Sanguinary Transformation -[Haru*Himeko]-

[Haruchai]

The lands of Veneritium, ruled by the various shifter clans.

Fulgasa to the South, ruled by the lions. Gadiatoro in the West, ruled by the tigers. Laboteli in the East, ruled by the bears. Balcoli in the North, where the wolves preside. At least, that was how things were split up within the shifter clans themselves. No matter how they divided the land themselves, their numbers were still far outstripped by the humans, elves, dwarves and other sentient races that made Veneritium their home. Especially the humans.

Still, the shifters are territorial, as they are wont to be, and have stayed within their lands so as to prevent war and conflict from raging across the continent. There are, however, those who seek to make something altogether different. Not quite human, not quite shifter, but something wholly unto its' own, and entirely controllable. Or so they can only hope.

In recent years many wolves of the Balcoli Clan have gone missing, their whereabouts unknown. It is rumored that the humans have taken them, for even as humans tell their little ones stories of the wolves robbing them from their cradles, so too do the wolves relate stories of evil humans stealing their cubs. It seems that there might be a kernel of truth to some of these tales, and the Ruling Council has deemed it necessary to try and find out what has happened to their kin.

The shifters do not reproduce nearly as quickly as the humans, for often cubs are lost if a mother cannot keep herself from transforming during her pregnancy, the fetus sluffed off as extra cells unneeded by the body of the mother. So naturally born shifters are considered very precious. Most wolves are turned and brought into the clans. However, all those that have went missing have been pureblood, which arouses suspicion even more. Who would know that they are pure, unless whomever is taking them has been told just whom to take?

The Council assigns one of their best warriors to this task, a warrior by the name of Hell. A staunch male who has yet to take a mate, his experience with a sword, and also with tooth and claw, make him preeminently capable and a fine choice.

Though their clan resides outside of the village of Volvata, the Council has deemed that Hell should travel eastward, to the city of Caminata, along the Caminata Bay. There, in the city of humans, they hope he might find a clue to where his kin have been taken.

The journey begins like any other, with Hell gathering the supplies he needs and the horse he will take. His weapons and armor have been in his family for generations, specially made to allow his transformation, should he need it. However, the hope is that he will be able to retain his human form throughout and not give away his true nature. That remains to be seen.

Heading east from Volvata, Hell follows the Vol River, which will take him directly to Caminata. His steed, Kaija, was faithful and bred for war. She wasn't spooked at all by his predatory aura, and had even been around humans.

The end of the first day saw Hell stopping a bit before dusk to set up camp and to fish in the river, hoping to catch some dinner, or at least something fresh to supplement the food he'd brought with him.

 

[Sesshi]

Sesshi Nightsong had been out wondering the castle walls all night. On guard for any werebeast, as her people called them, that may be lurking in the shadows. Just waiting to steal the little ones. Ever since she had been positioned here she had to wait every night for them to show, yet nothing. Yet people were still going missing, she just didn't understand how it could still be going on without anyone but the kidnapped, know what these things really looked like. She was furious and her lord was blaming her for what was going on. Granted they did steal some of the wolves a few months back, but they refused to change shape, still they were close to figuring out what it was they were all hiding.

The others of her kind could use magic, but not like her. Her magic, to them was foul and unnatural, hence why she was sent to be the lords death dealer, as those with dark magic are called. Granted they still served the Lord of Elves but those like her were sent to the Lord for service. For Sesshi it was freedom from her family and those like them. She hated the light and embraced the darkness that she was thrown into without even asking for it. From birth she had been seen as a monster, but not like those she hunted, but the ones from human stories. She lived for her lord and would do anything for him, even if he was a shady lord at that. He didn't care of her origins nor that he cared she wielded dark magic. All he cared about was that she could use her magic to help him win this war.

Sighing to herself she drew herself back into the shadows and started wondering around the forests of Caminata in her shadowy form on the ground. This was her way of tracking for prey, should she come across another wolf, she'd take them in, but should she find a human... Well she would just find them as a new play thing.

 

[Haruchai]

Though it took some time, Hell could tell that his journey to Caminata was coming to an end when the salty air of the Bay tickled his nose. Of course the wind could blow such a thing for miles inland, but he still knew he was close. By the time he got near enough to see the lights of the city, dusk had fallen and he could see the lanternlights along the avenues and streets. He'd not wanted to enter the city after dark, but there was no way he was going to sleep outside one more night when the city was this close.

Spurring on the warbred mare, Hell closed the distance to the city, and was met with at least somewhat surprised guards outside the gates. A few questions and he was granted entrance. Men such as him, with nice equipment and a horse, were more likely to gain entry than anyone that looked destitute. Hell looked like a man with money to spend, either on food, bed or women... and perhaps all three.

What Hell could tell though, as he passed the two guards, was that subtle look that passed between them. He'd seen it before, and the instincts of the wolf inside of him were hardly ever wrong. Not in judging men anyway. No, they'd let him pass far too easily, and there was likely to be a price to pay.

Guiding Kaija down the street just beyond the gate, he kept his senses wide open for anything out of place. As he passed the dark eaves of one particular alleyway, the slight and yet unmistakable sound of a blade leaving its sheath reached his sensitive ears just before the light passing of the light of the moon glanced off a blade. Hell drew his large sword, Anduril, and met the attack with his blade as he slipped from Kaija's saddle. Better to meet the men on equal footing than to be accused of running them down on horseback.

The gates had closed, but the two guards were inside now, and rushing to help their comrades in the theft of whatever they might glean from Hell, though they had little idea of just how capable he was. His athletic form was quite tall at six feet and three inches tall, and all of that well toned muscle from not only his high metabolism, but his constant swordplay. In another moment the sound of ringing steel echoed along the boulevard as Hell met the strikes of the men.

 

[Sesshi]

Hearing the sounds from the forest stirred something in Sesshi as she made her way back towards the gates to see what the commotion was. Her shadow glided throughout the bottom of the forest, her shadow devouring the other shadows in the forest as she continued her way. She was surprised to see what she saw when she reached there. "Now now boys, what have we here? A spy perhaps?" She asked as she stepped out of her shadows. The guards looked up at her and bowed their heads towards her. She looked towards the strange warrior they were fighting and smiled a little. "Well now this one is quiet handsome. Let me deal with this one, you two go back to your posts and as for the rest of you, get back to work in scouring the forests, we need more wolves for our experiments!" She ordered.

The two guards mumbled about it not being fair that their lieutenant got all the fun and they didn't. She gave them a cold stare which sent shivers down their spine and ended up shutting them both up. The rest of the guards had left without a word, leaving the two alone for now. "Now what brings a human into our lands? You do know this is Elven lands and we have a treaty made that neither of us should step foot into one another's land. You sir, have broken the law and must be put to death!" She shot out as she summoned up her bow from the shadows and took aim, right at his heart. "No guards here to get caught up in my shadows so I don't need to hold back." She said as she let the arrow fly.

 

[Haruchai]

Hell had been holding back against the guardsmen, for they were merely human, and he hoped they might recognize that he was not trying to slay them. He parried their ultimately clumsy blows, his face grim, and thought at first he might get some relief when the nubile elven female showed up and they paid her at least a modicum of respect. Though he did bristle at her use of the word spy, he didn't deny it either and kept his mouth shut. The men soon dispersed and the female, for all her haughty demeanor, seemed intent on putting him to death. For nothing other than simply stepping foot on their land.

He smirked, dark eyes glittering dangerously, and watched as she pulled a bow from the shadows and brought it up to aim at him. She let fly and the arrow streaked toward its target, though Hell had no intention of letting it reach its mark. To his heightened senses she might as well have been firing her bow underwater, and though he could tell that the shaft streaked toward him unerringly and quickly, to his enhanced perception it almost seemed to float.

"Not this night, witch!" he snarled at her and casually plucked the arrow from the air, though to others his reflexes might seem uncanny. Snapping the arrow in his grasp and tossing the two pieces to the ground, his eyes never left hers.

"My turn." he said, and sprung forward, the powerful muscles in his legs propelling him with preternatural speed across the distance between them. His sword was swift but still he stayed his hand and the keen edge of the blade was soon at her throat and his face was mere inches from her own.

"Yield." he growled, not wanting to hurt her unless absolutely necessary. An uncommon amount of restraint since she'd already shown intent to slay him.

 

[Sesshi]

With the blade at her throat it only made her more... Excited? Yes, excited to know that her prey wasn't just a human, but a fast one at that. "So you are a spy. Then I won't hold back on you anymore." She said as she slipped into the shadows once again, catching him off guard she ended up slashing at his lower torso with her shadow infused blades she had summoned up.

She had looked pleased with herself, knowing that her shadows would engulf him soon enough. She waited and watched in horror as his wounds healed right before her eyes. "Well this is something new... Why show your true form now wolf?" She asked as she now stepped out of the shadows again. This time holding her bow to the back of his neck.

"Didn't know you could change into a human, knew your kind only had a wolf form, this is indeed interesting... I must capture you at once!" She said as she drew her bow again. "This is a silver shadow arrow, my creation of course, but it should be enough to immobilize you until I get you to our scientist..." She finished as she was now about to let lose another arrow, clearly knowing that this wouldn't finish it, but she loved playing with her new toys, so to say.

 

[Haruchai]

Despite the way they were locked in combat, there were certain signs that this elven bitch could simply not hide from him. Her pulse quickened and he could hear her heart beating a bit faster, a bit stronger, as adrenaline coursed through her system. Her scent itself changed as endorphins flooded through her. She was loving this, and living life dangerously seemed to be something she craved.

If only she knew just how dangerous he was.

She was smart though and soon discerned his true nature, as she called him by the name of wolf. His eyes glittered dangerously and he smiled despite the fact that she'd managed to get behind him and supposedly had a silver shadow arrow. Hell decided to show her what he was truly made of.

Things happened in a blur. His transformation was nearly instantaneous, and he'd been performing it since he was old enough to walk. The beast came from within, from within his very soul. A keening howl ripped from his throat as his human body seemed to almost literally explode as the wolf burst forth, spraying the elven female in blood and ichor.

His armor and equipment, specially made by his people, were subsumed by his wolf form, and where just a moment before a man had stood, now stood a wholly different creature. Towering over her at nearly 2.5 meters stood an ebon furred wolf. Despite its animalistic appearance the intelligence in its eyes could not be denied and with a snarl the immense black shape lunged, knocking the wind from her as it grabbed her about the waist and hoisted her as if she were but a child.

Bounding toward the walls it leapt, clearing the wall in a single leap and loping with supernatural speed into the forest beyond. Even if his transformation had been observed, his movements were lost to the human eye as he fled, the elven woman held in a grip unbreakable by mortal hands.

 

[Sesshi]

She had been taken by surprise on his swift transformation that she didn't even have time to slip back into the shadows before she was covered in his former-self's remains. With him having this advantage over her, she knew she was done for. With a swift attack she felt herself blackening out.

Thump, thump, thump Was all she heard as they traveled to wherever he was taking her, still unconscious and unaware of her own surroundings anymore. As she slept he seemed to have made good work of getting them out of Elven lands and in due time would find herself waking up in a different environment.

True the guards didn't know what to think due to their lieutenant taking over, and with her gone, they knew something was underfoot. The guards who were there only could explain what they saw and to their Lord's demise, it wasn't much to go on. Still a search would be sent out, but by the time they would catch up, it'd be too late for Sesshi.

 

[Haruchai]

He'd not thought he'd hit the elf hard enough to render he unconscious, and yet she slumped in his arms, her breathing steady and her body possibly bruised but otherwise unharmed. Just proof of his prodigious strength and her own somewhat fragile physical being. She had been a magic user of some sort after all, and Hell had noted how she'd spoken.

The forest enveloped them completely and soon the city was out of sight. Hell slowed his pace and eventually stopped, sniffing the air. There was water nearby and he headed that way, sure that hounds would be loosed to look for him and his captive. As he found a suitable place to camp and set the elven female on the ground, his nose snuffled over her inert and prone form, taking in her scent. He'd not soon forget it, and he nuzzled between her legs, her aroma tickling his senses.

Deciding to transform back to his human guise, Hell shrunk, his hair falling away from his body and seeming to evaporate into the air. Whereas when he let loose the wolf and it burst forth from him, he seemed to shrink in on himself when he reassumed his human form. The change was not as quick, requiring about ten seconds, whereas the change to wolf was almost instantaneous. Soon he stood, nude on the forest floor, and his armor and weapons appeared on his person, the last things to appear from his wolfen form.

Knowing she was dangerous, Hell took the time to bind the hands of the female before he built a fire and waited for her to regain consciousness.

 

[Sesshi]

When Sesshi woke she could feel the warmth from the fire but also noted that she couldn't move her hands. Still if she had been left alone long enough, bindings or no bindings she'd still be able to slip in her shadows. Still, she wanted to know her attacker well before turning him in. Get in as much information from him as she could. "Nnn... So what do you plan to do with me now wolf? You know you won't be able to outrun the guards for long. They will find you, and believe me, they will find you, but when they do I know what our scientist will more than likely dissect you or just experiment with you like she's done in the past." She said as she looked him with stern eyes.

She had never been in this position before and she wasn't going to just back down. Her red eyes looked at him and if he took his eyes off her for even a second now she'd slip back into her shadows. "So what brings you out here? Looking for your friends I'm assuming. Well sorry to tell you, but there's only four left alive right now, the others have died under the conditions they were put under. Not like it matters to me but you do know that I'm still not done with you, our fight isn't over and soon you too will be devoured by my shadows." As she spoke he'd notice his own shadow would be starting to take life and form. Yes, she was the master of shadows and darkness, if it had been light out she'd have been rendered in a rather disadvantaging sort of way.

It's why she only hunted at night, so that she could control the shadows, looking to the soon to be fading moon, she knew she only had an hour left before day would fully hit. "Hmm... Must finish this soon before the sun rises..." She mumbled to herself not really knowing that he could really hear her even if she had whispered.

 

[Haruchai]

Hell was well aware as she came to consciousness, the small cues from her body not only heard but seen as she roused to awareness. She seemed not concerned with her plight but instead resorted almost immediately to threats and promises of just how horrible of an end he might meet. He could only smile. "If they're guaranteed to find me, and then experiment on me or dissect me, no matter what you say, then killing you will have no worse repercussions than if I remained to face them alone." he said, stoking the fire a little.

Her words didn't stir any sympathy and Hell's gaze hardened. "Devoured by your shadows? Too much of a cowardly bitch to devour me yourself? Perhaps I should show you how to truly devour something, with fang and rending of flesh. The way nature intended, you unnatural elven bitch." he snarled. Of course she could take his outburst as emotion, but he didn't care. Her kind tortured and killed for pleasure, antithetical to how nature was structured. It turned his stomach, to be honest about it, and yet they somehow turned things around in their perverse minds to make him and his kind out to be the monsters when the opposite was true.

Her whispered words did bring another reaction, and Hell's hand snapped out to catch her about the throat, squeezing slightly, long nails digging into her flesh a little as he pulled her across the gap between them, her body stretched out as he dragged her a bit. "Finish what before dawn? What do you have planned you cunting bitch?" he asked, eyes boring intently into hers.

 

[Sesshi]

She paused for a moment thinking of her next words before replying, not wishing to reveal her weakness to her enemy, who right now was making sure she didn't slip back into the shadows. "It's not what I have planned, it is more or less I don't have time to be messing around with your kind." She said as she kept her hands hidden from him while she tried to work out the kinks. She knew if he focused too much on her she'd be forced into the shadows too soon and who knew what would happen to her. She couldn't help but look at the now fading moon and her ears lowered some.

"Look I can easily defeat you, especially now that you've already wasted the time you had to kill me." She said as she let the ropes drop. Yes she had to get him or out of here and wait for back up. Either way, she knew she was running out of moonlight and she could feel her powers weakening a bit. But still she felt drawn to know why he had kept her alive, if not for some sort of ransom. Which she knew they wouldn't bargain with wolves, even if it was for her life. However, she knew how valuable she was to her Lord and knew he would hunt down any wolf that they came across. Granted they were doing so now anyways.

"I cannot waste anymore time here!" She snarled as she leaped up to attack him once more, this time only with her shadow claws. She knew if she threw him off she'd be able to get away, but she had a feeling that this wasn't going to be the case and that he was going to overpower her eventually. She had only hunted the wolves down with her comrades, but this time was different, she was alone with him and she didn't know that his bite, should he bite her, would end up transferring the change to her.

The only thing they assumed was the werewolves used some sort of ritual for them to change others into their own kind. But this would be different from any of her research she had gathered from the scientists.

 

[Haruchai]

Hell's grip on her throat loosened enough and she wrenched free, attacking him again, despite the mercy he'd shown her. By now he'd learned her attacks a little and his preternatural speed allowed him to avoid her blows. When one was fast enough to snatch arrows from the air and rip out a man's throat faster than he could yell, her strikes were a bit clumsy. They were fast, to be sure, borne of shadow and darkness, but they still had to be directed and his reflexes were faster than most could handle. Even the blows that got through had not the strength to truly harm him, and he healed almost immediately, or was hardly more than bruised. In physical combat he simply had her outmatched.

"My kind? Yours are the ones who steal people from their homes and deprive them of life and freedom. Murderers!" he snarled and his blows rained down like thunderbolts. He refrained from using tooth and claw, or from even transforming, and his fists bludgeoned her mercilessly. Hell had half a mind to rip her apart, and could almost perceive her strength waning as the sun began to rise.

"You should be more grateful! I could have killed you! Raped you! Ravaged you and left your bleeding body for the vultures! This is how you repay me?!" he roared, and a fist connected with her jaw, and another to her sternum, blows hard enough to kill most normal people.