Private Tales Coasting Along

[Andromeda]

The hug nearly broke her ribs and she squeaked as the air was forced from her lungs. It took effort but she managed to turn her head so that she could at least breathe in his embrace. It was not the reaction she had been expecting either. This man, full of emotions. She was not used to dealing with them merely inflicting them on people and leaving to let the chaos unfold on its own. Andromeda was about to ask him to let her go, the pressure getting to the point of hurting, when he finally did so on his own intuition. Carefully she rubbed her arms that had suffered the brunt of his strength and gave him the once over as if not quite convinced he wasn't changing already. Though... he had said he was stronger as a human because of the curse.

"The ocean is the best protection I can have, I would be away from here before they even noticed as long as I can get into the sea," it was no myth when people spoke with fear about how fast the sirens could swim. They could cover miles if they truly wanted to in a day. If he truly thought that was the best path and that was what would keep him calmest then that was the path she chose. She would be more stressed in a cave away from the ocean.

She didn't entirely understand where the question came about fresh water until her gaze followed his to the pond.

A literal point.

Andromeda gave him a dead eye stare.

"I am not. A Goldfish," she reminded him through gritted teeth. "Not to mention I would be a sitting duck in there. No. A sitting Koi Fish. But I can breathe in Fresh Water, it just doesn't trigger my change like salt water does. I would have to force it," it was a painful thing with the aid of the sea, but forcing the change was worse.

 

[Acteon Cass]

"No. You are not a goldfish. Clearly your scales are far more beautiful and colorful than that." Acteon said actually managing a smile despite how anxious he was feeling. It was not a good sign. When his emotions were this high so near his transformation it always got triggered. Sometimes it was just a natural thing that happened even when he was at his calmest before the full moon. The human side of him feared becoming the wolf and the wolf feared not being able to transform at all. But it would happen.

The man gently squeezed her shoulders then just sort of started to rub them instinctively. "Then the ocean. No need for you to force yourself to change or feel so exposed. Wait for my howl and then make for the ocean with our things. I promise you they will not notice you running."

Amber eyes locked onto her own peach colored ones. It was odd how similar and connected these two had become. Acteon was aware of it. Perhaps that was were part of the anxiety came from. To open up and allow others in was utterly foreign to him. Only his parents had the luxury of raising him and so naturally he had eased into this openness and vulnerability. But with this young woman it had been forced. Any defense he might have had was scattered like the ship she had sung into the rocks. All he could hope was that by the end she did not end up devouring him as well.

"Any problems or suggestions Ana?"

Andromeda Barbarossa

 

[Andromeda]

Ana snorted but she didn't deny the fact they were. She did, however, quirk her eyebrows a bit as he began massaging her shoulders. Not that she didn't appreciated it in the right moment, but she got the sense it was more for his benefit than hers. He looked anxious. His whole body was tense and poised. She debated doing something about it, she had the power, but using it on him felt wrong to her. How odd. Two people in two days she had been loathe to sing to when they had needed it the most.

"Nothing that you would agree to," she placed her hands over the top of his to still their movements, then slowly peeled them from her shoulders and squeezed them slightly, bringing them so that they were between them instead. "Acteon I will be fine, these are my kind of people. At the worse I get put on board a ship I have to sink," a slight raise of her shoulder. They would be doing her a favour taking her further out to sea where her power was stronger in a way.

"I will sit and wait here for the howl then make my way to the beach," she dropped his hands and then sat on the stump she had sat on when they had first arrived.

 

[Acteon Cass]

All the Allirian could do was smile at Ana after she spoke to him. Thankfully she was willing to go along with his plan and he could at least be sure his focus as a wolf would be directed at the pirates on the beach. Those on the ship would surely know something was wrong however if one of them made it to the their boats or if they made a massive fire or when they did not come back. Hopefully the later as it would at least buy them some time. He did not know how it was going to go. He never did when it came to his wolf half's actions.

Acteon said in a hushed voice, "Thank you Ana."

The man went back to gather his things. His shirt, pants, and belt were wrapped around his sword and then tied up so they remained a secure bundle. He was going to need clothes in the morning and did not want his own weapons turned on him. It also at least ensured she was armed. Likely it would be of no help to her underwater but it made him feel better.

Acteon walked over to her, a miracle the cloth had remained tied this whole time, and handed her his things. Even his coin purse was amongst it. For an Allirian and merchant that was a big leap of trust he was placing in her. Not that they had much choice. "I will need those back in the morning. Hopefully the clothes are not too wet and the sword does not begin to rust. Be a pain to pay off the smith for the repair after."

Once she had the items Acteon would touch her cheek softly with one hand. It would only linger for a moment then he took off. He found him a place opposite of where Ana would be making her run from the pirates. Then he just needed to wait for the twilight to end and the moon to rule the sky.

Andromeda Barbarossa

 

[Andromeda]

"Things not getting wet I cannot promise," Ana held her arms out and then folded his assortment of bits against her chest. It was driving her nuts the idea that she would simply be sitting here doing nothing. The touch on her cheek had her eyes fluttering shut for a moment, then be was gone. A deep sigh left her lips. After a moment or two she carefully set down his bits at her feet and wriggled the weapons free. A sword and a dagger. She belted them both on so she could reach them if she needed to and then retied the bundle of his clothes into a smaller package so she could easily carry it in one hand.

Content that was all sorted she moved back over to the camp and began double checking the fire and the bits of food they had left, deciding to bury that all too. Freshly cut up melon and cooked meat would be a dead give away to people being on the island.

Her mind wandered as she worked. Promising she would go to Alliria and live with this random stranger and his father was a big step. A massive step. Usually not one she would even entertain let alone do. If she gave in to every offer a man gave her she would never get to do her own things. So why? The promise of his help? She pressed her lips into a thin line. Finished with her job she stood up and put her hands on her hips, looking around. Nothing else she could do.

As it turned out, it was making daisy chains. It was the only thing Andromeda could find to do that kept her fingers busy and her mind occupied enough to not go wandering through the woods before his call. She glanced up again. The moon was pretty much near its peak now.

 

[Acteon Cass]

All Acteon could do was wait. Wait until night had finally overcome day and the moon's call was finally answered. Wait until his human form was shed and replaced by that of the wolf. Wait until morning when he would fully awake once more. Normally he could find patience on jobs and undertaking his own tasks. But this wait was one he never could handle. It also made him feel jittery. It felt as if things were crawling under his skin and there was no way to get them out. He just needed to move with no real aim or direction. It was the opposite of everything he tried to be.

Twilight faded full. The moon and stars were the only lights in the sky. The change began. People always assumed it was some kind of magical shapeshifting that took place. Acteon had thought the same before he had experienced it himself. But it was not. There was nothing magical about what happened to his body. His entire form just began to rearrange itself. Bones broke, bent, and stretched. Muscles condensed and expanded. Fur began to grow rapidly all over him and itched to the point of madness. Pops, snaps, and a noise like two wet ropes sliding across each other was always in the ear.

It was pain. Pure. Simple.

Acteon had to fight back the need to scream out. This was something he had gotten use to. It was something he had gotten use to to the degree one could get use to their body literally reshaping itself in all too real way. He dropped but not to his knees. That would mean there was some kind of dignity left to be had. No, he dropped straight to the ground forced into a thrashing fettle position doing his best to lock his jaw and trap the air within his lungs just so he would not give away his location to the pirates.

Soon enough it was done. Where once a human with amber eyes had lain was now a monster with the same eyes. It got to its feet, all four of them, and focused on purely one thing: bleeding out its prey.

=======

The pirate in charge of the beach camp was not happy with the slow progress. They had wasted the twilight hours with foolhardy bantering when it would have been done in half the time if they had not talked. It was just some manual labor that required little to no thinking. Yet these screw ups had managed to turn it into a headache.

"Are you lot finally done? The light be gone and now all we got is lanterns and torches." The overseer said in an angry tone.

"Stop spewing and fuming. We be done." The milky eyed pirate said getting his lantern lifted up.

"Good. Now let us be off. We got slaves to cau-" The overseer started to say.

A loud snapping of a branch cut him off. All eyes were cast in the direction it had come from. Lights were shown and hands went onto weapons ready to draw if need be. Nothing was there but shadows made all the worse by being on the edge of the lights.

The overseer nervously tapped his fingers along the hilt of his saber before finally choosing to draw it. He said in a hushed voice, "I'll go see. Ready yerselves for anything."

As his crew wordlessly followed his orders the Overseer slowly stepped forward. Eyes never left the spot the snap had come from. The tip of his saber was readied in front of him. It was clear the man was never trained yet had experience instead to back it up. As he drew closer he called out loudly, "Who be there?!"

A long, clawed arm suddenly grabbed the Overseer by the face and pulled him into the shadow of the bushes faster than any could respond to. His lantern was dropped to the beach as a scream went out, but was cut abruptly short. The crew was frozen. None of them knew what had just happened. All they could see was light casting worst shadows from its low position at the edge of the beach and brush.

Eventually the youngest member found his courage and called out in a shaky voice. "Kinnagen, you alive?"

Silence was the young man's answer. Silence and a pair of moon lit orbs peaking out from the brush. They just stayed there for several moments. One of them shifted their feet back and glanced away from the eyes. As he did a deafening howl that could only belong to some unholy beast pierced the silence. The pirates were all frozen in fear and shock. Then it leapt out of the shadows onto the nearest man and began to slice through flesh to fling innards around as easily as a child removing the wrapping around a present.

=======

If Andromeda Barbarossa looked in the direction of the pirates as she ran to the ocean all she would see was horror. Confusion of lights and darkness dancing around as mortals knew not to flee or rush to stab a large beast ripping through a man as if they were peeling an orange. They would stumble, scream, flail their lights and weapons about. But none of it seemed to daunt the thing for more than a second. Blood was already beginning to paint everything red even though the attack had just began.

Where a Siren's song brought about smiles and joy at the prospects of death the howl of the Werewolf brought about horror and panic that broke mortals down to their very core.

 

[Andromeda]

Andromeda had actually nodded off. She had begun to feel tired before they had discovered the pirates and sitting with her back against the stump, waiting for something to happen had resulted in her head slowly tilting back and her eyes coming to a close. It wasn't a deep sleep, a sound would have roused her easily. The sword which she had strapped around her waist had been pulled out to rest naked across her thighs. Her listless hand held the pommel loosely as she slumbered.

It was the howl that woke her. For a moment she couldn't quite remember where she was. She had fallen asleep in dusk but it was night at its zenith when she woke. The area around her was made up of shadows. Her eyes were built for the murk of the sea so it picked out the shapes around her a bit better than a humans, but this was land and not the darkest pits of the ocean bed. It just wasn't the same. Groggily Ana pushed herself to her feet and picked up the bundle, keeping the sword drawn should she have need of it.

To begin with she walked at a quick pace, cutting through the forest directly in front of her rather than going the way she knew to the beach - that led straight to the pirates camp. Besides, her own things were over the other side. If someone discovered those... Of course, they could have been thrown ashore like the rest but it was its placement, hidden and out of sight. Once she had woken a bit more her walk turned into a light jog, but she didn't run flat out. That was the way to fall, break an ankle, or do something worse. As she got closer to the part where the forest faded into beach she slowed. Her feet curled into the snow now it had replaced the spongy floor of the woodland and glanced around. Her cover was lessening and it was a long dart to the sea. She fled to another tree and lurked in the shadow, then another. Inching closer bit by bit until finally there was nothing else.

She could see her bag from here.

She could also see the shadows thrown into the sky and hear the screams of the men being killed further down the beach. But she spared them no mind and instead dashed for her bag. Andromeda dropped to her knees, skidding a little through the sand and coming to a stop there, forcing all of Acteons belongings into the satchel. Perhaps, if she swam out a little she could find another cove to settle down in for the evening and wait out the night.

 

[Acteon Cass]

Of the thirteen who had landed on the sands of the beach already three of them were gone. The overseer was drug into an unkown fate. A pirate had been pounced and deboweled within seconds. Another pirate had tried to charge forward flailing their weapon around in a panic only for the beast to snatch his arm to be pulled so throat could meet hungering jaws. The remaining ten did not know what to do.

Milk eye seemed to have some sense still left within him and began to bark out orders. They were to group up and spread out enough so they would no hit each other while swinging. If the wolf went for one of them the others could just surround it. A sound if simple tactic, yet foolish to speak it before a thinking thing. Scar arm echoed the need to rally but told them all to just charge it. The two nearly came to blows.

Three of them had hung further back. They did not wish to be a part of this folly and so began to run towards one of the boats. As they reached and began to push however they would find their breaking off had only made them the beast's next target. The first was flung backwards into the trees. Crashing and crunching could be heard, but it was unclear if they survived. The second and third were both grabbed by their shoulders. Claws sank into flesh and then were ripped off their floating hope. Out into the water the beast drug them. It forced their faces into the wet sand as it turned to face the remaining seven.

Milk eye and Scar arm stood shocked at the speed the beast had as well as the way it chose to drown rather than just tear apart the two seeking life from the sea. It was a poetic death and the slow lesson of how smart the thing before them was had finally sunken in. The pair rounded up their companions and took towards the brush. Out in the open there was little they could do to hide or find protection from the beast. It would just spread them out and pick them off as it had been doing until now. They needed the trees and the brush and the grass for safety. Hopefully they found it there.

=======

A strong nightly current had begun. Andromeda Barbarossa would find swimming to be more taxing than it had been that day. It wished to grab her and carry her far from the bloody shore she had left her companion on.

 

[Andromeda]

Andromeda kept glancing up at the sea as she worked to fit everything in her satchel. The waves looked rough which was usually a sign of an oncoming storm. It might mean the pair were stuck on this island for longer than one day - even if a ship did pass it would be hard for them to moor and send out rowing boats to fetch them. She didn't particularly enjoy swimming in the rougher seas; this close to shore it was dangerous especially. She needed to get further out into the deeper waters so she could swim below in the calmer straights.

As she stood she heard the crunch of a boot behind her and she turned, sword pointing straight in front of her with narrowed eyes. The figure was still in shadows as he was in the forest, but he stepped forward into the barren beach and the moonlight with his hands in his pockets, slight amusement in his eyes.

"Miss Barbarossa, I didn't expect to find you out here."

"Hawk," she inclined her head but she didn't lower her blade. Instead she put the satchel on her shoulder in a nonchalant fashion. "I'm afraid if you are looking for people to sell I am disinclined to acquiesce to such a thing," her eyes roamed his person but there was only the cutlass at his side, left sheathed. Very slowly she lowered the blade.

"Of course, of course. In memory of your father I would do no such thing. But... I could offer you a lift back to more civilised shores," the sound of screaming filled the silence. Ana drove the sword into the ground and leaned against it.

"In return for?" Because nothing was ever free.

"Calling off this beast of yours."

 

[Acteon Cass]

The pirates found no shelter in the trees. Everything was too thick for them to properly group up. Some bush or branch or rock would get in their way of making a tighter circle. They pressed on further in hoping to find a clearing. They needed to find one. One of them eventually started to lag behind. It was one of the older pirates. He had spent most of his life out at sea and had fully expected to die out there. All of the crew did. The man was as iconic for the ship as the mast and wheel by this point.

But he had still fallen behind. The heavy labor right before the panic had left him exhausted and the liquid energy that had pumped through his veins was wearing off. Eventually he lost sight of the others. He couldn't see any of them. All he saw was ever deepening darkness and vegetation. Every so often he would hear a snapping twig or crunching of leaves, yet nothing would ever be there. He couldn't help feeling it was a sign of the end.

Another snap behind him and the pirate turned. There was nothing there yet again. Panic set in. His eyes darted around. Out of desperation he yelled, "Mates where be y-"

=======

The rest of the pirates had moved on quick in their search. They heard the sounds of twigs and leaves being crushed underfoot off in the distance. Every so often one of them would catch the pair of glowing orbs out at the edge of the light. They tried to communicate but it was hard to know where each other was at at times. Then they were down to six.

When had it happened? Who was it that was missing? They had managed to regroup and soon enough found out. Old Twostep Jimmy was missing. Then they heard his yell a ways back the way they had come. He had struggled to keep up. Milk eye cursed realizing this. The old man's knees had been getting worse lately. What was more concerning however was the abrupt end to his sentence. It was unnatural and a sense of dread crept over them.

Scar arm refused to go back. Let the weak die he said. Milk eye wasn't about to let that happen. Old Twostep Jimmy was his friend and mentor. Only one of the pirates, a younger man, was willing to join him. The pair went back as the others headed back deeper into the woods.

What the pair found shocked them. Jimmy was propped up against a tree in a standing pose. A large hole went right through his chest where his heart should be. His ribs stuck out revealing that something had gone clean through them from both sides and the flesh between from behind then was slowly pulled out. A bloody paw print was left above his head on the tree.

The young man looked away and expelled his last meal off to the side. Milk eye dropped to his knees muttering a single word under his breath over and over: no.

Andromeda Barbarossa

 

[Andromeda]

Andromeda looked at Hawk then burst into fits of laughter.

"You think I can control that?" a slight eyebrow raise. "Why do you think I was heading for the sea?" A shadow of doubt crossed the other mans face. Yes, it would make sense that she would use the cover of his men's deaths to try and escape if she thought she had been alone on the island with it. She watched him carefully, the way he shifted his stance ever so slightly. Ana shifted hers too. She hated this game that pirates played. They both knew this would end in only one way.

"That is... a shame. But then truly I have no use to help you."

"Who says I need your help?"

"Ah yes... your ability to swim is quite legendary," he took a step. Andromeda inched the sword a little from the sand. "But the seas are rough tonight."

"I like a challenge... Wasn't planning on going very far anyway, there's another man on the island who was hurt during the wreck. I wouldn't leave him to die of the wounds but he cannot make this journey. I thought to hail a ship if I was on one of the outcrops a little further out."

They stared at one another for a long while.

"Then I guess I can save you a swim," he inclined his head after a moment. "Should we retrieve your friend?"

Panic. It wouldn't be sunrise for another few hours, the moon was waning but it would still hold power for now. She kept her posture relaxed.

"Now, we're being quite strong with the term friend, especially when there's some monster running round in the forest," the screams of his men could still be heard, echoing over the canopies. "Why don't we just... wait till morning."

"Wait till morning," amused he offered her his arm. "As you wish."

 

[Acteon Cass]

Scar arm and his part of the crew finally found a small clearing. The four of them hurried to the center then all got their backs together with weapons readied in front of them. All of them were panicking. This was something they had never experienced before. They had fought and killed sailors, marines, and militia. They had fought off beasts of the islands and the sea. They had seen so much already but this was the first time they had come across this kind of fear. The fear of death was something everyone who sailed the seas and fought had to get use to, but at least there was always a sense of hope. There was always hope they would see the next day. Here there was none. All they could do was pray they got lucky and made it till the end.

"Remember if it come for one of us we all swing at it. No running away. Got no where to go even if ye do." Scar arm said to everyone with some confidence in his voice. No one was sure if he truly felt it or not, even him, but it was at least calming to hear.

The orbs appeared from the edge of the light as they always did. They were locked on the man who just spoke. Scar arm sneered and began to yell curses out at the thing. It just stayed still. The action of yelling made all of them feel better at the very least. A few even began to curse at the beast as well. Each word passing their lips making them feel more confident in their situation.

Then a howl that bounced off of the trees to feel as if it was coming from all around was released. It silenced them and froze them in place. Then the orbs were gone. They knew it meant something was about to happen. But who was it going to go for? None wished for it to be them and that one of their fellows would take the pounce in their place.

The man opposite of Scar arm was chosen and the beast came leaping out of the brush. It crossed the entire length of the clearing and landed a top its prey. As the man went down with claws dug into his flesh and teeth going for his throat, the other turned and began to swing and stab at it. Steel sunk into its flesh with the same sensation as dense wood. They wished it had gone deeper, but the thing was now bleeding. They didn't stop their blows until it backed off and rushed back into the brush once more.

Scar arm helped the amazingly still alive man from the ground. He had suffered wounds from claws but had been saved from the teeth. Now back on their feet they regained the position. They felt confidence return as well as a sense of hope, if tiny. The beast bled and that meant it could be killed.

"Good job boys. Same thing again. We be bloody by the end but alive." Scar arm said with the same confidence from before but it was clear he felt it this time.

The orbs popped up in front of Scar arm once again. The man began to throw out insults and threats at the beast. A crazed smile was on the man's face. His fellows just cheered and echoed him as he spoke. Then they vanished from view. The men laughed. They had won for now. They would make it until morning....

A small boulder came flying out of the trees straight for them. Scar arm, being the one facing it, was the only one who had time to duck and dodge. The other three were hit and knocked down. The injured man was instantly dead as it came the fully crush his bloody body. The other two heard their own bones break from the impact and fell to the ground screaming out in pain. Arms and ribs hit directly by the stone were shattered. One of the men even began to have trouble breathing. A crackling wheeze was all any could hear from him as fluid filled his pierced lung. The other man had avoided the same shared death but instead his ribs had pierced his heart. He was quickly bleeding out into his own body. None of them were going to make it a half hour.

Scar arm slowly got to his feet. Dread had finally consumed him. Before he had others to sacrifice for his own life but now he was alone. Alone with a beast that had outwitted them. A beast that was making its way slowly towards him on all four. Were once it had been in the shadows now it was within the light. No longer could the pirate pretend. His death was upon him.

Andromeda Barbarossa

 

[Andromeda]

Andromeda hesitated another moment before taking his arm, looping her own through it and walking along the beach with him, their backs to the now muffled noises. They must be further inland now, she thought distantly. It was a lot of effort not to turn and try and get a look of Acteon but she daren't. Not whilst Hawk was here and thought she truly had no concern but to get away from the beast. She quickened her step a little as if she were truly eager to leave and the man beside her smile and matched her pace.

They soon came to another boat from the ship and the pair of them pushed it into the water before clambering in. They made the odd bit of idol conversation but otherwise there was a wary quiet between them both. Andromeda was six years the Captain's junior, but Hawk knew the ferociousness of Barbarossa's old crew and of his daughter. He didn't plan to take any chances.

As they got to the ship Andromeda clambered up first, followed by Hawk, who led her past the crew to his own cabin.

"Please, I'll have some food brought up, make yourself comfortable and there's some clothes in the chest. I take it most of yours went down with Nori's ship?" a silent nod and he seemed to think on it a moment before nodding and closing the doors to go and tend to his own crew.

Now to just wait till sunrise...

 

[Acteon Cass]

Milky eye and his younger companion heard the yelling off in the distance. It sounded as if they were screaming at the marines of the Cortosi or Anirian or Imperial navies. Then there was a bit of silence. Cheers broke it. Then things went back to the yelling and then silence.

The pair had been getting Old Twostep Jimmy laid onto the ground and some bit of respect returned to his corpse. There was nothing they could do about the paw print. But they could not do more for their old friend now as the second bit of silence showed up. They knew it meant things had soured and spoiled. Without a word they both got their weapons and lights back in hand then took off.

They had a hard time weaving their way through the trees but the breaks in the brush at least made following their fellows' trail easy. Soon enough they made their way into the clearing. What they saw brought them back to the scene of their old friend....

=======

Scar arm did not know what to do. He had made it to his feet but he was utterly alone now. There was no one who could save him now and the beast was moving closer. It looked as if it had crawled out of hell itself. Ash colored fur was blotched in crimson. Where it came from was impossible to say. So much blood and death had already happened. Amber eyes reflected the light in mockery of having devoured all hope. One would expect a growl or snarl or some kind of bestial noise to be coming from it. But there was only silence.

Thump... Thump.. Thump.

Scar arm's heart was beginning to race. The monster that grew larger and larger with each step seemed to move in rhythm with its beat. It needed no words. It needed no sound. No noise. It needed nothing but the silence of the night itself. Every sound was amplified. Every breath unnoticed before this night had become a sturdy gust that tore sails from masts. Each beat of his heart like the mighty thud of war drums. Each step back the felling of boulder or tree onto the ground. This was the end. They both knew it. And this beast taunted him by letting him have no escape from his own inner turmoil. He was forced to stew in his own thoughts incapable of uttering a single word.

And then the wolf was before him. Amber eyes rose to tower above his own as the beast rose onto its hind legs. A toothy smile crossed its lips.....

=======

In the center of the clearing Milky eye and his only loyal companion saw a sight of nightmares and twisted dreams. A beast stood taller on two legs than any man aboard their boat. It was bloody and covered in wounds all over its body, but neither of them could notice. Their eyes were locked above its head. Raised to its full height with one arm stretched to the sky as if in offering to the moon on high it held up the lifeless Scar arm. Paw was buried deep into his chest. Blood flowed down to drip like a fountain to the ground below. The beast's amber eyes were locked onto the sight above. A twisted grin full of teeth and mirth directed to the soulless face it held up.

The young pirate took a step back. A twig snapped. Those eyes and grin were turned their way. For a second everything stayed the same. Then in one swift motion it tore Scar arm's chest open with both paws. Both of the pirates stumbled back and tripped over a hidden branch.

They quickly scrambled back to their feet but before they could even settle themselves something struck them both and knocked them back down. It was the bloody, broken corpse of Scar arm. They had no time to move before another, heavier weight pinned them down. Claws gripped their faces and then began to bash their heads against the ground over and over and over and over and over again. They flailed their weapons about in a vain attempt for freedom. Steel bite and tore into flesh, but the beast did not care. It continued with monstrous strength crushing their heads until with loud cracks and pops arms went limp and the flailing stopped.

The beast raised itself up to its full height once again. It was bloody and bleeding. It did not care. It cast its gaze up to the moon and let out a howl across both land and sea with the full might of its lungs. This night was of a hunt won. A night of blood flowing freely into the soil. A night were the beast had won. And everything and everyone was to know.

Andromeda Barbarossa

 

[Andromeda]

Andromeda had changed out of the gauzy blue dress that was really no more than a shift and into more comfortable clothes for being on two feet and not under the sea. Instead now she wore more typical pirate attire; brown breeches and black bucket boots, a white shirt that was slightly too big for her so kept slipping off her shoulders and a corset one of the women had been kind enough to lend her. She leaned against the railings as the morning sun hit her face and she turned it up more to catch the rays. The ship was already a buzz of activity. Last night they had heard the howl and the rescue team Hawk had been planning to send to shore had been stalled. It was a small mercy as he had promised to bring her friend back too.

A gentle breeze picked up a strands of her white hair and blew them across her face.

"A nice morning," Hawk murmured as he joined her at the rail. She cast him a side eyed look with a hint of a smile but said nothing else. He had actually been the perfect gentleman that evening and left her mainly to her own devices. It was... not like him. When she had probed she had discovered the news about Cerack and its destruction at the hands of the Empire. It had been a grisly story but with the slavers gone it explained why he was looking for friends elsewhere.

"I really don't need an escort to bring my friend back," Andromeda eyed up the crew who were gearing up to come with her, five in total.

"It would make me feel better," he replied with a tilt of his head. Ana narrowed her eyes a little but said no more on the matter.

It wasn't long before they were rowing across the gap between the ship and the beach. As soon as it beached Andromeda stepped off, careful not to get any of the salt water on her limbs and then began briskly walking up the beach leaving the others to poke around the dead bodies of their men in exclamations of horror.

"ACTEON?!" She called as she headed for the campsite.

 

[Acteon Cass]

With the moon within her vesper, the beast did not end its game. It had begun to drag the corpses back to the beach. It began to drag them back to where they had landed for the last time. Using rope and chain and vine it strung them up within the trees facing out. It turned them into a still picture of horror resembling a puppet play that might be given to children. Even barrels and boats had been lined up in such a way it might resemble the front of a stage as one walked up to them. This image was what the beast left behind for those who came next. It was a reminder of the game they were playing and the price they would pay for playing it.

=======

The moon was gone and the sun began to dawn. Acteon awoke at the camp he and Andromeda Barbarossa were once going to share. Bloody, naked, and wounded all over the man rose up slowly. He was exhausted. Whatever the wolf had been up to all night had seen to that. Vague memories began to float back into his mind as they always did. It was mostly of running through trees and grass and darkness. Every so often he would get a flash of some poor soul dying....

Those thoughts were pushed aside. Acteon's mind was fully his own once again. The moon's power over him was broken for now and with it came a need to civilize himself. That meant he needed to bath and find new clothing. A bloody, naked man would bring about questions he did not want answered. So he went back to the pond for a second time to clean himself.

While not going back to the beach the pirates had gone to and would likely land at again, Acteon searched through the debris washed up on the shore for some clothing. Thankfully he found a trunk with mostly dry clothing barely his size in it. He got pants and a shirt on as well as a belt. There were no boots however. Now decent, he made his way back to the camp.

Nearing it, the Allirian heard Ana calling out his name. A sigh left his lips. She was not the most subtle right now. He called out back to her.

"Yes Mistress? What can I do for you?"

 

[Andromeda]

Ana blew out a breath she didn't know she had been holding in when she heard his voice and altered her course a little to head towards the voice. To their little camp. When she saw him she stopped, her eyes raking over the cuts and wounds with concern before holding up her satchel and then throwing it to him casually. She still wore his sword about her person and she made no move to give it back; it looked better on her in her current ensemble.

"I don't have much time to explain but I found us a ride off of here. The pirates from last night, I met their Captain and he's willing to take us on to where Nori was going. Thanks for leaving the men all strung up with a pretty ribbon by the way," a grimace. She had seen bad things during her time but this was a whole lot worse. After a moment her shoulder slumped a little. She really had been worried about him, she realised with a growing horror, and then she wondered over to him and smeared a bit of blood off his cheek.

"Are you ok?"

 

[Acteon Cass]

It seemed that Ana had the time to change clothes as well as make a new "friend" while he was running around the woods. He was not sure if he should be annoyed or impressed by that. Either way, he did not worry about getting his sword back from her as she tossed his clothes to him. He would feel far better once he was in proper fitting clothes again. That was something he honestly missed about having coin when it was gone. Properly tailored clothing to fit him felt amazing and it made the good enough fitting clothing feel like he might as well have just worn a blanket wrapped around him.

"Strung up with a pretty ribbon? What are you talking about?" Acteon asked with a bit of a frown as he got the salvaged clothes off of himself. Clearly he was not bothered if she saw him without anything on. The act did bring the full scope of his injuries to light for her. His whole torso was a patchwork of cuts and bruises. The healing had already begun and they were unlikely to break open again in the way they might if a normal human had gotten them the night before, but they were still fresh. Most of them were not that deep but the sheer number alone would lead to a question of how he had not bled out from it as well as how he was moving around so casually.

Acteon worked on getting his own clothes on this time around. The facts she shared bothered him a bit. It was one thing to get passage with a bunch of pirates. They were just drunkards and thugs for the most part and so long as you made merry with them they were not so bad. But these people were slavers. Slavers could never be trusted. Too many a sellsword and merchant had made a deal with a slaver for transport only for it to end with them in chains because the slaver had not hit their desired profit. They could never be trusted and that made them a threat Acteon was not willing to allow.

"Do we have to use this group? I do not trust slavers to not turn on us. People is what they sell and you are an attractive young woman with a lovely voice while I am a rather strong man with the most handsome face in the world. We make prime targets for high price slaves." Acteon was frowning a bit as he said this. He did not like the idea one bit.

Andromeda Barbarossa

 

[Andromeda]

So he didn't remember entirely what he did when he was in his wolf form, even though they shared the same desires. Interesting. She listed her head to one side slightly at his words and then debated whether or not to tell him. After all, he was about to see when they walked back to the beach if the crew hadn't managed to get them all down. As he got dressed she sat down on the stump she had dozed against the night before and contemplated the rest of what he said.

"I am talking about what you did last night to those pirates, you string them all up like a massive warning along the beachfront. If you had put candles in their mouths they would have made some spooky fairy lights," she watched for any hint of recognition but when he just continued getting dressed she shrugged and continued on to his second point. "I don't trust them either but the key to being a pirate is not to trust anyone. They know I'm here, I don't have much choice but if you want me to say I found you dead you could probably find a ride elsewhere," she gave a sigh and ran her hand through her thick hair, fluffing it up a little. "I understand your concerns but I think we'll be ok. If not then we can just wreck another ship and start over on another little island," a small smile played across her lips.

 

[Acteon Cass]

Acteon tried to remember what the wolf him had done last night to the pirates, but it was in vain. Trying to force the memories always were in vain. They were of one body and heart yet their minds were not perfectly aligned. From what he could tell from the stories other werewolves just shared their bodies while their hearts and minds were entirely different. For him even their minds were not different. It was more like different rooms in the same house. No. Not even that was truly correct. It was something he could never put into words no matter how hard he tried to for himself.

Ana's response to his slaver concern got him to frown again. Seemed she had to follow through with it. Not good. He worked on getting his items separated from her own in her satchel as he said, "If you have to join them then so will I. They are dangerous and I would rather they not do something to that pretty body and face you got there."

Acteon looked up at her with a bit of a smirk and gave her a wink. "And as you said, we can always just sink a ship and try again."

After a bit the Allirian frowned with an annoyed huff. "Do you ever organize this thing? It is a nightmare to sort out your things from mine. It is all just one big jumbled mess."

The Reachman continued to try on messing around with the items in her satchel like some kind of married man looking for his coin pouch in his wife's purse.

Andromeda Barbarossa

 

[Andromeda]

"Nothing is going to happen to me," Andromeda watched him with some amusement as he rifled through her things. In truth she didn't have much in there that was her own - a few odd garments and a bottle or two, some coin of her own. Whatever wouldn't be destroyed when she dragged it through the cold depths of the ocean. But she did mean it, nothing would happen to her on that ship. Unlike him she had the upmost confidence her gifts would work easily on the people on board that ship should the need arise. But something... something made her suspect she wouldn't need to. In fact her biggest concern for the whole trip would probably be trying to ensure Acteon didn't rip someone's throat out.

"I don't tend to bother organising things no... the sea just turns everything upside down anyway so there never seems much point. I would also like to point out that it is mainly your shit in my bag and I had to ram it all in there in the pitch black whilst you tore people limb from limb a few meters away," her eyebrows rose. "You try and organise a bag with that kinda pressure."

 

[Acteon Cass]

"I could and I have organized my stuff in more pressing times than this. Hell I devised a plan once that took a city without anyone needing to die for it. The side I did it for even gained more forces to use later. Did they really thank me for it? No. Just veiled threats, shoved some coin in my face, and I took off before their 'God-King' got it into his head I owed him something." Acteon responded.

The man got tired of trying to sort out his things from her own and just went about getting it organized himself regardless of what belonged to who. He did it quickly and efficiently. His time as both an Allirian guard and sellsword showed in the discipline he sometimes could devise. With that done he just handed it all back over to her without worrying about his own stuff getting back to him yet.

"There. It is organized. Now let us go meet your new friends so I can show them their betters." Acteon said to her with a bit of a smirk on the end.

Andromeda Barbarossa

 

[Andromeda]

Andromeda made a face as he spoke much like a child might behind their parents back. There was an eye roll, a tiny bit of silent mockery and a whole lot of looking at her finger nails waiting for him to finish his rant. In honesty, he was lucky she had such patience. Most pirates would have left by now. When he turned back to her she was the perfect image of an innocent young girl hanging off his every word. She took her satchel with a bright smile before promptly slinging it over her head in a haphazard way. The contents would no likely be disturbed entirely by the time they got back from the ship.

"Please don't talk to them like that, the last thing we need is to be booted off the ship. It's going to be a lot harder to hide transforming if they boot me over the edge," she pulled a face. "I told them you were too hurt to make the swim last night so just limp a bit, here, lean on me," she wrapped her arm around his waist so he might rest his over her shoulders as they began walking back towards the beach.

"Remember, you have no idea who they are or what they are, all you heard last night were terrifying sounds of people being torn apart, annnnd you just hid in one of the caves and prayed and pissed your pants, savvy?"

 

[Acteon Cass]

The Allirian just chuckled at Ana when she began to give him her little speech. She had no idea what she was in for now. It made him want to tease her some before they arrived at the pirates landing site. Would it piss her off? Highly likely. Would it get him left on the island? Highly likely. But she was getting the real Acteon until others were around and he wanted to enjoy his last moments before the masks were slipped back on.

"So I am to be a lame, cowardly fool? I suppose I can try to pretend to be one." Acteon said to her in a tone that hide his intentions. He tried to pretend like his leg was hurting him and overdid it greatly. While doing so he pretended to be scared of every little thing around them. Then he stumbled on purpose so that his arm around her shoulder slipped and he got a little squeeze of her ass. He placed his other hand over her stomach and rubbed a bit.

As the man righted himself, he gave Ana a playful smirk. There was going to be a slap or a punch or something coming his way for sure. But he did not mind. It was all in the name of his fun. Whatever her reaction he would chuckle at it and say, "I could not help teasing you Ana. Do not worry. You are about to see a side of me that you never had the chance to before."

As soon as the pirates voices were clear enough Acteon knew they would be where they could see them he slipped on his mask. He leaned onto Ana and limped in the exact way an injured man might. His free arm he had tucked into his belt as if he was having trouble moving it and needed to keep it still. He winced with every movement and took on the general body language of a man in pain who was not sure if the horror of the night before was over yet or not. As far as anyone knew this man had survived death and was scared it might come for him all too soon.

Andromeda Barbarossa

 

[Andromeda]

Touching without permission even in the name of a jest was a hard line for Andromeda. Apparently Acteon hadn't learnt that lesson from the night before. Her reaction was lightning fast and she did in fact punch him squarely in the eye for his troubles, her lips pressed into such a thin line they were white. The intensity of her gaze turned her hues to that odd gold that signalled the monster was riding her hard before she turned her face away and muttered under her breath as he gave his apologies. Perhaps she would just leave him here on this island. The temptation was high. In fact, it would be so poetic to slit his throat with his own blade and leave him to rot. But his promises from the night before stayed her hand; if he could truly offer her help in finding people of her own kind to answer the burning questions she had... then she would put up with him for a while longer.

Ana had to admit that he was a good act though when they did start to approach the pirates. A few of the crew stalked over to help the shorter woman with her heavy load and helped him onto the small boat. It was a little way out into the sea and she hesitated a moment, considering the boots. As long as they kept her feet dry then she shouldn't change. She needn't had worried though. At her hesitation one of the younger men saw his chance for a bit of harmless flirting and swept her clean off her feet to a surprised sound from Andromeda and carried her to the boat instead.

"My hero, clearly," she laughed and walked up the long rowing vessel to sit beside Acteon snugly.

The ship when they arrived was busy with the activity of a crew getting ready to set sail. Hawk glanced over, spotted them and approached with his hands behind his back.

"Welcome aboard, Acteon, Ann here has been telling me all about you. I have to ask before I wrote home to their mothers and wives... did you see anything of the beast on the island that killed my men?"