Skyfall Chapter 13
13 I followed Kato into the small room. The drapes were drawn and the room was dimly lit by candles. It had two large beds that were blanketed with colorful sheets. This place felt much more welcoming than the perfect-white, sterile state of the laboratory. Misha had collapsed on one of the beds already. He had stripped down to his boxers, and the blanket was draped over his lower half. He was already peacefully asleep. I imagined they all must be very exhausted after walking through the pass. I felt a bit guilty for riding on the painted horse the entire time. I also felt somewhat exhausted, despite having been comatose for two days. The atmosphere in the room made me drowsy. "I can take the floor if..." Kato whispered. I shook my head, "It's fine. It's a large bed." I said, eyeing the spot next to Misha. "I don't mind."
It was partially true...I wouldn't mind sleeping next to Misha like this, in this setting, and I felt better knowing Kato would be just a few feet away. Kato wandered into the bathroom and began to shower. I slipped off my clothes and sank down on the bed next to Misha. His hair was damp from his shower, and his skin smelled like spiced soap. I pulled the blanket up as delicately as I could to avoid disturbing Misha. He stirred anyway, and rolled over to face me. His eyes opened slightly, and he smiled before sinking back into unconsciousness. His arm wrapped around mine as he moved closer to me. My ears fell as I wrapped myself around him. Everything felt surreal. I began to wonder if I would wake up... This moment felt less real than my encounter with the goddess had. I heard the water shut off, and my body jerked away from Misha's. He stirred again but rolled over to the other side of the bed this time. I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep as Kato came out from the shower and got into the bed across from us. I felt ashamed...I didn't want Kato to know I was still clinging to Misha like this. I knew he wouldn't judge me, but I still felt ashamed. I stared at the man sleeping beside me. Why couldn't I shake this feeling? I knew he was bad for me. I knew that he didn't deserve my attention or my time...so why couldn't I just forget about him? Is this what love meant here...an undying attraction for someone that doesn't fade, regardless of how badly they treat you? I sank back down onto the pillow and closed my eyes. Not much time passed before I felt Misha stirring in the bed. He got up and shook my shoulder, "Come on, Decipher." He whispered, "I have to go to the gardens. Try to keep quiet. I don't want to wake Kato." I got out of bed and slipped my clothing back on, catching Misha's eye wandering across my body. Misha tossed me my supply bag and we snuck out of the room as quietly as possible. The tavern was busier than it had been when we arrived this afternoon. Misha and I wandered through the crowd and out the door. Outside the air was still and the sun was beginning to set. The town looked beautiful in the twilight. There were hues of gold and orange shining from fires and dimly lit lanterns. The lanterns seemed to be powered by pure energy of different colors, some were faintly golden, while others shimmered with a blue, colder tint. I also saw a few shimmering lights dancing around the town, perhaps fairies? "Come on." Misha said, "There's an herb specialist and a garden on the other side of town where I can collect the things I need. If we hurry, there's a refinery on the way, perhaps you can purchase some metals to complete your dagger?" I nodded, "That sounds great." I said as we began to walk farther into town. The town bustled with activity; it seemed everyone was just returning from their busy day at work. A few people we passed stared at me uncomfortably, but when they saw that I did not act like a werewolf, their minds were eased. "No worries." Misha laughed, "People are used to weird sights around here. The Dark Goddess frequents this town, and often has visitors that take strange forms, not to mention her children." He said, pointing to a dark path that led into the forest, "There is also a large castle a few miles, and the lord of the castle is a vampire who employs werewolves." I nodded. "I remember that." I lied, "Eldon is home to many of the vampire's employees, right?" "Yeah." Misha said. "So you're remembering things?" "Bits and pieces. I guess my amnesia was so persistent because I knew nothing about the lab." I paused to look at the nearest lantern, which sparkled with green light, "I have a feeling that I've missed this place." "That makes sense." Misha said with a glance in my direction. We approached a small, brick building that had a brilliant orange glow. There was no wall on the outside section of it, and inside sat a few forges that were glowing with embers and liquid metals. A busy man moved large vats of the orange liquids and poured them into various molds. The smell of singed metal floated into my nostrils.
After the man finished, he turned to us with a gruff expression. "Evening, fellows." He said, keeping his eyes on me, "What can I do for you?" "I need some heavy brass," I said as I pulled the dagger blade out of my supply bag. "Something that would work as a hilt for this." The man peered at the blade and nodded, "I can forge a hilt for your dagger tonight, if you'd like. Just leave the blade here." "That would be good." Misha said, "We will be back to pick it up after we run some errands." I nervously handed the man the dagger blade, "This is very important to me." I said, watching his blackened hands take the blade carefully. I didn't really know why I treasured the blade; I didn't even have any intention to use it. Something about it just seemed important. "I am sure it is," the man smiled as he examined the blade, "Quite a rare stone you have here. Don't worry, I'm an expert. It'll be ten pieces." I dug in my satchel around and looked at the handful of coins Kato must have inside it. I had plenty. I nodded to the man, "Sure. Thank you." Misha and I headed down the brick trail into a darkened area. Little flickers of light sparkled here and there, but there were no lanterns or candles out here. The brick trail turned into a dirt path that led us to a short, white fence. Misha opened the gate and we stepped into the garden. The garden felt very calming as we walked into it. The smells of all the flowers danced in my mind. I wanted to see what they looked like, so I followed my nose to a clump of flowers. Unfortunately, they were starting to close up for the night. I wished we had come during the day, perhaps I would visit again sometime. Misha picked at a few plants. I knew my eyes were more sensitive to light than his, a side effect of being half wolf, but even I was having trouble distinguishing differences in the plants. Misha on the other hand moved through the vast assortment of plants like an expert. "How can you tell what you're looking for?" I asked Misha as he shoved a bundle of herbs into his satchel. "I've been here many times." He laughed, "It's easy enough to tell what you're looking for, either by smell, feel, or sight. Come look." He gestured me towards him and held out a twisted root that looked pretty insignificant to me. He watched me study it for a few moments, and then handed it to me. "This is fleurant." He said, "Shake it up and see how it feels." I shook the thick root, and it became warm in my hands. I stopped shaking it and examined the root again, but I couldn't see any difference. As I held it, the rough texture of the plant became smooth and fuzzy but it still looked the same. I smiled as the feeling of the root became more and more strange. "What does it do?" I asked with a short laugh. "It's an antiseptic." Misha said as he dug into the dirt, "The root only does that at night, though. Many of the plants I need only have reactions later in the day." Part of the garden was raised and had a stone edge. I sat on the stones and watched Misha sift through the plants. I caught glimpses of fairies zooming in and out of some of the shrubs. Some of them had collected berries that they were returning home with. I looked up at the sky. It wasn't black yet, but a few stars had begun to shimmer in the darkening blue. After a few moments of silence, I muttered, "Oh, by the way, sorry for sneaking into your bed earlier." Misha didn't look up from his work, but I sensed his smile. "You think I cared?" I stayed quiet until he looked up at me, "Well, I don't know." I said, "It would have been awkward for me if our positions were reversed..." Misha gave me a genuine, warm smile, a smile I wanted to burn out of my memory. I hated that smile. I couldn't resist it. "My feelings for you remain unchanged, you know." Misha said as he walked closer to me. "But I understand if you still feel uncomfortable."
"Who owns the garden?" I asked before he could get closer. I didn't have the energy to resist him. Besides, I was honestly curious. Even my downloaded information knew very little about this garden. "Kei," Misha said as he turned to pick a few berries, "She has a business negotiation with TRIL, and so we can come pick from her garden whenever we're in town. Come on," Misha said, glancing at a slip of paper, "the rest of the things I need are inside with her." We approached a small, cobblestone hut that radiated a golden glow into the garden. Misha knocked at the door a few times. The door opened and the overwhelming smell of sweet pie hit me. I couldn't help but sniff the air to get more of the delicious smell. The short woman behind the door giggled as she saw me. I looked down at her. Her face was aged, but she wasn't elderly. She was about a head shorter than Misha, and had a curved figure. Her auburn hair curled and fell just past her shoulders. Everything about her seemed so warm and welcoming. "Misha!" She said as she embraced him in a hug, "Great to see you!" Misha laughed. "Hello, Kei!" He said, gesturing to me, "This is Decipher." She grinned at me, "You smell the pie, don't you, doggy?" She asked with an excited bounce. I would have been offended if she didn't seem to be so genuinely happy when she said it, "Misha, I just made pie! Come in and have some!" My ears perked up with excitement, and my tail swished behind me. These reactions were all involuntary, but they seemed to make Kei giggle again. I felt a bit flustered as she welcomed us into her small home. The scent of freshly baked pie made my mouth water. I had never smelled something so delicious before. "What do you fellows need today?" She asked as she moved across the room to where her kitchen was set up. Misha and I took a seat on a couch by her fireplace. "I have a list here, and we picked from the gardens already." Misha said as he tossed his satchel onto the table in the kitchen, "Send charges for all of it back to the facility." Kei scooped up two slices of gooey, blue pie and served them to Misha and I, along with a pot of tea. I snatched the fork and took a bite as quickly as I could without making myself look like a fool. The taste was better than the scent was. The liquefied, warm fruits had been soaked in spices and sugars. I think I might have let out a moan of pleasure after my first bite. "This is so amazing." I said once I could speak again, staring at Kei with a dazed grin. "Thank you so much!" Misha and Kei both laughed at me this time. "Yeah. That's what happens to everyone when they have Kei's pie for the first time." Misha laughed, picking at his own piece. "Oh, you're welcome, honey!" Kei said as she glanced at the herbs Misha had collected. She picked up his list and looked through it. Her face became more serious as she studied the items on the list. "Looks like you need some potent things, Misha." "It's been a busy year." Misha said as he sipped his tea. "Will it be safe to travel with wolfsbane with your friend?" She asked. "I believe so," Misha said as he studied me, "but if it affects him I brought some antidote just in case. We don't know much about Decipher yet." I might have asked questions if I didn't have the pie, but the crisp, buttery crust kept me quiet.
"Well, let me go pack the potent herbs." She said before vanishing through a cellar door. "Potent herbs?" I asked once the warmth of the pie faded enough for me to form a coherent thought. "Poisons, banes, drugs...things that have the potential to be dangerous." Misha said as he finished off his own slice of pie. "We extract many of the components in the lab to create antidotes, immunizations, and on occasion, weapons." His explanation probably should have bothered me, but the warm pie made me feel euphoric. I stared at the fire with a blank, dazed expression. "Was the pie drugged?" I asked after a few moments. "Not that I know of." Misha laughed, "You were probably just really hungry. You haven't eaten for days. I gave you an injection to keep your energy levels high enough while you were in the coma, but you weren't able to eat with the rest of us. Luckily, Kei's pies are packed with exactly what you should be eating to recover." Kei returned from the cellar with a small package in her hands, "Here are the delicates." She said as she handed the package to Misha. "You be careful with them. Keep yourself safe."
Misha placed the package in his satchel and slung it over his back. "Of course." He said with a nod, "Thank you Kei. Decipher and I need to get back for dinner with the rest of our party. It was lovely seeing you again." "And thank you for the pie." I added. Kei laughed and wrapped her arms around me. I jumped at the gesture, but returned her hug. She embraced Misha next. "Always a pleasure. Keep in touch!" The warmth of Kei and her home stayed with me as we travelled back to the forge. I wished we could have spent more time getting to know her; she seemed like a woman that was full of amazing stories. She also hadn't seemed to judge me at all, she hardly even asked about me. By the time we made it to the forge the sky was black and the stars and moon were casting silver light on the landscape. "There you are!" The man bellowed, holding up my dagger. He had crafted a brass handle that twisted like a unicorn's horn. The brass was etched with silver markings that danced in the curves of the twisted shape. "I hope you don't mind." The man said as he handed me the dagger, "It felt right." "Not at all. It looks beautiful." I said. I dug in my bag and pulled out eleven pieces of gold, one to tip the man. The work he had done had surpassed my expectations, but I suppose I should've expected something like this from a professional blacksmith. "Pleasure doing business with you." He said with a grin as we walked off. I continued to examine his craftsmanship on the hilt. "So you like it?" Misha asked. "I figured that was clear." I teased. We continued to walk down the brick path. The town was dark now and people had begun to settle down. I heard footsteps trailing behind us and quickly turned to see Sheila running at Misha and I. "Kato is in trouble!" She shouted. She reached us, panting heavily and with a worried expression. "Kato and I were in the woods when a werewolf attacked us, neither of us had any silver." She gasped for air, "It's not even a full moon! Come on!" I didn't think. I followed Sheila blindly. Misha yelled out to me but I didn't listen. He trailed behind us as we ran. I felt like this was a chase. Sheila led us through a winding forest trail. As we ran I became aware of the fact that Kato was not here. We stopped dead at an area where the trail opened up to a crossroads. I instantly knew it had been a trap, but part of me was excited. I turned to Misha. I felt sick once I realized he had followed me here. I shouldn't have let him, but I didn't have time to think...I snapped my attention back to Sheila, who was laughing at us. She charged at me and began to slash at me with her dagger. "It took you long enough to get yourself a weapon!" She yelled as I dodged her slashing. "Why don't you test it out?" I kept my eyes on her, moving slowly and observing her every movement. I felt like a fool for letting my guard down, but deep down I knew that I had wandered into her trap knowingly. I was eager to take care of this problem. I tossed my bag aside, along with my dagger. I knew more about fighting with my own body than I did weapons, anyways. I snarled at her, "I'm glad we could take care of this tonight." She smirked, "I can't believe you fell for it. Maybe you knew?" She said as she paused for a moment, standing up straight and circling towards Misha. "Are you going to fight me, or just hop around while I swing at you? If you don't start fighting, I'll just toss this knife at your less experienced lover over there." I thought back to my assignment...it suggested I make her blind with rage. My heart raced as I picked through my thoughts. What could I say to make her angry? "How are you going to explain our deaths to Doctor Hale?" I asked with feigned confidence. She laughed, "I'll think of something. How would you explain my death? They would punish you, you know."
"Actually, Sheila." I said, narrowing my eyes, "You have become disposable. Of course I knew you were planning on attacking me...but I had to get my assignment done." Her expression changed from amused to angry. She was struggling with the thought. "You honestly think Hale wants you working for him, dog?" She spat. I took my chance and lunged at her. She tossed her knife as I slammed her against a tree. I watched the knife land in Misha's shoulder, who cried out in pain from across our battlefield. When I turned back to Sheila, she was slicing another knife across my arm. I jerked away as the stinging pain slowly crept through my muscles. She escaped my grip and jumped up, ready to strike again. I began to feel shaky. Misha was bleeding heavily; I could smell it. I had to stay focused on Sheila, though. I can't afford to panic. "It's true! Doctor Hale ordered me to kill you!" I yelled. Sheila prepared to strike at me again. At least she was getting angry. I lunged at her. I felt my muscles changing as I moved towards her. My shadow resembled the werewolf who's DNA I had originally copied. I let out a bloodthirsty roar as I slashed into her thigh with my claws. "They don't need you anymore." I hissed. "Your emotions make you weak." She jumped and kicked me in the side of the head while lacerating my arm again with her knife. I snatched her leg in my jaw and bit down as hard as I could. Sheila shrieked in pain and jabbed her knife straight into my side. I did my best to hold on to her leg, savoring the blood that trickled into my mouth. She twisted the knife, and the pain forced me to let go. I collapsed. Luckily, I fell on top of her and prevented her from jumping away. I slammed her wrist down on the ground and her knife went flying. She stared up at my snarling face as I pinned her down. She looked terrified, and I enjoyed the moment. I pressed my massive paw down on her chest. She began to cough and struggle weakly. "Fuck...you." She said as she choked on her own blood, "I hope you die and leave Misha as empty as he left me." That was enough. I crushed her ribs with one swift punch of my paw, and tore her chest right open. My clawed hands snagged on her ribs and snapped them apart. My mouth dug inside her open body and ripped her heart from her core. I let out a triumphant, growling howl as her body became motionless below me. I stood, hunched forward on my digitigrade legs like the monster I had become. I spit her heart out and licked the blood from my lips. The adrenaline began to fade, and I remembered Misha. Nearly collapsing from pain, I rushed over to Misha while I was still built like a werewolf. He was holding onto the knife embedded in his shoulder and shaking. I tried to grab the dagger, but my hands had become awkward, large paws that couldn't grasp things as well as before. I closed my eyes and focused on returned to my original form; I needed to get Misha out of here. My stab wound throbbed with pain, and I could feel blood gushing out of the side of me. My entire left side was cramping with pain, and was dyed red. I had lost too much blood already; we needed to get out of here. Misha opened his eyes and watched me just as my hand began to morph. His glossy eyes became wide as I changed back into my more humanoid shape. After I was done transforming, I ripped the dagger out of Misha's shoulder and helped him up. I was able to focus enough energy into my stab wound to stop it from squirting blood out, but it still leaked and sent pain through my body. Misha's wound leaked blood, but not nearly as much as mine did. I handed Misha our bags and dragged him forward. "Come on..." I said weakly. I was feeling dizzy, and he wasn't responding. The silence of the scene offered me nothing but panic. I stared out to where Sheila's massacred body sat in the center of the crossroads, illustrating our struggle in dark rivers that flowed from her lifeless figure. Even in the faint, silver moonlight I could see the glistening crimson. "Decipher..." Misha was looking at the morbid scene as well. He was afraid of me; I could feel it. I closed my eyes as we limped forward and tried to ignore the fact that he had probably seen everything that had just happened. I didn't have the energy to be worried about that right now. I did my job, and I felt no remorse. I tore off what was left of my shirt and Misha held it up to his shoulder as we quickly staggered back into town. Eventually we made it back into town. The streets were mostly empty except for a few people. I would have cried out for help, but I noticed someone running at us before I could. Caliber approached us, "Shit! What's going on?" He asked, "Kato sent me to check up on you guys. He had a feeling Sheila would do this." Caliber helped support me as I staggered forward. "We need to get Misha back." I coughed. Between the morph and the blood loss, my energy was spent, and my legs were going to give out any second. The blood had begun to dry and cake onto my fur, making walking even more uncomfortable. "Fuck, Decipher!" Caliber said, "Misha will be fine, you on the other hand..." Misha was still silent. I assumed he was in shock. I had prepared myself for this, and I had known it was coming. Misha on the other hand had just witnessed me brutally murder someone. I don't think anything could have prepared him for that...He had only ever been aware of my gentle side. I felt a bit ashamed that he had to see this side of me. Everything was hazy as Caliber helped me back to the tavern. At some point, Kato joined us and began to help support me as well. They both kept calling out to me. "Decipher! Hey..." "Come on Decipher, stay with us." "Misha's in shock...he won't speak..." "Make sure he doesn't lose his bag!" All the voices danced around in my mind. My vision began to blur as I stared at Misha's horrified face. We entered the tavern, and Kato and Caliber picked me up completely and carried me up the stairs. I saw the blurred shape of Misha following slowly behind us. As soon as they laid me down on the bed I let myself pass out. I had done all that I could, and my body demanded rest.