~~North America - French Territory 1760~~
Rain belted down around him as he laid sprawled in the mud, exhausted. The full moon lit the area and gave away his location to the enemy. His friend ran back to help. The mans dark hair stuck to his oval features as both men struggled getting away from the enemy.
They managed to stop for a break later that evening where the man wrote a letter, explaining how they were losing the war. His brown eyes tired and begging to go home. They both got moving again and before long the rain started again. They found a cottage and saw candles lit in the window. They went inside where the man blew out the candles and looked out the window, searching for the British enemy.
"You can't be here." A girl said, about early twenties. Dogs started barking outside as the other man, with the moustache, spoke harsh oh to the girl.
"Stay back." Both man turned back to the sounds outside as the girl continued.
"You don't understand, you have to the wrong place to hide." The man by the window stared at the girl while the other told her to be quiet. "There is something out there, something other than the British soldiers." Her French accent did nothing to hide the wavering fear in her voice.
"What do you mean other?" The man by the window asked moving closer with a candle in his hand.
"A creature of the night." The Lightning lit up the tears that streamed down her face.
"Don't listen to her." The mans friend said, still looking out the wooden door cracks.
"A shapeshifter," the women said. "A demon."
"What kind?" Asked the candle holding man.
"Sebastian." Said the man with the moustache moving to his friends side in warning.
"What kind, of demon?" Sebastian asked.
"A demon wolf." The girl answered. British soldiers surrounded the cottage in the rain just as the candle left on the table blew out. They took aim just as a beast killed the captain, taking the soldiers attention from the small wooden house.
One by one they were all killed. Killed by the demon wolf.
The letter would eventually find its way to a young women. The fierce hunter who would eventually face the beast with nothing more than a steel tipped pike. She is known by history as the Maid of Gévaudan, her real name Marie-Jeanne.
~~Phoebe's POV~~
I came to out of the memory, Clarissa's memory, and saw Liam in front of me with concern and Scott sitting beside him. We were at my place, the loft, and I was digging through memories, trying to find out how the beast can be stopped.
"Okay, but that gives us nothing on how to stop it." Scott said standing up as he thought over what I just told them.
"Maybe we need to hear the story, find out how it came to be which leads us to how we stop it." Liam says grabbing my hands while I nod.
"And how to save Mason." I add. Looking at the two boys I meet Liam's gaze before nodding my head and closing my eyes.
~~Memory~~
There was a tavern where the towns people came to of a night. People were laughing and drinking as the bar man was putting up a sign, a bounty for the creature La Bête. The women, Marie-Jeanne fired a cross arrow, nailing the poster to the wall,the bar man giving her smile.
Marie had dark hair and eyes, her fare complexion made her stunning when she smiled. She pulled out the letter Sebastian was writing and began reading, her expression turning sad. "Don't give up hope." The bar man said to her as he poured her drink.
"Her name was Agnes, she was eleven years old, eleven!" The man cried behind her as he talked to the the towns magistrate. "Torn limb from limb. There wasn't enough left for a proper burial."
"I am well aware," the magistrate said as Marie cut an apple with a knife, listening. "I am also aware the every new report conflicts with the last. Some say it's part hyena, part wolf. That it has red fur, black fur, cloven hooves, spikes on its back." The bar man interrupted.
"We know it kills at night," he said. "If it targets kids then we know this for sure."
"It won't stop," the man making the complaint spoke up again. "When a wolf finds a lamb then it seeks another."
"It never eats its victims," bar man states. "It kills for sport."
"No animal kills for sport." The magistrate says.
"This is no animal." The farmer says just as the bar man walks away.
"Tell that to the King. I have word he may send a contingent of his own, professional hunters. Until then we can use volunteers for a hunting party. Especially someone to lead it." The magistrate says.
"Why ask for a volunteer," a voice says catching the Marie's attention. "We all know who the best hunter is in Gévaudan." Marie turns around to see a man with matching dark eyes and hair staring at her. "Marie-Jeanne, my sister."
"Sebastian," Marie says with a smile and tears in her eyes. She drops the apple and knife and runs at the man, throwing her arms around his neck in an embrace as Sebastian pulls her tighter in the hug. "Marcel you are home." She says and hugs the man with the Moustache before returning to her brother and pulling him further into the tavern before hugging him again.
"Good to have you back Marcel." The bar tender says handing Marcel a set of keys.
"Don't worry my friend, you shall have your job." The bar man laughs just as the magistrate talks to Marie.
"I'm not going to argue with your brother," he says catching the siblings attention. "What do you say?" He asks.
"Marie-Jeanne. Marie-Jeanne. Marie-Jeanne." The tavern cheers.
"Well," Sebastian says "will you head their call?"
"I hunt animals not rumours." She says causing the tavern to laugh. When the door opened to reveal a man carrying a boy, no more then ten, dead in his arms the taverns happiness died. The towns men cleared a table as the man payed the boy down on the table.
"Emil?" The bar man said. "Emil? My son? Emil?" He collapsed to his knees hugging his dead son as tears fell from his eyes and made his voice thick.
"I found him in the woods," the man said "he whispered his last words to me."
"What were they?" The magistrate asked.
"La Bête. The beast." The man answered.
"Magistrate, I do not know a creature did this but the hunting party leaves at dawn." Marie says with tears running down her face, but her expression and eyes determined. The next day the hunting party were in the tavern fixing weapons. Sebastian told Marie about the war and his encounter with the beast. "You believe it?" She says with a smile, "I never knew you were so superstitious."
"I don't need to believe in something I saw with my own eyes." He says back with his own smile.
"And I have been through every inch of these woods and hunted about every creature under the sun." She says.
"But not the moon." Marcel points out.
"Are you trying to frighten me?" She asks and he brother moves in front of her.
"Trying to warn you." He says as he picks up an arrow she made. "Going to need more than ordinary steel to stop the beast." The hunting party left the tavern but Marie stopped and waited for every hunter to exit. She saw marcel over by the cellar doors, locking it.
He caught her watching him and stood up giving her a wave as she fixed her cloak. She turned back to the hunters and walked behind them, throwing her hoodie over her head as she did.
Night had fallen and the torches were lit, guns were out and everyone was on high alert. They searched dawn till dusk, hoping to find it as it slept but they knew they would most likely encounter it at night fall. It was just after midnight when the first torch went out.
Marie ran towards the sounds of attack but when she got there there were no torches, no light, except for the moon. The screams were everywhere and cries for help. She fired two arrows before the third one hit the target, causing a roar of fury.
She ran firing blindly before getting scratched deeply on the thigh. She dropped her crossbow and covered the wound with her hand, the other holding her upright. Before pulling out a knife and turning to face the beast. She saw its electric blue eyes and huge mouth with sharp teeth.
It charged at her only to have a complete stranger come out of the bushes and grab her. "Get down." He said and spun around releasing a ash type dust into the air. The beast hit a barrier, creating a blue light where it touched. Marie stared at her saviour then at the spot the beast had been.
"That," she said breathless "that was no wolf."
"Of cause not you fool," he said turning back and helped her to her feet. "It was a werewolf."
~~Phoebe's POV~~
I almost fainted as I came out of the memory. "Woah woah, you okay?" Liam asked immediately at my said and I put a hand to my head.
"Yeah just a little weak that's all. It's hard work going through memories you know?" I said trying to keep the mood light as Scott brought over a glass of OJ and two slices of pizza.
"No actually, we don't." He says as I drain the glass and ate the meat lovers pizza. "You sure you can continue, we can take a break." I shook my head as I ate the last bit of pizza.
"No I'm okay, especially if you keep bringing me pizza and OJ." The two laughed as Liam took the glass and plate while I stood up and jumped up and down before sitting back on my bed. The boys sharing confused looks. "My butt was numb."
They nodded their heads while I roll my eyes. "Boys." I closed my eyes and went back into Clarissa's head.
~~Memory~~
Marie's saviour, Henri, took her back to his place where her cleaned her wound and bandaged it. "What is this?" She asked looking at a glass jar.
"Mountain ash." Henri answers as he finishes bandaging up her wound.
"And that?" She asks grabbing a wooden bowl.
"Mistletoe, please put that down." He says taking it off of her.
"Why do you have all of this?" She asks.
"To protect myself." Henri answers. "I have spent half a lifetime gathering the implements and skills needed to survive a werewolf. I can teach you if you want to know." He says, intriguing Marie.
"I do not care about surviving one, I want to know how to kill one." Marie knew she couldn't just take out another hunting party armed with mistletoe, she needed an advantage, to know her enemy.
"To honour the dead, I expect everyone to drink." Marie said, pouring everyone's glasses with wine, however it was lasted with a poison only that would effect the werewolf.
"To the dead." Sebastian said holding up his drink.
"To the dead." Everyone said and drank. Marie watched everyone carefully only to have a glass break, attract her attention. Marcel was holding his bleeding hand that had been cut by his glass that shattered.
"Come marcel, out to the well." Marie said as she pulled up the bucket and tended to his wound. "Do you have a cloth? Something to rub your hand?" She asked.
"Yes," he said pulling out his keys. "In the cellar." When she didn't take it straight away marcel looked at her in the eyes. "You will find what you are looking for in the cellar." Slowly she took the key and walked away, opening the cellar. She lit a lamp and walked down the stairs. When she found it she put a hand to her mouth in shock.
She aimed the crossbow bolt at Marcel's throat and looked at him with shock and sadness. "Go ahead, release the arrow. Do it Marie-Jeanne. Do it, let the arrow fly." He walked towards her and she walked backwards. As he reached out to her she sent the arrow flying into the sky.
"You are not the killer," she said as the memory of seeing all the dead bodies made her stomach turn. "You're covering for him." It all clicked then.
She confronted him the moment she walked back into the tavern. "You kill children?" She asked numb.
"I kill whatever there is that crosses my path." He answers darkly and with a smile.
"Why?"
"It's what I am." He answers. "What I become. We heard a little story of what happens when we drink rain water from a paw print of a wolf. You become the demon wolf." He explained how he killed the women who helped them. "Oh, go ahead tell them it's me," he says as Marie looks at the towns people. "Then watch me tear them apart in a matter of moments, every last soul in this place."
"You are a monster." She said.
"Beast Gévaudan. The beast." With that he slowly gets up and walks to stand next to his sister who coward away from him slightly. "You won't catch me and you won't kill me. We're family Marie." Sebastian says and rubs away a tear before stroking her head and kissing her forehead.
She went back to Henri for help and he shook his head when she put the gun on the table. "One bullet won't be enough. We need something that cuts deeper."
"A sword?" She suggests "a axe?"
"Something that uses the weight of the beast against itself." They thought about it as Henri picks up and arrow head. "I think I may have a possibility." Three years passed before Marie-Jeanne found Sebastian and cornered him in 1767. They fought in the snow before Marie stabbed him with the spear her and Henri made.
"You think this minor injury will stop me?" Sebastian asked. "I am the famous and feared beast of Gévaudan and when I'm done killing everyone we know, such horrors. History will remember my name."
"No one will remember," Marie said.
"DAMNATIO MEMORIAE? You will have them take my name? Our name!?" He screams as he slowly died on the spear as black liquid poured from his mouth. "What is this?"
"Not ordinary steel. Wolfsbane and Mountain ash, forged with our blood under the light of a full moon. History might remember you Sebastian, but only as a beast." He died then and there, on that spear. Marie took the spear and back to the town where they burned everything Sebastian ever owned or signed, erasing him from the world. Marie married Henri and took his last name of argent, Marie-Jeanne was the first hunter.
~~Phoebe's POV~~
I came out of the memory to see everyone's stunned faces. Nobody said anything for a long time. "So how are you connected to the beast?" Liam asks and I turn to him.
"She spent three years looking for him. Three years that no one has recorded of his life. He met some women who took him in and, you know." Scott nods his head.
"I think we get the picture." He says before getting to his feet. "We now know how to stop the beast." Scott says.
"We just need to know how to save Mason," I cut in. "Once the beast remembers itself, the teenager inside, our friend, Mason, he gets forgotten."