MADELINE
She'd known the possibility of werewolves being present, but she'd hoped she'd have been wrong. Despite herself being a wolf she took a step back. Madeline was surprised to find Xavier directly behind her.
She felt his chest rumbling as the wolf came closer.
She reached out towards the wolf, where she'd felt nothing but comfort from the presence of other wolfs previously, this wolf didn't have the innate feeling of home, rather, it felt like isolation, and insanity.
She felt Martina pushing for control, in response to the threat, but managed to hold her back.
'Madeline,' the she-wolf hissed, 'he is not alone,' she fought the urge to spin on the spot, knowing it would disorient Xavier. Instead, she drew on her senses, pushing out into the forest, there was more than one, or two, there was practically an army hiding in the trees. She knew the moment Xavier sense the same thing she did, as his entire body stiffened.
'Rouges, in the Southern forestry quarter', she flinched at his tone and volume, before realising, he hadn't said anything aloud, he was speaking to his pack. So why did she hear it too?
As he lightly placed his hand on her waist, pushing her behind him. She felt his thoughts wash over her, "...how did she..." pulling her into his head, before pushing her back out, "please don't be afraid of me..." he finished his thoughts, before the voice fainted as he removed his hand.
Madeline stepped to the side, looking around his body. She gauged their odds and wasn't liking any perceivable outcomes. In front of them were two wolves, prowling their way from the forest, and behind them, another wolf stood, ready to fend off any attempts of escape.
She knew very little about shifter-weres, despite what she herself had discovered, but she still did not like their odds.
"Don't forget, they won't know that we're not human," Martina softly said into Madeline's head, sending a feeling of reassurance. She found herself calming slightly, Martina was right. Although they didn't have any fighting experience they'd at least provide a small amount of confusion and distraction, perhaps, enough to make a difference.
"Sorry Madeline," Xavier said, giving her a look, she couldn't decipher, before pushing her to the ground. She managed to catch herself blinking a few times to catch up with her own thoughts. She'd landed face-down, wincing slightly she looked up slightly, where the body of a wolf covered her. It wasn't hard to deduce where this wolf had come from, considering Xavier had disappeared. She'd allowed herself to be distracted by her surroundings, enough, that she hadn't noticed a fourth wolf emerge behind them. But, Xavier had.
All four wolves began moving towards them, and Madeline had to resist the urge to move. She trusted Xavier knew what he was doing. She felt the uncertainty coming off him in waves and cringed at the responding growl from the surrounding wolves. She could tell Xavier didn't know which direction to face, being surrounded was the least ideal scenario, especially when you had another person to keep safe.
One of the wolves lunged towards Xavier nipping at his hind legs, causing Madeline to jerk her leg away from where he landed. As another two wolves slammed into Xavier from the side, pushing him off her, and leaving her unprotected. She sat up, quickly assessing her surroundings, only to realise there was nowhere to go. Due to the forest's decay she couldn't climb the trees, or hide in the bushes, she was surrounded and stuck.
She met Xavier's eyes briefly, as her stood, separated from her by three, of the four wolves. She winced as she looked at him, a mess of blood and torn fur. Xavier growled at the wolves ahead of him, before lunging, trying his best to get back to her.
He ripped into the closet wolf, teeth gaining leverage on his neck, before he shook his head side to side roughly. It only took a moment for the wolf to fall still, and Xavier turned, eying up the other two wolves near him. She could tell he was tiring, as he stumbled slightly in his movements. A large gash on his leg dripping blood onto the forest floor.
The wolves went for him, nipping and circling, antagonising him. Relentlessly, they came in intervals, leaving small injuries, which caused further blood loss.
She watched, as he turned and looked at her intently. She wanted to yell at him at that point, who in their right mind looks away from those attacking him? She shook her head violently, flicking her eyes to his right where the smaller of the two wolves lunged toward him. Taking her silent cue, he turned, dropping his form down, reaching a paw up and digging his claws down the stomach of the wolf. He pulled his paw from the wound before standing and growling at the last wolf near him. Blood, dripping from his muzzle and covering his entire boy, both his, and the other wolves.
Despite the blood, and the carnage she saw, she was not afraid of him, which surprised her. Rather, she found she was afraid for him, as he swayed slightly on the spot. He'd lost a lot of blood. She tensed slightly as a slight breeze tickled her neck, it was warm, and wet and she cringed as a blob of slobber landed on her shoulder. It seemed the other wolf had figured out what she'd be good for, other than food.
Leverage.
As the wolf stood there, breathing, Madeline closed her eyes tightly, trying to stay silent. She couldn't afford to distract Xavier in his state, he was already at a disadvantage. She slowly stepped forward, turning to face the wolf, she could hear Xavier and the other wolf fighting behind her, growls and yelps permeating the silence.
"Martina," she inflected internally, before realising whispering wasn't necessary, "I'm going to run, I think the wolf will follow us, but I need you ready because there is no way that human me, is faster than a wolf" ... She trailed off, she knew Martina understood. She didn't say anything, but Madeline could feel her there, strong and unwavering. Her support eclipsing any worry Madeline was plagued with.
With a quick glance toward Xavier, which she hoped he'd read as an apology and encouragement. Madeline spun on her heel and started to run. She wasn't sure what direction she was going in but hoped it would lead her to someone who was able to help.
Making the most of her small head start, Maddie quickly gave control over to Martina, shifting midstride, and landing on all fours, before continuing in her wolf form. Martina picked up speed, as Madeline silently conveyed her encouragement.
She knew immediately she'd made the wrong decision, they, were ridiculously unfit. Puffing within moments of taking off in their sprint, they couldn't afford to slow down, so they both persevered. If they made it through, they were going to be sore in the morning. She sent her silent encouragement to Martina, not being able to offer her much else.
She winced and curled in a ball as they were shunted to the side, the force enough to push them through the nearest tree, scraping along the ground to a stop. She'd been hoping for a decaying tree, one that would break rather than breaking her, but she'd forgotten that would mean she'd be landing on something else.
"He needs to chill," Martina asked, as Madeline found herself laughing.
"Martina," she began, "First the problem, then the sarcasm."
Pushing themselves up, they swayed for a moment before being pushed to the ground again.
"Madeline now would be a good time to remember you're a Fae," Martina trailed off, as Madeline regarded herself with incredulity. How had she managed to forget that?
She'd quickly mastered most spells, but when it came to offensive magic, she'd never quite learnt it. She never thought she'd have a need...
"Best I can do is an endurance and strength spell Martina... I mastered that one as soon as gym class became compulsory!"
Madeline began focusing on her inner power. Her parents had always told her, focus on yourself, your soul, your inner flame, and draw from that. She pulled for the power and felt it flowing into her before she slowly willed it into the spell she wanted.
"Hypomeneo," She muttered slowly, hoping to anyone that was listening that she'd gotten the word right.
It must've had some effect because she felt a wave of renewed strength rush through her. As the wolf lunged at them Martina started dodging and lunging toward him as she'd seen Xavier doing. Madeline pushed herself further into her subconscious, allowing Martina to have full control.
She wasn't afraid of death, nor was she afraid of killing to live. But the way Martina and the other wolf lunged and bit each other was bloody and painful, and she was afraid of the pain.
She was shunted from her reprieve by a searing pain through her hind legs. The wolf had gotten a large chunk of flesh from her skin, blood dripping from its mouth. She spun slightly, making sure she faced the wolf. Before lunging towards it, she dropped her front half down, twisting her body and clamping her teeth around the neck she was now able to reach. She felt her teeth break through the skin, and crunch down on bones.
Madeline found herself gagging at the taste of his blood. The acidic fluid trickling down her throat, as Martina once again pushed forward, shaking her head violently to make sure she fully ripped the part of the wolves which she was latched onto.
She saw the wolf begin to collapse and quickly moved from under him. She may have outsmarted the thing, but she wouldn't be able to get out from under its weight, not with the way her leg was feeling.
Martina pulled back into Madeline's mind, and although the wolf hadn't said it, she could feel that the kill had both excited and terrified the poor wolf. She loved the rush, and the fight, but the side of her that linked her to Madeline left her mourning and feeling slightly guilty of the life she'd taken.
Madeline slowly shifted into her human form, finding a stick on the ground to help her walk. She couldn't stay here, she may never be found, or she may bleed out before she was. As they made their way into the forest, she was worried. She had no idea where she was, or what direction to go in.
She'd walked for what felt like hours before she came to a slight clearing in the woods. As she'd neared the area, she'd sensed others near her, and hoped that it wouldn't be anyone who was friends with the wolf she'd just killed. The same wolf whose blood was spattered down her front, and around her mouth.
She walked forward carefully and painfully. She glanced quickly around the clearing and was slightly surprised by the large green tree surrounded by stones that sat in the middle. Untouched by whatever issue was plaguing the forest.
Madeline wondered if this was where Xavier was planning on taking her. The tree was tall and lush, with an underbrush surrounding it, reaching to the stones, and crawling up the side. Before Madeline was a surprisingly mix of colours, greens, browns, all swirling into one as she felt her vision slightly waver. She gazed at the circle, and the brightly coloured flowers growing within it.
Madeline could tell they weren't wildflowers, and she wasn't sure whether that was indicative of something, or if she was just overanalysing her surroundings, she was suffering intense blood-loss, so she wouldn't be surprised.
She looked around again and got a fright when she found an elderly couple standing on the other side of the circle, staring straight at her.
"It can't be," she heard them whisper as the women began walking towards her.
Madeline wasn't sure how she was feeling, as she tried to take a small step back and instead found herself stumbling forward. She fell forward a few steps before collapsing on the ground, staring at the couple apprehensively.
"You're not here to redeem your fallen friend, are you?" she managed to ask, as the world around her began to spin at a greater force, people turning into forest and forest turning into a mush of colour.
"No," the women began to whisper, "My names Elenor Neaera, and that's my husband Robert, and..." she trailed off slightly, and Madeline saw the tears at the corners of her eyes. She knew that name, it was filled with memories of the past that she couldn't directly pinpoint.
"We're faerie," the man began, "and by the look of your mental pattern you're faerie too, at least, partially?" he trailed off as well, a look of realisation on his face,
"She told us you'd come," the women, Elenor began again,
"Our daugh..." they cut themselves off before continuing, "Our friend, told us that you'd be back. She said we'd be the ones to call the person to help the wolves, but we didn't know it'd be you. We didn't even know if you were still alive, but you look so much alike, we're idiots to have not known sooner."
Madeline heard voices coming from the woods, both the Neaera's looking up as she felt Xavier coming from behind her. Everything around her was still spinning, but Xavier, as he appeared in front of her was the only thing that she could see clearly.
She cringed slightly as voices appeared in her head, voices of children.
Born from the soul-bond between Veritas and Neaera,
Descendant of the Wolf and Fae,
Power is given to the only child,
Reborn is the Monarchy so peace may reign
She shook the voices from her head and watched Xavier as he quickly grabbed a shirt from the person beside him and placed it over her head, helping her pull her arms through, nodding at the men who accompanied him.
"Xavier," she asked quietly, wincing as everyone went silent at the sound of her voice, "I don't suppose you'd be able to tell me why my wolf is infatuated with you?" she prompted, blushing slightly at her inability to ask the question more delicately,
Xavier seemed taken aback by her honesty, as he stammered his way towards an explanation. All she'd heard was "I, uh, you..." before she lost consciousness.