Vengeful Howls (Morrighan & Twinkle)

[Morrighan O'Byrne]

Alice Radcliff waited patiently at the entrance to the royal family's summer castle outside the outskirts of London. The breeze came to ruffle the curled strands of golden hair that had fallen from the elegant compilation her maid had arranged upon her head and that now brushed against the back of the young woman's pale neck. Her green eyes occasionally strayed to the edge of the dark forest that bordered the road she would be taking back to the King's castle in London that night, her lush lips held by the edge of her teeth. She was to make the trip accompanied by Sir Goodwyn who'd agreed to her father's request to escort her on the brief trip. Lately there had been strange deaths occurring in the countryside; men found torn to barely recognizable shreds, women whose member's had been devoured and all manner of horror stories. Alice's mother and father had kept the worst of the information from their only daughter, but she had caught wind of it from the stable hands and the cook.

Finally the sound of hooves resonated across gravel and the family's coachman came into view, directing a pair of black friesian beauties with expertise. From behind Alice came the 17 year old girl's father, and there was a tenseness about his aging eyes that suggested that the dispute he'd had with the other lord earlier in the evening still weighed on him. The other lord, a long time rival in her father's business, had stormed off shortly after and her father had since then retired to the castle's study. "My dear, you're to ride with Sir Goodwyn, he'll ensure your safe trip to London's castle where the King will be awaiting you. I am told he is eager to see his niece again, so you'll ensure to bring no shame upon your mother and I?" His blue gaze pierced his daughter's green one with severity and perhaps even some apprehension, he wasn't keen on sending his only daughter out to court alone; however, his wife had insisted on instilling some independence in their child. She was a smart one, albeit somewhat sheltered, and it had been decided she needed a little education in the ways of the royal court. With a knowing smile, Alice replied, "Yes father, mother has given me lots of lessons, I will make you proud. Now kiss me goodbye, the coachman is anxious to be off." Lord Radcliff leaned in to kiss his daughter on the cheek and then helped her into the coach. Sir Goodwyn was sitting up front with the coachmen so that no one would gossip about him sitting alone with the young woman.

Alice was Lord Radcliff's only daughter and child; therefor the man to marry her would inherit the family's wealthy business, so the Radcliff's were rather strict on their daughter's supervision. She had inherited her mother's beauty, and with an ample bosom, the Lord was having a hard time dispelling suitors with illicit agendas. The last thing he needed was his only daughter to have a babe put on her by whatever randy cock happened her way. Lord Radcliff hoped his brother the King would help provide counsel in choosing Alice's husband, if not him then there was no one else they could trust. Alice knew she was to be found a suitor soon, she had resolved herself to her union not being one of love. Her hope was that in time, just as her mother and father had, that her husband and herself would be able to feel affection for each other. She had of course not been told about what occurred between a husband and his wife in bed; her mother would educate her the night before her wedding. Looking out the window one last time at her father's silhouette in the grand doorway, Alice resolved herself to doing her best to bring her family pride on this trip. The coach began to move and turned into the dark path that led into the old forest, the horse's hooves on the path and the tilt of the carriage lulling the young woman to sleep. Some time later a resounding howl in the night woke her from her slumber, and the sound of the horse's nervous nickers and the coachman's reassuring voice brought her back to reality. A little shaken, Alice glanced out the window once more and heard Sir Goodwyn say, "Ye need not fear the night lassie, twas only a stray dog." The man chuckled, but the sound seemed a little strained to the Lord's daughter; however, she settled back in to her seat.




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[T W I N K L E]

The sun was still well above the horizon, but it was setting rather quickly and Nicholas Von Froid stood on the edge of a cliff, staring off into the distance. He stood tall at 5'9", with broad shoulders and a well built body. He looked finer than he's ever been, considering how he was just a scrawny little boy a little more than 7 years ago. Behind him was his castle, one built by his ancestors as a safe place to sleep during the day. From time to time, he would venture out into a human village and kill a man or two, devouring them until they were nothing but bones. Now for the females, well, Nicholas likes to have his way with them before finishing them off. The evening breeze sent his pitch black hair into a mess, carrying with it scents from far in the distance. Nicholas, or Nick, took a deep breath as he pinpointed the source of each scent. "Flowers, ocean, birds, dogs, grass, water, deer..." he listed to himself, sorting out the various scents in his head. One particular scent caught his attention. "Royalty and a Radcliff," he smiled. "Now that's a present worth waiting for." Nick stripped himself down to the naked skin, wearing absolutely nothing before he opened his mouth and let out a long howl. The sun was now barely above the mountains, and Nick took a few steps back, getting down on all fours.

A crack of his spine sent shivers through his nerves and adrenaline pumping through his blood. His dark blue eyes widened as pupils dilated. Another sound of cracking bones echoed through the forests as Nick found himself fully transformed. His body was now standing at 6'5" with extremely large build and dark grey fur covered him completely. His muscles were average for one of his breed, but it tends to get bigger should he ever get more agitated. Nick howled once more, his call echoing through the night. With a smirk, Nick made his way down to the forest below him, running on all fours as it was much faster than running on two.

The Radcliff royal was sure to have left her home by now and must be on her way to the King's. Nick had heard this news a few days ago from a spy he had sent to the Radcliff's home. Of course, the spy was probably dead by now, but it was none of Nick's concern. Right now, he wanted the girl. The large wolf-man hid in the bushes along the only defined road in the forest. It wasn't very long until he heard the sound hooves coming down the road. With a smirk, he stayed silent. Nick retreated into the forest silently, then ran parallel to the carriage that came on the road. Without a second's warning, he pounced onto the horses in front, easily ripping apart their throats. He turned and snarled at the coachman and the man next to him. The men screamed with terror at the sight of him, as Nick stood up on his hind legs and swung his right paw in front of him to rip both men's throats into two. With a smirk, Nick destroyed the carriage door and looked at the girl inside. "Hello, princess," he said, jaws red from the horses' blood and paws wet from the blood of men.

 

[Morrighan O'Byrne]

With darkness closing around the carriage, Alice couldn't help but shudder, her anxious eyes peering out into the night but unable to distinguish anything but shapes. The coachman and the knight had began to chatter about the disputes between the King and his relations in France and soon enough Alice dozed once more to the comforting sound of their low voices. Her dreams were not restful as visions of terrifying creatures filled them, ghoulish faces and screams of terror echoing in her mind. In this dream she could feel fingers clawing at her dress, tearing at those parts of her that even she was forbidden to touch. As the carriage ran over a hole in the road, Alice jolted awake again, a shiver running down her slender spine. At this rate she would spend the next day unfit to be seen by royalty, dark bags under her eyes and eyes reddened by lack of sleep, terribly unfitting for a lady of her class.

Suddenly, a cry like that of her nightmare jolted the young girl forward in her seat as the horses' agonized screams echoed loudly into the forest. Soon the men's cries followed as something snarled viciously into the night, earning a fearful gasp of shock from Alice. In the span of but a few moments the carriage door was wrenched from its hinges and from the darkness of the night a creature straight from her nightmare appeared before her. The wolfish creature was covered in the blood of his victims and stood taller than any man, muscles bulging from his fur covered body. It seemed to leer at her before it spoke, its word earning a terrified scream of horror from Alice as she opened the other carriage's door and began to run for her life.

With her skirts gathered in her hands, she took off as fast as her garb would permit her. Alice's gaze fell momentarily upon the men's bodies, their throats torn and their blood pooling like black ink about their carcasses. More screams came from the girl's throat as she ran and then tripped, the rough ground scratching the palm of her hands. She had to get away, she had to run and desperately she scrambled back up and took off once more.


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[T W I N K L E]

Nick stared intently at the girl inside the carriage. His original instinct was to simply rip her to shreds, leaving her corpse on the road for her father to find. It was a rather amusing idea, considering how the Radcliffs were an enemy. Nick smirked at the thought, but that option flew out of his mind when he got a good look at the girl's face. If Nick had to describe the girl with one word, the only word would be stunning. However, it did not stop his wish to throw Lord Radcliff into despair. Instead, Nick had a better idea. With a heinous smirk, he watched the girl scream at the top of lungs, opening the door on the other side and making a run for her life. Nick wished the girl knew how idiotic she was being. Nothing in the forest is faster than him, especially on land. Then again, what's a hunt without a chase?

Nick pulled his head out of the carriage, tossing it aside. For one, he decided it was best if he ate a little more before chasing the girl. He could catch up to her in no time. The werewolf sunk his fangs into the flesh of the dead horses on the ground, tearing away large chunks of meat as he devoured them, leaving only bones and scraps of meat here and there. The dead men were sure to be found by other wild animals, so he left them there. Just this scene alone would give Lord Radcliff a great deal of shock. Nick threw his head back and howled into the night sky, signaling the start of his hunt.

With a large amount of force, he pushed off into a sprint using his hind legs. He gradually sped up, following the girl's scent through the forest. He stopped rather abruptly, letting a breeze pass by before he moved among the trees silently. Within seconds, he was running again, and this time, he ran ahead of the girl. Just before the girl could run past him, Nick stepped in front of her, standing on his hind legs. "Where do you think you're going?" he snarled, grabbing the girl's arm with one large hand.