The Wolf and the Witch (reserved)

[sweetlilith]

She walked alongside Ramor and listened as he regaled her with the history of werewolves. He mentioned a goddess, which she tried to tuck into her mind to ask her mother about later. Was this a goddess they could connect with? Should they?

It seemed a shorter walk than usual, they were back at her home in what seemed like only a minute or so. Lillian gave him a small, amused smile. "And why might you be nervous?" she asked, slight teasing yet curious tone to her voice.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Ramor gave Lillith a side longs glance and as he was about to say something, her mother popped out onto the front porch with her eyes locked on him and a stern look on her face. His eyes shifted to the mother, then cleared his throat and said, "That's why."

Seeing her turn her head back to her mother and then to him, she had a bemused look on her face. Nervous or not, he looked at her saying, "I know of a waterfall outside of the town, Burrow's Ridge. It's ummm." He glanced to the mother once more who looked like she was ready to chew up nails and then cleared his throat saying, "I would be interested if you would like to go there with me for a little while, perhaps a picnic lunch?"

"She doesn't have time." Her mother popped up and said, "Come inside daughter..."

Ramor, the might werewolf hunter and Captain in the Tearian Armies, was fearless in all ways... looked at Lillian with a note of hesitation.

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian sighed inwardly at her mother's order to go inside. Alexandra was spooked and paranoid from the events of the past few days, and Ramor's apparent interest in her daughter was not helping her uneasiness. He may be a werewolf hunter, but generally witches were just as hated.

"I…" The younger Atwater looked between Ramor and her mother before giving him an apologetic smile. "I should go inside, we have some… Chores that need to be completed." She leaned closer and kept her voice low. "I can meet you at the well in about an hour?"

 

[ERedBoyd]

~~~ Anton ~~~

Anton raced through the woods at full speed. He had gotten away from most of them, taking only a bullet would in the side which would heal soon enough. He made it to the streams and returned to the small cave he had located just along the stream itself and ducked inside and waited.

No one came even close to finding him there and by morning the chase was off. The team had returned to town. He began to think about Lillian and could almost feel her in the general direction and just about how far she was away, which at the time was considerable. He could sense something new too.... something he didn't quite get.

~~~ Ramor ~~~

Ramor leaned on the well nearly an hour later per Lillian's request. He held a 4 sunflowers in his hand bundled with cords. He was not aware of the significance of sunflowers to the witches if there were any. As she approached him, he held out the sunflowers and said, "Here... I saw you grew them in your yards and thought you might like these."

His heart pumped hard as she reached out for them.

 

[sweetlilith]

"They're one of my favorite flowers, thank you." Lillian took the flowers with a bright smile. "Though, funny enough, they started growing in the garden by chance. We think some birds or squirrels dropped the seeds. But I won't let Mother get rid of them." She studied the blooms, fluffing some of the petals, before looking at him again. "Thank you," she said again.

She was feeling nervous. But it wasn't an anxious nervous, she was almost... Giddy?

 

[ERedBoyd]

Ramor smiled nervously and said, "Umm.. you're welcome. I am pleased you came out here to meet me." His eyes looked down at her and said, "Very pleased." He felt his face flush slightly as the smell of fresh bread whiffed over to them from the small cafe in the town. He said, "Would you... you know... umm... care to share a meal with me?"

He didn't really understand what was happening to him. He was afraid of nothing and no one and yet, seeing her eyes on him, made him weak kneed. He said, "It would be my treat. If i need to go ask your mother I will for her permission too, but I will be honest, she kind of scares me some. Makes me wonder about your father and how he will react."

Ramor leaned a hand over and caressed her left arm slightly to test the waters so to speak.

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian chuckled at the obvious nerves he was having. It was endearing, very different from anyone else who's attempted to court her in the past. "I will handle my parents. They mean well, but I am capable of making my own decisions." She placed a hand over the one he'd placed on her arm. He was being very gentle, a stark difference from how he acted with his team. "A meal would be great."

 

[ERedBoyd]

With a smile, Ramor nodded and offered his arm to her and the two headed over to one of the taverns in town. They ale and mead was decent but they had a just gotten a shipment of ham and bacon and pork and it had been cooking on the spits filling the air with such amazing scents. They were led to a corner table, thought not before the waitress gave both of them a weighted review. The barmaid's eye locked on Lillian more so than Ramor.

15 minutes into the meal, the table was covered in platter of pork, potatoes, beans, turnips, fresh bread, butter, mead, and other fresh items they all picked from. He said, "So, I ... hope you don't mind me asking..."

He glanced to see her look up at him and he tipped his head out the window and said, "Is that your father?"

Across the road, a middle aged man wearing a gold badge on his business suit stared through the window directly at them.

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian was in the middle of taking a bite of food when Ramor asked his question. She followed the tip of his head to find her father, Lucas Atwater, Mayor of Culdesac, leveling a hard gaze at them through the window. She turned back to Ramor and gave him a cautious smile. "You would be correct."

She gave an inward sigh. Lillian knew her mother was against her spending time with Ramor due to them being witches. And being a werewolf hunter, he probably wasn't fond of those who practiced magic either. Her father likely because Ramor did not ask him for approval. He and his group were brought in to help with the werewolf problem, that was it. But here they were sharing a meal in one of the taverns.

It was only a few moments before her father walked into the tavern and to their table. Lillian set down the tankard she was taking a sip from before looking up at the older man and giving him a tentative smile. "Father, what a pleasant surprise," she started. Lillian glanced across the table at Ramor. "Ramor, this is my father, Lucas Atwater. Father, this is Ramor Lycor. He's one of the werewolf hunters you brought in."

 

[ERedBoyd]

To Ramor's surprise, his eyes widened not in displeasure but mild surprise and said, "You... you're Captain Ramor Lycor from the siege of Monteka?"

Ramor felt his face flush as he slowly nodded saying, "Umm... yes sir." It was evident that kind of recognition was not really what he was striving for.

Lucas looked over at the tavern keeper and waived him over saying, "Hey! Do you know who this is?"

Ramor looked down at his plate nervously. Clearly this is not what he had planned. He said, "Sir, it's okay. No need to..."

"You have a war hero here!" Lucas said as he pointed to Ramor, which naturally caught the attention of all the patrons of the tavern.

Ramor leaned over to Lillian and whispered, "I ... am terribly sorry for this."

The Tavern owner walked over with his light brown pants, shirt, apron, holding a dishtowel in his hands that he seemed to constantly use to wipe sweat off his brow and said, "War hero? Who?" His eyes turned towards Ramor and Lillian a bit confused.

Her father smiled saying, "He is that man who held Monteka during the rebel overthrow. Everyone knows the story Jacob..."

This caught even more eyes as they began to get up and walk towards the two of them. Lucas said, "He was a Captain at Fort Monteka. Spies broke into the fort, killed his Colonel and both Majors, which pushed him into command of the fort. They killed the spies but only as that mighty push to overtake the fort by the rebels in the town. Said he held his ground with 400 men against 6,000 rebels! 6,000 mind you, not a man less, 15 to 1 odds! Yet he held the fort! Not a single one of those 400 men died. Not a one! How long was the siege for?"

Ramor put a hand to his forehead in embarrassment and muttered, "3 weeks."

Lucas slapped him on the shoulder saying, "You heard him! 3 weeks!"

"I heard it was 3 months!" a patron yelled from the crowd now gathered around the table patting his back and listening and talking amongst themselves.

"It ... really was just doing my duty." Ramor said trying to minimize this. He HATED this kind of attention. He didn't deserve any of it with his family secret running around out in the woods.

"Son... son.." Lucas said as he stood before him and said, "5 of our young men were in the Fort when it happened, serving just like you did. They told us of some of the things you did to get them through the siege. Son, your actions got our boys home alive and no in boxes. You are a hero."

Jacob, the bartender looked over at the waitress and said, "Hannah... this man... when he walks in this tavern, he never pays again. You hear me!"

She nodded and said, "Yes sir."

Lucas sat down opposite of his daughter and this war hero and said, "So, what brings you in here?"

Ramor's face looked about ready to explode from the attention. He wasn't angry in any way and was used to it in truth, which is why he rarely gave his full name ever, just his first. He had only done his duty and nothing else. No more or less than any other soldier would do. His words lost him as Lucas asked his question and he glanced over at Lillian who had a somewhat amused look on her face.

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian looked between the two men, also surprised at her father’s reaction. She had expected him to shout and yank her out of the tavern. Instead, he slowly gathered more and more attention in their direction, as he told the story of Fort Monteka. She remembered the week long celebration that filled the village when those five men her father mentioned came home. She heard many stories from that battle, some details evolving as it was retold. The brunette did her best to hide her amused smile behind her hand, but her eyes glittered with silent laughter. Ramor's face had gone a dark shade of pink, nearly the color of some of the turnips that were within the spread on the table.

The crowd around them began to disperse, excited conversations turning into a dull roar, some patrons giving them sideways glances. She turned her gaze to her father, who plucked a piece of bread from the pile. "Uh… Well," she started. She was unsure if he'd heard about the attack, but he would eventually if he hadn't. She hesitated, trying to find the right way to explain without having him raise too many more questions that she didn't want to answer. "Mr. Lycor here has been escorting me around town in light of the recent attacks," she tried. Her father just nodded as he ate, though she was aware he was really only half listening. “His team is out ensuring the safety of our village so hopefully everyone can rest a little easier tonight.”

 

[ERedBoyd]

"Attacks? What attacks?" Lucas said glancing up to Jacob who seemed to be a bit star struck that Ramor was there.

Ramor, trying to ignore him though and said, "The werewolf attacks. You know... we are werewolf hunters after all."

The Mayor said, "I had heard about the attacks, but wait... why you hun? Why is he escorting you?"

Ramor calmly said, "She got cornered in a barn with a particularly nasty one. We got to her just before she got hurt. It fled out of town."

The Mayor glanced out at the sun and said, "That's impossible. It's daylight."

"Understandable about the confusion. The thing is, there is a new strain of werewolf virus out there. The original virus would turn a man into a werewolf under the full moon, but the rest of the time he is normal. Nothing unusual except a memory gap of the time he was a wolf. This new strain, when the person turns back human, they appear to retain their memories as a werewolf and maintain some of the characteristics of the werewolf, heightened strength and speed, rage, and an insatiable need for meat. We also think this new strain can allow the man to convert humans into werewolf form whereas the original strain could only do it while in werewolf form." Ramor said calmly.

"That's... horrible." Lucas said calmly, "And you think this new strain is in the thing you saved her from?" Her father glanced worriedly towards Lillian at this thought.

"He leapt 12 feet nearly straight up on the roof of the barn and out raced my team back to the woods. It is a safe bet he has it and if he does have it, we need to kill him before he infects anyone else. The problem here is that I could almost forgive a werewolf with the original strain in their system. They attack like a rabid animal. This new strain is different. The person knows all too well what they are doing when they bite." Ramor said.

"There is... no cure?" Lucas said.

"No. Anyone he bites, there is only one fate for them and that is to be put down. Better than the alternative." Ramor said as he gently put his hand on Lillian's who seemed to be trembling a bit.

All three men looked at her and Lucas said, "You didn't get bit did you? Are you okay?"

Ramor said, "We won't let him get to you, Lillian. I promise. My team will keep an eye on you at all times to keep you safe..."

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian sat quietly as Ramor explained to her father what he believed had happened and how the werewolves were changing. Panicked questions were filling her head when both men had turned their attention back to her. She shook her head and gave a practiced smile. “He didn’t bite me, no.” It was true, Anton did not bite her, but he had still used his blood to heal her.

Ramor’s hand was warm over her own, and her shoulder began aching again, but deeper, radiating to her heart. Maybe it wasn’t the bite itself that would turn a person, but an exchange of fluid like their blood or saliva.

"There's no need to watch me like a hawk," she added. Lillian needed to speak with Anton. It was uncertain she'd be able to find him now that Ramor's team had chased him out of town. And he may not have answers himself for the questions she couldn't even put to words yet. But there was no way she'd be able to get to him if Ramor and the others were keeping a constant eye on her.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Ramor only smiled as Lucas said, "My daughter, she is pretty much handle anything you throw at her. I helped her learn the bow and the sword. I am not like most fathers, Mr. Lycor. I think the women should be able to fend for themselves, don't you agree?"

Ramor glanced over to Lillian and smiled, "I would expect nothing less."

"My baby girl is no weakling that is for sure. Takes that from her fight from me and her brains from her mother." Lucas said as he eyed the hands being held. He smiled nervously his mind immediately moving to the thought that the Captain Ramor Lycor becoming his step son. Now that would certain put the feather in his proverbial hat!

He got up and said, "Well, I will leave you two alone. Enjoy your meal! Please!" He nodded to Ramor and then backed away and walked off with Jacob. Unfortunately, the remainder of the evening would be filled with side glances and whispers, people approaching him and thanking him. Ramor wanted nothing more than to just enjoy a bit of invisibility at the time.

As they prepared to leave the diner, a curly brown haired man with a pair of goggles on his head and a metal device in his hand walked up to the two of them. Ramor said, "Lillian, this is the final member of my team, our resident doctor and scientist, Argo Hefner. Argo, this is the Mayor's daughter Lillian. I trust this is a matter of urgency?"

Argo reached to his top hat and tipped it slightly and said, "Ma'am. Pleasure!" He glanced back to Ramor saying, "Boss... I have an idea. It's big. I think we can track him now!"

Ramor stopped in mid step saying, "We can already track him. We are trackers. So what?"

Argo smiled and grabbed his arm and led him to the alley near the tavern. A drunken couple was tucked behind a set of barrels clearly taking pleasure on themselves not seeing the new arrivals. Ramor blushed saying, "Argo, this can wait..."

"No... no ... no it can't! Here... let me show you... This..." He pulled out a vial of a faint green liquid and said, "This is RL-007. I think I have perfected it so I can add a few drops of blood into it, stir it up, then let the hounds sniff it and it would lock them onto that wolf and track it till it died of exhaustion. This formula will point the dogs to the source of the blood... like a beacon. It won't have anywhere it can go!" He reached into a small bag and pulled out a rag with some blood on it and shoved it in front of his face and said, "You see, I went back to the barn and did a little looking around and where... where you were Miss. Lillian, I found blood. You see... Here..."

Ramor said, "Blood?" He turned and looked to Lillian saying, "I saw a little blood stain on your top so I am guessing it is yours right?"

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian gave a small nod and smile of greeting when Ramor introduced Argo. She followed behind the two as Argo excitedly explained his idea, and her head tilted in curiosity at the vial of green liquid. Then she was asked about the blood. It could have been hers, when the dagger flew into her shoulder. It could have been Anton’s, when he bit into his wrist. She really wasn’t sure. “Uh…” She hesitated, giving a nervous smile. “It could be.”

“Fantastic!” Argo fumbled with the lid that covered the vial of green liquid. “We’ll just dip the rag like so… Letting the blood mix in.” He swirled the vial, excitedly explaining the next steps to Ramor and her, but the sound of his voice was just a buzz in her ears. The witch stared intently at the vial. The green liquid took on a soft glow and began to bubble, before the glass shattered and the green liquid spilled to the ground. She blinked, feigning surprise before looking up at Argo. “Was that supposed to happen?”

 

[ERedBoyd]

Argo cursed to himself and jumped back as the liquid fell to the ground and began to smoke. "SHIT!" He snapped as he dropped to his knees to examine it.

Ramor growled, "I thought you said it was ready."

"It was! I swear, I have already tried my samples on 6 others and it worked. That was my last dose though. Shit shit shit!" He growled as he picked up the cloth and saw the spot where the blood stain was had also burned away losing the sample.

Ramor said, "Listen, we are going to go now. Keep working at it." He could tell Argo was lost in his calculations and thoughts. He would puzzle out what happened at some point. Realizing he wasn't really listening, Ramor looked to Lillian and offered his arm saying, "Shall we?"

He walked with her down the main road saying, "That was really strange. I had seen him use a formula like that before on simple human blood, but it never exploded. I wonder if there was something about the blood that made it happen?"

Ramor noticed she was looking away, almost uninterested and he said, "I am sorry. My team works based in science and Argo is as smart as they come. He will head back to his wagon where all his gear and stuff is stored and try again. It really would be great if he got it to work." He realized he was doing it again. Truth was, outside of hunting his brother and the other werewolves, he really didn't have much of a life at all and didn't know what to talk about.

He said, "I... guess I am not much of a date between the hero worship and my team interrupting."

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian offered a sympathetic smile. "It's okay. Your time is fully taken up by hunting, and before by fighting in the wars." She paused, studying his face in the golden light cast by the torches that hung from various buildings. "If you were no longer hunting, no wars to fight, what is it that you would desire to do?"

The talk of science brought to mind that witchcraft really wasn't that much different. But science could usually be recreated by someone of the same educational level with access to the same materials, and typically easily explained. Witchcraft was harder to recreate, the person having to be able to unlock the magic within themselves, and much more difficult to explain.

An idea came to mind as Ramor still seemed to be pondering her question. "Come. " Lillian grabbed his hand and guided him behind her to a path that led into the forest. She moved slowly, losing all the light from the town behind them, and very little coming through the trees from the moon that still hung low in the sky. She could adjust her vision to see in the low light fairly easily, but was certain Ramor was currently blind without her hand. They came to a clearing that showed a wide expanse of the sky. The stars shimmered brightly, millions of them twinkling in the black sky.

"Look." She pointed up and there were periodic streaks across the sky. The line between astronomy and astrology was easily blurred, and a science she had better understanding of. "Every year at this time, the stars fall."

 

[ERedBoyd]

~~~ Anton ~~~

It had started already. He could feel Lillian faintly. Nothing more than sensing the general direction she was in. He felt her moving ... out of town. He quietly left his hiding spot and began to move in the direction she was. If she was trying to find him, he would need to guide her into what was coming.

~~~ Ramor ~~~

Despite Lillian's best efforts to help relax him, Ramor found himself growing increasingly more guarded and aware of everything going on around them. He knew being in the woods this far out of town even to star gaze was probably not the wisest course of action at this point. Every scurry, snap of a branch, or animal call would cause him to tighten up. He didn't have his crossbow or rifle, just his silver daggers. That would have to be enough if something happened.

He tried as hard as he could to enjoy the moment with her and when he stared into her eyes for that brief moment in time, he did relax. He hadn't relaxed in so long.

She began talking about the stars and their patterns, pointing out some were planets though to him they just looked like brighter stars than others. He could see she was kind of in her element here. How could a practical, strong woman such as Lillian seem to interested in the sky over her head versus the ground directly in front of her? A smile grew on his face studied the curves of hers.

* SNAP *

Ramor spun around to the sound of something heavy coming towards them along the tree line! He reached for his dagger and eased himself in front of Lillian.

A white tailed deer stepped into the clearing and it's head shot up looking at the strangers in the clearing... then turned and bolted back into the woods.

Ramor's shoulders eased up as he tucked his dagger back into the holster and turned to face Lillian. He stepped towards her feeling an urge he could barely contain within himself and kissed her slow and deep... expecting her to push at him, knee him, or scream....

~~~ Anton ~~~

Anton watched the white tail deer race past him as he hung in the darkness and watched as his brother kissed Lillian...

 

[sweetlilith]

As they stared up at the sky, Lillian felt something. She felt someone, a presence off in the distance. Anton. He was a decent distance away, but was slowly moving towards them. What was this? Was this because of his blood? She'd been able to track people using potions and spells, but she didn't apply one to him.

Heavy trotting from one side of the clearing dragged her out of her thoughts, and she gasped at the glint of the dagger in Ramor's hand. But he was facing away from her, having stepped in front of her to protect her from whatever was approaching. A deer. A sigh of relief escaped her when the deer ran off once seeing the pair.

Then his hands were on her, cupping her cheeks, and his lips pressed against hers. Her eyes went wide and she gripped his wrists. She froze for several long moments before relaxing against him, eyes fluttering shut as his mouth moved over hers.

Lillian felt several emotions wash over her as Ramor's lips lingered against hers, including something that resembled a mixture of anger and jealousy. Those weren't her feelings though. Anton was watching them.

 

[ERedBoyd]

~~~ Anton ~~~

He did feel anger. He did feel jealousy. His entire life had always gone a certain way. Anton had would find something good and decent in his life... a rare gift considering he didn't have Ramor's looks and talents, then he would have it stolen from him by his brother. Money, women, respect, gratitude. It always went this direction.

He stared unblinking completely cloaked in the shadows of the night at Lillian who stood with Ramor. He was mildly surprised though when she raised her eyes and turned them directly to him. There was no way she could see him. He was too far back in the darkness and yet, he felt like he could have moved in any direction and her eyes would have followed him.

Anton said nothing though, made no move to leave, made no effort to stop what was happening. Ramor would get the girl like he had gotten everything else of his and there would be nothing he could do about it.

~~~ Ramor ~~~

He glanced towards Lillian who seemed to stare into the night and smiled saying, "Don't worry. It was just a deer. Come on. The night has a chill in it and I have one more surprise for you this night if you will spare be but a few more minutes of time.

Ramor slid his hand into Lillians and guided her out of the starry night and back towards town. He cast a glance in the direction of where Lilian had been looking, having a suspicion she had seen something he hadn't, but said nothing as the town drew near. Rather than leading her back to the center of it, he led her towards the edge of town. A large campfire seemed to crackle inside a circle of stone, spits strung across it holding up a kettle and a large black cooking pot. 4 large tree logs had been set around it and 6 people sat around it.

As Ramor drew near, it was easy to see that it was his team. Joel and Joanna sat together laughing at an joke between then and eating on a loaf of bread. Speed, sat quietly, his stilted legs laying next to him talking with Victor. Argo had his goggles over his eyes studying the broken vial with a magnifying glass as he sat on the door step of their horse drawn wagon, and Hammer was scooping up his 3rd helping of the stew they had cooked. Weapons and equipment lay within arm's reach of their owners, ready to go to combat at a moment's notice.

As Ramor and Lillian walked into the circle, the team all looked up and fell silent studying them. Ramor said, "Team, you remember Lillian. I thought we would share a little of that drink you make hammer if there is any available?"

Hammer smiled and said, "Of course. These lout's have NO taste for the stuff." He got up, walked to the wagon and opened a side panel and pulled out two tin cups, he then pulled out a jar and scooped a couple of scoops of brown powder into them. He walked to the kettle, poured hot water into them, then returned to the jar, pulling out a second jar with some white cottony looking items, pulled out two, dropped one in each tin, stirred the cups with a spoon and offered one to each of them.

Ramor noticed everyone else watching them with a hint of intrigue and a bit of disgust. Clearly, this was not something they would every put to their lips. Ramor looked to Lillian and said, "He calls it... Hot Chocolate..." He clicked her tin with his and took a long drink of the stuff, sucking the marshmallow down as he did.

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian sipped the warm, brown drink tentatively. It did taste like chocolate, and it was sweet. She took another sip, this time taking one of the marshmallows into her mouth. It was soft and bouncy, but started to get more squishy as it had begun melting into the warm liquid. She looked at Hammer and gave him a smile. “It’s good!” They spent another 10 or so minutes with the group till he walked her home. She left him with another brief kiss before walking inside.

—

Lillian worked her way through the underbrush in the early morning light, following the pull she could feel towards Anton. She tossed and turned throughout the night before snapping awake a cold sweat. Something was going on with her, and it was connected to him.

She reached a clearing and kept back behind a large boulder. He was close by, already watching her. "Anton!" she called out, her voice a mix of anger and fear.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Anton leaned on a rather large boulder near the stream, his eyes locked on her as she walked out of the clearing to face him. He had a devious looking smirk on his face when he said, "I felt you coming to me. I wasn't sure if it was going to work or not. Normally, it involves saliva of a bite, not blood."

It was obvious that he was more confident in his position as he said, "I hope you are not here to try and kill me or anything. I don't think that would bode well for you."

He held up a piece of stale bread and bit into it as he studied her. He said, "Before you blow up at me or use your witchy powers, no, I didn't intend on turning you. I was ACTUALLY trying to help heal you thinking a small amount of my blood would heal you without turning you. Clearly, I fear I was wrong."

 

[sweetlilith]

"You were actually trying to help heal me," she mocked, "after you threw your goddamned dagger into my shoulder!" Anton was standing there, just chewing on a piece of bread with near indifference to the entire situation. Lillian narrowed her eyes at him, fury now radiating off of her. “And what if I did kill you?” She tried to use her powers to pull him away from the boulder to throw him in the water and hold him under. But she couldn’t bring herself to use her powers against him. Really, she just couldn’t do it at all, as if something was preventing her. She let out a frustrated scream, her fists balling up at her sides. "Uuughhh why?!"

She already had to hide in plain sight due to being a witch, and now adding in being a werewolf was an absolute death sentence. She couldn’t tell her family, not Ramor, not anyone. She would immediately be hung at the gallows or burned alive or hunted through the forest.

Lillian stalked up to him and grabbed him by the shirt. “I would have helped you. We could have made you human again.” She realized she wouldn’t be able to help with the spell. They needed every witch in the town to be present for it to even have a chance, and being she was one of the more powerful witches, now there was no chance of it working. “Because of what you did, the spell cannot move forward, not without me.”

 

[ERedBoyd]

Anton clicked his tongue a couple of times after swallowing his mouthful of bread. He knew she wouldn't be able to use her powers on him. He didn't know how he knew, just that he did. He pushed off the boulder and slowly began to walk towards her, tearing off a piece of bread and popping it into his mouth once more as he drew nearer to her. He watched her square off to him and take tentative steps backwards as he drew near, her eyes locked on him. He said, "I would love to rid myself of being a werewolf."

He watched her back up to a tree as he got within a couple of feet of her and offered his bread to her. He said, "Do you know what witches aren't trusted? Funny you should ask... it's because they can make things happen to other people without giving those other people a chance to protect themselves. A flick of your fingers and they could be hanging upside down by an ankle 10 feet up in the air."

He gently put a hand on the tree and said, "I threw a dagger at you because you tried to use your magic on me. You did use it as I recall. The time before that, when you could have helped me, you chose to imprison me. So I felt fully justified in doing what I did to you. If your village knew what was lurking in their town, do you not think they do worse to you than throwing a dagger at you and then... healing you?" His eyes were locked on hers, unblinking, non-threatening, but uncompromising.

He could feel her in his head. He had never held a bond before so he had had no idea what to expect. It was like there was a little extra piece of consciousness that was entirely her burrowed into his head. Being as close to her as he was right now, he could sense a need from her for him. It was carnal and raw, filled with passion and lust, but deeply buried. He could also feel disgust and despite from her as well towards him. What's more, he felt the same powerful need for her too. He felt a desire to claim her, mark her, mate her, and protect her with every ounce of wolf inside him. He knew that feeling would get stronger, so strong that it would be nearly overwhelming as the bond grew stronger.

The problem was as well, he had seen her last night with his brother. Ramor's life long cause was to wipe out all werewolves from existence in their entirety. He knew that Ramor was passionate and strong and he kept his love on his sleeve. A wake of women who had hurt him had left Ramor guarded and walled up. However, he had set his eyes on Lillian and he knew Ramor would not walk away until he had claimed her. She was right too. By healing her, he put her in intense danger and Ramor would not see her as a woman to love, but a beast to slaughter. That was on him and he knew it. He would NOT let anyone hurt her so long as he drew breath, even Ramor.

He realized he had been staring at her in silence, their eyes locked for several minutes with no words spoken. He cleared his throat and said, "Listen, I am sorry for healing you. I guess your kind can heal themselves. I was thinking in the moment and thinking I was doing something good to help you. You say that you can't help with your spell to save me from the werewolf, then it sounds like you may need to reach outside of your coven and recruit someone else who can do it in your stead." His eyes stayed locked on hers as she stared up at him.... nervousness growing strong in both of them.

 

[sweetlilith]

Lillian had just been trying to do what she thought was right, to help the coven, those like Anton who had been bitten and turned and wanted to be fully human again. She felt total turmoil between all the emotions flowing through her. She was so angry with him and the entire situation. She hated herself for even trying to trap him for the spell, she should have just left him there to die or be found by the hunters.

At the same time, she wanted him, craved him, needed him. Anton had backed her into a tree and trapped her on one side with his hand, and her body was burning with him being so close. She could feel his desire for her to her core, and see it in his eyes as he stared her down.

She shook her head at the mention of reaching out beyond their coven. How could she explain to her mother or any of the other witches why she suddenly couldn’t help? Then the thought of that night specifically came to mind. It would be the full moon, a night where the spirits gave witches the strongest powers. It was also when werewolves were wild, and they had seen the worst attacks.

“What’s going to happen to me?” She stared up at him, realizing now she truly did need him, in the most basic way. She couldn't go to anyone else for help.