Fable - Ask What Monsters Find

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Zivek

The Chained Wolf
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Baryou Garramarisa - Tellrin Plantation

"Hrm." Zivek slowly stood up, glancing over the empty room as a breeze rushed in through the window. Red eyes flickered over the open drawers of dressers and thrown open closet door.

Clothes lay scattered around the floor, a half empty pack on one of the chairs.

It looked as though someone had tossed the room searching for something, but Zivek knew better than that. Someone had run away from here, and in a hurry too. Likely word had come to the, though from where he had no idea. A slight growl of irritation flickered through his throat, and quickly he crossed the room to throw open the door.

There was a loud crash as the heavy oak slammed against the wall, the sound echoing through the Plantation house. His head turned from left to right, nose twitching slightly as he sniffed the air.

He could still catch the scent in the air, though it was barely there now. "A few hours."

Zivek mused to himself with a deep scowl. His gaze flickered through the hall as he stalked towards some of the other rooms, throwing the doors open to find them in a similar state as the first. Another growl of irritation tore from his throat. It seemed that the entire family had run, that would at least make them easier to find.

Lips thinned, gaze casting through the final empty room, and then he began to stalk downstairs. From the wall he tore one of the gas lanterns, throwing it behind himself as he headed towards the front door.
 
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"...Which is why you must take extreme care. You understand, my child?"

"Yes, Collector," Phaedra kept her gaze on the tiled floor on which she was knelt. The Collector was not a King or Emperor but on this isle he might as well have been a God. Everyone who dwelled there had been bought here by him; some willingly, others less. Even still they treated him with the same mix of fear and reverence those in Thagretis had treated their dragon-god.

"Ah the sun is rising, perfect timing," the collection of gold bracelets she wore about her wrists jingled as she finally stood. The Collector never dismissed her formally but she had grown used to knowing what it was the eccentric man really meant. Her boots squeaked as she turned on her heel to head for the door.

"Oh - and Phaedra?" she stopped but didn't look back. "Don't... disappoint me."

"No, Collector," her fingers brushed over the thick golden chain about her neck and then hurried from the room.

* * *
The Collector's information had never led Phaedra to the wrong place. He was meticulous when it came to the fine details and they often dictated his choice on who he sent to retrieve his new prize. She had summarised it was the distance from their home that had been the reason he had chosen her. High above the clouds out of view of the world below the phoenix soared. Fire crackled along her feathers when clouds broke upon them and turned them to steam. A part of her enjoyed these moments of her cursed form; it wasn't often she had peace and quiet to herself on the isle.

As he had no doubt expected, Phaedra was able to make the journey in one day with the sun just setting as she touched down a mile or two away from the plantation on the foothills of the mountain. Having a flaming bird soar over your house was a pretty large alarm bell and Phae hadn't wanted the family to know of her presence until after she had spoken to them. From what she had been told, the father might have been willing to sell his daughter for the right price. It was far easier for everyone if that was the root they took.

It seemed on this occasion her caution had paid off in a different manner.

Phaedra arched a brow as she watched from her vantage point as a small family with two servants struggled along the dirt path heading North.

She sighed and began to make her way down.

Why was it never the easy way?
 
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With the Plantation burning behind him Zivek stepped onto the road to the north.

The scent was faint on the air, barely there, but he could still catch it. In the Bayou humans tended to stand out. They were not part of the usual miasma, and the fear mingled with the family was more than enough for him to pick them out even through the stench of the swamp.

He glanced upward towards the sky for a moment, noting the crescent moon which seemed to hang within the air. A small smile crept onto his lips.

The sound of cracking bone echoed through the night air.

Pain embraced him. It was not something he could ever get used to, not something that would ever go away, but he had come to relish it in a way. It was a sweetness, a touch of ecstasy that marked what he now was. What they had turned him into.

A howl bore through the night air, the echoing call of a wolf that should not have been there. With fire raging behind him, Zivek rushed into the swamp. His claws digging into the mud.
 
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Phaedra paused as the howl echoed through the swamp.

The family had vanished back into the thicket. The roads in these parts weren't the sort she was used too with proper stones beneath her feet. This was barely more than pact earth created over time by thousands of feet smoothing a path over the years. Trees still hung down low with its twisting vines hoping to snag wayward travellers and pools bubbled in the murk. The road beneath her feet was just as likely to be bog as it was solid.

Her cutlass slashed through a thicket of vines to clear a path. The silver glinted amongst the vegetation that was alive with the sounds of night. It wasn't just the source of the howl she had to think about. Eyes peered out of bushes or appeared from the pools nearby. She imagined their grins in the shadow and shuddered. Something big must have forced the family to flee through this in the middle of the night.

Suddenly a sword was at her throat.

"Why are you following us!?" the voice demanded. Phaedra held her hands up innocently and settled into the practised routine.

"I'm a traveller, a trader, I was out 'ere lookin' for plants for dyes, see?" she motioned carefully to the satchel over her shoulder. The voice turned into a figure which turned into a man who snatched her bag from her to peer inside. He gave a quiet grunt when he found carefully closed boxes labelled with different colours. "I saw yer runnin' back ter and I wondered if yer were in trouble?"
 
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Zivek moved through the swamp with surprising agility.

He bounded from one patch of solid earth to the next, leaping and landing in a stunning silence. His paws never hit a branch, his fingers never scratched at the trees. He moved like a shade, darting through the swampy forest faster than any man could have.

His bulk landed upon one of the more solid thickets, claws grasping at the earth as he stopped himself from tumbling forward.

Ears twitched.

The sound of voices could be heard in the distance, whispers, and something more. Louder. His jowls pulled back for a moment, red eyes flickering towards the sound as he sniffed the air. The family was more clear now, he could pick out their individual scents.

But there was someone else. His head tilted slowly, his mind running through the possibilities. For a moment he seemed to linger, and then he crept forward towards the gathered scents.
 
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The soldier posing as a servant slowly put his sword back into his scabbard and hid it beneath his cloak. Very clever, she thought to herself, as the rest of the family melted out of the shadows. Her eyes flickered over the other servant but she didn't spy any weapons on him and from his posture and age he most certainly was the footman. He also seemed to be carrying the biggest pack. She tried not to show any interest when her eyes grazed over the young girl other than to offer a reassuring smile.

"Me name's Phaedra, ah hail from teh Eastern Shores. I been ah-lookin' for new places teh trade 'nd me friend aboard teh Saviour mentioned teh swamp 'ad some in-terestin' 'erbs for new colours," she plucked up a wild bloom to demonstrate and placed it in her satchel. "What is troublin' you nice people, eh?"

"A monster!" The girl confided before her father could shush her. The mother looked close to weeping. Phaedra raised both brows.

"Ah monsta ye say? Is t'at anyting tah do wit tah fire up o'er tat hill der?" she motioned to where the smoke was rising into the night sky; grey clouds against the inky black. The soldier-servant nodded.

"If you can use that steel then I would welcome your help in letting my Lord and his family to safety, Miss."
 
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The monster stepped through the brush.

A loud crack echoed through the swamp as a tree was shattered, behind it Zivek's massive form stepping through the brush. Bright red eyes seemed to glow within the night, a lashing tongue escaping his jaw as he scented the air.

His steps seemed to thunder within the soft dirt, echoing out as he stalked towards the family. His wolven form was massive, standing twice as tall as the average man and with enough bulk to break down a castle gate on his own.

Even a dozen meters away it was impossible not to tell his size.

"Give me the girl." He spoke.

Against all other knowledge. Against everything that most knew about Werewolves, the hulking beast spoke. His voice was guttural, distorted, as though a man speaking through a wooden box. It echoed out among the trees, his jaw barely moving. "And the rest of you shall die quickly."

His feet sank into the muck, muscles flexing as he peered at his prey.
 
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"Aye I ca--"

All conversation stopped as the swamp beneath their feet began to move even more treacherously than it had been a moment ago. The splintering sound of the trees turned their heads in the right direction not that they needed it. The wolf filled their vision as soon as they looked up. He seemed to block out the light of the moon behind him and it was only its sister high above their heads that lit the creatures face at all, revealing that it was more than just a shadow with red eyes.

The gallant - and foolish - soldier leapt forward first.

"You will not so much as touch the girl!"

Phaedra cursed beneath her breath. Someone else was after the girl but who? Sunrise was hours away but if she could just hide the girl until then... Then their positions would be reversed.

"Qui-ckly," she said murmured in a hushed tone to the family behind her, urging them towards the trees.
 
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The soldier died within a heartbeat.

He leaped forward with enough enthusiasm and alacrity that anyone stopped in the whimsy of children's stories might have thought he would succeed. That anyone without a dose of reality would think he would live.

But as soon as he neared the massive werewolf a clawed hand struck out. It lashed like a viper, cutting beneath the guards sword and stripping flesh from bone in one quick swipe. A blood curdling scream echoed out from the boys lips, his mouth opening to release a yowl of pain which seemed to echo through the trees.

A second later Zivek was upon him.

His massive jaw snapped open, teeth contorting around the boys throat in one quick bite. There was a surge of blood, another whimpering scream, and then the guard soul fled from his body. The ragdoll like body hung within the werewolves mouth.

His head shook, the corpse flung to the side with a heavy thud as it was tossed against one of the nearby trees. Blood dripped from Zivek's jaws as he stepped forward, a grin on his face.

"Don't run away now, little one." The wolf growled. "You'll only hurt them more."

As he finished speaking the wolf continues to stalk forward, his steps heavy in the muddy soil of the swamp.
 
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It was like trying to heard chickens. The family were paralysed by fear and getting them to stumble backwards was as much as Phaedra was able to manage. She gave several choice, hushed curse words that made the mother break her deer-like stance for just a moment. Really? T'at is what yer most concerned wit rite now? She would never not be amazed as the sensitivities of the rich and entitled. Blowing out a breath she reached into her bag instead. She might not have possessed all of her fiery counterparts abilities whilst the night was strong, but she did carry a little bit of its essence with her even in the darkest hour.

What had been carefully disguised as dyes was several neat little vials of what the Collector had aptly named Wyld Fyre. It was caught straight from her beak at the hottest point and somehow turned into a liquid like fire. When it was thrown at something it created... well. A wild fire. Phaedra threw it right at the wolf, grabbed the girl by the arm and ran.

It didn't matter to her if the rest of the family kept up or not.
 
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His hand smashed against the vial, glass piercing with a rake of the claws that sent a good chunk of the flame away from him.

It cast over the trees, the ground, and flaked against his fur. Pain lanced across his flesh where the fire washed over him, yet Zivek hardly seemed to noticed. He hopped forward, his teeth flashing in the moonlight as the flame sizzled against his skin and burned away his flesh.

Another scream echoed behind Phaedra.

Then another.

Then another.

Bodies were torn and tossed aside, thrown into the swamp as the flame that was scattered on the forest floor spread through the swamp. Before long the fire became an inferno, and the Wolf seemed to disappear into it. Only the crackling of flames echoing out behind the fleeing pair.
 
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"S-s-stop! My parents-"

"Yer parents are ded child," Phaedra said bluntly. She paused at the bluntness in her tone and then sighed and stopped their sprint through the swamp. She whirled on the girl and crouched in front of her, cupping her cheeks. "Listen to me gurl, an' listen good. We just 'ave to last till sunrise. T'en I can get us outta 'ere, understand?" the girl stared at her with tears spilling down her rosy cheeks but she nodded. Phaedra supposed that was all she could hope for. She debated asking whether the girl knew of the powers she had at her disposal but she didn't want to play her hand yet. It would do her no good if she went running off into the swamp away from her.

"C'mon," standing, Phaedra took the girls hand once more and began a slower, calmer trek through the swamp.

If she could find somewhere for them to hide...
 
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There was no hiding.

Not from him.

He could smell their stench within the air. Even with the flickering flames. Even with the sulfur of the burning swamp. The scent of their fear, of that oddity within the air was like a beacon within the middle of the forest. Zivek moved quietly, swiftly through the underbrush.

His flesh rippled, fur burnt away, muscle half exposed as the etchings of fire had taken away the very feeling of his skin. The Wolf did not seem to even notice, rushing through the undergrowth of the swamp and dashing over what compact earth he could find.

As Phaedra and the girl moved a voice echoed out.

It seemed to come from all around them, bouncing between the trees and echoing outward. "Stop."

He hissed.

"Give me the girl." A low growl echoed from the Wolf's throat, red eyes flickering from the depths of the swamp. "It will be easier for you."
 
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The girl nearly fainted and Phaedra rolled her eyes. They were always so dramatic. She hurled the useless body over her shoulder and sauntered into the opening as though she didn't have a care in the world, her fingers delving into the bag to close around another trick.

"Ay don tink ay will, ya see Lobo tae girl? She ain't for me. Ay not be out 'ere riskin' my neck outta da kindness of me 'eart. This is for tae boss an' if tae boss wants something..." she shrugged casually. If only the girl would wake up and open that little mouth of hers. The magic inside her would be enough to level the whole swamp around them. It was what made her so precious. A gift not seen in over a millennia in these parts, come again. It were strange how the world decided it needed something once again. Perhaps it was a sign the world were changing.

Whether that was for better or worse was another question entirely.
 
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Zivek stepped out into the clearing, his head tilting, ears flickering.

He tried to catch the woman' scent more, tried to figure out what in the hell she was. There was a trace of humanity within her, but not enough to mark her as one. Not truly. His lips pulled back in a low growl, white teeth stained with red baring as he moved towards the two of them.

"Your boss." His eyes settled on her.

She was not form Althhaven, no, he would have known. Yet the inhumanity of what she was could not be ignored. The Professor would want the girl more, though the two of them might buy him some more reign upon his leash.

Briefly he glanced towards the girl.

She was cowering, frightened. A mess that barely stood upon her own two feet. "Why do they want the girl?"

The Wolf asked, it's jaw moving in an almost detached way from the way it's voice echoed out in the night.
 
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Sunrise... she just had to last until sunrise.

"I presume," Phaedra drawled and her fingers ran down the girls hair in a soothing manner. "For tah same reasons yer boss wan's 'er, ey?" her head cocked to the side and a lazy smile crawled its way towards her eyes.

It was quite clear there would be no running from the wolf. Its size and senses were no doubt far beyond anything she could outpace as a human even with her bag of tricks. But if she could stay alive until sunrise then she would be double the beasts size and the heat of her wings would keep it at bay. It had to. She could take the girl then. She just needed to be able to stay with her somehow until then.

"Or..." she mused. "We could say fuck 'em and sell 'er for ourselves."
 
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What might have been a chuckle escapes from the wolf's throat. It echoes out more like a bark than an actual laugh, sounding cruel and somewhat harsh upon the ears. The girl besides Phaedra seemed to whimper, attempting to take a step back as Zivek came into full view.

He towered to over the two of them, nearly twice Phaedra's height.

Red eyes seemed to glow in stark contrast to his blackened fur. They peered down at her, his bloody muzzle seemed to drip with spittle as a tongue lapped up some of the dried crimson decoration his snout. "Would that I could."

Zivek growled.

"I am bound by magics stronger than a bargain." Why keep secrets from a dead woman. "Give me the girl."

He mused, then added. "Perhaps you can have what is left."

After all, the Professor only needed a piece.
 
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"P-please Miss, don't l-let that... I don't want to go with him," she sobbed. Phaedra suppressed a sigh and the girl clung even tighter to her blouse. She had no intentions of giving the girl up but the begging was trying her patience a little. She really did hope that her gifts were worth the hassle of putting up with dogs-breath for the next few hours.

"I'm ah-fraid I can't do t'at," this time she did sigh and made it an exaggerated one, like he was really putting her in a tough situation. "Yer see, tis not just you t'at be bound by magics much greater t'an a bargain," her fingers briefly went to the thick golden collar about her throat.

"Can yer not just take tae piece yer need now back ta yer master? As long as it don't kill 'er."
 
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Zivek looked down at the girl.

The Werewolf seemed to lick his lips for a moment, taking another step forward as his gaze flickered towards the other woman. Red Eyes latched onto her, staring through her as his nose seemed to flick to better catch her scent.

After a moment he smiled, or at least it appeared that way. "I suppose I could."

It was a lie.

Once he took what he needed the girl would surely die, but why waste the energy in killing the both of them when he could potentially strike a bargain just to leave one dead? It would be easier, simpler, especially if this one did not reveal its gift.

He was sure there was more to her than met the eye.

"But I need a guarantee." Zivek growled as he loomed over them.
 
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Phaedra took a step back as the wolf took one forward. It reminded her rather suddenly of a game she had played as a child. One person would stand at the end of the alleyway out the back of their terraced houses and act as the wolf. The other children would ask what the time was and proceed to inch closer and closer to the wolf until it turned and and chased them down. Whoever was caught became the wolf's dinner.

She had no intentions of being this wolf's dinner.

"What kinda guarantee?" she asked casually though kept the girl behind her still. Her eyes flickered briefly to the sky. Midnight had come and gone. She had to have only a few hours left until dawn.
 
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"A pact." He growled low in his throat.

In Althhaven trust was incredibly thin. Everyone was competing against everyone else, and students frequently betrayed one another for greater rewards and freedoms. It was a common tactic, and one that almost everyone used at least once if they wanted to graduate.

One of the first things most students learned was the forging of an arcane pact.

It was a way to ensure that both sides kept their word, allowing a deal to actually go through without a knife in ones back. Of course, Zivek had no intention of completing such a pact, but the woman didn't need to know that. "Sealed in blo-"

The wolf found his words cut off as suddenly the sound of a foot snapping a twig could be heard. His head snapped to the left, and through the dark of the swamp Zivek saw a dozen men arrayed throughout the woods. All of them were dressed in drab greens and browns, some held sword, while others clutched bows.

Before Zivek could say another word a hail of arrows suddenly shot towards him and Phaedra.
 
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Phaedra let out a curse and threw the girl boldly into the trees.

"Run!" the girl didn't need telling twice. The instinct she had been fighting the whole time overtook everything else and she fled further into the swamp. Phaedra was hot on her heels but not before she turned and launched one of the Wylde Fyre potions into the mix. She wasn't sure whether to throw it at the wolf or the men, who knew which one was going to be her ally until sunrise, so took her chances by throwing it wildly in both their directions.

Fire exploded into the clearing.

With the heat at her back she soon caught up with the girl, grabbed a hold of her hand and plunged on.
 
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Zivek jumped in the same direction as Phaedra and the girl, though not in chase.

He had absolutely no idea who these men were, or really even what they wanted. Their voices seemed to boom out in the midst of the swamp.

"GET THEM!"

"TAKE THE GIRL!"

"WATCH YOUR ARROWS."

All of them seemed to call out at the same time, their voices carrying within the silence of the darkness until Phaedra's potion exploded through the trees. Fire caught within the swamp, exploding out in an instant and catching trees and brush within an instant.

One scream echoed out, but it wasn't enough.

Arrows flickered through the darkness, striking earth and wood with solid thunks. The wolf growled low, half turning to rush back towards their foe before Zivek caught Phaedra and the girl within the dark. "This way!"

He growled towards them, jumping off across a small stream within the swamp.
 
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Phaedra hesitated.

Follow the wolf or use this at their opportunity to get away? He could have as easily grabbed the girl and run just now but instead he was attempting to lead them somewhere else. It could be a trap of course. A very elaborate one but it could be. The screaming was dying down and shouting resumed. With a curse, she grabbed a hold of the girls hand and ploughed on after the wolf. Better the devil you know, her father had always said.

They splashed through the stream after him.

"Why are we following it?!" the girl sobbed as she slipped on the muddy bank, clutching Phaedra tighter to steady herself.

"D'yer want'eh be covered in arrows, girl?" she hissed and dragged her back onto firm ground. "We just need teh last till sunrise."
 
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They were slow.

So painfully slow. Zivek found himself stopping and half turning back nearly every step. A low growl escaped his throat, another arrow suddenly arching through the air and striking the tree just behind him. He let out a bark, and then waited for the other two to catch up.

The little girl didn't even look at him, didn't even get close.

Where it not for Phaedra's hand upon her he was sure that the girl would have fled towards the attacking men and not with the monsters. Zivek scowled, and then suddenly reached out and grabbed both of them in one quick swoop.

He threw them both over his shoulders, tossing them like paper so he could easily carry them.

Then he broke into a sprint., dashing through the swamp like a blur.
 
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