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A Ravens Heart and a Witch's Soul....(Anaeria and runawayninja only please! )

The creature that came out of the sky was relentless, landing on her back and beating at her head and neck and shoulders with vicious teeth and claws, she could feel the bloody cuts oozing blood, and she shrieked in pain and far as she felt something within her mind tear...

And then she was Wolf. Wolf was stronger than Isanya, faster, colder more brutal. And her packmate was in trouble. She had no trouble with her magics, and sent some to her two legged pack mate immediately as the poor, furless creature began to waver, her link to her strong now that they had joined magics earlier. Wolf was grateful for the raven, and for the man and the horse, and the ropes which held her snout shut so her human Self couldn't kill because of fear and agony that was entirely within her mind. Eyes the colour of gold nuggets mixed with copper watched the humans on the horse and her pace evened out quickly, running with them as they escaped from that horror that had been her territory for so long. And through it all, through the elation and the triumph, came that sense of Summoning, that feeling in her blood which the Wolf hated. It took but a single, startling moment as they got farther and farther away from the Castle and it's occupants, and then that blood fell silent, a shield of thought and determination from Wolf sliding into place easily within her body as she ran, her body and mind nearly separate yet working together to keep Rose strong, her Blood from Summoning her and her body keeping up with the horse for the hours it took to escape the forest.
 
As the forest broke to clear plains, and that bizarre, dismal dark purple sky broke to clear night, the illusionary magics gave, collapsing back into reality. Rafe slowed his speeding mount, but wasn't about to let the wolf behind him pounce on them. "Is it clear Ariana?! Can we stop?! White Rose has passed out and Alexandria can't keep this pace anymore!" He was trying to be cautious, but he didn't want Ariana to harm White Rose when the two clearly cared so much for each other. Deus had stopped harrying Ariana since they left the forest.
 
A quiet huff from Wolf had the horse slowing, her magics healing her human pack female slowly as she too slowed with the horse, panting hard around the muzzle. Once the animals came to a complete stop, Wolf collapsed on her side, her paws scrabbling at her muzzle weakly and not able to remove it to be able to pant as she needed in order to cool off. Her body was hot to the touch and she whined, tail thumping the earth in what Wolf hoped was a friendly manner as she continued to struggle with the muzzle, her magics focused all on Rose and helping her to regain consciousness.

Ariana, the human part of the Lycanthrope, was hidden away at the moment, healing from the sights that the magic had put her through which had scared her so badly, so Wolf was in charge, but she wasn't stupid, and wasn't just a beast. She was intelligent, and had no intention of biting anyone...she just...needed that....muzzle off! Shaking her head roughly from side to side, she pawed at the soft rope again and whined as the horse blew hot air at her side, calming slowly and Rose began to come around.
 
"Hang on, hang on..." Rafe dismounted the horse and walked over to Ariana, untying the rope instead of cutting it since they might have a use for it later. He looked down at the wolf woman, stroking her fur softly. "Are you alright Ariana? Are you ok...?" His mount was exhaling intensely, catching her breath after so long a sprint, and Rose was only starting to come to, very confused and weakened as she started to straighten upright in her seat. Rafe was genuinely concerned for Ariana, especially when she appeared to go so wild. He didn't want to have to put her down as a lycanthrope.
 
Wolf shook herself out as soon as he undid the rope on her muzzle, his hand in her fur feeling oddly...right. As though the more beastial female recognized him somehow as a potential mate. Sniffing his hand and arm lightly, his armour and face, after a moment she shifted fluidly to a more human form, looking entirely like herself...except for her eyes, which remained that strange golden copper colouring as she looked at him curiously, licked her lips, then pressed them lightly to his in what she recalled was a human form of thanking another. Then, she shuddered, feeling Ariana coming back awake slowly, closed her eyes and then passed out entirely, going limp and sliding to the ground as Rose finished coming to, and Wolf's power ran out, forcing her to sleep within Ariana's mind and forcing the wounded woman to come back and do as her body wished, which was to faint dead away.

Her only real response in all of that was shortly before Wolf and Ariana 'passed' each other in her mind, and the telepathic images of both Rose and Rafe floated visibly, along with the quiet, certain growl of an inner Wolf's ~"Mine. My Mates. My Pack."~ Was obvious as the woman collapsed. She'd sleep for an hour or so as her mind and magics healed slowly, but until then it would allow Rose and Rafe to get to know one another. Rose had a migraine starting in her head as she woke up slowly, the telepathic response from Ariana/Wolf feeling rather like a soothing balm to her pain as she straightened upright in her seat slowly, her hands going to her dress instinctively to make sure nothing indecent showed.

She had long ago gotten used to seeing Ariana naked, but have a strange man, even one as noble as Rafe, a knight of the order of the raven, see her friend and secret crush nude was too much, and she finally scrambled down from the saddle and hurried over, lurching a little as the ground under her seemed to shift. That last telepathic certainty from Ariana had her cheeks turning red again, and she knew she was blushing horribly, but the idea of her crush wanting them both? That was....that was....kind of hot actually, though her ladylike mind refused to admit it yet.

((I took her over so they can talk, sound okay?? ))
 
Rafe had a lot to take in. He briefly looked at White Rose and for a moment, he was just quietly staring at her. He spoke softly to her, trying not to make the situation any worse, or her apparent embarrassment. "Are you alright, Lady White rose? Do you think you can ride? The further away we get, the better. I'm going to lay her in the saddle, you can ride with her. I'll walk. Alexadria needs to go a slower pace, and she's going to have to rest when..." Rafe's heart stopped as he turned around to see a tall, hulking figure petting his exhausted horse. Rafe looked at White Rose. "Friend of yours?"

It was Rastaban.

((That's fine ^^ Hehe, but that's not what you said...you said you wanted me to keep control, but I don't mind this at all! I like it...I just think you're saying one thing and doing another :p ))
 
((Gah, sorry! I didn't think you'd want to control her and him with my one decidedly mine character being out cold! Sorry X_x ))

White Rose went pale as she saw who it was that Rafe meant, her blush fading faster than a shooting star leaving the night sky. "Oh no..." It was Rastaban, the eldest son of Orlouge and the one man she was terrified of more than the Rose Lord himself. "Rastaban...Orlouge's eldest son......W-What are you doing here?" Searching for her magic, she slid a shield up into place around her thoughts carefully, wincing slightly at the strain it put on her mind already. She was too weak to fight him magically right now, she was too drained from protecting their presences from Orlouge's sight until that last moment when she'd lost consciousness. "I-I'm not going back." Sidling over closer to Ariana's unconscious form, she crouched down by the wolf womans' head and shook her own vehemently in the negative "I won't go back, and neither will Ariana. We hate it there Ras, it's too crowded and.....and we need freedom!" Her voice cracked as she said it, but she was inordinately proud that she had even managed to speak up when he hadn't said a word at all to them yet.
 
Rastaban chuckled darkly, grinning in a way that only a man as terrifying as him can. The huge, hulking, fire-haired beast unsheathed Rafe's zweihander from the horse, examining. "Two of my father's brides just...run off into the night and you think he'll allow that? Do you know what a bad example that sets for the others? Just be glad I found you and not the Lion Princess. I'm willing to take you both back whole. She'd only take you back in pieces." He grinned and tossed the sword easily, like a toothpick, so that it stuck into the ground right in front of Rafe, who was glowering at the big man. "Tell you want, Lady White Rose...return with me, and I won't break your little toy over here." He motioned over to Rafe who was pulled his sword out and already taking an aggressive stance. "You want to fight?!" Rastaban roared out with laughter and pounded his fists together. "Live prey, I haven't had such in a forever. Come little man! Come and let me show you why they called me the Fist of Doom!"

Rafe roared out, taking whatever blessings White Rose might provide and he begin his fluid, almost dance like forms with the weapon, combining wide sweeps with fluid lunges and thrusts of the two-handed blade. But Rastaban, despite his size, was far too fast, and each swing and strike met only air. After obviously toying with him, Rastaban dodged a long lunge and brought his might elbow down on Rafe's back, a loud and audible crack from the impact as he forced Rafe down to a knee, causing him to cry out in pain. Rafe tried to swing his blade up to catch Rastaban's head, but a meaty fist to the face bore him to the ground. Rafe was visibly battered by the strikes, but only now, as Rafe managed to support himself up with the sword, did Rastaban call on his Mystic bloodline. White Rose saw runes circle his knee as he bounded forward by a step and slammed the knee into Rafe's stomach with magically aided force, sending Rafe flying along the ground before roughly skidding to a stop, coughing up blood upon himself. The fight was hopeless. Rastaban casually walked towards Rafe, intend on breaking the man as a sadistic grin crossed his lips and pearly teeth.
 
White Rose shuddered, her eyes wide and frightened as she watched Rastaban beating on Rafe. She hated seeing the eldest son hurting a man who had helped her so willingly, and she cursed herself for being so weak, yet knew she couldn't so much as light a candle yet without passing out, so anything she could do wouldn't even be a minor distraction. Seeing the blood, she moaned and covered her eyes with her hands, peeking through them while praying that Rafe survives this beating.
 
Rastaban stepped towards Rafe who was struggling to stand and grabbed his chest armor. Charging Mystic magic through his own skull, he gave Rafe a might and brutal headbutt, pushing Rafe's head down against the ground. Rafe was terribly still now as Rastaban rose and wiped the blood from his head, Rafe's blood, and licked it off his hand as he turned towards White Rose. "And that's all for the little man." He grinned and started towards her. "You, I'm afraid, will be joining him. I can tell father that you gave me too much resistance..." He chuckled darkly, a mad gleam in his eyes. "I usually like women with a lot more fight and spunk, but...I must admit to a certain satisfaction to making you little squeaky ones pop in my hands. It's like squeezing a little baby bird...and few things can make you feel as powerful." He smirked as he approached her, flexing his fist so that his bones popped.

But behind him, Rafe slowly rose from the ground, stripping the armor off of him as his head still bled, but a fierce and dark light shone in his eyes. "Leave her alone! You think you're a monster?! You want to see a monster?!" Rafe stepped forward, extra bulk being added to his mass with every press forward. His skin swirled with an inky black color, parts of it growing longer and being flexed with large muscles as his feet swelled out. He kicked his shoes off as his toes melded together and his feet turned into large, harded bird's feet with huge talons. A mass of black feathers erupted from his flesh and two great masses peeled off from his back, sprouting into great wings. His arms grew large, and became taloned like his feet, but kept their human shape, although they were feathered like the rest of his mass. "I'll show you a monster! I'll show you the power of the RAVENFAUST BLOODLINE!!!" He roared this out as his head twisted and turned avian with two large, vicious black eyes, and a long, thick beak that looked more that sharp enough to be lethal. With a terrifying cry, he spread his great black wings, standing a good eight feet tall with with a wingspan that was easily at last twelve, maybe fourteen feet long. He looked like a vision of death. Rastaban stared, stunned at the display before him.

The raven monster took flight, zooming towards Rastaban. Rastaban shot several long chains of sharpened runes at him, but Rafe was able to easily dodge them in this form, zooming like a dark arrow in flight. Rastaban quickly formed a pair of rune-chain whips in his hands, lashing them at the raven beast just as he crashed into Rastaban, his talons digging through his armor and into his flesh, lifting him from the ground. Rastaban whipped with the bird fiend, but if Rafe felt any pain, it simply didn't register, even as masses of feathers flew from his flesh. Rastaban shrieked in agony as the massive beak easily plucked out his eyes as ravens tend to do, and he went into a frenzy for his very life. But nothing could save him now, and Rafe let him go, sending him half-flying, half-falling, in an arc, until Rastaban's body slammed down through a broken tree branch, impaling him through the chest. The eyeless form of Rastaban slowly groped about, feeling the length of tree that was protruding through his body, and it looked as if he tried to summon up the strength to free himself before he went limp and motionless.

The raven beast landed a few feet from White Rose, staring at her as if trying to figure out what to do with her. But a battle of wills clearly raged inside, and slowly, painfully, Rafe won out, taking his mortal form once again, his wounds now barely scars.
 
Rose's hands had slid down to her mouth as she witnessed her prayers answered...in the form of a fiend so horrible and yet, so magnificent, that she was speechless through the entire battle. She hadn't been able to even squeak out a response to Rastaban at his horrible words to her, and she had had to tug and pull at Ariana's limp form, getting her closer to the horse as the battle took place, this time with the Rafe-Raven winning hands down. Now, she was closer to the horse, with Ariana's limp body in her lap, as she watched the raven beast turn to her as the body of one of her worst enemies fell limp and sightless, his heart torn out.

Watching the raven man closely as the internal battle won out with Rafe as the victor, the woman took in a slow, shaky breath and then exhaled just as slowly....then smiled. "So that is your magics! Oh, that was magnificent...are you alright Sir Rafe?" She had seen how painful his change back had been, and she hated to see others in pain, what magic she had swirling visibly to her fingertips as she set Ariana down and got to her feet slowly, surprised that her legs weren't shaking as the adrenaline left her body. Moving towards Rafe slowly, she lifted her hand carefully, seeing the scars that now littered his body where he'd been gashed and beaten before. Her eyes were worried as she looked him over seriously, wanting to help if he was in pain, and was well aware that his more frightening self had been considering doing the same thing to her as it had done to Rastaban, but still felt no real fear in that regard, after all, it seemed that Rafe had won out, as he was the one standing before her now.
 
"Don't worry about the scars, they'll heal. And yes, I'm fine...I just...need to reassert myself. I live with the beast inside me, the rage of it. I imagine Ariana feels much the same. It's just...difficult to get control back. But lycanthropes heal fast and can take a great amount of punishment." He slowly walked towards them, certain that he was back in control of his self now. "Let's get her onto the horse...and you can ride with her." Rafe was obviously to his nudity, as his transformation had shredded his clothes off. He knelt down and slowly lifted Ariana's form up, helping her up onto the saddle, and then he helped White Rose up on as well. "You can kept her from falling from the saddle." He looked at her for a long moment before he went into the saddle pack and got a fresh change of clothes. Then he picked up his boots and his armor, putting it back on before he took the reigns and led his horse along. "As long as we go east, we'll get to Ravenholm eventually."

He paused in his thoughts for a moment, but did not stop moving, before he decided to speak. "So...you and Ariana are lovers?"
 
Rose blushed bright red as she finally noticed his nudity. She'd seen his clothes tear off for pity's sake and she hadn't even noticed until he'd started moving as a human again that he was nude?! Good grief, she was brilliant red, she knew she must look like a tomato as she helped him as best she could with Ariana, then accepted his help up into the saddle though, if anything, touching him at the moment sent a shiver of....something, through her. Awareness perhaps, that he was most definitely male. As Rafe began to get some clothing, White Rose fanned herself a little, then adjusted Ariana as best she could so the red haired woman was sitting upright in the saddle but laying limp against her own chest and shoulder.

She had nearly managed to get her blush under control too, and Rose was glad to just....hold Ariana like she was, if a little awkwardly given her skirts, when Rafe's question turned her face right back to it's originaly redness. "N-no no, we're n-not lovers....Uhm...Ariana isn't..the easiest to get along with...and w-we've just become friends only recently..."She stuttered, and hated it, she used to stutter before she came to Orlouge's place, something no lady should do, but it seemed her bad habit was back, and Rose turned her head to not look at anything....and found herself looking at Ariana, her expression flickering to longing and then back to embarrassment again. "A-Are you....interested in her...?" The question in return for his, after a few minutes of almost painful silence, was quiet, and she glanced at him for a moment before she looked away, the telepathic images and voice from Wolf and Ariana before the womans' collapse coming back to the rider with her, in her own heart, precious burden.
 
Rafe's head tilted upwards as he walked, leading his horse. He wasn't sure how best to answer that. He didn't want to hurt any feelings that White Rose might have had for Ariana. He certainly didn't want to ruin anything between the two, they were both so kindly to him so far. "I think that matters little. Ariana is willful and she will be with who she wants." He gave a soft laugh. "I think she'd be with someone, regardless of whether or not they're interested in her!" When the humor had subsided, he gave a soft sigh. "I...have noticed her, certainly. I just...wouldn't want to be the one to stand in the way of the both of you. I have only known her for a pair of days, if even that. You two have been friends long before you knew of me."
 
Rose listened to him with surprise obvious in her eyes, and she didn't respond for the longest time to, and when she did she had to admit that he was right. She had a crush on her, on Ariana, and had for a long time now, but it was only recently that the wolf woman had become even friendly with her, and her hopes were always up and down when it came to the beautiful redhead in her lap. "You are right....she will choose who she wishes....you or I, or another entirely different person...I could...I could handle it if she chose you I suppose...." Here, she knew, she had to sound ugly, though her words were quiet and thoughtful. "It is true we have known each other for a long while...but she is willful, as you said, and it has been only recently that she has become sociable with me....so it truly is not as though we are any closer to each other than you are with her....it took her less than, what did you say...a pair of days? To show you her human form, it took her two years before she showed me willingly."
 
Rafe took a moment to look back at the young woman that was riding with Ariana. Could handle it if she chose him? What exactly did that mean? Rafe put a lot of thought into the sentiment before he chose to speak again. "Well, Lady White Rose...are you interested in me? Is that why you wouldn't mind if she ended up with me?" It was a joke mostly. Rafe was wearing a smile. He was just being teasing and playful with her, but White Rose probably didn't know that and she certainly couldn't see his smile. It was a bold question, but he had meant it humorously. Not that she would know that, and she might be too proper to even detect such a thing. "I mean, you did see me disrobed...if you didn't like what you saw, I will not be offended. I understand if...Ariana is more of your type." Further teasing.
 
Rose was glad that he wasn't looking at her as he posed his question, since it felt like her head would explode she was blushing so much. His question was entirely answerable however, and she barely stuttered at all as she responded after a long moment of silence in order to form her words properly "You are...v-very handsome...and I will not say that you are not. I do find you attractive, so yes, I would say I am also interested in you, though I know nothing beyond that you are a Knight, and a man of honor." She didn't recognize his teasing tone at all, no one teased her, or had teased her, in decades and she was still rather innocent in the manner of men and women and their interactions.
 
Rafe wasn't expecting that. He was quiet for a long while, looking around to see if he recognized anything yet. "We'll most likely have to camp out somewhere out here for the night. Alexandria is going to need to rest soon." He looked down and then back to White Rose for a moment, but he said nothing. He remained silent as he walked for another hour before he found an arbitrary spot to rest in the middle of the plain. "I don't like to camp out in the open, but I don't see any trees around for miles." He walked back to help White rose and Ariana down. "Is she doing any better?" He rubbed Alexandria's back and gave her three apples to feed on, the last of his food. Then he set about unfurling two packs to sleep upon, one was his and another was a spare. Then he placed some loose rocks and some dry grasses to start a fire and used some flint and steel to ignite it, creating a small fire that he fed with more grasses and the occasional stick.

Looking at the packs he spoke softly. "I'll be alright laying on the open ground, I can use some of my things to make a head rest..."
 
Rose helped get Ariana down and laid her out on one of the sleeping bags, the movement bringing Ariana around slowly with a quiet shiver and a moan. "I think she's coming around now, thank the gods...She's done this once that I know of, her eyes went all strange and she collapsed after a while, she was asleep for nearly a day, but this time it looks like she's only been out for a few hours." Patting Ariana's cheek lightly to help the wolf woman focus as she woke up slowly, White Rose helped her to sit up after a moment and then looked at the two packs that were for sleeping, then looked at Rafe and raised her eyebrows. She knew all about honor and decency and whatnot of course, but the nights out here could grow bitterly cold, and the last she wished for was for their knight to grow sick.

"You can sleep with us. With our clothing on and Ariana's body heat the night will not be cold, even if the fire goes out, it does grow horribly cold out here." Her tone was calm enough as she rubbed the sleepy wolf woman's bare back while Ariana yawned and rubbed at her eyes with one hand to wake up, her hearing acute though her mind was still too groggy really to compute what they were saying. All she knew was that she was feeling a cool breeze, unscent with anything but grass and horse and human and wind, for the first time in years....and the triumphant feeling of freedom that was growing within her was nearly enough to wake her up fully, though it felt amazing to have someones' hand rubbing her bare skin lightly, and she almost purred at the feeling. "Mmnph...where are we...?"
 
Rafe looked at them and he nodded softly to White Rose. "If you so desire..." He looked at Ariana and smiled softly, seeing her awake. "We're several miles from the Rose Lord's land. We're in the Plain of Wind. And...the sleeping arrangements are going to be a bit cramped I think." He looked down and around to make sure nothing was in sight of them and he slowly opened one of the sleeping packs and he removed his boots and his armor, setting them nearby. "I hope we'll be alright..." He looked at the women and slipped into one of the packs.
 
Ariana nodded at his explanation, then looked at Rose, who was shivering slightly. She was more or less awake now, though she felt like she could sleep for a week or more still, and she was quick to get off of the pack and slide the two of them together, then urged a furiously blushing Rose into the empty one. Her own body heat was higher than a normal humans' was, and she was fine with the feeling of the cold wind on her flesh, though within moments she was wolf once more and lay down between the two of them, head on her paws. ~"Good to know, have we had any followers after us? I can keep guard tonight if there has been."~

Her eyes were calm, still emerald with no hint of that strange golden/copper from before, and she looked between the two two legged people carefully, her body heat acting as a better furnace than the fire could, cold as the wind was becoming as the sun set.
 
Rafe's eyes opened once more. In his exhaustion and with the events of the day, he had forgotten about that. He had spent so many nights sleeping alone, that watch was something he had forgotten about. He slowly slid out of the pack. "I'll take the first watch, you can take the second one Ariana. You two rest...Rastaban did catch up to us, but...I think I killed him." Rafe got out, barefoot, and slowly walked over to Alexandria and took out some basic horse grooming supplies and he started by clipping the mud and grit off of her hooves. He'd looked around for a long moment in each direction to make sure no one was coming.

White Rose was snuggled in the pack, but her little heart was beating two-fold, and her whole body was flush from being so close to Ariana. Her arms and legs were clinging to herself and a strange mix of enjoyment and embarrassment was flooding through her. She could hardly believe everything that had happened to her and she was exhausted from everything, ready to just about pass out, but at the same time, wide awake.
 
Ariana looked as Rafe walked to his horse and began to groom her, his work sure and careful, well done as he seemed to have alot of practice with his little mare in caring for her, and the wolf woman respected him even more until Rose's scent caught her nose, and she looked down at the slight woman in the pack at her side. Nuzzling her cheek gently, she smiled with her eyes and then lay her head down lightly on the womans' hip, offering her her warmth until Rafe needed to sleep. ~"Are you alright Rose? You seem like you should be unconscious by now but you look wide awake..."~

Once she was finished hearing her human female pack members' response, she looked to Rafe for a moment and spoke, just to him. ~"You will tell me when you grow too weary Rafe and I will take watch so you can sleep. Apparently I passed out for what was a pretty explosive show, if you truly did manage to kill that filthy first son."~
 
White Rose nodded curtly. "Just...taking in everything that happened today. I've done a lot more than I have in years, it's...just a lot to take in." She wasn't yet ready to tell her that being close, no matter what form, was sending butterflies into her stomach. White Rose reached over and softly caressed Ariana's head, stroking down her neck, the rhythmic motions and the soft fur helping White Rose to relax and drift away to sleep as her exhaustion overtook her.

"I said I thought I killed him. I had him impaled through a tree branch, but I've seen some fiends in Ravenholm survive even that. I don't know if he's dead and I didn't really want to find out." Rafe smiled inwardly, nodding slightly as he continued to groom Alexandria. She was the one who was going to make sure they arrived, so she deserved the best care. "Don't worry, I plan to sleep sometime tonight." White Rose was now fast asleep.
 
~"Good night shudrea.."~ The endearing term for friend/lover was quiet as Ariana nuzzled her friend as she drifted off to sleep finally, then lifted her head to look at Rafe as he responded to her seriously.

Since she was keeping Rose warm, Ariana couldn't very well come over and help him with Alexandria, who seemed to adore her owner if her contentedly slight lean into his brushing was any indication, and the hint of a smile within her telepathic 'voice' was obvious if one listened well enough as she said ~" Good, you look like you've been run over with a stampede or something, what did you DO to take Rastaban out anyways, if his heart was pierced it'll be at least a month before he's able to go anywhere...he wouldn't care if his arms or legs, eyes or ears or anything were ripped off, but having his heart, or the place where his heart should be, torn into or impaled just seems to piss him off....I did that to him once with my teeth and claws but...."~ Shaking her head slightly, she huffed at that rather bloody memory. ~"As you saw, he looked alive and well. If all you did was impale him, he'll be after us within the month....and then there's Marone, the second son...he's a master with magics and music, much more subtle with them than Rastaban."~
 
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