20 Dark Wood

Oh Gods, why?

My body hurt but I blinked, forcing myself awake; the flicker of one of the torches caught my attention as I shot up.

Where the hell am I?

"You need to rest, child," a voice spoke, causing me to shoot sideways and hit against the wall with a hard thud.

"Who are you," I barked before the Pack Elder Macario stepped into view along with an elderly woman who looked to be blind.

"We are the reason you are mostly healed, child," the elderly woman shot.

Looking around, I was still confused. I wonder.

"Are you Dark Wood's shaman," I asked the elderly woman.

When she turned to look at me again, she nodded.

"Shaman. Healer. Witch. Whatever you prefer to call me. My name is Thyra."

I stared at her blankly as the irony of her name sank in.

"Noir," was all I said as she walked towards me before hitting me on the head with her walking stick.

"Yes child, I know who you are."

Ow?

"What in the hell was that for," I snapped, rubbing my head.

Thyra shrugged.

This old hag.

I glared at her as Macario cleared his throat. "My Freya, you need to rest. Thyra and I will be back soon to check your wrappings."

As Macario and the old hag began to leave, Macario turned to look at me.

"Stay," was all he said before closing the door.

Like that's going to happen.

"Cuyler," I mindlinked.

"She lives," Cuyler quipped teasingly.

"Where is Alistair," I questioned, rolling my eyes.

I could practically feel him shrug. "In a meeting."

"How long do you think he will be?"

"A while, I guess. It's about the attack yesterday. I'm heading there now."

"Good, I'm getting the hell out of here. See you soon."

"WAIT, NOI—," was all Cuyler got out before I closed the link.

Hopping out of bed, I looked around until I found a pair of clothes folded neatly on a rocker. I didn't even have to pick them up to know they were Alistair's.

Whatever.

I took one last look around the shack and bolted out the door. I stopped running when I realized I had no idea where I was and the village didn't look like how I had seen it before.

"That's because we aren't allowed here," River stated flatly.

"Ah."

"We need to—," was all I could catch as a voice snapped me out of our conversation.

"What do we have here," a gruff voice spoke.

Spinning around, I looked up at a man?

What in Helheim am I looking at?!

I almost gagged at the smell coming off of him. The creature was huge and grotesque with matted hair and huge twisting horns protruding upward into the sky.

The contorted figure eclipsed the sun. It stood on it's knotted haunches and stooped low as it's wrinkled face stared at me. It gave off an aura that made my skin crawl and take a few steps back.

"Smells like a dog," a voice chimed in my head causing River to growl at the insult.

To my left, a massive wolf-like creature, with a lupine body covered in heather fur approached me except this 'wolf' walked on two legs.

River snarled, "Lycan."

"What brings a she-bitch to this corner of the village," that voice spoke again, snapping me out of my gawking.

Shrugging, I just looked at the lycan, doing my best to avoid eye contact with whatever the hell the other creature is.

"Got lost on the way to minding my own business," I snipped.

The lycan growled, taking a step closer but before it could close the distance between us, I turned, tucked tail and ran knowing damn well the lycan was going to chase me.

Fuck this shit.

As I ran, I saw a number of different creatures too. I'll ask about that later, I thought as I rounded a corner, tripping over a salt lick. Rolling over, the lycan stopped a few feet away and just stared.

Well, if Calder doesn't kill me, this chestnutted ass is.

The moment I let my guard down, the lycan sprang.

"OH SHIT," I shouted before another lycan crashed into Chestnut with a vigorous force, launching him into the air and sending him tumbling to the ground yards away.

The new lycan has a somewhat similar pelt to that of River's. When he turned around, I was met with a worried expression and lurid green eyes that literally glew against his fur.

His head snapped back in the direction of Chestnut and stood his full height, towering over the lycan. Growling, he lowered his head closer to Chestnut until Chestnut fully submitted and shifted, keeping his head down and neck bared.

I couldn't really make out what he looked like but when the other lycan shifted, my jaw hit the cobblestone.

No fucking way.

Gavrill.

"Do you know what you have done, Casimir," Gavrill shouted.

I could feel the tension and hear the intensity in his tone. There's a great deal of emotion behind these words he is speaking.

I went to stand up but Gavrill turned on me, "YOU. Sit down."

And like that, my ass was back on the rough stone.

Content and certain I wasn't going to move, he turned his attention back to the man he called 'Casimir'.

"Do you know what would've happened if you would have killed her," Gavrill growled.

When Casimir didn't answer, Gavrill growled again as he kicked him, winding the poor bastard.

Serves him right.

"That girl you were chasing is Alistair's," Gavrill said behind clenched teeth as his body shook.

Right then, River sat up with her head tilted.

"Ah. This just got interesting."

"What do you mean," I asked.

"Oh nothing," she said as she looked behind her into the darkness.

"It just explains something I've been wondering about. I have a feeling you will find out sooner rather than later."

"I honestly don't give a damn who she is," Casimir growled before Gavrill brought a fist to the lycan's face, snapping his nose into a grotesquerie.

Snatching Casimir up by the throat, Gavrill's canines grew as he growled.

"You ever touch her again, I will rip your spine out with my teeth and wear it as a belt. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"

Casimir nodded as Gavrill dropped him.

"Go before I decide to kill you now," Gavrill seethed as he watched Casimir transform and run off.

Sighing, Gavrill kept his back to me but looked over his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yes. I'm fine," I said, staring at the side of his head.

Right then, a chuckle echoed in my head.

"What the hell, River," I questioned but she just looked at me confused then back behind her towards the shadows again.

When River turned back around, she plopped down and scratched her ear. "It wasn't me."

"Hey, earth to Noir," Gavrill spoke, waving a hand in front of me.

Eep!

Startled, I jumped up.

"Sorry, uh. River needed to talk for a moment," I lied.

"Uh huh. Well, give me a second to get dressed and I'll take you home."

With that, Gavrill disappeared into a building leaving me alone with staring bystanders.

"What are you all looking at," I snapped, staring back at them.

When they didn't move, I threw my arms in the air and turned my back to them.

Creeps.

"Ah, that's bett— what are you doing," Gavrill questioned.

"Sitting here dumbass, what else would I be doing?"

Sighing, Gavrill helped me up and began walking making sure to keep his strides even with mine.

"What are you doing on the south side of the village anyways," he finally asked as we stopped at a well.

"Oh that. Well, after you left the festivities last night, me and Alistair had a little banter, I got dropped in a trough, he got splashed in the face with a bucket, I ran, told the pack to 'shift and run' since we were going to anyways and bolted...," my voice trailed off a little as I began to recall Calder.

"And?"

"And I got knocked down a ravine by my old Alpha, Calder. Got into a fight with three of his warriors and ended up here," I said, waving my arms around.

Gavrill growled, catching me off guard before clearing his throat. "Sorry about that."

"It's... okay? Anyways. What is here exactly," I questioned, looking around at the villagers.

"Ah, yes," he began, leaning back.

"Dark Moon isn't strictly werewolves. Where, yes, most of the pack is indeed werewolves, you also have lycans, like myself and half-breeds who can change into either a wolf or a lycan, like Alistair," he paused and looked down at me in which I just stared at him in confusion.

"Our mother was a werewolf and our father was a Lycan. My brother and I are the products of both. I however, can only shift into Eskil while Alistair can shift into both Rune and Hael. That aside, our father allowed other creatures into the pack: Orcs, Fae, Jinn, witches, warlocks, so on, so forth. The numbers of other creatures though are small in comparison to the rest of the pack population."

"Huh. So why am I not allowed here," I questioned.

For a moment, Gavrill's forest green eyes flickered to black but reverted back almost instantly.

"Do you really have to ask? I mean, look what happened earlier. It's not safe," he scolded, tugging playfully on my ear.

"Then what are you doing here," I asked, swatting his hand away.

"Oh, that's because the task so graciously bestowed upon me by my 'big brother' is that, due to being an Alpha, I make sure this side of the village stays peaceful."

"Makes sense, I suppose," I retorted before stretching.

Patting my shoulder, Gavrill stood.

"Come on, time to get you home before Alistair realizes you escaped and sends a search party after you."

With that, Gavrill turned and began walking down a cobblestone path.

"River."

"Hmm?"

"Want to go for a run?"

When she barked, I looked back to Gavrill and shouted, "Race you," then shifted.