Chapter 0: A Catastrophic Catalyst
#1 of Bloods Catalyst
_Okay, so this is my first time ever writing something, let alone writing it from a first person perspective. Very little editing was done to this so apologies if the writing gets repetitive or disjointed and lost. Please leave criticism, tips and tricks in comments or message me personally. Really not sure if the content is weighted nicely either, my re-reading of it is less than helpful past this stage, and it was written in relatively short amount of time. This is more of less a small pet project I felt like starting or trying out to see how it goes. _
_Future story updates will eventually depict acts of homosexual nature between multiple males, death, violence, adventure, werewolves, dragons, and many other creatures in a magic fantasy themed universe. Where laws of nature change between layers of realities and exploration of where true origins of the races have come from. _
If you are interested in seeing more writing from me please leave a comment or message saying so.
Caked mud and dirt petrified my hair while I sat in awe. Three days and counting since a fire blazed through the Graymane's courtyard and headquarters. Cloying smoke was not the only disrupting result of the fire, the seemingly complete disappearance of the high respected leaders and officers spun the small town into a bit of a, chaotic state.
Even now, the faces of those shuffling through the pathways expressed confusion. So many questions and no answers, and I a blood related member of the Graymane's left in dirt and mud outside the rickety shack of a tavern that hosted a many of, 'questionable' activities. Silence was broken only by echoes of whispers, conspiracy theories, and busy hustling. The difference was black and white. People who felt they had a purpose, no longer. People who were already lost now wanted to make a place for themselves, an ample opportunity. Rain was replaced with ash, the largest building in the town now just a singular piece of charred debris. Sense of order drifted away, gone up along with the smoke, wisps in the wind.
What was I to do? I was just sitting against the wall breathing a small sigh of annoyance. That was supposed to have been my Blooming Day, and instead it was an equivalent to a Doomsday. I jingled my almost empty coin pouch, forced to squeeze it to feel the remains. One coin, hopefully it was a gold one, at least then I could by a meal and bath for a night. "By the scruff of my neck" I sighed in relief at that. I could definitely clean up and get a meal before needing to do something. Waiting in the hopes for things to die down and catch a familiar face was not a viable option anymore. It wasn't even a choice at this point. I needed help, maybe clean up and clear my mind and beg someone for assistance. I may have been robbed of my bloomday, but I wanted to take it back.
"I'd like a meal and bath, and perhaps a room if available." I almost tripped as walked through the door, the main hall almost empty save for three heads including the inn keeper. "Keep, what's happened here, where are all the people I saw yesterday? Were they not victims of the fire?"
"Aye they weren't, but even they are smart enough to take what they had and leave." that bitter dry response almost didn't need that insight of wisdom.
"What do you mean, I know it's not good around here right now but the fire burned itself out. Besides, the rest of the Graymanes will handle everything." this keep was starting to stare daggers in me. "I mean there must be enough to keep some semblance of order for the rest of the mongrels that fight amongst themselves"
"Any other day son, I'd tell you to watch your mouth in this room." He slapped the gold coin off of the table and huffed in exasperation. "As you can see, we be barren and dry of people who care. If you want to see the Graymanes go talk to him."
I turned to follow his nod to see a tall man clad in some type of leather coat and leggings, muscles visible even underneath the outfit displaying his strength. Striding closer I sat down across the table from the Graymane, and surely he was one who followed many others that followed my father, long graying hair and an un-kept beard. The squelching of the chair as I slid it closer to the table looking at the older man in the face. He looked old and weathered but young, his emerald eyes glowing dimly from the fireplace's flames.
"What the hell happened, I heard rumors you all disappeared." the cracking voice pained my dry throat. "It can't just be you... Can it?"
I felt immediately unwelcomed as he stared into my eyes. "There was just a gathering; I decided to skip it as a few others... And next thing we know the whole things gone up in flames!" the older Graymane waved his arms enthusiastically trying to paint the image of fire rising up into the skies. "And they were all gone, in smoke and flames, the captain and the officers, everyone worth a damn anyways." Some spittle sprayed from his lips as he cursed at it all. "Damn it all to hell, we all belong to the demons anyway."
"HEY, I'm worth a damn too" I gulped as I met eye contact which burned with a fiery intensity. Suddenly I felt like being in the fire wouldn't have been the worst thing. "It was my blooming! Thank the hells I was late." now the gaze was a mix of sudden realization at who I was.
"Sauric, you're a damned bastard!" I took a bit of a grimace in that statement, now probably true as it hit hard in my gut. "I didn't mean that lad, but we got to get out of here before others start taking advantage. You know better to stay around longer." Damned that loud mouth, he was talking down to me almost. I was not a child.
"Where shall we go then? AugusWood or maybe we should go look to join the bloody alchemists in Riftspire?" anger started flowing through me. "What of my father? I was seeded here and I'll never get a chance to bloom." I froze as he gripped my arm in a death squeeze.
"Get cleaned up, we leave tonight. There only be two roads. We flip a coin to see if we head north or south. You do not know what it even means to be bloomed do you?" gulping as I was once more met with an intensity in not his words but his voice and eyes. Those predatory eyes looked at me like I was a fresh slaughter waiting to happen. And his almost claw like finger nails and fang like teeth poking through a wolfish grin did nothing but unnerve me further.
"Yes Sir, sorry I'll go get cleaned now" I panicked, those features threatening me were too much, I bolted up out of his chair and his grip and into the bathroom.
The steam from the simmering water pot helped soothe my nerves. I hated being put in a place of helplessness just because I don't have experience or because I'm not grayed yet. My blood ran hotter than the water that I poured onto my hair. Taking another deep breath of the steam calmed be down a bit more. I was a sorcerer too! Bloomed or not, I was still seeded and bled for a demons blessings.
I dumped another pot of water over my dirty hair, finally the mud and soot breaking and flaking away. Clean, warm, comfy "Aaahhhh" it felt so good after the days in the mud and on the side of the street. Still I couldn't help but think about what the other had said. He knew my name yet I did not know his. I, the Captains son, had been the youngest to be blessed. The prodigy gone awry that took a wrong path. Everyone knew about the Graymane who sought intellectual prowess over combating capabilities. My hands scrubbed at my flesh, my body hair tangled with grime. Flinching was inevitable as I tugged and worked the knots out of my chest hair, the hot water decompressing my tensed muscles. Curling up to rub away at the softened soot that penetrated my pants and clung to my legs, I frowned at my lack of musculature of my body. Gryn had a body like my fathers, and almost every other wolf. Defined biceps, broad shoulders and barreled chest. It would truly take more than one or two people to take them down in a fair fight. Yet, the son of the Captain shared his body's frame, but instead of monstrous muscles I had looked more natural. Still strong, still sturdy, but I was by no means a machine built for fighting. Sighing at my own reflection, my blue eyes staring back up.
"I'm just a wolf who reads..." they cursed me for not picking up a blade to fight with, to train with. "The wolf who reads, just doesn't want to bleed..." sighing once more as I stood up and rinsed the last of the mud off of me, water trailing down my stomach and legs as I stood in the tub. Shivering I wrapped a towel around my waist. Looking down at my body I realized something, it might have benefited me to practice with metal and not just wood. I wanted to feel like I could take on the world like my father did. I certainly needed more practice and training before I could even attempt to achieve goals like that first though.
I grabbed a pair of garments from a nearby rack. Loose and rough, similar to that of cheap linen but heavier and thicker but at least they were clean. After stretching a bit in the clothing to see just how well it fit me, I changed my mind. These clothes were not of thread but of tree bark. I already missed my smoother than silk spiderthread. Spoiled as I was, I certainly did acquire a taste of the more... finer things in life.
Coming into the main hall, I noticed one thing. It was now completely empty aside from us three.
"There he is, come eat, don't just soak in heat, eat something warm too!" the Graymane beckoned me over to bar bench, steaming stew and half of a loaf of bread beside it. A smile on his face, perhaps forgiveness was in order.
"Thank you, I'm sorry about... Err... Upsetting you." I was reminded I didn't even know his name again. Good thing you learn how to avoid addressing people by their name when you get talked about all the time. "I wouldn't mind knowing the name of the Graymane that bought me some food and clothes."
"Ha, see I knew he wouldn't have known of Gryn. Even though I was almost as infamous as you!" the grayed man elbowed the bar keep. "And don't thank me thank this man here. He has hosted me since before I can remember, since before I was seeded and bloomed anyways." sitting down at the bench I extended my hand to the warrior in wait of a shake.
"Nonetheless, I needed something to happen to me instead of just waiting outside listening to the conspiracies" Gryn shook my hand, rough and hard. "I hope you don't handle your sword like that, you might break it."
"Oh, that's a first time I've heard that one." he grinned at me, wide and for a considerable length of time, long enough for me to see his fangs. Perhaps he was just tense from earlier and needed to vent some of the infamous anger still. "So have you heard the rumors?"
After gulping down some meaty stew and almost stale bread I nodded. "Aye, some say I did it, tired of being mocked and tormented I lit it all up in flames, some say the wolf demon did this, and the rest don't know what to believe." he nodded at each listing of rumors.
He looked at me expectantly, I looked towards the barkeep who looked pretty grim, and back at Gryn. "You don't know then... Well, the biggest bought rumor has you as the winner"
"What?! It was my blooming that night, if I was there I would have died too, but I wasn't even there." the barkeep sighed and shifted a bit. I suppose the rumor did seem to be the closest possibility and I wasn't exactly known for my upbeat co-operable personality. I was quite a stray as they would always say, running off on my own.
"It's not safe for either of you two to stay here anyways. Graymanes won't be welcome here with the emotions rolling out of control" The barkeep grabbed my empty bowl, and poured me a drink. It smelt awful, I'm sure it would taste just as bad but it was a drink nonetheless.
I took a gulp and choked a bit. T'was Such a bitter alcohol. "I... Can't help but agree... However there are only a couple places acceptable for my blooming." I swallowed some more drink down as I struggled to deal with the bite of its 'taste'. "But I need you as an elder Gryn, I know by the gray of your mane that you can help me do it."
There it was again, that damned stare. There must be something wrong every time I mention my blooming. "No, I will not bloom you. Besides, the altar to the wolf was burned up in the fire and I don't know of any other places of worship."
This time it was time for me to shine. "Oh, that's where I was during the fire, it's the last night of the possible window too, we miss tomorrow night and I'll have to wait another season before I could try again." I mimicked that damn wolf grin us Graymanes were all about, that grin of undoubting certainty and confidence. "You will help me, or I will do it myself. I read all I could about the preparations but there was no mention of the actual ceremony. We will do this tonight and leave, you can leave me on my own if you wish but help me first."
Gryn was almost shaken by this, "damned children, I'm glad I was seeded and bloomed before I had offspring. Wolves are bad enough to talk with, but a son of a wolf?" he laughed and looked me in the eyes. "A son of a wolf is much more troublesome to deal with." a slap on my shoulder almost knocked me off my seat. Damn wolves and their roughness.
As Gryn and I left the tavern bidding farewell to the barkeep, I watched a long forged friendship get split apart. No money to travel for us three together he opted to stay and continue the tavern. The townspeople may have gone temporarily mad but a drink is a drink. I shivered at the thought of tasting that oily bitter liquid while Gryn seemed to cherish the last sip. "What a merry twenty fourth birth year for you." He put his lumbering oaf of an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close as we walked away from the town "I'll bet you didn't plan for all of this did you?"
You can sure bet I expected this as much as the hells and heavens could have.
A Wolfs' temperament had as much bite as the steel they trained with, and burned through their blood as hot as when that steel was forged. I had become accustomed to the sudden backlashes of anger over the strangest things that one could think of, and I had grown up with it. It was almost natural for me to understand why someone would kick over a chair, or slam their fists down in a fit when a quirk was ticked at a dinner table. It might have been one of the reasons most of the Wolfs lived amongst the quarters and tolerated so much. It truly was an entirely different bubble of culture inside those walls.
I might have even said I had been raised by the anger, it taught you quickly your position and role in the chain of hierarchy. Honor was earned and passed down family lines in that culture, yet outside those walls people treated you differently, almost always seeking to use you as an advantageous chest piece. The wolf's inside saw me as an outsider, and the outsiders saw me as a wolf.
Not that I wasn't a wolf, I most certainly was. I was more wolf than most of the ones I had met. I was a blackblood. It was some one that was born of a demonic contract between a father and a mother. There were few odd cases here and there of blackbloods being born, more to try and introduce magical lineage into a bloodline than of anything else, I just happened to have a Wolf demon as my sire of vastly wild unknown potential power. But even with the blackblood in my veins I didn't have quite as many outbursts of rage, and certainly not over how something was presented on a plate at the dinner table. It felt like I was one of the only few sane one surrounded by a circle of howling lunatics at times.
But I did have my own struggles. I hadn't even bloomed and yet I always had an air of caution follow me around, people were uncertain of what a blackblood could do. What a blackblood would do. Now they could just look back and claim another incident of what a blackblood did do. Being blamed of a razing of a village and small piece of civilization, I would most likely be marked a demon from here on. It made my blood run hot, painfully so.
Back then they laughed at me. They started laughing at me when I tried performing Magicks, never getting anything greater than a smoldering paper, a dull ember. My father, the head of what used to be the Graymanes, had even sought out a foreign instructor to teach me powerful magic, it was envisioned that I could be throwing balls of flame at my enemies, creating fields of fire with just a flick of my wrist, able to extinguish my foes from sweltering heat and to burn them to ash and dust. Well, I managed to turn a piece of paper into a ball of fire, through slow ignition. The instructor explained I just didn't have the capacity of doing much more, lighting a camp fire was all I could ever dream of achieving. He claimed I just did not have the internal energy for magic.
He was wrong. I knew it deep down inside of me, something that burned from my soul, wanting free. I could feel it. No one could explain that desire I felt inside of me, people said that it must have been a mutation of my blood, another mistake from the deal with a demon. That makes my blood boil with rage to this day. I was labeled a failed prototype, a model they would not seek to create again. It was not worth the loss of my mother, they said. The only sole person who supported me through all of this was my father.
He was such a strong person, mentally and physically. Skilled enough with a blade to flay the skin off his enemies while they stood, wise enough to choose efficiency in killing them quickly. The longer you stood in battle, the shorter your life he would say. He was the perfect model for a Graymane. He adorned long hair and beard, grayed with experience, proof of his battles and age. He was known as the original Graymane, a hero, a legend, a fighter, the embodiment of justice for the people. No one could best him in combat, strategically or in sparring. He brought a settlement back together and people gave up crime just so they could be loyal to him. Everyone respected him.
It seemed like the whole world renowned father.
And detested me, I was the result of his wife's death. He said he never blamed me, that she would have given her life for me again if she could. Always did my father reassure me of my existence in the world, that I was not a failure, and that I was indeed not alone, and that he would be there. Even with him being as busy as a leader of a semi-large settlement he kept trying to find time for me, when I was young he would always hold me tight in his arms, clutch me close when I cried about being alone and how everyone mistreated me. How had anyone felt the need to burn them? How had they known about the ritual being done in the chambers where there was only one entrance and exit
I started crying at all the memories resurfacing. Gryn noticed for sure but didn't speak up. I was sure of it. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close again. Like my father would. It made me break down even further and I could barely stand, my knees wobbled before I was lifted into the air and held by the other remaining Graymane.
"We can take a break" The knight stated kept me hoisted and walked off the slightly traveled path and into the denser forest. Snow crunched beneath his feet before he set me down by a large tree.
I felt like a burden while wiping away my tears. Firewood was dropped into a freshly dug hole as he tried to kindle an ember to life with not so much tinder. With a burning sensation from my veins, my hands touched the tinder as it burst into flames. At least I could light a campfire.
"Have you ever lost before?" Gryn looked at the fire blankly, I fouls see the hints of pain on his face as I shook my head, answering the question in silence.
"I lost my mother, though that was before I was fully born yet." I gulped down some air and tried to stop my tears. "Now I'm afraid I've lost everything I'd known dear, my only friend was my father." My voice cracked as the wood crackled and spit out embers into the sky. "Now he's gone, dead or alive I may never see him again." The realization was painful to state, but it made me feel a little by better about it all.
"I had lost a son once" Gryn poked the fire with his sheathed blade idly. "The mother took him and ran off, said I didn't deserve them anymore." he drank in a breath of air during the pauses. "I cheated on them I guess, it really wasn't what she had wanted. I became a wolf, I had jumped at the opportunity to make a comfortable living with the wage. It pulled us apart, no time left for them and I started being more and more comfortable inside the walls with other wolves. " I stared at the fire too now, it wasn't uncommon for a wolf to let go of his past life and seek comfort within the walls. I could understand it though, I might have left too if I knew what separation from your love felt like. "She was found dead the next day, my son too. It seemed like they came across something they shouldn't have, stabbed, left for dead, their belongings stripped from them, barely even out of the settlement headed towards the next bunch of farms."
I was shocked, I think I made a noise to; he looked up and drilled his eyes into my own. Bandits and thieves stole more than just money from others they stole away lives all the time. Flames danced and licked at the air, almost sympathetically, keeping us warm. My eyes stung, I could sense his pain but I knew not of a way to help him. "I'm sorry for you loss." I sputtered out finally "I...I Can only imagine it is worse than my own pain."
"They were my everything at that time, just as you have lost everything now." He unrolled his improvised beddings and relaxed on top before tossing me his blanket. "We have travelled and talked late enough, if you want to bloom we will need to sleep light." the words sounded strained, tired, and pained, yet they brought me some relief, to know my pains in this world were not unique. For the first time in days I felt secure enough to truly sleep deep, darkness hit me as soon as my head rested upon the ground. My dreams were full of howls of somber apologies, echoing to my soul as the moon shone as bright as silver in daylight.
Morning came, and along with it the cold wintery bite. Dew that had formed on me had frozen into ice crystals. As I sat up cold to the bone I saw the fire dead and smoldering, it's few wisps of smoke leading my eyes back to the column of smoke that still hung over the village we had left. Gryn handed me what looked like chunks of meat cooked on a stick, I thanked him and accepted the meal.
It was cold and tough, it tasted like it came from a deer that ran for centuries. Tough chewy and stringy, it was hard to eat but it filled my stomach. Gryn chuckled at my struggles to eat it. "Sorry that it's cold, I didn't want to wake you. It kind of Seemed like you deserved a good rest." I looked at the sky, it looked like it was barely dawn! If this was his idea of a good rest he was mistaken. I felt cold to the bone and sapped from physical strength, my jaw aching sore from the meat as I tossed the stick into the skeleton of the fire while I stood and stretched.
I felt like shit, but my spirits seemed better. I smiled and laughed to myself "Then you owe me a good rest, Gryn I'm sure I'll get you to pay back the debt someday." He smacked my back and just grinned at me, I might have been wrong to assume he was just a emotionless brute. At least I felt some emotional understanding of him now, I guess everyone has their own pasts that scar them, it must make us stronger, and it makes us understand each other.
Gryn finished rolling up the bedding and the blanket as he strapped it to his backpack. He wore the backpack on top of his hardened leather skin of past hunts chafing together. He looked like he was used to traveling with the way he did all of this, while keeping a hand on his sword I suppose one's combat training is to weave habits into the very grain of a person's actions and procedures. All I could do to prepare myself was brush off the cold frozen dew from my face and looked at my compass.
It started to feel kind of silly that I was leading the way to an ancient ritual site. We had talked about my blooming, agreed that he would assist me, I let him know I knew all of the preparations but nothing of the actual ritual. It was always voided out of all the books about it, I read so many and it was time after time again just empty gap of time, usually represented by several blank pages in a book. Presumptions led me to believe it deserved secrecy, and that alone made me giddy with excitement. I would uncover the secrets of the world one at a time and develop the grandeur to finally be respected by people. My blood burned with energy as I saw the cracks in the mountain and sprinted ahead, Gryn bursting into a sprint after the short lead to catch up and follow pursuit.
I snaked through the cracks and smiled in happiness, finally I was at my home away from home.
Gryn frozen with an awestruck look plastered upon his face, the walls were covered in bookshelves, full of books. The door he walked through made of iron, bound to the wall kept all unwanted thieves out. I sat down upon the floor as I regained my breath, almost collapsing from the exhaustion, smiling with joy and passion.
"This is all yours?" was muttered by my elder wolfblooded brother. He looked at me, I was certain I was beaming in joy now.
"Don't be silly, this was before even my father's time, the first ritual site of the Graymane ancestors. I don't think he even knew about it. I don't think anyone did." my explanation seemed to confuse him even more. "I had read the same books that were available to all, but I read them a little more than others. Cryptic references and puzzles, it is what encouraged me to explore and search, I found it years ago." I coughed a bit as I caught my breathe some more. "I found it more out of luck and desperation than anything else though, don't treat me like a genius." I grimaced a bit, my lungs stung from the heavy panting and lack of breathe. I didn't mind it, I felt my weight of my situation lighten and I finally relaxed.
The warrior just stood there looking around the room, indeed there were books lining the walls, the cave having been carved out by hand, one chip at a time it looked like. Large circular rooms composed of flat floors and ceilings. Interior design consisted of ancient stone chairs and desks, and in the centre of the room up a small set of stairs was a mighty throne carved of stone that melded into the ground. It looked like a throne for a king, or a lord.
Then there was the door, something that seemed from out of this realm. Marvelous contours and carvings wrapped it's surface, etched by narrow utensils to capture intimate details on top of a wood with a silvery grain. The deeper the wound into the wood the brighter the iridescent glow became, making the carving of a full moon look as if we were looking at an actual moon. Figures of wolves, some on all fours and some on two limbs were glowing dimly as they reached towards the moon with fangs and claws. Most assuredly if this mystical wood were any more enchanted I would be able to hear their howls towards the moon, in fact I felt like I could almost hear it already. I dared not to touch it, for fear of unwanted curses from otherworldly planes, from otherworldly beings. I did not wish to be bound to someone else's will by force. I did not wish to die.
Gryns eyes were still locked onto the silver tapestry carved within the wooden door, he approached it and reached towards it almost hesitantly at first, but continued through with confidence. A sadistic thought of observing what would happen to this fool popped into my head, my dismissal quick upon remembering I needed him so I could experience my blooming, and I did not dislike him. Almost a fatherly figure to me I felt safe with him, he was strong and he was with me. Not against me.
"Don't you touch that door" I quipped as he froze in his movements. "Only a fool would risk such a temptation. It's clearly enchanted, be it a blessing or a curse." I approached him to pull his calloused hand down to his side with my own. His skin rough and worn from battles and training, his breath caught in his throat before clenching his strong large fingers around my own weaker fragile ones.
" I-I would advise finding it out right this moment. Sir." The suddenness of the surprise made me nearly stop my train of thought completely. His eyes were flooded with adrenaline, his pupils threatening to fully consume his irises. My hand started getting crushed by the fiendish grip, I tried recoiling in pain.
"Stop it! You God damned wolf!" I struggled and his grip un-faltered, out fear of losing my hand I sent a swift elbow across his face. He growled and swiped at me with his hand as if they were claws, the sudden freedom caused me to reel backwards and trip, landing on the flat of my back. Head rebounding off of the cold stone floor.
I stirred and shot up from rest with panicked hands grasping at my throat and body in sudden shock. Unconsciousness had left me as quickly as it came upon me. Confusion clouded my judgment as I darted backwards from the Graymane I had thought to be a reasonable companion, shuffling with my hands and feet. Our gazes met, his face had such a sad expression plastered onto it. One that an addict would have when he's finally realized he's gone too far. Gasping for air I let my breath rush out to be replaced with a fresh batch, I hadn't realized when I began to hold it.
Movement caught my attention; as soon as my gaze shifted his arm froze in position. My heart still racing, my blood still burning, my senses alerted now more than they have ever been.
I felt like a rabbit stuck in a cage with a wolf, he knew it too.
"Sorry lad" he finally coughed up while he sat back, arms supporting his weight against the ground. "That door is no ordinary door."
"A blind could see that much" I tried to scoff back, but my nervousness cracked my voice, made it sound like I had forgotten to tune my voice. It came out sounding just like something from a broken instrument. His eyes and face still struck nerves with me, I realized now that for the longest time in the world I had been ignorant of what was around me. Ignorant of everything that surrounded me while I was growing up. Those fangs! Those eyes! The rage and retaliation! Hunger, growls, and howling! It all clicked with me at that moment.
Undoubtedly my face displayed my epiphany. They weren't just called wolves for a reason! Gryn, with that filthy predator's grin, I saw those bared, barbed, wicked fangs for the things they really were. A mark of those called the mooncursed! They were as terrible as the Alchemists that sacrificed life to the demons for power! Were clans of Sorcerers no different!? To willingly become beasts that fed off of the flesh of humanity, every kill turning them less and less human and more and more wolf!
But there was one thing pissing me off the most out of this all though, it was that shit eating grin he had on. Smoke steamed and wisped around my flesh as my blood boiled. Had he lost his sudden sympathy all of a sudden and gone mad! Every second burnt horrifically, I felt my hands and arms become surrounded by wreathes of flame, and I saw a look of anguish and sorrow in his face.
No, I was mistaken, that was a look of fear and wonder. As he visibly recoiled back I had to choke back a laugh. The werewolf was scared of ~me?! A lowly mistake with no combat training or experience?! The flames burned hotter and I screamed in agony, my blood was on fire and it bad never felt quite this hot before, I felt my skin bubble and pop as I flung flames towards him. It burnt so bad, I felt so horrible. It was agony and I couldn't make it stop. My eyes clenched too tight, I didn't want to see any of what I felt. I gasped for breath only to breathe in smoke from my clothes and flesh.
Blackness over swept me, I felt horrible, a burning in my very body still. It wanted out but it couldn't find a way, and I began to worry I'd explode into flames. I drifted along through the nothingness, I would definitely explode, and had probably cooked myself well done already for that werewolf.
Had insanity claimed me?!
And for first time in my life I burst into laughter, laughter from hopelessness and how long I'd gone living alongside with a cult full of wolves hiding in mans skin. A wolf for a father, and I was his pup. I had a much more intriguing and interesting life than any of the stories I've read from the books that were presented to me. By the six hells, I was probably a survivor from a genocide brought on by a person avenging his family, or someone seeking transcendence into god hood by purging evil. Pain still throbbed from my body, I clenched my hands from the agony.
"This curse, and that curse, my entire existence was a-" with that my eyes opened again, my blood burning hot but there was only pain left in my arms, a mild sore pain, one from overworking a muscle too much, or from being massaged too deep. Green eyes stared back down at me, Gryns face saturating my view as he sniffed at me. "Thought I'd lost ya pup" his voice sounded eerily gravely and deep, and growly as well. He jabbed my chest with his fingers for emphasis, and I realized he was sitting on top of me, pinned down under his weight. I smiled as I saw his neck and shoulder his hardened leather jacket had been singed by flames, now blackened. "You could have roasted me kid I didn't know you had it in ya. You know with all the talk about no potential."
I coughed in pain, it hurt and my mouth tasted of soot once again. Spittle splashed against my captors face as I rolled over and unleashed a torrent of vomit. I never felt sicker in my life, blood mixed largely with my undigested food and fluids. It looked like and felt like I was dying, but it just wouldn't let me end it just yet.
Gryn let out a whimper and looked down at me with empathy again. "I'll let ya up, just don't try and run. Or I'll have to eatchya."
I laughed at the fact he hadn't eaten me yet. The light from the crack outside was no more, and the only thing that emitted light in the room was the door and a small campfire a couple of feet away from me. His weight left my waist as he presented a hand for assistance. I just rolled over and stood up on my own only to stop in shock. My hands had not been blackened, had not been burnt to a decadent crisp. They were unharmed, save the clothing being vaporized off at my shoulders completely. I supported my weight and pushed up, quite tender but otherwise my hands were well and new.
I felt like fainting again, but remained conscious, pride swelled in my chest as I forced myself to stand and look at my captor. Legs replaced with rubber as I stumbled and he supported me. I flinched at the contact as he held me up. "I was just kiddin bout the whole eating ya. I been trying to treat you like my son I never got to raise." for such a comment that seemed humorous, it also seemed twice as sincere. "Do ya still want to bloom your fur like you're father did? With me as your...trusted guide?"
My head swam so much, between getting knocked unconscious twice in a row, burning up in flames, vomiting everything up and realizing my world was not what I thought it was, I was confused and that was an understatement.
"What's that door for" I managed to grumble out coherently not knowing why. Looking at it now it looked brighter than before, and I just wanted to open it.
"It's a just a door between planes of realities." I gulped at what he said, that meant it was certainly a powerful device belonging to a powerful- "The pack father made it." And that would be the powerful being, probably what makes everyone a werewolf too. I still felt like I was dying from a sickness though.
"And yer already a wolfblood pup, a seed waiting to bloom, ya just need to knock on that door over there and I'm sure you'll feel better." My legs stumbled and held me up as my support I was leaning on let me go. Looking towards the door I gulped down one more breath of smoke stained air. The campfire flames seemingly flickered with delight as I calculated my choices.
"At the rate things are going?"I gave an opportunistic shrug. "Yeah, why not meet this guy for myself." And for the first time in my life I felt that I had nothing left after having lost everything I thought I knew, Dying could be the best thing that could happen right now.
Thwoomp... Thwoomp....... I took one final breath and held it in as my knuckles hit the silver moon one last time, realizing one thing a minute too late. Thwoomp. I could hear howling from the door.