The Better to See You (MRAZ and Mim)

[Madam Mim]

Home. She picked up her pace, able to pick out a glimpse of stone here and there through the trees. Almost there...Almost...

She froze. Celia, better known as Red to all but those closest to her, looked around with wide eyes. It didn't exactly help that Red was most certainly not the best color for camouflage, but no use in changing things up now. That was how people knew her, and knew how to find her. Her breathing was slow and deep and, most importantly, quiet. There was the quiet hiss of steel on leather as she slowly drew her blade. It hung by her side, though she was by no means relaxed.

"Show yourself," she called sternly, turning slowly in a circle. "I know these woods better than anyone and I know when there's something that doesn't belong in it. Let's settle this like civilized people, hm? Unless you're a coward."

It wasn't unnatural for Red to assume that whoever had been spying on her held a grudge. After all, she'd upset a lot of people. But that was a hazard of the business and, since business was good, she saw no reason to let that stop her. Fog formed from her breath and snow crunched quietly under her feet as she still turned in a slow circle, trying to find whoever was hiding amongst the bare trees.

 

[MRAZ]

A growl came through the silence that came after the woman spoke and a shadow moved from the faraway trees, slowly circling Red, disappearing in the darkness and re-appearing closer to her. The sound got louder, more menacing a two eyes, green as emeralds, blazing against the dim light of the forest, could be seen as a wolf, better said, a werewolf began to stalk the girl.

The wolf was not too big and seemed to have been weakened and starved, still, its fangs were visible and the message was clear, it was going to try to eat the red woman for lunch.

At the sight of the blade the beast snarled and pounced Red, not aiming to bite her, but aiming to take her things and make a run for it, it did not seem interested in the woman’s flesh but her gold and goods. Growling madly the animal tried to steal the goods and run before Red could strike at her with the blade.

 

[Madam Mim]

There in the blue dusk she spotted them. Green eyes, unblinking, stared at her from between the trees as they faced each other. Red pursed her lips and set her jaw, staring down the skinny little wolf. She could tell it was a werewolf and really she couldn't blame it for wanting to eat her. Not only was it instinct, but it looked half-starved. She would almost feel pity for it, were it not a matter of life and death. She saw the muscles tense just before it sprang and prepared herself.

Instead of a blow against her body, as she'd expected, the wolf instead lunged for her basket. It would have been better if it had gone for Red herself; that basket often held things more important than her own life. Red snarled and drew her blade along the wolf's side, making a shallow, superficial cut. It wasn't enough to grievously injure it, but more than enough to get across the message that she was no one to be trifled with. She struck out with her boot and kicked the wolf hard in the side, watching it stagger sideways in the snow before bringing the tip of her sword to its throat.

"We have three options here," she said calmly and quietly, not wanting to attract the attention of anything else in the forest. "You're hungry. I can feed you in my home and you'll be on your way, you can leave me be and go find some other prey that won't fight back, or you can keep attacking me and I'll kill you. I'll make this your choice." Red's sword didn't waver, but she waited patiently for the wolf to make its decision.

 

[MRAZ]

The slash that came to her side made the wolf let out a growl and try to take the basket with renewed force, however, she never saw the boot that came to her wounded side. The dehydration and starvation increased the pain from it tenfold and forced the green eyed beast to let go of the basket before staggering and then falling on her side, her tongue dangling out as she gasped for air.

There was a small flash and the wolf found a sword hovering just over her throat. In defiance, she snarled, showing her fangs and growling, trying to at least die fighting, just as her ancestors had once done. But the killing blow never came, instead the hooded woman spoke, at first the werewolf growled and tried to get up, to keep fighting, but it soon became obvious that she had no choice but to surrender.

Gasping heavily, her ears folded back and just lowered her maw on the snow and sighed, no longer fighting.

 

[Madam Mim]

It was a little pathetic how quickly the wolf surrendered. Obviously it knew it had been beaten, but Red could have at least respected it a little, but this...Vile, dishonorable submission was what it was. Still, she had offered it a choice and it had chosen food. She couldn't really blame it.

"Alright then, get up," she said, sliding her sword back into her sheath. "I don't live far." Red started walking, expecting to be followed, and turned her head over her shoulder. "I know what you are, by the way," she called, "so feel free to take whatever form you wish."

It wasn't long at all. Red had glimpsed her cottage through the trees and all in all had been about fifteen minutes away. It wasn't large, but it was home: her Granny had raised her in this house, though it seemed a bit lonelier now with Granny long gone and Red traveling often. Inside it was dark and cold, but Red bent to the grate and soon enough a fire was crackling merrily and lit the rest of the room. It seemed to be a combination kitchen and sitting room of sorts, and an open door revealed the second room of the cottage to be a bedroom. The cottage was, in a word, cozy.

"So." Red busied herself pulling food off of a shelf near the fireplace, beginning to make a quick meal at the scrubbed wooden table in the corner. "Wanna tell me what the fuck you were thinking?"

 

[MRAZ]

Honestly, the wolf couldn’t have cared less about honor or not in that moment, she was starving and had no strength to fight, however, since she could not overtake the woman in fighting, then she would take her by surprise. The beast didn’t transform, not even when the Red-clothed warrior told her she knew her secret.

Really, screw this woman and her knowledge, transforming would take energy that the werewolf did not have, else she would have transformed into a more fearsome beast that could have given the woman a fight to remember.

Limping, the animal followed her and made no sound beyond a few growls when she was finally in the strange house, ignoring the question posed, it simply dragged itself near the fire, trying to warm herself a bit. The place smelled of food and the shape shifter was starving, let the red-hooded warrior think what she wanted, as soon as the werewolf got food she would leave, maybe with time she could repay the woman so killing her later would not be a wound to her honor.

 

[Madam Mim]

"Fine." Red shrugged.

They sat in silence. The wolf lay by the fire while Red worked at the table. Vegetables--mostly roots and squashes this far into winter--were chopped deftly and thrown into a pot. Dried rabbit was also cut into chunks and thrown into the pot. A few dried spices and herbs followed everything in and she left briefly, coming back with a bucket of water which was also dumped into the cauldron. With a grunt, Red moved the pot over the fire and let it be before settling into a squashy armchair.

"Where's your pack?" It wasn't so much a question as a musing. Werewolves often lived in packs and families, like normal people. So why was this one alone?

 

[MRAZ]

(Sorry, I didn't realize this had been updated D=!!)

The beast looked at Red for a moment or two before looking away and sighing, her ears folding in annoyance towards the question before returning to their normal position, she wasn't moving much and the scent of flesh was making her hungrier. With slow looks the dark wolf looked around them, from the fire to the house, there was no other scent, at least no recent scent, more than the woman's, which meant that she was alone... how queer, usually those who lived in the forest preferred to have a lot of company.

Resting her head on her paws, the wolf just stared at the fire silently, she wanted to get up and fight, but she had no energy to even prepare for that, she would fight of course, but later on, much later on.