Chapter 4.txt
#4 of Werewolf Village
I was wrong she had little to no stamina and had never experienced anything like this before. As the days wore on she was obsessive about spilling blood or you know. Anyway after about half a year of this it subsided. It was another 3 months before I let her out of the cell. She was angry to be sure but she did understand my intentions. After all even an enraged werewolf is no match for an experienced fighter, although it does help if the fighter is a werewolf as well.
I see can control your temper now and wont go around ripping people up Now its time for you to start learning some of your enhancements as a werewolf. I said assuming she would ask.
Like what kind of enhancements? She asked in a strange tone.
like youre faster and stronger, and somewhat smarter, I said as I walked around her, making her nervous.
So Im stronger, smarter, and faster? I dont feel any different, She said watching me closely.
Well, I said as I suddenly disappeared into a blur and appeared across the room, You are and will know it but wont feel it. However I had to train to be this fast and be able to stop on a dime like I just did. Dont worry, youll be able to keep up with me eventually. She was willing to learn, I could tell by her eyes but she was also nervous about me being the one to teach her. As well she should be I was never a nice teacher. In fact I think half the werewolves in the mansion were glad I left for that reason.
Well I would teach her as best as I can and let Saheli or her other mentor train her. It wasnt easy to get her to start either. She was resistant to my methods, but when Sahelis chosen came my ward was glad to learn from him. I was starting to wonder what the Kids name really was so I decided to confront her.
You know in all the time Ive known you, you have never given anyone your true name. What is it? I asked her bluntly, there was no need to beat around the bush.
Eldrina Sorrowstorm. Eldrina said. I didnt believe her for a second but it at least gave her a name to be called other than the Kid.
A rather nice name, why do you hide it from people? I asked Eldrina, hoping she would fall for my trap, and she did.
Because I have a reputation and people always pick on me when they find out who I really am. Eldrina explained.
And who are you really? I know your real name isnt Eldrina, and I dont believe you about having a reputation, heck me and my dad both have a reputation and we dont hide who we really are. Mainly because we cant but even if we could we wouldnt, its not something to be ashamed about, you are who you are. I tried to convince her.
My real name is Maple, since she offered no last name I didnt push her but I also didnt feel the cold shiver indicating someone was lying. I nodded my acknowledgement as I walked away knowing she would tell me her last name in time. Something about her pulled at me It was then I was taken back to the words of the curse cast upon me when I was very young.
You will never rest, nor will you live until those who pull at you are found and those who are found are lost. One who pulls also pushes. Find all those who pull at you and find their connection to you and you will finally live, then rest. Those who are lost are never truly lost, and those who are found may still be lost. A warning in the form of a change will start you down the path to find those who are truly lost and those who are found but still lost.
That meant she was, in some way, related to me. Maple was, at least in part, a Dark Elf. I knew Saheli was, but Maple?!? I can always look at Maples family tree knowing hers would most likely fill in gaps in my family tree. Who would have guessed that a Dark Elf could get along with the High Elves long enough to produce not one but two children?!?
He didnt persist, thank the Goddess. I didnt dare go against him yet and from what he said it doesnt look like I will ever be able to take him in a fair fight. How did he know I lied? I have never even used that name and he was so sure I lied... Next time Ill have to be more careful. Hes just too good for anyones good. I guess he takes after dad. Well at least he didnt argue about being kicked out of the Hunters School. Dad said he was good but I never got a chance to test how good he was. My brother does take after dad a lot, and he doesnt even know how much.
She was still hiding something, but I pushed her too much and way too soon. I should be careful for a while to get Maple to trust me, but time was something I had. After looking it up it turned out she is part Dark Elf and when the School found out she was kicked out, her last name is Forestwalker. She must be a druid.
A knock at my door drew me away from my thoughts. Since I was open with the village about my healing skills they sometimes dared incur my wraith to save a loved one, but this one didnt sound urgent but it was a single weak knock. I walked to the door where my butler was waiting.
Open the door, and help whoever is out there into the house. I will be a little while longer, I must speak to Sahelis trainer. As I turned I caught a scent that I knew all too well. It was a hunter. No one who killed one werewolf could ever get close to kill a second because the smell lingers on them until they die, no matter how many times they wash. A dead werewolves blood smell very different and has a warning hormone in it to tell other wolves. Had he only gotten in a fight he wouldnt have smelled like this.
I turned around again and said, Todays trainer can wait, he needs my attention right now. Go inform Maple and the trainer about what is delaying me, and why. He had part of his left arm replaced by a cannon, but he somehow carried it. He was undernourished but other than that he was fine. I hardly ever refused to heal but knowing this one may need to be killed I gave into my healers instinct.
He was going to help, I have never harmed his kind and he hesitated but he was going to help. As I fell into unconscious my last thought was despite my smell he was helping a hunter.
I would help him, despite the fact he might turn on me after he is better, but he may also spare my life for sparing his. On must be careful when dealing with hunters. Most have been known to show mercy when saved but not all. Id have time for questions later. Right now I needed to concentrate on the healing.
Later, after the healing and he was sleeping comfortably, I went to talk to the trainer. He was teaching Maple just as I had instructed last time start at the basics and move forward quickly. She got most of it but not always all of it. She was progressing faster than I had ever thought. I sensed that kind of potential in Saheli and Maple but in no one else Maybe I was getting closer to finding all of my family. I still cant find the connection between me and both of them but I knew they were closely related to me.
That hunter also pulled at me but for different reasons, after a healing for the next week I would be connected to him because some of me was put into the healing and we will be connected by blood for a while. Although I did feel a faint push from him indicating we meet before today but Ive lived so long it would take a few hours to find where I meet him before. Well I had a few hours before he woke up so I guess while everyone was busy thats what I could do.
A few hours later I woke up with him staring at me. I started to get up and a pain in my legs stopped me from standing, but I still sat up. I would not loss my dignity. If I still had any to loss, he had saved me and I might be offending him. Like I care if I offend him he could have killed me or let me suffer but he didnt, but I didnt owe him any courtesy, yet.
He sat up instead of trying to stand, at least that part I got right, he was going to be weak for a while longer but at least he wasnt past out that might make it easier.
Ok, Ill ask you a couple of questions and I want answer, before I help you get some food. Whats your name? I asked.
He looked at me for a little before saying, J-Blader. He couldnt be lying I made sure of it, so that was his name now
What were you doing that you didnt get enough food? I mean youre fit but not well-fed, He would be out soon but I wanted answers before I lost him.
That is going to remain my information until I decide you need to know, J-Blader was going to be careful about that too.
Time to ask the most important thing, So which werewolf did you kill? Yes I know you killed one by your smell. You see when wounded we emit a smell that sticks to you, if we die the smell becomes part of your smell and makes it so you can never kill another one, but you wounded a lot of them How?
He looked shocked that I would be blunt, I have never harmed those who havent harmed an innocent or me. If he died it was a fault I had about where my arm was aimed. He swung his arm so fast I thought he was a werewolf killing another werewolf but he didnt have the smell of that What did you do with my arm?
I had to take it off to treat you entirely without having that interfere. Metal absorbs magic and makes it difficult to cast spells. One last question, how are you so fast, youre as fast as me but not a werewolf, I inquired.
Its a long story but the short version of it is that I was bitten but I didnt want to turn into a werewolf and my body must have mutated around that desire so I could resist the changes but I did get stronger and faster, he swayed, please Im still weak from the lack of food.
Who was I to refuse him he was a patient. As I walked him to the dining room Maple and her teacher came out, he looked angry, she looked concerned. Leave it alone, hes one of us and not one of us at the same time, he was defending against a more aggressive pack, I stated to the teacher. Maple helped me carry him to the dining room where my manservant served us dinner.
Maple this is J-Blader, I saw he eyes open wide and return to normal but it was so fast that even J-Blader might have missed it. Whats so surprising about that? Making Maple answer me there and now.
He was who started the idea of a Hunters School in the hopes that werewolves would be hunted and killed, but all it did was increase the survival rate so we need everyone we can get, hes also the only survivor of an attack that happened centuries ago. The only thing is hes Human and should have been dead after 50 years, but he somehow survived and lived past the normal Elven years, being part werewolf I can understand why now, and I know he never showed up at any of the schools, Maple stated with increasingly surprised at how J-Blader never corrected her.
Half right dear, I never lived past 30, at least not enough of me to count, I lost an arm in that battle and almost died, and I decided then that anyone who was even related to a werewolf had to be purged in a sense. I made the schools to teach the younger generations to trust their elders and to train them to protect themselves if the werewolves ever came back, it got out of hand. Everyone thought to prove themselves capable to defend against them they had to kill one by themselves. It was past down so fast that I never got a chance to stop that. However before I did that I hide away from everyone who ever came looking for me. I believed myself a monster.
It never occurred to me to live in with the werewolves at that mansion since it was a safe haven. No one ever indicated I would be welcome or that I was worthy of being inside it. Perhaps I could teach this one since she was enrolled at my school for a little while. I wont teach her the same way and once shes learned everything I can teach her Ill be on my way
It was a once in a life time chance. Study the only person to not die or be turned by a werewolf bite And he wanted to teach my student a thing or two that he has learned. I noticed he didnt touch his meal even though he should. Why didnt you eat you are weak and need to eat to get better, Maple said echoing my thoughts.
He raised his right hand and showed her that he lost his arm, I need my arm back, he said pointedly looking at me. Right he needs his cannon arm to blast us but he did say he would help in exchange for my services, maybe he was more honorable than all the other hunters Ive found. I told my Manservant to get his arm.
When do you intend to begin with her training under you? I said he may be blood of my blood but I still held a predatory I saw her first problem.
I can begin now and I would not perform to the best of my abilities but its about the students not the teachers, so tomorrow. He said knowing why I was being blunt and a little vicious.