry?" Konstantine asked as he went to light candles to illuminate the area.
"Starved," Dubh replied.
"There's smoked meat and some canned food in the pantry over there," Konstantine said, pointing towards a small, rustic kitchen. "Spare clothes are in the bedroom down the hall."
Dubh rushed over to the bedroom and walked in. He quickly changed back into a human and opened the closet, rubbing himself down to keep warm. He found brown pants and slipped those on before grabbing a long sleeved green button down shirt and putting it on, buttoning it then reaching for a black wool frock coat. After putting that on, Dubh grabbed some brown winter boots and slipped them on his feet, then he looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was black, long and curly and he looked to be in his early thirties. He was handsome with dark brown eyes, but he had a black scruffy beard that needed tending to.
Being on the run left no room for maintaining hygiene habits.
He exited the bedroom and went into the dimly lit kitchen where Konstantine was pulling out some items from the wood cabinets. "I'm making tea, would you like some?" Konstantine asked.
"Yes, please," Dubh replied as he went to the pantry and pulled out some jerky. He chomped into it and groaned with satisfaction. "I haven't eaten in days."
The Russian Giant glanced at Dubh and his carefree expression immediately changed to shock. "What the hell happened to your face?" he asked.
"Macha," Dubh chuckled. "Apparently she decided to give me the gift of youth without telling me."
"Why wouldn't she tell you?"
Dubh took another bite of jerky and stroked his bearded chin. "She said even though I deserved a gift for my bravery, I was still an asshole about it."
Konstantine shook his head with a giggle as he started preparing tea. "Is she one of those petty goddesses?"
"Very."
"Oh, I love those types of women," Konstantine chuckled. "Always willing to bear savage grudges for even the smallest slight against them. I can respect that."
The two friends continued to talk and catch up on things, and eventually the tea was ready. Konstantine served it and they both had vodka put in to help warm themselves up. It wasn't enough to get Dubh drunk but it did make him a little tipsy. Konstantine offered him some time in their bath house and Dubh graciously accepted the offer. His host escorted him to the building and would have a hot meal brought to him straight away. When Konstantine left, Dubh made his way through the rustic building to one of the hot springs and he declothed before getting into the water.
He groaned happily before leaning his head back to rest against the stone edge of the small pool. Dubh felt as if he could fall asleep there, he was so exhausted. Just when he was about to do so, however, he heard a door creak open and he raised his head while opening his eyes.
"Hello?" he called out. "Is someone there?"
He received no answer except the pattering of feet on wet stone. Dubh gazed into the darkness of the barely lit bathhouse and could see a small figure walking around with a large water barrel. Dubh sighed in relief and relaxed once more. It was only The Bannik. He listened to the bathhouse spirit walking around, eventually coming to rest behind Dubh's head.
"Good evening, Bannik," Dubh sighed. "I would expose my back to you, but I would like to relax first, if you don't mind." A loud clicking came from the creature and Dubh grinned. "Yes, you may join me."
The barrel was set down and the hairy little spirit descended into the hot waters next to Dubh. The mangy, bearded little man with white hair and bright green and blue eyes grinned toothlessly before clicking his tongue a few times. Dubh chuckled as he looked at the little sprite.
"It has been a long time, Bannik." The man made more clicking and wheezing noises. "Because I've been on the run. I let Mallacht do something really bad and now everyone is pissed off at me."
The creature clicked once more from his throat.
Dubh sighed and leaned his head back. "I let him take a woman to his Hell world."
The Bannik wheezed heavily and made a swirling motion in the water. Dubh nodded and turned his back to the little old man. The creature wheezed and heaved, clicking heavily as Dubh awaited his prophecy. Suddenly The Bannik shrieked and Dubh winced when he felt scratches on his back. The creature jumped from the water and ran away with the water barrel in hand. The werewolf gulped as he scrambled out of the water. Getting scratches from The Bannik was not a good sign. Dubh searched around for a towel, found one and went to grab it, but then he gasped when he saw his hands turning into cloven hooves. He squealed like a pig repeatedly and jumped when a door crashed open, revealing a very angry looking griffin.
Dubh opened his eyes suddenly with a scared groan as he splashed around in the pool. He looked around quickly, realizing it had just been a dream. With a sigh, Dubh rubbed his face with his hands and then went through his hair. He looked at the edge of the pool and saw a plate of hot food waiting for him. He came over and started eating it. Dubh practically inhaled everything on the plate since he was so hungry, and after a few minutes the plate was licked clean. He took some deep breaths as he relaxed, his arms stretched over the stone slab behind him. After a little bit, Dubh felt like some good sleep should come next so he removed himself from the water and found a towel to dry himself off with. Once that was done, he began putting on his clothes. When he felt presentable, he started walking towards the bathhouse door. Dubh caught a glimpse of himself in one of the mirrors and thought nothing of it, at least at first.
He stopped abruptly with wide eyes before taking a few steps back and looking at the mirror. Dubh started breathing heavily when he saw he now had the face and belly of a pig. He tried shifting into his wolf but found he was unable to.
"Shit," he uttered before running out the door. "Konsta-" he started to yell before he stopped dead in his tracks.
He was surrounded by all sorts of wolves, all their teeth bared and hackles raised. Dubh gaped at the two men standing in the middle of the animals. It was Corvin and Darrach and they both had smiles on their faces and guns in their hands.
"What's wrong, Dubh?" Corvin asked smugly. "You look like you just shit your pants. Aren't you happy to see me?"
The wolves growled and barked, obviously pissed off at having to restrain themselves from tearing Dubh apart. Dubh looked up at the sky, surprised to find that it was all white. They had a shield up...and he was stuck in there with all of them. That wasn't good.
"I asked you a question, fucker!" Corvin yelled before aiming Irish shotgun at Dubh. "Are you not happy to see your old pal Corvin?!"
Darrach laughed suddenly. "Steady there, Corvin. We're gonna have some fun with him first."
Dubh blinked in confusion. "Fun?"
Darrach lifted his wrist and clicked on one of the acorns on his bracelet. A bunch of little objects came flying from it and surrounded the area before floating motionless in the air. "Yes."
Play music here
"Now run, little piggy," Darrach said with a grin as music began to play. Dubh took some steps back as the wolves closed in on him. Darrach rolled his eyes with a sigh. "We're giving you a head start. Run!"
Dubh didn't waste any time as he turned and started running away from them further into the town square. He looked back behind him to see that he wasn't being chased but the wolves were acting chaotically and barking, their urge to chase something obviously being tested. The music continued playing around him while he looked forward, trying to find a place to hide. He checked the door on one house but it was locked and he couldn't get it open. Dubh would have to assume the rest of the houses were like that. Had the entire pack turned on him?
Dubh rushed towards an opening between some houses, which was really a small alley way. He had to find a way back from where he entered but he knew it would be blocked off. Konstantine had once spoken about a secret passage somewhere in the woods, however, so that was his best chance. The pig man continued running, still hearing the music and the wolves howling with the promise of a most painful death for him.
The howls and the barks got louder so Dubh knew they'd been released. His head start was over so he picked up the pace as he ran through the alley, making a turn to the left to exit the housing area and to go straight into the forest. His chest heaved and his breath panted both from the exertion of exercise and the panic of being chased.
"Mallacht! I could use some help here!" Dubh shouted in his head.
Unfortunately, he received no response from his counter part. He could hear the angry wolves behind him but he dared not look back. He felt a bite on his calf and another in his left hand and it made him squeal in pain. His pants turned to frightened snorts and he felt his coat being tugged on violently. Dubh quickly removed the coat and charged forward, almost stopping in his tracks when he saw most of the Van der Linde boys on horses, rearing up as Dubh got near.
"Get him, boys!" Dutch shouted as Dubh ran further into the forest.
The sounds of gunshots filled the air around him, along with snarls and shouts of anger.
"Get that piece of shit!" Javier barked madly.
"Nobody messes with us and gets away with it!" Sadie yelled angrily.
"Run, boah, run!" Bill laughed loudly.
"You're gonna die tonight, pig man!" Charles shouted.
As the gang continued shouting and firing at him with the sound of hooves beating against the ground, Dubh could barely keep track of where he was going as he rushed by trees. The snow was really bogging him down. He fell into a hole in the ground as it broke beneath him and he landed and rolled down a large tunnel. When he stopped rolling, he grunted as he slowly got up, looking around in the darkness. It was a cave system. Dubh ran through the tunnels in an attempt to get away from the gang unseen. It was a slim shot but he had to try. Dubh was hurting bad but the adrenaline was getting him through, however he felt he was running on fumes at this point.
As he continued to scramble through the dark tunnels like a scared rat, Dubh could see a light shining at the end of one of them. Perhaps it was a way out. The disgruntled pig man ran towards the light, hoping and praying that that it would bring him salvation, but when he finally reached the light, all he saw was another minion of his apparent demise.
Aoífe was sitting on Phoenix with revolvers in her hands and a mischievous grin on her face. "Hello, ya rotten bastard," she cooed before aiming her guns at him.
Dubh ran from the mouth of the cave into the forest while Aoífe chased after him, shooting at him and yelling all sorts of curse words and insults at him. Another set of hoof beats pounded to his right and he looked to see The Dagda chasing after him while riding Horus. The Dagda was also shooting at Dubh with a type of rifle.
"I love this gun!" he laughed maniacally.
"C'mon, ya slow bastard, run faster!" Junior yelled at Dubh's left and he looked to see Junior with a smaller rifle while riding atop Liath. "Make it a fecking challenge fer us, at least!"
Dubh pushed himself to run faster through the woods, stumbling a few times over tree roots and rocks. Bullets zoomed past him as he dodged and ducked to avoid getting hot. He'd realized at that point that he couldn't heal himself. What the hell had been in that food?
"Damn you, Konstantine," Dubh growled under his breath.
Dubh snorted and wheezed, yet he couldn't help but wonder why the hell these people needed a soundtrack for this. The music blared around him and his bones and muscles ached from overuse and very little rest. As he approached a clearing, he groaned at seeing a bunch of were animals and people waiting for him and he changed directions. Enemies were coming at him from all sides. Tigers, panthers, wolves, dragons, a giant spider, gods, goddesses, monsters and people alike swarmed like a tidal wave behind Dubh and it was overwhelmingly terrifying. It was then that he knew Lilly's counter curse from all those years ago was finally coming to fruition.
"I've got blood on my name," he thought to himself as he ran in fear for his life.
Dubh saw a drop coming up and he changed directions again to avoid falling to his death. Everything hurt. He was certain he had broken bones all over his body and he could taste blood in his mouth, but he still had a semblance of hope that he would get out of this alive. He ran along the edge of the cliff, careful not to make a false step while he trudged onward. A trumpeting sounded in the woods and Dubh glanced to see Vu riding a stampeding elephant.
"Knock him down, Boo Boo!" Vu shouted and the elephant charged faster.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Dubh yelled.
Dubh's eyes darted around as he tried to find a way around to at least get away from the cliff, otherwise that damn elephant was going to send his ass flying off the edge. The ground was shaking from the weight of feet and paws running behind Dubh and he feared the ground would crack and swallow him whole. The elephant and the angry mob were gaining on Dubh and he was running out of energy. He couldn't keep this up. He was done for and he knew it, yet the disarmed werewolf stumbled on, clinging to any ideas that might get him out of this.
Just when something came to him, Dubh felt the elephant smash into him and he went flailing off the cliff. His body sailed through the air for a bit before crashing into the ground, and Dubh's body rolled and hit things as he went down a very steep hill. Things stabbed him and smacked him all over and it was the unending amount of pain that prevented him from screaming. The whole world was spinning and Dubh couldn't even grab onto anything to stop himself from being destroyed by anything he crashed into. Things hit his face and scratched at his clothes and Dubh felt like he was going to fall forever.
Something stabbed one of his ears and he cried out as his hearing went to zero except for a very loud ringing. He could still hear the music but it kepting cutting out and it warbled. Dubh kept trying to grab for things but it was extremely difficult to grasp anything. Bones shattered and punctured his skin when he finally rolled to a stop, his face buried in snow and mud. He tried to lift his head but then thought better of it when he failed to do so. Dubh couldn't move anything, let only even breathe properly. He felt cold and hot at the same time. He was soaked through and he kept getting mud in his mouth.
Dubh coughed as his hair was grabbed and then he shouted in agony when he was forced to look forward. His whole body was crippled and bleeding and he couldn't even figure out who grabbed him but he was dragged forward towards Arthur Morgan who was standing with others behind him.
Dubh was suddenly dropped and he guffawed in pain, still unable to move properly.
"So nice of you to drop by, Dubh," Arthur said in a menacing, low tone.