Private Tales Clashing Fangs

[Victoria O'Connor]

Victoria couldn’t help be a little offended by the laugh, but then again her feelings towards Fallon hadn’t been rosy to begin with. Violent and passionate, yes, but not yet comfortable. She didn’t let it get to her much.

Her face twisted in thought as Fallon explained an entire hidden world to her, going against much of her current understanding of her ancient enemies. It was difficult to accept, and she considered the possibility that Fallon was lying to her. Then again... why? It was an awfully elaborate story to make up and it wasn’t like Victoria wouldn’t loathe Garou any less than ordinary lycans or werewolves or whatever.

She looked back to the woman. She didn’t feel loathing for her. She felt strongly towards her... strong what was the only question. Aggression? Attraction? A little of both, really.

The sunbeam cut across the center of the cavern, separating the two of them, barring Victoria from getting closer. If she wanted that, she would need to invite Fallon. There was probably some symbolism to that but she was too tried to consider it.

"You are the first vampire that I have met that I haven't killed."

"Yes, I am quite extraordinary." she replied dryly. Death threats were not new to her, although they rarely came from someone who could actually deliver on them. So why had she thought humor was the way to go now?

Then her head snapped to the entrance as her sensitive ears picked up voices.

"...fine evening for it. And I-- hold on. Would you look at that? It's blood, a trail of it. Must've been a big animal."

"Look here, tracks. That's a big wolf."​

"Ain't no wolf that big."

"There is up the mountains."​

"Wait... these are human! The trail goes up this way."

"I'm not tanglin' with a wolf that big."​

"Someone could be hurt!"

Victoria turned back to Fallon to see if she had heard as well. "People are coming." There was no alarm in her voice, but she was very curious to see how Fallon would react to the news. As for herself, she was suddenly aware of how very, very hungry she was.

 

[Fallon]

Fallon's gaze narrowed ever-so-slightly at the woman's cockiness. But how could she argue with that? Vampires compared to her kind on every level, apex predators that matched in speed, strength and senses, and yet Fallon considered them far more dangerous. Everything about them was alluring, from their appearance to the sound of their voices that seemed to tendril into minds and take over all manner of sense. Fallon felt like she was still in control, there were no mind games being played, and yet every muscle and bone in her body felt compelled by the woman to approach, touch.. know more..

She had lost herself in these thoughts so deeply that she hadn't picked up on the humans until Victoria's attention snapped toward the sound of voices. Fallon flinched, and in one fluid movement she was on one knee between the vampire and the mouth of the little cavern, her head bowed but her eyes raised and fixed on the redhead.

"I'm going to send them away..." Fallon responded as calmly as she could despite the adrenaline rushing through her, causing her muscles to ripple under her skin, awaiting their moment to burst free. She was still much too weak for another fight, another shift would take it's toll, she'd rather avoid both..

Slowly, oh-so-slowly she rose to stand, and bare feet stepped slowly backward with the grace and carefulness of a cat backing away from a fight, her pupils dilated as they remained pinned on the woman, studying her for any signs of sudden movement.

 

[Victoria O'Connor]

The speed with which Fallon rounded on her was startling, and Victoria sat up straighter with the realization that she could never have reached her sword quickly enough. The movement had been all but silent, and she just stared back into the eyes as they threatened to drag her beneath the surface of a quicksilver pool.

Let me drown

Should she be insulted or satisfied that Fallon seemed to see her as a threat when she backed away? On the one hand, she enjoyed the feeling of power than came from intimidating so powerful a creature. On the other, what more did she have to do to convey that she wasn’t going to fight Fallon anymore? She decided that the lycan- no, that wasn’t right. The Garou, could not be blamed for caution.

”I’ll be here,” she said with a shrug, and then whimpered in pain as her shoulder crunched with the attempted movement. It wasn’t like she could go anywhere, not if she wanted to avoid being turned to dust.

What she really wanted was for one of the humans to be lured back. She could easily play the part of the distraught maiden, who had been savaged by horrid beasts and who was ever so grateful for their help. She’d have a meal in less than a minute in that scenario… but somehow she doubted Fallon would agree to her plan. Just her luck that the first werewolf (or whatever, damnit) that didn’t want to kill her was a “protector of mankind.”

 

[Fallon]

Fallon knew well what tended to happen when she stepped between a hungry predator and it's meal, and there was no doubt in her mind that Victoria would need to get her energy from somewhere. Another reason why she should have killed her when she'd had the chance, but now she was already in too deep. She'd finally managed to focus her mind on the task, finally accepted that it was what had to be done, and yet when the woman could have killed her in her sleep she hadn't. It was difficult to come back from. A new and more vulnerable light had been shone on the vampire, and for the first time in her life, killing a vampire felt wrong.

She kills humans. As soon as you're gone she'll hunt them..

Then I won't leave.

You can't watch her forever..

Can't I?...

Her eyes never left the woman as she backed toward the entrance of the cave, she could hear the humans grow closer, still squabbling amongst each other about the trouble they may or may not have been getting themselves in. Fallon huffed quietly and turned to step out into the golden rays, squinting slightly at the three silhouettes that froze stiff in their tracks and lifting her hand to shield the sunlight from her face.

Without speaking, moving or shifting, it was clear that Fallon wasn't human. She didn't have to growl or threaten to look intimidating, and as she took a step toward them, the three stepped back in tandem.

"Woah! Just...Just stay there!.." one of the young males demanded hesitantly as he waved a hunting knife toward her. Fallon sighed and arched a brow, she wouldn't bother trying to placate them, she was tired and they were laughable..

"Let's get out of here Jon.." the girl with the same eyes and hair tugged on his elbow.

"Listen to your sister, Jon.. And try not to make a habit of tracking wolves with hunting knives.." she frowned at him, her silver orbs piercing as she took another step forward. They moved back again, but they weren't moving quickly enough for her liking.

"GO!!.." Fallon's neck cracked, claws and fangs quickly displayed themselves in feigned threat and a low, guttural growl rattled from her chest. They were moving now, no doubt to the nearest village to rally a mob.

Fallon backed up to stand by the tangle of roots, waiting until they were out of sight. She huffed and pulled the white fur tighter around her shoulders. She should have been more reassuring, turned them away more gently.. If they came back at night, she'd have quite the predicament on her hands.

 

[Victoria O'Connor]

Victoria was waiting when Fallon returned. She hadn't expected the "saint" to let her feed on the people, not after her oh-so-dramatic display of leaving to confront them. She supposed she was still lucky to have her life, and so didn't get too offput by the whole situation. Besides, she couldn't stay mad at that chiseled face no matter how hard she tried.

"You can't save them all," she said casually, inspecting her nails as she spoke. "Humans are vile, weak creatures. They fear their betters. They lie and cheat and steal. Surely you agree that sometimes they need... culling," she glanced up and her eyes were filled with more devious fire than before. She was growing more comfortable in the Garou's presence, and it was showing. "Do not wolves thin the elk for their own good?"

She doubted very much that Fallon would come around to her way of thinking, but it didn't matter. The sun was still up, and if Fallon wasn't going to kill her she may as well entertain her. The only disappointment was that she had decided to wear clothes all of a sudden...

Hours would pass, and the sun would finally near the horizon. Victoria stirred, but she was unsure of what to do. The rational part of her mind screamed for her to go, to flee and never look back. No matter what this woman said she was an enemy and could not be trusted. Her heart, however, compelled her to stay. She simply did not want to leave this wild woman, and she had more to learn about Olivia.

Before she could speak, she heard alarming sounds once again. Footsteps, this time many more. The voices were indiscernible, but they sounded angry. She moved, with only a little pain, as close to the entrance as she could manage. The sun had just begun to dip beneath the earth, but still its light was blinding. Her pupils narrowed to pinpoints and she could vaguely make out blurry shapes in the distance.

A crowd of people. They marched in haphazard formation, bearing pitchforks, shovels, and torches. Victoria could smell them better than she could see them, and she wrinkled her nose at their stench. They were headed for the tree, following her blood trail and the advice of the people Fallon had frightened off.

"There be monsters in the hills."

 

[Fallon]

Fallon let out a growl that was far more beast than man. "You were a human yourself, once." she sneered.. "You cannot compare human lives to that of elk as well you know." she huffed sharply at the childishness of the comment.

"Humans do not deserve to die for creatures like you who rightly should not be 'alive' to continue to live. Some humans do deserve death of course but your kind do not discriminate, innocent or guilty all you see is a meal.."

She sat back, glaring at the woman and allowing a pregnant silence to fall between them. Fallon had never felt so hopelessly frustrated by anyone in her life. How could something so beautiful be so cold? It was one of life's cruel jokes, and right now Fallon was the not finding it particularly amusing. She'd slain countless vampires, they were often beautiful men and women, but none of them had ever wrapped their fists around her heart and mind like this one had. Even still she felt the deep, innate hatred of what she was, a thing that repulsed her.. And yet that need to protect her had her mind reeling in confusion.

Her body still had healing to do, there was no more hiding how weak she was, and the Garou dozed off, for how long she wasn't entirely sure, but the light in the cavern was dimming when a cold chill roused her from sleep. She sat bolt upright, wide eyed and listening to the approaching mob with a sinking feeling of dread. She was unarmed, and if she shifted she was certain they'd attack her anyway.

She moved quickly to join Victoria by the cave's entrance to follow the woman's gaze, an elven curse muttered under her breath. Without thinking she slowly reached a hand to Victoria's wrist, flinching slightly at the unexpected icy cold of her skin in contrast to her own warmth as fingers wrapped gently around her arm.

"We have to go.." she rumbled, her tone a subtle plea..

 

[Victoria O'Connor]

Innocent, guilty, these words were meaningless. They were artificial qualifiers dreamed up by the very humans that Fallon sought to exonerate. Victoria knew what all vampires knew: mortals were not special. They were animals. Clever animals, yes, but animals all the same. There was no guilt in a predator taking its prey, it was the natural way of things.

Fallon's breath was wasted, for Victoria could not believe her. If she did, she would surely go mad.

All the same, she knew when to hold her tongue, and seeing as Fallon was likely to be just as stubborn as she was, she dropped the issue. The feral growls had chilled her, and it was unfortunate to have such stunning eyes project hatred towards her.

When Fallon joined her at the entrance she did not recoil, although the closeness did cause a tingle of excitement. Excitement born of fear and uncertainty. The touch on her wrist was startling, and she flinched at the same time but did not pull away. The warmth of the living was one of their few comforts, but this was more. They were closer than they'd even been outside of trying to slaughter one another, and while the approaching mob was a more pressing issue, Victoria found herself momentarily entranced. The gentle breeze from the dusky sky moved the white-gold hair and there was enough light left for the silver eyes the shimmer. Her posture was strong, unyielding, ready to leap. She was a goddess carved of rich metal. The Huntress.

She wondered why the Garou had come so close and touched her so tenderly. Clearly she was also having some... confusing emotions.

A shout drew her attention back to the outside, and she grimaced at what she saw. There were many, many people approaching. Anywhere from thirty to fifty individuals, men and women alike. They were dressed plainly in dull, work-worthy clothes and carried various farming implements amongst the torches. Victoria doubted any of them had held a proper weapon in their lives.

"We have to go..."

Victoria looked back at her, and her face communicated her conflict. There were too many to fight, so escape was the best option. She might be able to convince them that she was a victim if she played her cards right... but these sorts of people looked just as likely to burn her as a witch as "rescue" her. And then there was her hunger...

She slipped herself from Fallon's hold, retrieved her weapon, and returned. When she did, she offered her hand to the Garou, this time purposefully. "Very well." The sun dipped below the horizon, but it was not so dark that they would be invisible to the villagers.

 

[Fallon]

These people weren't the sort of people who would be reasoned with, and panic slowly swelled in her chest as they grew closer, and the distant flickering torchlight danced in the dark pools of her dilated eyes. She glanced back as Victoria returned for her weapon, and a brief moment of tension washed over her as the woman approached her with it only to offer her hand.

She lifted her eyes to hers, trying to find an understanding, a mutual wish to survive and her jaw clenched as she reached hesitantly to take her hand. It felt like melting ice, both freezing and scalding at once, odd but not unpleasant. She gripped it tighter, and pulled her out into the night.

A few cries alerted the mob that they were fleeing, and she could feel the rumble of rushing feet as they broke into a run, jeering and waving their weapons and torches, the sound of snarling dogs that had been let loose to keep track of them and tear them down.

Fallon's bare feet propelled her forward on the dirt road, her focus set on the forest ahead, but she was tiring far too quickly, and her hand loosened on Victoria's to let the woman go rather than drag her behind. They were almost at the tree line when she heard it. Something had been launched, there was a clunk, the sound of metal, the whoosh of something flying straight for them..

"Go!!.." she roared out at Victoria just before that something hit her.

The scream tore it's way from her lungs as she went down, a set of silver bolases wrapped their way around her legs just below her knees and burned instantly into her skin. Fallon skidded in the dirt and slammed her fists into the road with a curdling roar of sheer fury and agony, tears instantly spilling from her eyes as she writhed in excruciating pain.

The mob had themselves a hunter...

 

[Victoria O'Connor]

Fallon took her hand, and for a brief moment Victoria enjoyed the warmth that came from it. It was hotter than most human flesh and the wild blood inside ran fierce. Then she was wrenched into the open air, and she set her feet in time with her escort.

But Fallon was fading. Victoria noted her slowing, saw her breaths become heavier and slower. It occured to her that the garou had also been without food for the better part of a day, possibly longer, and that living bodies needed to feed much more frequently than her own suspended vessel. It was another weakness to be scorned, but when Fallon shouted "go" she did not leave the woman to her fate.

She should have, she knew she should have. Weakened as she was it was a blessing that the mob would be slowed as they beat Fallon to death. In fact, she could probably get away without another scrape and be rid of the humans and the werewolf all in one. But Fallon had spared her when given the chance, offered an alliance, however temporary, against the common enemy. And there was the hideous animal attraction to her that would not abate.

Her feet slowed, though, as she felt their hands disconnect, and she looked back just in time to see the bolas twirling through the air. Fallon screamed as she had when touched by Victoria's silver blade, and the sound tore through to her unmoving heart and froze her in place.

She didn't know what she was doing. Ruby eyes darted from Fallon's writhing body to the mob beyond and back again. No villager had the skill to throw that weapon, nor the coin to buy it. In her current state a true hunter would be a real problem. She remained stationary. She was running out of time.

She spat a particularly nasty word under her breath, and bolted forwards a few steps to where Fallon lay and slid to her knees by the woman's ankles. "Hold still!" she barked while she grappled with moving legs and got her fingers around the chains. The silver did not burn her as it did the garou, and so with a grunt of exertion, and pain from her shoulder, she broke the chains. Small shattered links jangled to the ground and Victoria ripped the remaining silver away from Fallon's skin. The wounds beneath were angry, and Victoria felt a very unfamiliar and very uncomfortable sensation in her chest when she looked at them.

No time to think on it, because a second whooshing sound caught her ear. Another bolas had been launched, and this one hit her square in the chest. She cried out at as the chain wrapped themselves around her like a python, squeezing the stagnant air from her chest. Now a different feeling filled her breast, and this one she was very well acquainted with.

Rage.

Every second was another ten steps closer to the mob, and Victoria willed herself to stand, planting herself in between Fallon and the horde. Her eyes seemed to gleam brighter in the waning twilight, and her knuckles were white on her sword. "Silver won't work on me, you worm." she hissed under her breath, and burst free of the bonds, sending a fresh shower of metal to the ground. "Where are you..." she growled, scanning the crowd.

The mob had noticeably slowed at her display of inhuman strength, and though their ire had not ceased, the flames and pitchforks seemed keen to keep their distance. They stood some thirty feet away, angry faces mixed with fear. Two of them rushed forwards, seeming to think they could team up on her. With two fluid movements, Victoria's sword cut through the shaft of a pitchfork and then curved up to separate a head from its shoulders. As the body fell, she kicked the second assailant with such force that his hip shattered, and he crumpled to the ground shrieking.

"Stop," called out a voice. At fist Victoria thought it was a plea to her, but as a figure stepped forwards it was clear they addressed the villagers. "You are no match for her." They were tall, with a wide-brimmed hat that hid their face, silver armor over thick leather, and a bedraggled leather cloak. The voice, Victoria realized with surprise, was female.

"But I am." She lifted her head to reveal a face worn through strife. Gray eyes looked Victoria over head to toe, and the vampire smirked back at them in defiance of the claim. Then the woman produced a jagged sword, swept a thin piece of paper over it, and ignited the blade into an orange blaze.

The smirk vanished from Victoria’s face, which impossibly turned whiter than it already was. ”Get up,” she said in a voice that wavered in the air. ”Fallon, get up!”

 

[Fallon]

The searing pain stole her mind, dominating her every thought as she felt as though her very bones were smouldering to ash. The silver ate into her muscle, the smell of burning flesh filling her nostrils and causing her to stomach to lurch and convulse, sending it's contents onto the dirt road. She spat and dragged in ragged breaths in panic as she struggled against her binding, her attempt to grab hold of them only causing another pained cry as the chin burned into the palm of her hand.

She was about ready to succumb and allow her mind to shut down from the trauma of the unrelenting pain when she felt the chain's vicious grip on her be torn free. The pain didn't dissipate, but she could move and it stopped eating into her flesh. Victoria's words were a muffle behind the ringing in her ears, but she understood and tried with all she had to pull herself up. Her legs could barely hold her and she stumbled into the woman, leaning heavily on her good shoulder as she turned to look back at the woman who had grounded her.

"Shit.." she growled under her breath and grit her teeth as pain continued to overwhelm her body, each breath dragged and hissed in and out of her lungs. Hunters were cunts. Fallon wasn't a threat to humans, but hunters saw a wolf and jumped to conclusions, killing without question. She'd lost pack members over the years to their sort when they should have been on the same side.

"I'll only slow you down." she growled out. There was little point in them both dying. Fallon was unarmed, and there was no way she'd be able to shift right now. "Go." she shoved at the woman and cried out as her legs buckled and gave way underneath her.

 

[Victoria O'Connor]

The fire was hypnotic. Victoria couldn't draw her eyes from it as the hunter slowly approached. Her heart, remembering what it was to fear, beat rapidly within her. As silver left lasting scars on Fallon's body, fire would eat through Victoria as if she were paper. Her dead skin had no resistance to it, and while she would heal from minor burns it always took painfully long.

She instinctively wrapped her arm around Fallon's waist, transferring her sword to the other hand, which shook slightly as she raised the blade. She didn't think too much about the strangeness of supporting the woman she'd been trying to kill just an evening before, there wasn't time for that. She could not bring herself to slay Fallon, and in this moment, she knew why. She reminded her too much of Morgan.

Muscular, blonde, domineering, Fallon shared many qualities with Victoria's sire. The one who had lured a sad and stupid girl into the dark woods centuries ago. The one who had turned her, taught her... loved her. It was all so long ago, and Victoria had grown from that timid fledgling vampire into a queen amongst darkness... but here, faced with a burning sword in a practiced hand, she could feel that frightened child coming back. She clung to Fallon's waist for safety.

That safety fell to the ground and once again told Victoria to run and save herself. She took a step back. The hunter was advancing now, making a wide circling and getting closer. She took another step back, fear of death rapidly beginning to outweigh her nostalgia. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the hunter's waist behind the glowing firelight to see a line of hand-carved wooden stakes. That was enough. With a last glance at Fallon she turned and ran. She ran as fast as she could, bolting into the night faster than the hounds that chased after her.


The hunter lowered her sword, and with a few muttered words and a tap of her fingers, doused the fire. She approached Fallon without fear, and moved to place the flat of her blade on the woman's face. It would still be hot. The mob had begun to close in but the hunter held up a black-gloved hand to stop them. "It is most curious that a werewolf and a vampire would be traveling together. Tell me, dog, why is this?" There was a murmur from the crowd, but no one dared interrupt.

 

[Fallon]

Fallon watched Victoria run and she sat on her hip and let her head fall below her shoulders as her fingers curled into the soil to grip at it, as though it might offer some sort of cure for her pain or give her anchor to this world that she was sure she was about to leave. Her eyes closed as she breathed and focused as she did whilst walking the spirit planes, trying to take her mind and spirit out of her body to escape the torture, escape the fate her body was about to encounter. Perhaps she wouldn't feel it at all.

She scalding blade on her face brought her swiftly back to reality however and she cried out with a growl as the burning steel ate into the skin on her cheekbone. She jerked her head away and looked up at the woman, her silver eyes wild and dangerous as a caged tiger and just as helpless. Fallon wasn't used to being helpless, and she silently cursed herself for travelling so far from her pack. They'd think she'd abandoned them.. Her heart slowly broke at the realisation.

"I'm not a werewolf, you shit for brains bitch." she sneered, her voice shuddering with the tiny aftershocks of agony that coursed through her body.

"Get it over with." she spat.

 

[Victoria O'Connor]

Victoria ran. She ran like she hadn't run in a hundred years. When was the last time she had fled so desperately? It must have been soon after her awakening, when she and Morgan had lived on the fringes, when they had not yet secured their place in the now collapsed coven. She did not miss this, it made her feel more like a monster and less like a master.

She was fast outpacing the hounds as she wove in between trees, but her hunger compelled her to slow. Hunger and a lingering guilt that weighed her down like irons. She couldn't get Fallon's face out of her head, pained and pleading and defiant all at once. The woman had spared and saved her life at least three times in the past two days, and Victoria had left her to die. She hadn't felt guilt in decades. She didn't care for it.

It was easy to snap the dogs' necks, there had only been two. Underfed and poorly bred, Victoria retched as she drained them. It was humiliating to have to resort to feeding on curs, and their lifeblood was foul and bitter. She forced herself to keep the meal down and stood, clapping a bloodied hand to her lips as her body, starving as it was, tried to reject the nourishment.

Despite the disgust, she could feel it working. Dog blood was not nearly as potent as human or elf, but already she felt a sweeping relief pulse through her. Her shoulder doubled its mending, and the pain dulled to a distant memory.

She looked at the dried husks on the ground and felt hatred burn within her anew. She thought of the mob that had sent them and the horrible hunter who had taken her Fallon. Her Fallon? She caught herself in the thought. Yes... hers. There was no denying it, and she did not wish to explain it. The dog's blood must be affecting her brain because her thoughts were muddled and chaotic. She was always certain of her decisions, but now she leaned against a dark tree and hugged herself, not having any idea what to do.

~*~*~

The hunter sheathed her sword and confidently stepped closer. "No?" she asked, clearly unconvinced. The "don't kill me I'm human" card was not usually played so late. "These people hired me because a white-haired woman roared at them with a beast's voice and had fangs like daggers. Country bumpkins are known to exaggerate, but here you are, running as quick as hounds, growling at me like a bitch, and with a curious sensitivity to silver. So tell me, if you are not a werewolf, what are you? Because you are not an elf."

A man's voice called out from the crowd. It sounded both frightened and angry, and like he was missing more than a few teeth. "It don't matter what she is, kill'er before she takes us all in our beds!"

The hunter did not move. "And when her friend returns? She was traveling with a vampire, you halfwit. They are supposed to be mortal enemies. If they have managed to form an alliance I guarantee the other will be back to do far worse than kill you and your children."

Silence for a beat, and then, "The hounds, they'll find 'er..." the man replied meekly.

"Hounds can't bring her back," she replied, staring at Fallon with eyes the color of stormclouds, squatting down in front of her. "But this one can."

 

[Fallon]

Fallon's jaw clenched and she growled as she rode the waves of pain and nausea, fists balling into the dirt so tightly that they trembled. Her eyes closed as she breathed, a sneer contorting her face with disgust at the man's words. She had spent her life protecting people just like him, and now they were about to celebrate her death, and feel safer by it.

"I was protecting you... All of you.." she spoke, too quietly for the man to hear because it didn't matter anyway. He wouldn't listen. None of them would, and so educating the huntress on her race was just as pointless.

Her clammy brow furrowed as she listened to the woman's words of 'alliance'... Had they? Victoria had left her to die, but Fallon had told her to and she'd meant it, she hadn't considered the woman coming back to aid or avenge her. Why would she?... She wondered for a moment if she would have left if Victoria had been in the predicament she now found herself in, and the answer to her own question prompted her eyes to open and she turned to look back at the dark tree line. There was no movement.

You told her to go..

As the woman crouched beside her Fallon tensed, awaiting her execution, but still, it never came. Their eyes met, and Fallon couldn't help but look afraid as she searched the huntress' face for meaning..

"She's long gone.. You're wasting your time.." she growled at her, eyes flashing dangerously at the closeness of the woman. She lifted her fistful of dirt and threw it at her face and reached to grip hold of her throat with an iron grip..

"I said get it over with." she strained out through gritted teeth.

 

[Victoria O'Connor]

Victoria was shaking, holding herself in her arms and sitting at the base of a tree. Filthy, almost nude, with red eyes open in wide panic. Her life had been spared, but her mind was a wreck. She heard voices, a chorus that would not cease. Exhausted and nauseated from the dog's blood, everything suddenly went white.

An endless expanse, blinding. As she blinked her bleary eyes she saw three figures standing over her... three Victorias. One stood with her arms folded and her hips leaning to one side. She wore tight-fitting leather pants and supple leather boots that ended at her thighs. An agile black coat over a simple blouse, and a readily-apparent supply of silver knives and wooden spikes.

The second wore an elegant, floor-length red ballgown. Her hair was elaborately done up, and she stared down at Victoria with disgust, like she was looking at a roach. Her hands rested atop the hilt of silver rapier, which was pointed into the ground like a cane.

The third figure, standing a few steps behind the others, glanced around timidly. She was wearing a blue dress and simple if expensive looking shoes. She was not as pale as the others, and her eyes were soft and green.

Victoria suddenly realized that she was naked, sitting vulnerable in the judgement of her three selves. "What a fucking disgrace," said the young, leather-clad vampire. The vision of Victoria's earliest vampire days curled her lip in distaste. "You ran. From humans."

"I... I was injured..." the true Victoria stammered back.

"If you couldn't kill one hunter then you deserve to die," the young deathstalker jabbed a pale finger at her.

"I needed to feed! Then I could..."

"You should have fed on the wolf!" the finely dressed mirage shouted in haughty anger. "Not dogs… little difference though there is. You are Lady of Greyrock castle, you do not take orders from mongrels."

Victoria felt a twitch of anger rise in her, and as if on cue, the human Victoria spoke up.

"But... she knows our family."

"Shut up!" The other two shouted in chorus. "You don't need your family," the deathstalker said. "You are the O'Connors," the Lady said. The human recoiled under their voices. "I just... thought..."

"No, you didn't." The Lady cut her off. "You never think. We need to continue our trip, we must reach the mountain palace."

"No, we need to go back and kill them all." The deathstalker shot back, and the Lady turned an angry face to her.

"We'll never secure our alliances if we stop to play with all the farmers and their pets." She sneered. "Let me handle this."

That appeared to strike a nerve with the younger vampire. "You think you're so much fucking better than me," the deathstalker rounded on her, "But if was my work that gave you shitty dresses! It was my damned hands that slaughtered our way to the top!"

"Good for you!" The elegant vampiress hissed, "You did you job, congratulations. You aren't needed anymore. The adults are speaking."

What followed was a very chaotic and violent argument. Victoria clutched at her hair and squeezed her eyes shut, but the images would not cease. A maelstrom of accusations and insults assaulted her, a battle between savagery and class, and all the while the human girl cried and whimpered about her poor lost family.

"Enough!" Victoria screamed, getting to her feet. The three versions of herself looked back at her as she stomped forwards and grabbed the deathstalker by her collar.

"I am more than an assassin now. I am Lady Victoria O'Connor, and I decide when my honor is insulted, not you." She raked her claws through the manifestation of her younger self, and it melted away into black smoke.

The Lady was looking very smug, but Victoria whirled to face her as well and grabbed her by the throat. "I will not be held prisoner by custom and politics. I will decide what my name means, and I will decide how to rule my own damn country." She snapped the pale neck, and it too dissolved into smoke.

The human fell backwards, scrambling away from Victoria in fear, raising a hand as the woman crouched before her. "And you... I do not miss you." She reached forwards, and with a whimper from the young woman, placed a hand on her shoulder. "But I can’t forget you, either." She looked into the green eyes for several seconds before standing and walking away.

"What... are you going to do?" the human girl asked.

"I'm going to kill a hunter, and then I'm going to find my fucking family."

~*~*~*~*~

The huntress cocked her head to the side, a slight gesture that was exaggerated by the wide-brimmed hat. She crouched in front of Fallon with her arms resting on her knees and her hands limp, not in the least bit concerned about Fallon’s closeness. ”Protecting us from what?” It was clear, from her tone, that she really did not care about that answer.

”Well… let’s prove that, then. Protect these people, lead us to the vampire. I could kill you and track her myself, of course, but it might take a few days. Then everyone she kills in the meantime, all the families she massacres on the way, that’ll be on you.” She reached back and produced a pair of heavy iron shackles. ”What do you say?”

Her question was answered by a fistful of dirt, and before she could cry out a hand like a vice clamped around her throat. She fell back, and as she did she swung the shackles violently at Fallon’s head.

 

[Fallon]

The woman's words struck a nerve. Mainly because they were entirely true and anyone Victoria killed from this point on would be blood on her hands. Because she'd failed to do her job and she'd let herself be so enraptured by a vampire and was subsequently getting herself killed.

You fucking idiot, Fallon..

She gripped hard as her fingers curled into the hunter's neck, claws snapping from the tips of her fingers with the intention of tearing the woman's throat clean out. "I say, fuck yo-". Her words were cut short by a clank of iron against her face that sent her head reeling, and Fallon clattering back into the dirt, hot blood instantly rushing from a wound on her brow.

"Cunt!" she growled as she attempted to drag herself away, her head shaking and her eyes blinking at the black spots that threatened to take over her vision. Her muscles rippled under her skin as her body tried and failed to shift and she groaned hopelessly. Fucking silver.

The barbs of a pitchfork landed in the dirt inches from her face and Fallon's eyes widened, her head whipping around to the sight of the approaching mob..

Her eyes closed.

 

[Victoria O'Connor]

The huntress rolled to her knees coughing and wiped the dirt out of her stinging eyes. She staggered to her feet and spit on the ground at Fallon, her expression turned from calm control to anger. She threw the heavy shackles down at the garou, and as the pitchfork struck by her head she stomped forwards.

"You should have played along, bitch," she said through grit teeth as she pulled out the chain she would have used to leash her. This one was iron, as both her silver chains had already been broken by Victoria, but it was heavy and strong. She wrapped it around a fist, before whipping it over her head and down at Fallon. Dirt was thrown up where the lash hit the ground, and the clanking links rang through the woods as she struck again and again. She had much quicker ways of killing monsters; she didn't want to do this quickly anymore.

The mob kept out of reach of the chains, knowing full well that they would be struck if they were foolish enough to try and intervene. This woman scared them.

~*~*~*~

Trees rushed past as Victoria streaked through the night. Foul as it was, the dog's blood had fulfilled its purpose. She felt strong and fast, and her feet scarcely touched the dirt as she flew over it. She could see everything in a clear monochrome, and she ducked under branches and cleared logs, following the scent and sound of the filthy farmers and Fallon's burned flesh.

The alpha's image burned in her mind, the pained screams echoed in her head. I need to use her, that is why I want her alive. The lie was thin, but it was enough to quiet conflicting thoughts.

Color started to return as the firelight came into view. The mob had completely surrounded Fallon by now, and Victoria felt cold fear that she was dead. She felt her family slipping away, and imagined the beautiful silver eyes becoming cloudy and empty. "No," she snarled out loud as she reached the crowd.

She grabbed the shoulder of the nearest farmer and her fingers bit into his collarbone as she vaulted herself over their head and into the center of the gathering. She had enough time to land and see a flash of chains.

 

[Fallon]

A growled cry tore from her throat at the first lash of chains, the force of it crushing her to the dirt and the sound ringing in her ears. Her skin burst under the cold iron and her bones rattled. Another and another rained down on her, cracking bones, breaking her, body and soul. She didn't know how long the beating had gone on for, but as the scream rang from the crowd at Victoria's arrival, it stopped.

Her face wasn't too bad, just a deep cut above her eyebrow, the scarlet blood flowing into her eyes. It was her body that was damaged almost beyond the point at which recovery was possible. Blooming purple welts told of internal ruptures, her flesh had been peeled open to the bones, of which there were barely any unbroken.

Shallow breaths rasped from her lips, but her mind was drifting, and the blurring image of Victoria's face was the last thing she expected to see as her eyes closed.

Just die, Fallon..

"Ah there we go! Knew the bitch would come in handy." the huntress chuckled manically, her face spattered with blood. Her fingers tightened around the dripping chains as she reached her free hand to draw her blade again, and once again it was ignited, a ghastly orange grin of flame set on destroying the redhead.

"I hope you put up a better fight than your mutt friend here.." she grinned and kicked out at the unresponsive Garou. "You got here a little late it seems, perhaps 'friend' is a term I should use loosely.." she pouted and shook her head with a tsk. Without warning, the huntress lifted a hand to whip the chain toward the vampire, her intention being to wrap it around and trap her arms by her sides, and pull her toward her waiting blade.

 

[Victoria O'Connor]

Victoria couldn't help looking at Fallon, and it was a mistake. She saw her bloodied, beaten, broken. She saw her shaking breaths become shallow. She could smell the blood, but for once it did not wet her appetite. She felt horror at what she saw, and a sickening ache that the woman must be dying. She just wanted Fallon to stop hurting, she wanted Fallon to be safe. There was no room in her mind for hasty rationale, no voices clawing for excuses, only emotion. She had one desire: protect the Garou.

The huntress' voice managed to penetrate her thoughts, although Victoria did not look away. The hot anger resurfaced alongside the pain, and she bared her pointed teeth and flashed the silver of her rapier. Only when she felt the heat of the flames did she look up, and it was too late. The heavy chain slammed into her, wrapped itself around her arms, shoulders, and neck. The end of the chain whipped around and broke her nose, momentarily blinding her with the impact.

A pull, a lurch, searing flames coming close. Survival instincts took over once again and, fueled with new blood, Victoria faded away. A white mist fell to the ground amidst the clatter of chains and snaked between the huntress' legs, swirling up and coalescing at the edge of the frightened crowd. She grabbed a startled woman by the neck and threw her at her foe, feeling vertebrae pop as she did so.

 

[Fallon]

Her body was fighting, trying desperately to piece itself back together, but the silver in her blood caused her to heal far more slowly than she normally would. There were some injuries that even Fallon couldn't claw her way back from, she was mortal, and at times she was guilty of forgetting that.

She remembered now as the agony seized and possessed her entire body until she felt numb with it, even cold, a new and dreadfully uncomfortable sensation. Her mind shut down, leaving only a minor fraction of her consciousness awake, the part she used to spirit walk, to meditate, to cross over between living and spirit planes. It was much like an outer body experience, she was stood where she had fallen, in the field not far from the tree line, but she was entirely alone and the colour seemed to have faded, leaving everything bright and white..

The mob was gone, Victoria, the huntress, her mangled body, all gone. She could hear them, not clearly, but like echoes in the wind. She spun around as she heard the sound of chains, as though expecting to see them coming at her, but she realised who they'd be aimed at now that she was no longer conscious, now that the huntress could take no more pride in hurting her.

"Victoria!!!" the cry of her name was so loud it almost broke her voice as she tried to force it from this plane to the next, throwing it into the wind and hoping it would carry. Fallon knew she was dying, and she had felt much better knowing that the woman had been given the chance of getting far away. The thought of her being killed was a confusing one, in one hand it was like losing Olivia all over again, on the other it was entirely different, she was entirely different, and she did not want her to die.

"Run!!!" she screamed once more into the wind, and fell to her knees to listen, tears falling from her lashes as she closed her eyes..

~~~

The huntress yanked the vampire toward her and slashed her flaming blade at her neck only to slice through thin air, and the chains fell with a few clinks to the ground. She roared out furiously and lifted the chain to slam it into Fallon's limp body once more.. "Fucking coward!!!" she spun around, searching for the red head to reappear.

The crowd were moving away anxiously, and the woman who was grabbed let out a sharp scream that was cut short as she broke, and the body hurtled into the huntress and sent her smashing into the ground in a tangle of limbs. She swore and shoved the body off of her, screams erupting from the mob as they scattered and ran in all directions, desperate to keep their lives.

"Come on you fucking leech, fight fair!" she laughed manically and spit blood from a burst lip as she stood, dropping the chain and drawing another blade which ignited too as she clattered it against the other.. The woman grinned as she took off at a run at Victoria, blades flourished and ready to cut the woman to ribbons, and take her beautiful head from her milky, pale shoulders.

 

[Victoria O'Connor]

Victoria looked like only the distant memory of royalty. Her hair was matted and wild, her undergarments were blackened with dirt and blood, and her face... Fallon was fortunate not to see it. Deep lines creased across it as it bent into a scowl. Bloodmoon eyes blazed from beneath the furrough brow and her rosepetal lips were stretched back to show feral fangs that dripped saliva and blood. The veins in her face and neck bulged, and her muscles were taught.

She had no words for the huntress. She was past words. The heat of the fire was painful, even from this distance, and the light cut yellow-green streaks across her retinas, but she did not back away. She hissed at the woman's charge, and took off to meet her.

"Victoria!!!"

A hallucination of Fallon's voice pushed her to fight more fiercely.

Her rapier was not meant for this, the heavy blades of her attacker would snap the delicate silver blade. With blocking out of the question, Victoria wove herself in between the attacks. It was a very dangerous dance, and more than once she felt the nearby flames blister her skin... but they did not make contact.

She spun and ducked, jumped and parried what she could. In between evasions she lashed out with piercing strikes, trying poke as many holes into her opponent as she could. Finally, unable to bear the heat any longer, she leapt away.

She almost made it, but a blade caught her thigh as she disengaged. A shriek that could not possibly be produced by human vocal cords cut through the night, and Victoria stood unsteady with her right leg shaking. Her thigh was marked with a blackened, grisly streak.

She had spent so much time near the flames that they had completely blinded her. It would take a few seconds for her to regain her sight and it was difficult to focus with the unbearable pain, but she did her best to listen for any movement.

"Run!!!"

Not without you.

 

[Fallon]

Fallon spun around at the muffled sounds of screams and yells that met her ears from here and there as though they surrounded her. The crowd were running for their lives, and Fallon’s hope soared. Victoria’s fight with the huntress was not bound to be easy, but she was only one woman.

She paced anxiously, and as the seconds passed, she felt her presence become more and more physical on this plane as her life slowly faded. Her arms wrapped around herself and tears flooded her cheeks without pause as grief flowed through her veins for the life she was leaving behind. Memories seemed to rush through her mind, the most recent and most vivid of which was simply a smiling face of Olivia.. Or was it?

“Why did she come back?” Fallon spoke aloud since she was alone anyway, her voice seeming to linger in the atmosphere for a few seconds after they’d tumbled from her lips.

Victoria's scream seemed to come in response, a scream that dwarfed all other sounds that had come previously, that even in this place she heard clear as day. Her hands slammed to her ears and she dropped to her knees to curl forward until her forehead pressed into the dirt, and she cried with more violence than any gale. Fallon didn’t break quietly, it was like every atom of her being screamed in unison, her hatred, pain, fury, sorrow, all of it thrown out in wracking sobs only interrupted by her need to draw breath.

“Wake up, Fallon…”

Fallon froze. She made no sound as she slowly pushed herself back up to kneel and turned her head toward the voice. She was dreaming now, she must have been. She’d tried to reach Olivia a hundred times and it’d never been possible, but now the woman stood in front of her as if from nowhere offering her the same warm smile she remembered so fondly, as though she’d seen her just yesterday. Fallon got to her feet slowly, afraid that any sudden movements would cause the woman to disappear forever. The redhead chuckled calmly at her hesitance and held out a hand toward her. “It’s alright, you’re not dead..” she assured with the same kindness that Fallon had yearned for.

“Then why do I see you?..” she asked and stepped in to take her hand, surprised that she could feel it. She brought it to her face and fresh tears spilled onto it as she smiled and offered a soothing hush. “Fuck I miss you.”

Olivia grinned at her and pressed a kiss to her palm.. “I know. And I love you, but you can’t stay.” She sighed, and her free hand lifted to capture a lock of her hair betwixt her thumb and forefinger which she curled behind the ragged cuff of her ear, a feature she chose to hide. "You're needed."

"So were you.. Livvy I'm so s--" Olivia's lips pressed to hers to cut off her apology, her fingers tightening on her face as she held her there in a moment she hoped would never end. It did though, and after holding her for a while, Olivia stepped back and slowly let her go after a squeeze of her hand.

"Stop blaming yourself, Fal. It's not your fault. It's never a bad thing to see the good in something. You've forgotten that." the woman's head tilted and she sighed with a soft smile, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Alright, time to go..." Olivia whispered, giving a subtle wink.

"No, not yet.." she shook her head and stepped forward, but Olivia reached a hand out toward her chest with a warm smile and a nod in protest, and pushed her sprawling backward. The touch seemed to knock the wind out of her and sent her heart racing, and as she opened her eyes to drag the air back into her starving lungs she was laying on her stomach amidst the stench of blood and burning flesh, and her eyes opened on Victoria.

Pain came rushing back to her and her face was contorted by it. She couldn't move, but she felt her body start to warm now that her heart had had a kick start, and her blood slowly, oh-so-slowly got to work on knitting flesh and bone back together.

The huntress had lifted her blades, taking a step toward Victoria, intent on finishing the job. Fallon grimaced and called out as loud as she could, hoping to throw her off guard, to give Victoria even a split second to gain the upper hand.

"HEY!" she coughed as she lifted her face to look up at her. The huntress' body flinched in fright, her head snapping around to set her wide, manic gaze on Fallon having assumed the Garou to be dead and gone.

"Fuck you." Fallon spat.

 

[Victoria O'Connor]

Victoria tried to blink away the light. Her vision was a swirl of bright blue and yellow, afterimages that cut across her sight and blocked out the night. Her pupils had constricted to pinpoints, and slowly shapes began to become clear. She cast her eyes to the ground, looking away from the burning weapons. She meant to focus on the Huntress' boots, but she focused on a prone figure instead.

"HEY!" it said.

Fallon?

The glare dimmed and Victoria could see a hazy picture. Fallon's broken body was moving, speaking. She was not dead yet. Relief rushed over the vampire like warm water, and a maniacal happiness took her for half a second. She didn't even care to question it. Fallon was alive, and what was more, she had given Victoria a chance.

The huntress turned in surprise, bringing her head around and lowering the burning swords for a moment. Her jugular bulged, taught within her twisted neck. This was the moment. Victoria snapped back into her predator's role and pushed off from the cold, damp earth. Air whistled as it was pushed aside by her bolting body. With her right hand Victoria attempted to skewer the huntress through the belly, with her left she tried to clamp onto the woman's face and keep it pushed aside. Both of these would serve only to secure her prey, and Victoria lunged forwards with hungry jaws for the neck.

 

[Fallon]

Fallon witnessed the precise moment of that inevitability hit the huntress like a punch to the gut. A slight pause in her expression as she realised her mistake, and she was too late to return her attention to the vampire as the rapier impaled her first, and fangs plunged into her neck.

A shriek in anguish ripped itself from her throat and her fingers unfurled their grip on her weapons, the flames extinguishing the second they touched the ground. The woman's horrorstricken gaze was still on Fallon as her knees buckled underneath her and she sank toward the ground, blood spluttering from her lips.

Fallon made sure she watched until the life in the woman’s eyes dimmed and faded, making sure the last thing she saw was Fallon’s smirk, as weak as it was, she wanted the cocky bitch to know that she had lost.

 

[Victoria O'Connor]

Her fangs bit deep into the huntress' neck. The taste of blood initiated a series of events that were as much automatic as they were under Victoria's control: her jaw locked into place with iron strength, and her eyes, though open, seemed blind to the world. As the woman's body went limp, Victoria followed it to her knees, and finally to crouch over it like the ravenous monster she was.

Her back was hunched and almost undulated as she sucked, slurped, and gulped the woman's flowing blood. The sinews in her body stood out taught on the backs of her hands, her neck, and her legs, everything tense and wholly devoted to a singular purpose: Feed. There was nothing elegant about her now, no grace, no poise. She was in this moment entirely animalistic.

After the putrid dog's blood the huntress was the most delectable thing she could imagine. There was strength in this blood, strength that had been honed and focused to perfection. All the righteous fury, all the pride, the ruthlessness, the greed, Victoria could taste it all. It was hot in her throat, and the warmth that spread through her body carried with it a crackling, sensual experience that that made her eyes roll back and her toes grasp at the dirt.

The corpse visibly paled as she drained it, the skin growing wrinkled and dry beyond its years. The gulping began to slow, and Victoria shuddered as the aftershocks of the feeding wracked her body. Finally she rose to her knees, sitting back with her head tilted towards the sky with hooded eyes. Her breath fogged in the air in a satisfied sigh as slick scarlet ran down her chin.