Loving A Monster (Van Helsing)

Eight || Come Back To Me

Shade felt like she had searched the whole village, unable to find any sign of the werewolf through the fog that had crept up on her from nowhere, it wasn't thich yet it still provided the other creature with cover from the hunter. The rain had stopped for what seemed like hours ago, the snow slippery in parts of the alleys and small paths between the houses.
There, a slight scratch of wood to herself, causing the she-wolf to jump backwards as the other werewolf leapt from the roof of one of the homes. Growling, Shade ran towards him, tackling into his side to knock him off balance before she sank her teeth into his back leg. Using the grip she had, the hunter tugged at the flesh in her mouth, using her strength to throw the other werewolf through the wall of barn to her side. Another growl slipped from her maul as she leapt after him, noticing the back door of the barn swing shut, knowing the other werewolf had made a quick getaway to avoid a prolonged confrontation with Shade.
Feeling frustration building within her, the wolf kicked at a nearby create to let out her emotions before giving chase to the other werewolf, now using the shadows to help her disappear from the sight of all creatures. With her black fur, it was easy for her to hunt without detection if she wanted but with Valken having brown fur in his werewolf form, it was harder to do so. Keeping her footstep soft, the hunter was soon making her way into the graveyeard, sniffing at the solid ground below, taking note of every scent that happened to linger around it. A new, familiar scent joined the mix, making the she-wolf's chest tingle with the warmth of a fluttering heart, the scent of the man she had known for many years now. Blue eyes found his cloaked form amongst the mist, watching him carefully, so she could see if he was hurt in anyway.
Just as she was about to step out of the shadows, the grave digger who had given her goosebumps appeared, speaking with Van Helsing while also measuring the hunter out of habit of his job.
"Nice night, this is a bit tight for me." The slimy weasel chuckled. "But for you it's a perfect fit. What a coincidence."
A small growl left the she-wolf, alerting both men to her presence.
"I see the wolfman hasn't killed you yet."
"Don't worry, he's getting to it." Van Helsing replied, looking around. "You don't seem bothered."
"I'm no threat to him" The grave digger spoke casually, digging a little bit of a grave he had been working on. "I'm just the one who cleans up after him...if you get my meaning."
"Little late to be digging graves, isn't it?" As soon as he asked the question, a noise from behind him made Van Helsing turn around to inspect the darkness"
"Never too late to dig graves." The grave diggers voice became tighter as he gripped his shovel.
Shade growled at the sight, ready to lunge at any minute to intercept the grave diggeres oncoming attack.
"You never know when you'll need a fresh one." The grave digger turn to hit Van Helsing with the shovel but the hunter turned just in time to catch the weapon in his gloved hands.
"Oh, sorry. It's just my nature." Was the petty attempt of an apology that came from the grave digger before his eyes grew wide.
His look alerted Van Helsing of the danger behind him, only managing to leap out of the way at the last second. Shade looked on, wincing at the slight crunch she heard from the body of the grave digger before he rolled lifeless into one of his own graves.
Van Helsing shot at Valken just as Anna appeared in an attempt to stop him from hurting her brother. In his own anger, Van Helsing grabbed Anna by her throat and pinned her to a wall, Shade quickly leaping in with a growl to intervene. As much as she hated Anna, the two hunters were still here to protect her from Dracula.
"No, let her go Van Helsing." Shade mumbled softly, now taking on her human form. "She was only trying to protect her brother."
Van Helsing sighed and let go of Anna, turning to Shade. His eyes scrunched together as he stepped closer to his blue haired companion, taking her face between her hands and wiping blood from a cut on her face.
"What happened?"
"Oh, Valken must have scratched me when he jumped out at me earlier, strange of him to not actaully try and kill me." Shade smiled weakly and pulled away from Van Helsing, not wanting to seem so weak at the moment in time.
"You knew he was my brother?" Anna's voice piped up, laced with the poison of her anger.
"Yes." The two hunters replied.
"And yet you still tried to kill him!"
 "He will kill people Anna." Van Helsing tried to reason with her.
"He can't help it, its not his fault!"
"But he will do it anyway!" Shade snapped at the other female, the growl of her wolf slightly coming through to try and get Anna to calm down and shut up.
"What about you then, you have control." Anna pointed out to the female hunter, glaring her down.
"Yet no one knows why, not even me Anna. What I am, comes from my past, it is beyond me and I have been constantly searching for answered on why." Shade sighed and shook her head, her head feeling like it was about to burst.
"I hear Dracula has a cure, if there is any chance we can save my brother....and cure Shade then we have to go after him."
Shade and Van Helsing shared a look with each other before Van Helsing took her hand and led her to the side, not wanting Anna to overhear their conversation.
"Shade, Valken can lead us to Dracula." He started, speaking softly as his thumb ran over her knuckles. "But if he does have a cure....would you..like to cure yourself?"
"There is no need to ask, I would cure myself without hesitation if I was alone. But I have you and Carl to look after so keep the cure to yourself." Shade spoke strongly, as much as she did want that cure, she had to protect Van Helsing and she couldn't do that without her werewolf side and the random abilities that appeared in her times og great need.
"Then lets go, I want you to track in your wolf form, once we find them then we will split up." Van Helsing told her.
Shade turned to leave but was quickly stopped by Van Helsing, once again grabbing her wrist, this time pulling her close and resting his forehead on hers.
"For the love of god, be safe and....come back to me."
The words made her heart leap into her throat, she didn't know what to say so she just nuzzled her head against his then pulled away, walking a few paces away to be able to transform.
Once they had suited up, Shade led Van Helsing, Anna and their horses to a large castle, a warm glow coming from one of the large windows of the nearest tower. Shade decided to go on ahead, using her nose to lead her into a secret passage way that ran into the heart of the castle. The wolf shimmed her way through, growing weak the further she went in, knowing that she would not being able to stay in this form for much longer now that she had forced herself to transform more than once in such a short period of time. Her claws pulled her out into the open, where she shook many cobwebs from her fur.
She looked around, noticing that she was in what seemed to be a study of some sort. As she was about to make her way out of the room, a sliver of paper caught her eye, lingering on the edge of the icy cold fireplace. Slowly, she made her way over, picking the paper up and dusting away some of the soot that lingered on it. Her eyes grew wide, the feeling that had grew her near it, grew in her chest like a tidal wave. There on the paper, was a small painting of a family, a mother, a father and there between them, was a blue haired girl with the brightest smile in the world. Shade whined and pulled her hand to her chest, cradling the picture, she may not remember her past too well but she could not mistake the younger version of herself. Careful as to not tear the paper with her claws, the werewolf folded it into a thin rectangle and slipped it beneath the latch of the thick armoured braclet she wore.
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, the wolf soon found herself making her way out of the room, the sound of thunder meeting her ears. Yet the screams that accompanied the thunder had her shivering with slight fear and disgust. She raced through the halls, using the sounds to help her find her way to what appeared to be a huge lab with small creatures wandering around. A flash of lightening drew the werewolf's attention towards an opening in the ceiling where she could see Valken strapped to a machine.
Now that she had something to do, the werewolf focused on the machines, ramming into them while also using her claws and fangs to bite and claw into the many wires around her, trying to destroy whatever was happening her. While she was doing so, she could here gunshots from somewhere else in the castle, making her chest swell with pride, knowing that Van Helsing was doing something to try and kill Dracula. Something bit into her leg, making the she-wolf howl in pain before wirling around on the creature and biting off it head with powerful jaws. Seiing that more of the small creatures closing in on her, the werewolf stood on her back legs and let out a challenging roar, the walls seeming to quake around them. As each one leapt at her, she either bit  them or threw them away by swinging out one of her clawed hands. During her preoccupied state, the wolf saw Anna climbing the machine in an attempt to help her brother.
Shade was tiring quickly and as soon as she hurt the furious roar from Dracula, she knew it was time to leave. She leapt up the machine to pull Anna away just as Valken was about to transform again, throwing the woman onto her back and racing to meet Van Hesing at the side of the castle that overlooked the river. The gap was wide and the two hunters knew that, which is why Van Helsing shot a line of wire into the trees opposite them so that they may cross before they were caught in the overload of the many machines behind them. Van Helsing pulled Anna close to him as he readied himself to zip down the wire before turning to the werewolf beside him.
"Shade, come on, hurry up and turn back. We need to get out of her." .
The werewolf bega to change back just as a nearby expolosion hit the castle from a bolt of lightening that hit a tower, a stray piece of metal flying towards them and embedding itself into the body of the half transformed hunter. Shade looked down at the metal that had pushed through to her front, shaky hands reaching up in shock, blood running down her front.
"No! Shade!" Van Helsing shouted, moving to grab her.
"Van...Helsing..." she gazed up at him, just as she stumbled backwards, foot slipping on the wet stone and sending her over the edge. The wind roared as she fell towards the river below, feeling numbed by the pain of her wound. She felt herself hit the river, the icy water swallowing her into its dephs, her eyes fluttering closed. Everything turned to black as the river carried her away, the last thing to cross her mind was the hope that both Van Helsing and Anna made it out alive.