{"sf1_id":898174,"sf2_id":null,"title":"The Wandering Shadow: Chapter Twenty","author":"LucarioZer0","words":2706,"posted_at":"2015-08-14T05:17:00.000Z","tags":["Feral","Human","Magic","Plot Development","Wolf","Wolfess"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/898174-the-wandering-shadow-chapter-twenty","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/898174","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=898174\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\n20\nBeyond\nthe veil they found themselves in a tunnel like entrance chamber. \nThey\nhad only taken a few cautious steps when there was a rush of wind, howling in\ntheir ears and threatening to send them flying. They huddled together, stoic\nagainst the gale. A few minutes passed and the wind lessened to become a breeze\nbefore fading altogether.\nThey\nseparated and took another few steps forward only to be surrounded by darkness.\nEnergy arced through the shadows that surrounded them leaving behind trails\nfilled with points of light. Soon the area began to look like a field of stars,\nreminding Will of the dreams he had after the fight with the Shadow of Anubis.\nNot\nto be turned away, the three of them pressed forward, ignoring the electricity\nthat flowed so freely through the air. Like the wind before them, the darkness\nand points of light faded, leaving only the tunnel.\n\"What\nthe hell is going on?\" David asked in a hushed tone.\n\"I\nwould guess someone is trying to scare us off,\" Will answered. \"We're\nnot gonna be gotten rid of so easily though.\" Will raised his voice when\nhe said that, hoping that who ever might be trying to stymie their progress\ncould hear him as well.\nWill\nmotioned for them to keep moving. \"Come on. Not much further now.\"\nThey\ncovered the last fifty feet of the tunnel unmolested, coming out into a\ncourtyard that appeared in greys and dull blues by the failing light. Ahead\nthey could see a large, dome topped building surrounded by other, smaller\nstructures. From what they could see the architecture was unembellished and\nbuilt with function in mind, yet there was something attractive about its\nsimplicity.\nThe\ncourtyard itself was in opposition with that simplicity. All around the\ncarefully paved pathways were manicured patches of grass, a plethora of\nflowering plants, and several small fountains. While the buildings were\nbeautifully simple, the areas around them were simply beautiful.\nPerhaps\nthe most striking thing about their immediate surrounding was the complete lack\nof any people. There wasn't even the slightest whisper of movement; a sacred\nsilence.\nKeeping\nwatch for any sign of trouble the three of them set off down the main path\nthrough the courtyard to the buildings. They only made it a few yards when\ntheir progress was stopped by a barrier of energy encircling them.\nDavid\nswore. \"Oh, well isn't this just lovely!\nWhy is it that things can never seem to go smoothly for us? I mean really! I'm\nbloody sick of--!\"\n\"Calm\ndown,\" Will said as he scanned the area for any sign of their captors. \"Getting\nfrustrated won't help us here.\"\nJenna\nnodded in agreement with Will, though like Davis she felt a bit irritated by\ntheir predicament.\nSeconds\nticked by, turning to minutes as they waited within their unexpected prison. It\nwasn't long before even Will started to lose patience with the situation.\nThey\nwere cast into semi-darkness when the sun slipped below the towering peaks.\nWhile it would be a few hours before true night set in, the tenebrous pall did\nlittle to ease their minds.\nBy\nthe time the first starts began to appear in the sky they had all done what\nthey could to make themselves more comfortable. Jenna was curled up with her\nfluffy tail draped across her forepaws and her head atop her tail, like a\nsnowy, white striped pillow. Will and David were both on the ground, seated\nwith their backs against the barrier which--while solid--didn't seem to be\nharmful. And still they waited.\nAn\nhour or so after the sun had fully set David suddenly stood, his expression\ncontorted by anger and anxiety. \"That's it! I've had it with this! No more\nwaiting around. Will, I want you to pull some energy off me and Jenna, and blow\nthis damn thing apart!\"\n\"I'm\nnot going to do that,\" Will replied calmly, not wanting to add to David's\nrapidly growing hysteria. \"That could seriously hurt one or all of us, and\nthere's no guarantee it would even work.\"\nDavid\nreached down and grabbed Will by the collar. \"I don't give a damn. I don't do\nconfinement, alright? I'm not staying in here any longer, so blow this thing\nopen already!\"\nWill\nstood quickly and grabbed the illusionist's wrists, breaking his grip and\npushing David away. \"No. I've hurt enough people with my power already. I'm not\nrisking it again.\"\nDavid's\nbreath was coming in shallow bursts as he said, \"Stop being selfish dammit! I\ndon't care about your past bloody issues, alright? Just get us the f--!\"\nDavid\nstopped short at the sound of growling. They both looked down to see that Jenna\nwas on her feet, baring her teeth at David. Dark energy was flowing from her\nopen maw to surround her in a swirling nimbus of energy. She wasn't just sick\nof David's bitching. She wasn't going to stand for him speaking to Will that\nway.\nDavid\nbacked away, his eyes wide with fear--and rightfully so, having seen what she\nhad done with that energy in the past.\nIgnoring\nDavid, Will knelt down beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder and speaking\nin a soothing tone. \"It's alright Jen. Please, calm down. You don't need to be\nupset like this.\"\nFor\nhalf a second--no more than a heartbeat really--he saw the anger in her eyes, and\nthough she might turn it and her teeth on him. But the anger faded from her\neyes, and the dark energy surrounding her dissipated. Then her legs folded\nunder her, as though all the strength had left her body.\nWill\nreacted in time to catch her, pulling her in close. She whined and looked up at\nhim, and he could see that the anger in her eyes had given way to sorrow. Will\nhugged her tightly and whispered, \"It'll be alright. We're gonna get out of\nhere, then we're gonna find some way to make you better. It'll all be okay.\"\nHer\neyes softened a bit, and she sighed contentedly. She knew he was saying it as\nmuch for him as for her, and that he was intentionally using platitudes since\nhe couldn't think of anything better, but she appreciated it just the\nsame.  She nuzzled his neck briefly\nbefore feeling a wave of exhaustion roll over her. She didn't even have time to\ncomprehend what had happened as she slipped into unconsciousness, slumping\nagainst Will.\nHe\npulled away slightly, looking down at her. Shit,\nhe thought. He knew she wouldn't wake for a while, most likely a few hours. Oh well. At least she doesn't have to worry\nabout anything for a little bit.\nSuddenly\nremembering what had triggered her in the first place, he turned to say\nsomething to David, but all thought of it went out of his head when, with no\nwarning, the barrier around them dropped.\nDavid\nand Will were surprised to see that they were being approached by three men,\neach of them wearing robes of red and yellow. All of their heads were clean\nshaven, and they all appeared to be natives of Nepal. The one in the middle of\nthe trio--who was the shortest, and appeared the most elderly of them--spoke, his\nvoice deep and ringing with the wisdom of many years. \"You must come with us.\nImmediately.\"\nPushing\naside the surprise at hearing the man--who he presumed was some sort of monk--speak\nEnglish, Will asked, \"Why?\"\n\"There\nis little time to explain. That one--the wolf girl--is in a delicate state now.\nWe can help, but you must come now.\"\nWithout\nhesitation Will nodded, picking Jenna up as he stood. \"Lead the way.\"\nThe\nthree monks turned wordlessly with the expectation that the others would\nfollow. Will didn't need any additional encouragement and David--who was simply\nhappy to have some level of freedom back--followed without complaint.\nCatching\nup to the monks Will said, \"You said you can help. Does that mean you know what\nhappened to her? And that you can change her back?\"\nIt\nwas a different monk who answered, this time the tallest of the three. He was a\ndark eyed man, with his lip upturned in a perpetual sneer. \"Of course we know\nwhat has befallen her. Anyone who knows enough could see it. It is an old magic\nthat has not been used in many a century.  As for changing her back...\" He hesitated, a\nlook pf pity crossing his face for the briefest instant. \"That part is not so\nsimple.\"\n\"Wait,\nthen how can you help?\"\nThe\nfinal of the three, who was of middling height and was also the youngest in\nappearance, said, \"In the time since her change, you have seen her act less\nhuman, and more like her animal form, yes?\" When Will nodded he continued.\n\"This is because the magic acts on her mind as well as her body.\"\n\"So\nyou're going to stop the magic from changing her mind?\"\nThe\nshortest spoke again. \"That is what we will attempt.\"\nThere\nwas a sense of finality in his tone that told Will not to ask any other\nquestions as they entered the central temple. The three guided Will and David\nthrough the halls of the building until they reached a large central chamber. The\nroom was barren, consisting of naught but open space, a ring of pillars that\nsupported the ceiling, and torches that lined the walls. There were other monks\ngathered there as well, all watching in silence.\nThe\nshort monk turned and said, \"Place her in the center of the chamber, and step\nback. If we are to do this, it must be while she is unconscious. While she sleeps\nthe darkness within her will be less powerful.\"\nWill\nhesitated, now wondering at the wisdom of placing Jenna in the care of these\nstrangers. He knew though, that he had little choice but to trust them. So,\ngritting his teeth, he walked to the center of the chamber and laid Jenna on\nthe cold stone floor, very aware of the many pairs of eyes that were upon him.\nHe\nstepped away, joining David at the edge of the room. The illusionist leaned\nover and asked, \"Are you sure about this mate?\"\nHe\nnodded, putting up a strong front despite his doubts.\nThe\nmonks began to arrange themselves in a circle around Jenna. She slept on,\nblissfully unaware as they began to chant unbidden in a strange, haunting\ntongue. Each of the monks began to display a different form of energy around\ntheir body. One appeared to be on fire. Another was surrounded by sparks of\nelectricity. One faded in and out of view. Others glowed with light, or were\nswept by wind.\nThe\nflames on the torches began to whip and flicker.\nThe\nshadows at the edges of the room deepened into black voids as all the light\nflowed toward the center of the chanting monks. In unnerving unison the monks\neach raised one arm, palms facing Jenna. Energy began to flow from each of them,\ntendrils of white light reaching out to Jenna's prone form. The tendrils\nwrapped around her, lifting her a foot or so off the ground.\nThere\nwas an immediate and violent reaction. Flashes of black energy pulsed from\nJenna's body in ragged bursts. With each burst of dark energy came a shockwave\nthat threatened to knock them all off their feet. One by one the torches went\nout, unable to stay lit under the conditions. The only remaining light was the\nethereal glow emanating from the tendrils of energy.\nIt\nwas at this point that David slipped behind one of the support pillars to use\nit as a shield. Will on the other hand stood his ground, watching in silence.\nHe felt a strange mixture of hope and nervousness. He licked his lips and\ncrossed his arms, his eyes betraying none of the raging emotions within.\nAnother\nshockwave of dark energy rocked the building, shaking dust from the ceiling.\nAnd still the monks chanted, pouring energy into Jenna's body. A glowing\nchrysalis formed around her, just transparent enough to see her through. The\nbursts of darkness were brought under control, contained by the shield forming\naround her. The tendrils faded, all becoming one with the layer of bright energy\nthat coated her.\nThrough\nthe light Will could see that the bursts of energy had stopped altogether. He\nbit his lip, not daring to feel any sense of victory or joy until he knew it\nwas done. Jenna's body slowly lowered to the ground, and the glowing shell\nfaded away. The monks' chanting ceased.\nNeeding\nno other sign, Will rushed forward to the center of the room, kneeling beside\nJenna when he reached her. He picked her up gently, holding her close to his\nchest. Physically she was unchanged, still as furry as she had been for the\npast few months. But as for her mind...\nWill\nlooked up as he heard approaching footsteps. It was one of the monks who had escorted\nthem into the building, specifically the shortest of them. \"When she wakes up...will\nshe be any different?\" Will asked.\nThe\nmonk smiled. \"No, but that is the point. The magic will have no further influence\non her mind. She will remain as you know her, at least in that respect.\"\nWill\nfought back tears as he said, \"Thank you. Granted...it's not what we hoped for\nwhen we came here...but it's a start.\"\nDavid--having\ndecided it was safe to abandon his shelter--strolled over and said, \"Yeah, but\nthere's still the issue of...you know...wolfishness.\"\n\"I\nhaven't forgotten, nor could I,\" Will replied. \"But after all this time I'll take\nwhat I can get for now.\"\nRedirecting\nhis attention to the monk Will asked, \"I don't suppose you could offer any\nadvice on how to change her back into her normal self?\"\n\"I\ncan, but you may not like the answer. I'm sure we have many things to discuss,\nbut it has grown late, and morning comes early for those who live within our\nhalls. Not to mention that many of us have been exhausted by what we have done\nhere.\"\nWill\nnodded. \"Tomorrow then?\"\n\"Yes,\"\nthe monk answered. \"Tomorrow, you shall learn. Tonight all I can offer you is\nthe humble hospitality of our monastery.\"\nWill\nstood, gently cradling Jenna in his arms. \"Anything you can offer would be\nappreciated.\"\n            \"I will have someone show you to the\nrooms where you can spend the night then.\"\n            \"Oh, hey, I just remembered!\" David\nsaid, drawing their attention. \"We have a horse and cart that we left just\noutside. Can we get them brought in here? I'm sure Vincent is sick of being\nalone out there.\"\n            Will doubted very much that the colt\nminded being able to spend some time alone without having to pull the cart, but\nhe said nothing as the monk nodded. \"I will have someone bring them in for you.\"\n            \"Brilliant. Well then, how 'bout\nthose rooms?\"\nThe\nmonk gestured for them to follow and led them through the buildings to the\nliving quarters. He offered one sparsely furnished room to David--who seemed\nunhappy with the Spartan appointments but said nothing--and then directed Will\nto the room next door. Before entering Will inclined his head and said, \"Thank\nyou again, for everything. I'm sure were she conscious Jenna would be grateful\nas well.\"\nThe\nmonk inclined his head in response as he said, \"You are most welcome my friend.\nWe could not turn away from someone in such obvious need of our help. For now\nget your rest, and we shall meet again in the morning. If you cannot find me,\nsimply ask someone to guide you to Amitesh.\"\nWill\nnodded, and after thanking Amitesh once again he entered what would be his and\nJenna's lodgings. There was only a bed in the small room, but it would be sufficient\nfor the night. Will set Jenna on the bed then set his bag on the floor, with\nhis cloak on top. He then positioned himself and Jenna as best he could on the\nbed and quickly gave into exhaustion, slipping into a contented sleep.\n"}