WW XXIV: Winter's Heart

[Azuran]

(Thanks to Tanny for helping out with Lillen in this post )

 

So many deaths and seemingly no closer to finding the werebeast. For the moment, Tsal forced himself to turn his thoughts away from the gruesome proceedings of the last several days. Initially fear had provoked a sense of intense regret. There were so many reasons why Tsal wanted—needed—to live. But now, he had come to realization that anyone’s time could be running out, and at the very least he wanted to live for the moment he was in. He picked up the linked wooden rings from where they lay next to him on the branch and glanced over them one last time. He had spent several hours grinding them out until the wood felt almost soft from the smoothness, and had then carved an intricate pattern of leaves and vines twisting across both. Dropping it into an outer pocket of his coat he slid off the branch and set off for the tavern.

 

He quickly discerned Lillen among the barmaids who were still half-heartedly keeping the tavern running, and surprised himself by calling her over to where he stood with an uncharacteristic confidence.

 

“Lilly. I’d like you to have this.” Tsal withdrew the carved rings from his pocket and held it out for her.

 

Lillen looked at him, surprised - she'd never expected him to actually talk to her in a direct way. But in seconds she graced him with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen on her face, taking the rings carefully from his outstretched hand.

 

"They are beautiful, Tsal... so beautiful... thank you. I'll treasure them." Still smiling, she hugged him tightly.

 

It took Tsal some moments to realize that Lillen had started to cry in his arms, but there was something comforting about just being there to hold her. Tsal gently brushed away Lillen’s tears with his thumb and looked her in the eyes.

 

“We still have hope.”

 

Her tears finally stopping, Tsal kissed her softly on the forehead. Pulling the leather lace out of his left boot, Tsal took the wooden rings from Lillen and threaded the cord through them. He then carefully reached around Lillen's neck and tied the ends together, forming a crude necklace from which the carved rings hung. Smiling one last time, he turned and retreated to his room, leaving her to manage the tavern.

 

Sitting alone on a gnarled oak stool and looking out the one small window in his room, Tsal felt a sadness permeating his thoughts much in the way a russet dust stain clouded the edges of the glass where it touched the frame. The heavy layer of snow gave a look of false serenity to the village, serving to silently erase the evidence of the proceeding bloody events far more quickly than the memories could ever disappear. And yet Tsal felt tainted by the fear that was slowly consuming the town. Tainted by the fact that he had even suspected Granny Jammeez only to learn of her tragic fate the following morning.

 

Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.

 

There was a growing rhythm, beating with the blood in his veins, pulsing with each blink of his eyes, yet Tsal remained calm in spite of it. He silently gazed out the grimy window and decided that there was little else he could do but go with his gut feelings at this point. For the past few days he had twisted his own mind into knots thinking about who might be the werebeast and yet he felt no more sure now than he did then. It was a wave of relaxing irrationalism that he succumbed to now. There was something peacefully easy about it. Right or wrong, just one quick, simple thought flicked through his brain. Annie…

 

OOC: Vote for Annie

[Tanuchan]

Lillen sat on a bench by the kitchen table, hugging herself while feeling the warmth coming from the big stoves. Her mind wandered, hopping from memory to memory - her childhood, her first kiss, the day Granny had matched her to Andreas. Her first day working at the tavern. The day the village found out that her fiancé had run away with Widow Pearson's granddaughter, almost a year past.

 

The first time she had noticed Tsal observing her surreptitiously.

 

Leif's still body on the floor of the tavern.

 

Tears came to her eyes again, and she fingered the rings tenderly, thinking of all the feelings she had buried since Granny had decided she would be better off married to Andreas and not Ned. Since Granny had matched Ned to her sister, and she had seen them leave the village.

 

Lillen sat in the kitchen for a long time, automatically giving the necessary orders to the other girls. Leif had made her the first of his barmaids, and she knew the responsibilities. He would be proud of her.

 

The sun was nearly setting when she left the tavern for a walk.

 

The cold air will do me good. I used to like to walk in the snow...

 

From his window, Tsal saw Lillen leaving. He hesitated, but a sudden worry made him pick his jacket and go downstairs in a run, intending to catch or at least keep an eye on Lillen.

 

The werebeasts attack at night. I can't leave Lillen walking alone after nightfall!

 

He saw Lillen walking leisurely towards the stables - he knew she had a mare, one her late grandfather had given her on a birthday some years before. He supposed she wanted to ride a bit, and hastened his steps.

 

Both Lillen and Tsal stopped when they saw the gathering, and the voices rising.

 

"No, not again..." whispered Lillen.

 

Being taller, Tsal could see better what was happening - a small girl on a pony, surrounded by adults.

 

"Let me pass! You don't have the right to stop me! My father will see that you regret this!"

 

Annie looked arrogantly at the people around her, but Lillen saw something else - heard something in her high-pitched voice. A little scared girl.

 

The people surrounding Annie argued among themselves quite heatedly.

 

"She's a little girl. She's a brat, but can't be a beast!"

 

"Werebeasts have to be small at some time, don't they? She's a werepup, and we can't let her go. And she must have a parent somewhere! Maybe that father of hers, huh?"

 

"My father isn't a beast!" Enraged, Annie forgot her fear for a moment. "Let me go!" She screamed in frustration, and hit her pony hard with the whip.

 

The pony, already restless with the tension it feels around it, neighed in startled suprise and panicked, charging against the people. They gave way hurriedly, and Tsal had barely the time to lunge and push Lillen away from its path.

 

Annie screamed, but now in sheer panick as the pony stampeded and ignored all her panicked attempts at control.

 

Two riders in horses rushed after her, but everybody saw when Annie was thrown from the saddle, laying limp on the ground.

 

"Broken neck," said one of the riders, after kneeling and examining her delicately.

 

~~~~~~

OOC: Sweetcherrie/Annie was a brat - but not a beast. It's now Night Phase. Wolves/Seer, you have 23 hours from this timestamp (Wednesday, around 8pm EST) to PM me your targets.

 

More info at the OOC thread.

 

(Edit: typos)

Edited January 25, 2006 by Tanuchan

[Lord Panther]

John was suddenly quite ashamed of living in this town. An innoncent, at least in the ways of the murders, young girl had been killed. He knew that his fellow townsfolk only had the survival of the town in mind, but still, were they really listening to reason?

 

Knowing full well, that Annie's father would be visiting him for a coffin for his little angel, John goes to the back of his shop and pulls out some of the more expensive and fine wood that he has stashed away. Annie's father would insist on the best, and getting any better than this at this time of year would be next to impossible.

[Sweetcherrie]

Annie got up and ran, she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. When she noticed that the crowd wasn’t following her anymore she slowed down and looked back.

 

They were all standing in a circle around something, and she inched closer. Insecure about why all of a sudden they had directed their attention elsewhere she shuffled closer, and then almost tumbled backwards as she saw what it was that everybody was looking at. It was her own body, her neck was at a weird angle, and she wondered why it didn’t hurt more.

 

Looking around the circle she discovered that all the people from town were here. Most of them were looking sad, but there were two that were standing a bit separate from the others, and talking to each other with in soft whispers. Annie inched closer to one of them, and tried touching, but her hand went straight through. She tried talking, and could hear her own voice, but nobody else could.

 

Annie stamped her ghostly feet. She would find a way to get her new knowledge out in the open. Somehow, she would. She had always been a spoiled little brad, but she also had been a very stubborn brad, and she would find a way to get this knowledge known.

[Tanuchan]

Lillen gasped, not needing to wait for the riders to come back with Annie's small body to know what had happened. She wanted just to lie down there where she was, but didn't resist when Tsal lifted her.

 

"You surely don't prefer the snow to a warm bed, do you?" He still held her close, guessing accurately that she probably wouldn't be able to stand without help. "Come, I'll walk you back to the tavern. There's no need for you to stay here, and it's not safe to stay outdoors."

 

Lillen just nodded, feeling tired and drained. Tsal's arm holding her gave her comfort, and she let her mind wander again.

 

So lost she was, that she needed some time to notice John's hands holding her. She blinked, and recognized his workshop.

 

"John..." she sighed, and tried to say something. But the carpenter interrupted her, making her sit down.

 

"Hush. You're cold to the bones, and you'd better rest. If you haven't noticed, I called you and Tsal when I saw you coming this way."

 

Tsal brought her a cup of steaming tea, while John made sure that she was in a warm corner of his workshop. Her father had been one of John's best friends, and had died when Lillen was still a toddler. For almost all purposes, Lillen saw in John the father she had barely known, and he cared deeply for her.

 

"So, Tsal..." John studied the boy's face, wishing that his hair didn't hide his eyes. "I have been thinking... you have a lot of skill in your hands, and I see you already know a lot about wood. I've been in need of some help here, and with your carving skills... I'm wondering if you wouldn't like to apprentice with me." He poured some tea for Tsal then made himself busy with some scraps of wood.

 

Tsal stared at John for a few moments, blinking in suprise. Then he dropped his eyes hastily, brushing his hair away with his free hand while holding the cup of tea with the other.

 

"People like your carving, Tsal. By apprenticing with a carpenter, you'd learn to use your skills with wood in a way that would touch even more people. And you're in an age to start thinking seriously about a craft for yourself. You'll eventually want to have your own family, and your business." John said that casually while separating scraps that Tsal could use in his carvings, but he observed carefully both the boy's and Lillen's reactions. Tsal didn't notice it, but Lillen did - and she blushed at his slight smile to her.

 

"You are very kind, sir... I mean... I'm just a boy, no family here, you don't really know me... and you're offering me this, when I just came here for scraps of wood, I wouldn't really be able to do things right, I just know... I mean... I do some little carving, that's all...?"

 

In spite of his words, and blushing more and more while trying to say something coherent, there was a tone of hope in Tsal's voice. John just nodded. "I saw some of your carvings. And Lillen there has an extremely good piece of your work; I saw it when I went to the tavern for dinner."

 

Tsal gulped, suddenly realizing that he was talking to the man who would see Lillen as his daughter. He glanced at her, but only registered her cute flushing face and beautiful bright eyes, which were looking at John in surprise.

 

Do I want it? Is he trying to match me to Lilly? She's... she's such a good girl...

 

John handed Tsal a bag with the pieces of wood he had selected. "You don't have to answer me now, Tsal. Think it over, and give me an answer as soon as you have made up your mind. Now, would you please walk Lillen back to the tavern? It's dark already, and I don't think we should have people outdoors. Stay there, both of you. And Lillen..."

 

"I know, John. I won't go home, I'll stay there. Leif has always kept a room for me, for when we had snowstorms and it wasn't safe for me to leave."

 

The carpenter noded, and waited on the door until he can see them entering the tavern.

 

 

Maybe less than a couple of hours later, not very far from the village square, a solitary person arrived home carrying a basket of goods. He lowered the hood of his cloak, opening his door without really noticing two figures approaching from the sides.

 

"Oh, what a nice red cloak! And hooded also!"

 

"Hey, what's in the basket? It smells good!"

 

Nathaniel turned, frowning a bit, then smiled as he recognized them. "What? Ah, the basket? Good Lillen sent me some of their stew and fresh bread, said that then I might have a nice supper later tonight!" He grinned at the person. "I don't mind sharing, why don't you come in?"

 

"We'd really like to have the time... but unfortunately we have some business. Tell me, when was the last time you visited Granny?"

 

"My Granny?" Nathaniel's voice shakes a bit, saddenend by the reminder. "Why, just yesterday morning... funny that you ask, I was carrying exactly this same basket... Lillen sent lunch and some cookies to her..."

 

"Poor Granny..." one of Nathaniel's visitors sighed, then asked, "Shame she has also been visited by wolves."

 

"Wolves?" Nathaniel blinked. It might have been because of his precious notebook, but that word didn't go unnoticed, and he knew immediately why. "How do you know they were wolves? No one knows for sure the shape of the werebeasts... unless..."

 

Wolfish grins stared at Nathaniel, and he had just the time to wonder at the sharpness of the claws.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

OOC: Venefyxatu/Nathaniel Churnstone was an innocent villager. It's now Day Phase, and you have 48 hours from this timestamp (Friday, by 8pm EST) to vote.

 

If you don't get a wolf this turn, they'll have won after night phase. Choose wisely and good hunting!

 

 

Scorecard at the OOC thread.

Edited January 26, 2006 by Tanuchan

[Jammeez]

Granny Jammeez...er...Miss Jammeez, anyway - for she is young and beautiful again - stands tall and straight with her hands clasped behind her back, waiting for Nathaniel when he arrives. In life, he'd only seen a small illumination of his grandmother when she was young, but now as they stand side by side, they might as well be brother and sister, and he of course remembers her from before...

 

"So, now you know, Nathan."

 

"Yes, Grandmother. Although I'm very surprised...in both cases, I must admit."

 

"Heh, well your grandfather wasn't alone 40 years ago, and there's certainly been children since. You know, the only thing that kept my dear Itchy alive for those last ten years was my discovery of the bane. I would put it in his tea. It kept him harmless at night and saved him from years of guilt. His fellow wolf wasn't so lucky, you might remember. They lynched him, you know."

 

"Yes Grandma, I remember the stories. It's the real reason why Mum and Dad took me away, isn't it?"

 

"Clever boy. Yes, I suppose it is. *sigh* I still wish you'd settled down and given me some more grandchildren before I died."

 

"Heh, well...oh, now I sound like you!" Nathaniel winked at the young woman next to him. She just smirked back. "You'd never have gotten me in your clutches, my dear. I suppose I'll have to haunt that old mansion, now, if I ever want to read all those books... Where'd I leave that notebook of mine?"

 

Nathaniel wanders off and Jammeez watches him with a bemused look, then fades out herself. She has to track down that beastly husband of hers again...

 

~Jamz

Edited January 26, 2006 by Jammeez

[JDRollins]

They were out there Joseph knew and he was going to make sure he got them this time. Likely targets, unlikely targets. Innocent people being killed. But there has to be a way to find them before they kill us all.

 

Joseph trundles out. "who is the least likely I wonder." He shakes his head as he mutters to himself. "I just don't know anymore."

 

OOC: My vote goes for Panther this time

[Lord Panther]

Now John was just plain angry. Another murder, another dead villager, another lost friend. This had to stop, and he had to do his best to help that end arrive. He was so furious, that if he was able to get his hands on one of the killers, he would nail them to the gallows himself.

 

He would do anything to protect to protect the village, protect Tsal, and of course, to protect Lillen.

 

In order to keep his rage under control, John decided it best not to work on his projects, but instead to catch up on some wood splitting that he had to do, to keep his fire going, to keep his workshop and loft warm, and most importantly, to keep himself sane.

 

He still had his very strong suspicions about Karen. Something about her was just... well... unnatural. He was convinced that she was in on the killings. Maybe through some sort of morbid fascination that she picked up at her school, maybe something else. He was sure, and he had to make the other villagers listen to reason...

 

(OOC: Vote for Karen/Katzaniel)

[Lord Panther]

The work made John's muscles and joints ache, but it took his mind off the situation, if only slightly. His split wood pile becoming larger and larger, he kept pouring over the murders in his mind.

 

He had no doubt that Lillen was not involved. He had known her since she was a baby, and knew that she just did not have killing within her.

 

He also doubted completely that Susan had anything to do with the killings. He knew she wasn't exactly excited about her arranged marraige, but he believed it far from her to go on a killing rampage in order to prevent it. Besides, even if the thought had crossed her mind, wouldn't she have gone after her betrothed alread? It didn't make any sense for her to be involved.

 

John's mind passed over the faces of the remaining villagers, not able to completely convince himself one way or the other. His gut still told him that he was right in his suspicions, and that he had to stick to them, no matter what.

[Mynx]

Susan, queazy enough that morning as it was, couldn't take the sight that awaited the villagers this morning.

 

On her way to the market to run an errand for her mother, Susan had come across the gathered crowd and, unintentionally, found herself drawn to the front of the circle until she could see the mangled remains.

This was too much for Susan's morning sick stomach to take, and barely a second after she had seen the body she was pushing her way back out of the throng to throw up in a side street.

 

Leaning against the wall of a building as she waited for her legs to stop trembling, Susan couldn't help but notice how calmly Karen was able to deal with the mutilated bodies.

Medical practitioner or not, it made Susan wonder...

 

OOC: Karen

[Katzaniel]

"I didn't mean for her to die," sighed Karen to herself. "She was acting strange, though." The young student had spent the last day carrying around the note in her pocket. The stress of the situation was showing on her, in little ways: Eyes slightly wider than normal, a tendency to be spooked easily, and, probably the only change that anybody noticed, she would sometimes abruptly say something out loud to herself, whether she was in a crowded room or thought herself alone.

 

She clenched her eyes shut for a moment. "I was wrong before, and poor Annie has paid for it," she whispered. "And yet I find myself suspecting again, so soon ... why can't I just pretend it's not happening, like so many of the others?"

 

OOC: Azuran / Tsal

[Azuran]

It was becoming painfully obvious to Tsal just how quickly their numbers were beginning to dwindle. There was also a sense of failure, having been wrong about seemingly all of his suspicions so far. As often he did when he needed to think, Tsal found his way to the old stables at the edge of the woods. Two of the old wooden walls were half caved in, along with a large section of the roof, and snow had piled up on the floor inside in several places. The bright gray sky filtered through the holes and cracks, illuminating shafts of dusty air and creating brilliant sparkles where it struck the delicate crystals of fresh snowflakes. Tsal gently fell backwards onto the largest of the heaps, sinking in heavily and creating small flurries of powder on either side of him. Laying on his back, he closed his eyes and breathed in the damp smells of frozen earth and mildewed timber, taking pleasure in the natural mustiness.

 

For better or worse, this will all be over soon.

 

Opening his eyes again, he blinked rapidly against a small ray of daylight that played across his face, flickering in time with the rustling of the branches hanging far above the decrepit roof. The glow seemed to bloom out, filling his vision and relaxing his mind. In the distance he could hear the faint clamor of a woodpecker hammering at the bark of some bug-ridden tree, while nearby a large bough creaked under the weight of snow like a lonely sigh from nature herself.

 

This is my home. This is all our homes.

 

But something bothered Tsal in the back of his mind. Not all of them truly wanted to be here. Perhaps this wasn’t home for someone…

 

Twice now I’ve heard Karen speaking out against me…

 

Tsal sat up slowly, not bothering to brush the snow off his back and shoulders where it clung like a glistening cape, and after sweeping his hair out of his eyes he smiled—a large, free smile that can only come when the flicker of hope refuses to be extinguished.

 

OOC: Vote for Karen.

[Patrick]

Cedric sighed. Another day, another person dead during the night. Cedric had seen Nathaniel's body. He longed to see Susan, but he had to see his friend again, who could abort her. While going there he met Karen. She seemed streesed. Cedric did not say a word as he made his way to his meeting, but after passing Karen he shot a glance at her from behind.

 

OOC: Sorry for the short post and late vote, last night I was out partying, and now I'm also just going to leave again. Vote for Katzaniel/Karen Zahn again.

[Katzaniel]

The rumours were growing stronger and stronger. Karen was sitting at her window, watching as everyone passed by, knowing that they were talking about her. Her mother, in the kitchen, dropped a spoon - Karen jumped a foot in the air when it clattered to the ground. "No!" she shouted to no one in particular. She stood up, glanced around. "I can't stand this any more," she whispered hoarsely, and rushed from the house.

 

"Karen?" came her mother's voice, worried and confused. The woman came out, wiping cookie batter from her hands onto her apron. "Oh, why can't that girl just settle down like all the other girls?" she regretted aloud. "She'd be much happier if she did."

 

Her daughter, meanwhile, had rushed to the bar, where she found Lillen and some others gathered.

 

"It's her," she heard someone say.

 

"She did it," answered another.

 

"Wait!" Karen wailed. "Wait, please wait. It's wrong, you're all wrong!"

 

"Can you prove it?" said a patron, someone she'd known all her life. "How can we really trust what you say? You're so calm, all the time... It's uncanny."

 

"I've always been like that," the girl whined. "You all know me, I've always been this calm." The statement was ironic, considering how at this point her eyes were wide, her nostrils flared, and she was looking first one way and then another, never letting her eyes settle in one place.

 

A crowd was forming. No one's intention was to block the young woman in, but that's what was happening, and that's what she percieved. "No, wait, just wait," she said frantically. Gingerly, she pulled the note from her pocket and waved it at the group.

 

"Look," she said. "Look, see. I just want you all to know, whatever happens, you must listen to this. It's true, it's all true, what's in here." She fell into a coughing fit, then. "No," she whispered, "Okay, it's a lie, one thing is a lie. But I can't tell her that, can I? What would she think, knowing that I love him so much more?" Karen grabbed the nearest person. "You won't tell her, will you? I do love her, I just ... I just don't ... just not quite so much. And how could she grieve for me, knowing that? It would destroy her. Please don't say anything!" The man nodded frantically until Karen released his collar, then backed away a few steps. Karen seemed to forget then that everyone was there. She stood, eyes glazed, glancing around the room, breathing heavily, not moving.

 

 

OOC: I don't see as how it will make a difference, but I have decided I'm going to try changing my vote to Panther

[Tanuchan]

Finally someone spoke. "What's true, miss? What's in that letter?"

 

Karen started. Gingerly, she unfolded it, showed it to him. She didn't need to reread it; she had memorized its entire contents, word for word. "I can't protect myself," she sighed. "I don't know how. And I swear to you, I swear to all of you, whether I was doing the killings or not, I'd react in the same way. Why can't you believe me? I never did anything that should have been suspicious!"

 

Someone at the back of the crowd grew brave. "Did you do them?" he asked quietly. The room went quiet for the answer.

 

Karen slumped. She fell forward, onto her knees, and stared at the floor. "I can't control it," she murmured into the silence. Someone gasped. "I didn't mean anything, at first. Well, I barely knew what I was doing. Suddenly there were claws, and there was hair, and it was like I was watching someone else. It was so interesting, though, I didn't really try... I didn't hurt them very much, anyway. The next night, the same thing happened. That one died. I didn't realize it was actually happening until I woke up that second morning and found out someone had really been killed. The first time, I don't know, it must have made them like me? The third night, I tried to fight it, but it's so hard to control. I even thought I had it, until the fourth night. So horribly hard to control. People keep dying. I'm trying to fight it. I'm so sorry. And Granny Jammeez? You must realize that I wasn't really myself. Like moving through a dream. And the compulsion. The blood. Fascinating, but horrible. Yes, very horrible." She trailed off, thinking something to herself.

 

People began to exchange glances, and one or two men moved forward. She didn't seem an immediate threat, but she certainly had to be contained. Killed, even, despite the fact that they had known her. They couldn't let the Werebeast contaminate any more than it had.

 

"Wait," she said, one last time. "You'll use my body, won't you? Find a cure? Kill me if you must - I'll even try my hardest to let you kill me - if only you'll promise to find a cure for the other."

 

Lillen, stepping closer, asked in a soft voice, "What other, Karen? Who did you convert?"

 

Karen looked frantically around. Everyone was closing in. Nowhere to go. No way to escape. She wailed. Suddenly she felt a prickly sensation; fur was growing. Her mouth began to hurt; her teeth were getting sharper. "Now," she screamed. "Promise me!"

 

Tsal grabbed Lillen's arm and pulled her away from Karen. The Turning happened quickly, and before anyone could say anything, the girl was swinging her claws wildly, sneering, instincts taking over as she cut down the wall of people before her.

 

"We promise!" someone said. It was the town doctor.

 

There were a few breathless moments as the killing continued - six people had fallen, killed instantly, another four seemed to have hope of surviving - until the beast slowed. Lillen whimpered, hiding in Tsal's arms - the boy himself wearing an expression of shock, disgust, and incredulity.

 

The beast, who had been Karen, was staring at John, drooling, but shaking, quivering hard. It moved forward, mouth opening, but more slowly, almost reluctantly. He used the moment to thrust a knife into the werewolf's neck. She reared, her paw swiped across his face. John staggered, and put his hand to his cheek. The beast had hit hard - it would surely bruise - but the claws had been retracted. He stepped back, and others moved in. It was just as good, for the beast was taking over again. Injured, bleeding, she was fighting for her life.

 

Numerous wounds from numerous townspeople put an end to her.

 

~~~~~~~

OOC: Katz/Karen Kahn was a werewolf. Congratulations! It's now Night Phase. Seer/Wolf, you have 24 hours from this timestamp (by Saturday, 8pm EST) to send me your targets.

 

If I get the targets early, I might end night phase earlier - keep an eye on this thread.

 

Good luck!

 

The post was written by Katzaniel. I've added a couple lines, with the names of some characters. Thank you, Katz!

[JDRollins]

Joseph see the carnage, he runs over to the corner and empties his stomach on the floor. This is ridiculous he thinks How many friends do we have to lose? He shakes his head and walks out into the night for some fresh air.

 

OOC: Just to get this subscribed to hopefully.

Edited January 28, 2006 by JDRollins

[Tanuchan]

Having thought over John’s offer of an apprenticeship, Tsal still found it difficult to wade through exactly what it would mean. He was both excited and scared at the prospect of learning something new and he realized that he had never really given much thought about his future, always worrying about the past he had escaped instead. Everything was a little overwhelming now, an offer to train to become a carpenter, the possibility of a family of his own even…

 

Tsal hurriedly tied on his boots, one of the laces still a temporary piece of string, and hurried off towards John’s shop, determined to accept his offer before Tsal’s own mind started having doubts again.

 

Three times he moved to knock on the heavy door only to pull his hand back at the last second. Finally he struck the wood, the sound louder in his ears than expected, and quickly brushing the hair out of his eyes he tried to think of a good way to greet the older man.

 

“Lilly?” Tsal was surprised to see Lillen standing in the open doorway, her beautiful eyes both laughing and looking equally surprised to see Tsal. “Hey…hi! I came to talk to John, if he’s around? I’ve decided that I’d like to be his apprentice!” It sounded even better than he’d expected coming out of his own mouth, and he repeated the words again in his head, smiling a little broader.

 

John, having heard those words, came to the door and - to Tsal's surprise - pulled him into a hug. "I'm glad to hear that, Tsal. Come in, let's talk. "

 

 

Later, Tsal sat by Lillen observing her gentle hands probing John's face and thinking about the last events, that had had the side effect of making him realize what he truly felt for her. Twice he had just thought of taking Lillen out of direct danger - not even thinking about who else was around. And this change in his life now, being apprenticed to John...

 

John winced a bit, but Lillen held his face firmly and kept spreading the ointment.

 

"It'll bruise, but not too badly, John. If you ever let me finish." She kept her voice low on purpose, hiding the shakiness. If I ever lose John... he's been like my father all these years... Tsal's silent presence comforted her, and she let her mind wander.

 

"It's enough, Lillen." John grabbed her hands gently, pushing them away from his face. "I'm not that old that you have to be afraid that a simple punch will break me." He smiled to her, standing. "I'll be alright. You had better go back and try to rest, you look pretty shaken. Tsal, boy..."

 

Tsal took some moments, and Lillen's slight nudge, to register John's voice. "Yeah, what?" He blushed, embarassed at the seemingly rude words that always came out first. "I mean... heh... yes, sir?"

 

John chuckled, and had to resist an urge to ruffle Tsal's hair. "I'll be waiting for you tomorrow morning. I have many things to show you, and Winter's a good time to start."

 

Though this Winter... too many coffins. John sighed at the thought, and then found himself being hugged by Lillen.

 

"Take care, John. Are you sure you don't want to sleep at the tavern? We have spare rooms... I don't like to think of you alone in your workshop... "

 

"You worry too much, dear girl. I'm as safe there as here. Tsal, walk her back, please. And I'd recommend you to not go out again tonight; it seems we're going to have a snowstorm again."

 

 

 

 

That night the wind howled, and the thought of the second werebeast weighed the mind of most villagers, but they also hoped that the storm would keep it away.

 

On his loft, John looked through the window a last time - he saw the tavern's lights being put out, then nodded and went to bed.

 

Sleep was elusive, but he started dreaming as soon as it came.

 

He looked around. The village square was empty. He didn't move - or so he thought - but the door to his workshop came into view. A hand - not his - rested on the handle.

 

John turned in his sleep, frowning. Part of him knew he was just riding someone else's body and mind, but he didn't wake up.

 

Inside. His tools were where he had left them, and the scraps of wood that he had separated for Tsal. But that wasn't what the person was looking for. The sight changed, and focused on the stairs that lead to the loft. The first step creaked.

 

John turned again, restless, sweating profusely. He saw his loft, and had a sense of urgency, of avidly looking for something. Of suddenly finding it.

 

He looked down. At himself.

 

Gasping, John woke up in instant alertness, at that moment his mind grasping what was happening.

 

"You!"

 

So that's it... what was always hidden in my mind... the intuition, the odd certainty... the dreams that faded...

 

It was John's last thought as he gripped the knife at his side, facing glinting yellow eyes.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OOC: Panther/John was the Seer. Congratulations to the wolf! It's Day Phase and you have now 48 hours from this timestamp (by MOnday, 8 pm EST) to vote. Good hunting!

 

Scorecard at the OOC thread.

 

 

Thanks to Azuran, who wrote Tsal, and Panther, who suggested the killing scene.

Edited January 29, 2006 by Tanuchan

[JDRollins]

And now John was dead. Joseph took his heads in his hands and ket out a long sigh.

 

"Another werewolf attack. What is happening to our village? Our nice peaceful village." He looks out of his window seeing the day just beginning. He didn't want to open his store today but losing the profit would not be a wise decision at this point.

 

Who? Who can it be. Another person, but who? Joseph thinks as he unlocks his shops doors.

 

OOC: Voting for Mynx on this one.

[Patrick]

Yesterday he had managed to arrange the details with his friend for the little procedure, now he would only have to see Susan about it.

 

While on his way to Susan's place he passed by Joseph, who was just opening his shop. He greeted the man, then was shocked into silence upon hearing that John was dead. Cedric paused for a moment, lost in thought, then continued on his way, still thinking. Deep in his heart he knew that the killer could not be Susan. Cedric also seriously doubted Lillen being the killer, albeit since he had heard the stories of what Karen had done in the inn after her transformation he was not sure what to think. Cedric had also heard rumours of Tsal wanting to be John's apprentice. He surely wouldn't have killed the man, who he admired so much? Cedric's thoughts drifted back to Joseph. Could it be him?

 

The snow had been shovelled away in front of Susan's house, no doubt by her father, creating a stark contrast with the other houses in the street, where the snow had been but trampled down by the passing of booted feet.

 

Cedric knocked, and to his delight it was Susan who opened the door.

 

"Are you alone?" - Cedric asked.

 

"My father is out behind the house, bringing in some wood, and mother has gone to help him." - she replied.

 

"It has been arranged. The financial side has also been taken care of." - Cedric said, speaking cryptically, just in case Susan's parents were close to the back entrance. "Whenever you're ready." - he added.

 

OOC: Vote for JDRollins/Joseph Gunalo.

Edited January 29, 2006 by Patrick Durham

[Mynx]

Susan's eyes widened in hope.

"Now?" she asked, clutching at the door frame.

Cedric nodded. "If you wish to -" he began, but Susan had already disappeared from the door.

She returned a few moments later, wrapping a fur lined cape that Cedric had given her around herself.

"I told my parents you needed to take me to meet the priest..." she faltered slightly and looked at Cedric for confirmation. When he nodded, she closed the door behind her and took his offered arm.

 

"John was attacked last night," Cedric meantioned to Susan as they passed through the streets. Susan bit back a cry of dismay and shook her head. She simply had no idea when any of this was going to end. Susan began to wonder how many of her townsfolk would live to see the summer, herself included.

 

She was pulled out of her thoughts as they passed Joseph's shop, noticing that Cedric's grip on her arm tightened slightly as he waved to Joseph. Frowning slightly in confusion, Susan barely had time to think about it as her mind reminded her where she was heading, replacing her emotions with one of excitement mixed with nervous fear.

 

OOC: JDRollins/Joseph Gunalo.

[Patrick]

The two of them turned into a seldom used side-street far from the respectable areas of town. Here the houses were even shabbier than the ones in the poor areas of town, and the inhabitants mostly people, who lived outside the law. Few tracks were seen in the snow, and none of them were fresh. Here the snow had not been cleaned away. There was no need for it, since rarely did someone not of this part come here willingly.

 

"I've never been here before." - Susan whispered.

 

"It's not as bad as it seems, especially if you have a friend here." - Cedric said, trying to comfort her. "I have known the man I'm taking you to see for more than thirty years. He is respected in this district, and people would not want to anger him, by acting against a friend of his."

 

They walked up to the before last shack on the right hand side of the street. Paint had long peeled off the walls, but the door was nearly brand new, made from polished oak. The doorknocker was polished brass, and as Cedric lifted it and knocked on the door, it let out a clear metallic ring, as it struck the metal plaque on the door. Cedric repeated the knock three more times in rapid succession, and then followed up with a final knock a few seconds later.

 

The door opened a crack and the unshaven face of a man peeked out through the crack. Seeing Cedric, the man opened wide the door, and ushered him and Susan in.

 

"So she's the one?" - The man asked, as he led them through a dimly lit passage into what seemed to be the living room. By the light of the fire his features were revealed. He seemed to be around the same age as Cedric, with white strands of hair already appearing both in his hair, and in his inch long beard. Kindness emanated from his eyes, as did the full weight of his years. This was a man, who had seen much in his life. He took Susan's hand and kissed it, as one would kiss a noble woman's hand.

 

"It is a pleasure to meet you, milady. My name is William, and I have been a doctor for more than twenty five years, mostly helping those, who could not get official help." - His voice was hoarse, and guessing from the pipe on the table, Susan guessed it was due to long years of smoking. "Are you ready?" - He asked her.

 

Susan hesitantly nodded, not really sure what she should be ready for. Guessing what she was feeling from her expression he explained.

 

"Now, this is not going to be pleasant at all. Neither for you, neither for me, because I do not like to cause pain, but as far as I understood the child is non-wanted, right?" Susan nodded, and William continued. "I shall give you some painkillers" - he pointed at some leaves on top of a cloth napkin on the table "and once you are sufficiently numbed to the pain, I shall remove the foetus."

 

Susan hoped that the pain would not be too unbearable. She was willing to go through pain to get rid of this blasphemous pregnancy, but she did not know how much she would be able to take.

 

"Cedric shall be here with you all along." - William added.

 

"I shall not look of course, as that would be indecent." - Cedric quickly added.

 

"I just need to know whether you are really sure you want to go through with this." William asked, as he put a kettle of water to boil on the fire.

 

"I'm certain." - Susan said, while her hand unwillingly clenched into a fist as she thought of the way the pregnancy started.

 

"Good."

 

William spent the next fifteen minutes with preparations for the minor operation. He laid various tools out on the table, and when the water boiled, he pressed the leaves into it. He waited for a few minutes to have the water cool down a bit, and then poured some of it out into a large mug.

 

"I need you to drink all of this." - He said, and Susan did so. Nearly immediately she felt the soothing effect of the strange leaves. William made her drink two more mugs of the strange liquid, and by that time she was drifting in the drug induced trance. For William's painkillers were nothing else, than what much later would be considered as an illicit substance.

 

Cedric sat next to Susan, facing her, purposefully not looking the way William was going to operate. He took her hand, and whispered: "I'll be here all along."

 

His voice drifted at Susan from far away, yet she was strangely comforted by it.

 

She did not feel much from the operation, but when she came to her senses three hours later, she felt a definite feeling of unease, and even emptiness in her stomach.

 

"She's awake." - She heard Cedric say. She could feel his hand still holding hers.

 

"I might have given her too strong a dose." - William said, as he handed Susan some herbal tea. "Drink this; it'll help you get stronger."

 

Susan tried sitting up, but felt still weak and uneasy, both from the drugs, and the operation she had just had. Cedric helped her up and she drank the tea in rapid gulps. It took Susan another half hour to fully get over the sedatives effect, and they prepared to leave.

 

She would already have to tell her mother that they had had a very long session with the priest, mostly thinking about the seating order of the guests for the wedding.

 

As she was leaving, William noted some last advice.

 

"I suggest you take it easy in the next few days, let the wall of your uterus heal. Don't make any sudden movements, and try avoiding physical exertion if possible for at least two weeks. If there are any complications, don’t worry about coming to see me."

 

He said goodbye to them with a smile, and Cedric escorted Susan home.

[Azuran]

Tsal had been sitting in Johns shop, hardly moving except for an occasional reassuring touch from his arm around Lillen, who was leaning against his shoulder. His eyes were bloodshot and unfocused, and his vision swam with the overwhelming emotions he felt by John’s death.

 

“It’s not fair…” It was not the first time these words had left Tsal’s lips…either today or before in his life. He had lost a father once, and after his meeting with John the day before, he now felt a similar heartbreak. He felt a flicker of guilt for thinking of himself when there were others, Lillen especially, who probably felt even worse. She felt warm against his side in contrast to the cool dampness where her tears had seeped into the fabric of his shirt.

 

With a distant sigh, he turned to Lillen, “I’ve decided……I’ve decided I want to become a carpenter.” Pausing as he wrestled with the best way to articulate how he felt, his eyes became more focused and he pushed his hair out of the way so he could clearly look at Lillen. “I think in a way John was able to open my eyes to a lot of things over the past few days, and even now I still feel his guidance influencing me. I can’t just make small carvings for the rest of my life. I need to be able to really support myself…to support a family…” He caught Lillen’s eyes and it was understood that he was talking about wanting to be with her. “Let’s go for a walk.” He stood, gently helping Lillen up as well. “I think some fresh air and some movement will help.”

 

He handed Lillen her coat from the table and slipped into his own, the insides of the sleeves feeling chilly at first, until his body heat could warm them. Putting his arm tenderly around her shoulders, they walked slowly through the deep snow, not bothering to keep to a path.

 

 

 

OOC: Vote for Joseph Gunalo

[Azuran]

Tsal’s feet subconsciously took him to the old stables, his arm around Lillen, guiding her as he walked.

 

“I’ve always come here when I needed to think...” Tsal’s voice sounded subdued by the dilapidated walls, and he suddenly felt the need to rest his legs. Lillen nodded in response as he sat down against the wall in a corner, where the timber was still sturdiest, and helped her down next to him. They talked for a while about nothing in particular until finally Lillen lay down, her head resting on Tsal’s lap, and they both drifted off in thought.

[Tanuchan]

Joseph was at the back of his store, stooped over a barrel, when he heard a creaking noise. He bumped his head on a shelf when straigthening, and grumbled while turning around.

 

"What do you want, Peter? I told you to stay at the front, this is a most busy time of the day!"

 

Peter was there, and even under the dim light Joseph could see that he was pale. Behind him, there were other men.

 

"Well, what is it? I'm sorry, you shouldn't be here... let's go to the front and I'll do my best to help you..."

 

It was then that Joseph noticed the clubs on their hands. They threw Peter rudely to the side, and the boy went limp over the sacks of flour. Joseph stared, refusing to understand.

 

"It can only be you. Nice, good Joseph. A bit naive, a good fellow, always so helpful. Always delivering goods to the people, whatever the time. Who better to enter our houses at night?"

 

"What did you do to Granny? Maybe offered to walk her home, heh?"

 

"Nathaniel was so absent-minded, he wouldn't have even seen you."

 

"What did you do, drugged John's s tea when you last sold it to him? To make it an easier kill?"

 

Joseph stammered, trying to step back from the menacing circle. But his back was against the shelves, and he could hear the front door being closed. He didn't have a chance, and he knew it.

 

 

 

~~~~

 

 

Tsal brushed away the hair covering Lillen's pale face, looking down at the girl asleep with her head on his lap. Even her puffed eyes and tear-stained face didn't mar her beauty for him, and at that moment he knew what he wanted for his life.

 

John wanted me to learn a craft. He was looking at Lilly when he we were talking yesterday.

 

He looked around, at the silent beauty that nature created in that ruined stable. He knew that night was coming soon, and that he should take Lillen home. But for some reason he felt safe in there, safer than he had felt in his room, with sturdy walls around him and a lock on his door.

 

John was killed in his workshop. Walls won't stop the beast if it wants to kill. And it attacks the village.

 

He pulled the coat tighter around him, making himself comfortable and covering Lillen better in hers. The corner where they were was hidden in shadows, and protected from the cold by the piled debris of a fallen loft.

 

I'd die to protect you, Lilly...

 

Hands touched his face and gently pulled it downwards, startling him. He looked into Lillen's eyes, hearing her whispered words as if in a dream, some corner of his mind realizing he had been talking aloud.

 

"And what would keep me alive, with both John and you dead, Tsal?"

 

She kissed him.

 

 

The shadow appeared in that moment - a tall man, running into the stable, looking for a hidden corner. It loomed upon Tsal and Lillen, half-man and half-beast, face contorted in a struggle.

 

The rest of the transformation into beast took less than three seconds, after which nothing human remained about his features. But Tsal and Lillen both had the image of the man who had been standing there seconds before burned into their minds. Unable to control himself, Cedric smashed a support beam of the stable in an attempt to get closer to his victim, Tsal, causing the structure to creak and groan as it readjusted itself to an unstable balance.

 

His fur-covered feet taking him closer to Tsal with every passing fraction of a second, Cedric lifted a clawed hand to strike. He only noticed Lillen in the last moment, as his claws stopped barely half an inch from Tsal's jugular. Muscles twitched in the werewolf's upper body, and the claw scraped Tsal's neck, bringing a thin trickle of blood.

 

They are in love. Just like Susan and me. Just like…

 

The werewolf let out a long howl, and in a sudden whirl of fur was gone, storming out of the stable. The roof of the stable groaned again, threatening to collapse without warning, and Tsal jumped to his feat. With one hand still holding his neck where blood seeped from between his fingers, he quickly pulled Lillen up to him and hurried them both out of the structure and into the moonlit night.

 

 

 

Thanks to Patrick, who has written the werewolf's attack, and Azuran for his help!

~~~~~~~

OOC: Wolves won - check the OOC thread We're still having wrap-up posts here, so... keep reading!

Edited January 31, 2006 by Tanuchan

[Patrick]

Cedric’s, the werewolf’s thoughts were in turmoil. For the first time its instinct had been overcome by will power. Cedric had sincerely hoped that after Karen’s death he would be able to control these transformations, but last night he had been utterly powerless.

 

His long, running strides took him to the edge of the forest next to town, where he fell to his knees, in his human form once again.

 

“It has to end!” – His shout echoed into the nothingness next to him. His mind was finally made up. He would have to attempt it, for the sake of his own sanity, and the health of those around him. Even if it ended with his death.

 

He started running towards the only house where he could possibly find a cure. Karen had told him during one of their conversations that she would like her body used for finding a cure, and Cedric knew of the letter she had written. His strides therefore carried him purposefully towards the doctor’s house.

 

He managed to get there, without being taken by another transformation, but just as he was about to knock on the door, he turned his gaze, and spotted a light on, in the house next to the doctor’s. Ferocious instincts clicked in, and only the murder of this one individual was now on his mind.

 

He broke down the door in his powerful wolf form and mounted the stairs, where he found the man he had been looking for.

 

James Breer looked up in surprise from the sheet on the table in front of him.

 

“Oh, Cedric! You scared the daylight out of me! With these horrible murders around town…”

 

Cedric once again in his human form, could not help but smile.

 

“Why did you do it, James?” – His voice was completely calm, betraying nothing of the emotional storm raging within.

 

“Do what?”

 

“Rape my future wife.”

 

For a split second James could not reply out of surprise, but during that split second, the emotions playing around his face – guilt, fear and shame – betrayed him. It was enough confirmation for Cedric.

 

“Cedric, I…”

 

James never had the time to finish, as powerful wolf claws ripped his torso apart.

 

 

 

“Doctor, I need your help!” – Cedric’s voice was urgent. He knew not how much longer he would be able to control the beast within.

 

Doctor Mason, freshly shaken awake by Cedric tried clearing the sleep from his eyes.

 

“Mr. Fernsworth. What seems to be the problem?” – he asked after several long seconds, during which he figured that he was in his own house and not at a majestic banquet as he had been dreaming.

 

“The cure! Have you found it?” – There was no escaping the urgency in Cedric’s voice.

 

“What?” – Doctor Mason was evidently still not fully awake.

 

“The cure against lycanthropy Karen wanted you to make from her body!”

 

“Why would you need that Mr. Fernsworth?”

 

Cedric lowered his voice, so that the doctor had to strain to hear.

 

“Because I am the other one.”

 

Doctor Mason recoiled in fear as the realisation of what Cedric had just said sunk in. His terror only heightened, when he realised that a werewolf was in his house in the middle of the night, when they were the most dangerous.

 

“I need…more…”

 

“Time? I don’t have time! I don’t have full control over myself!” – Desperation was in Cedric’s voice. Time indeed, was against them.

 

“…samples.” – Doctor Mason finished.

 

Cedric was surprised by the answer.

 

“Much of Karen’s body was badly damaged when she was taken down. I could not recover enough.” – The doctor was starting to recover his calm and his mind was racing. It seemed that Cedric genuinely wanted to get rid of his affliction.

 

“So you shall need me in my wolf form to get samples…” – Cedric thought out loud.

 

“Yes.” – Doctor Mason replied, fright clearly in his voice.

 

“If you don’t mind I’d prefer going for Sheriff Clance and a few of his men. His office is but fifty meters away as you know. You’ll stay here until then?” – Doctor Mason did not want to risk taking Cedric out into moonlight. He had heard that the chances of transformation were much greater by the light of the clear moon.

 

Cedric nodded, and Doctor Mason left, locking the door of his house from the outside, even though he knew that in wolf form a simple door like that would not stop Cedric.

 

He got back with the sheriff and five of his men, a bit less than ten minutes later.

 

“I suggest that you tie me down with the strong rope I see the sheriff has brought, onto that table of yours, Doctor. I would also advise you to hold me down; I can not guarantee what I’m capable of while transformed.”

 

The sheriff and his men did as Cedric had suggested, while Doctor Mason prepared the half-finished cure.

 

“I’m in no way sure that this shall work, Mr. Fernsworth. I can’t guarantee anything. If it doesn’t work, the sheriff has said that we shall have to…”

 

“Kill me.” – Cedric said, knowing what the doctor was going to say. “I’m ready to accept that. I’m too much of a danger if left in this state.”

 

The transformation came suddenly, when not even Cedric had expected it, and it took all of the strength of the three men holding him at the time to stop him from breaking his bonds. The other three joined in and suppressed Cedric’s ability to move.

 

At a calmer period Cedric felt Doctor Mason lean in and cut a portion of skin from his thigh.

 

It wasn’t until daybreak that he transformed back into his human form. It seemed as if the wolf part had not wanted to let go, knowing that Cedric wanted to get rid of it. The sheriff and his men were all bruised, and exhausted from holding down Cedric.

 

“Drink this, Mr. Fernsworth.” – Doctor Mason said, handing him a vial, of purplish-green liquid, which seemed to have small pieces of werewolf fur floating on top of it. It tasted utterly disgusting, but Cedric did as he was told.

 

“I’ll have to keep you under surveillance for the next twenty-four hours, Mr. Fernsworth.” – The sheriff’s voice intruded. “Precaution, in case the doctor’s potion didn’t work.”

 

Cedric nodded.

 

 

Two days later

 

Thanks to the discretion both on the sheriff’s and the doctor’s part, news of Cedric’s affliction had not been released. They did not want a public lynching against Cedric as soon as he was released. The doctor had proclaimed Cedric fully cured that morning after no signs of lycanthropy during the previous two nights, even when exposed to full moonlight. Cedric had managed to avoid Susan’s questions, by sending her a note saying he was feeling unwell.

 

But his first visit didn’t take him to Susan. He had ruined the lives of two young people, and wanted to do whatever he could to make it up for them, knowing in advance that probably they would never forgive him. He suspected where he would find them, and his suspicions were proven correct, when he found them in the late John’s workshop.

 

“Tsal…it’s him!” – Lillen exclaimed when she spotted Cedric.

 

She and Tsal had been asked by the sheriff, not to talk about what they had seen during that night two days ago, when they had gone to see him and report the attack in the stable.

 

Cedric stayed in the entrance, not going any closer, as Tsal placed himself between him and Lillen.

 

Cedric stayed silent for several, long seconds before he spoke.

 

“I do not deny causing the two of you great pain, through my actions, and I wish I could undo all that I did, while afflicted by that accursed thing, but unfortunately such a power is not given to me.”

 

Tsal’s hostile stance did not change.

 

“I have been cured in body, but the memories shall never be erased. I shall have to forever live with the shame of what I had done, ever reliving the memories of the night when I was infected by the disease, and the subsequent nights, when...” – his voice died away and a tear started slowly trickling from Cedric’s right eye, which he wiped away with the sleeve of his shirt – a gesture so far from what a merchant of his social standing would have done.

 

“I know that you two shall never forgive me for what I have done. I wouldn’t do so in your place. I came here because I wanted you to know, that two days ago, in the stable…it was seeing you two together that made me able to combat the disease and regain control for long enough, so that I could make it to Doctor Mason’s and ask him for the cure. Seeing you two, reminded the beast I was then, of what I truly felt and still feel for Susan.”

 

Cedric paused, unable to put into words what he wanted to say.

 

“I wanted to thank you for making me feel that one human emotion at that time. I dare not imagine what would still be happening if I had not yet been cured.”

 

Cedric tried looking apologetically at Tsal, and Lillen who was peeking out from behind him, but knew that these two would never be able to fully forgive him, would never forget that Cedric, even though he was not in control at the time, killed the one, who had mattered so much to them.