Wolfsbane

Wolfsbane, Chapter 15, By Ruth Nalio

Trystan…

The moon was high, and I was hoping that it would help me find the other wolf who had been avoiding me for a few days now. I was beginning to get highly agitated. I wanted his blood! I wanted nothing more than to catch him and rip his throat out. I padded through the trees and sniffed everything I passed, finding nothing but his old scent.

Then, ah, Mr. H, I could smell him. I knew that smell! But from where? I laid down in the bushes so as not to be seen and waited. It was past time I should find out what he looked like.

At the sound of leaves crumbling, I forced myself to stay still and not look around. A dainty booted foot attached to a long, well-shaped leg stepped in front of my hiding place. Mr. H was a woman! I looked up the shapely leg to find not only a woman but Autumn!

What the hell was she doing? Suddenly it all made sense, the smell, the backbone, the shooting! She was the bloody hunter! Her father had taught her to shoot and must know what she’s doing now! But her scent was different, mixed with cedar. Clever woman.

“Come out come out where ever you are. I’m ready for you mutt.” She breathed. By the moon, she was antagonistic! “What do I have to do to find you?” She knew she didn’t have to be quiet hunting werewolves, we don’t run. I watched as she walked away. That’s when the other wolf's scent hit me. s**t.

Autumn…

I could feel it in my bones; there was a werewolf close by. I wasn’t going home empty-handed this time. I was going to kill the bloody beast. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself down; I couldn’t let the excitement get to me. I listened intently, and that’s when I heard the sound through the trees up ahead. I rushed forward and stopped just behind a tree. I couldn’t see anything.

I walked around the tree and looked around. I turned in a slow circle and still nothing. I knew I heard something! There! A branch snapped behind me. I turned in time to see a large reddish wolf charge through the trees at me.

I pulled out my gun as the snarling werewolf slammed into me, knocking me to the ground. Suddenly the weight on top of me was gone. I heard a new set of snarls and snaps as I forced myself up. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

Two werewolves were crashing around the trees surrounding me. Fighting over their meal no doubt. Quickly I pulled my gun on the tangle of snarling, snapping fur. The blood pulsed threw my veins carrying the adrenalin threw my body. Every muscle tightened.

The gun handle heated in my hand, my skin on fire with the need for it. My finger flew forward, sliding into position over the trigger. The muscles in my stomach tightened as the ecstasy of the hunt took over, my heart beating as if it were going to burst from my chest. As if in slow motion, though lightning fast, my thumb c****d back the cold ridged steel that was the hammer. As my finger squeezed back the trigger, a burst of pure freedom flooded through me, my body relaxing as I became the gun. I felt it as the small silver bullet slid through the smooth dark barrel and spiraled through the air.

Disappointment flowed through me as the bullet mashed into a tree barely missing the wolves. “s**t!” The black wolf knocked the red one to the ground and they rolled behind a tree. I rushed forward and pulled my gun up again. The black wolf looked at me just as I moved to pull the trigger on him; he jumped out of the way of my bullet, causing it to mash into another tree.

“Damn!” I looked at my gun and then at the wolves. The red one began to get up but was tackled by the black one the instant it looked in my direction. I was out of bullets! I’d never needed more than one! I turned and began running through the trees. The snarls and snaps faded behind me until I couldn’t hear them anymore but I continued to run until I was out of breath. I stopped and leaned against a tree gasping for breath. I looked around and then climbed up the tree.

Two! I didn’t even know there could be two werewolves at a time! And I’d be damned if the black one didn’t look twice the size of the red one! I needed more bullets and fast. That black one knew I had a gun, but that had never stopped them from coming at me before. This one was smart damn it. What was I going to do?

Trystan…

I looked up as Autumn ran through the trees. Good girl, I thought. That was my mistake. The other wolf slammed me into a tree and then took off. Thankfully it was in the opposite direction than the one Autumn had gone. I got up and raced through the trees after him.

The taste of his blood filled my mouth and only caused me to want it more as I raced through the trees after him. He skidded to a stop, turned around and came running at me snarling. I charged him full force. The collision was worse than being kicked by a horse. I landed on top of him and went for his throat. His paw came up and blocked me as he struggled to kick me off of him.

We rolled three times then he was on top of me and I sank my teeth into his shoulder. He let out a yelp of pain that heightened my thirst to kill him. He sank his teeth into my shoulder causing me to let out a similar yelp of pain. That’s when I kicked him off of me and stood to shake myself. I looked up and he was just getting to his feet.

I charged him but he moved, and I collided with a tree. That’s when he smashed into me but I was too strong for him. I threw him off and got on top of him again. He flipped me over and jumped on top of me. We were a rolling, snapping, ball of fur. He was on top of me again before I knew it, but I used my hind legs to push against his stomach and throw him off of me. I heard a splash and surged to my feet.

He had fallen into the river and disappeared. I rushed to the edge of the water and looked up and downstream. It was going too fast for me to go after him or I would have dove into the river to finish the job. I sat down and assessed my wounds instead. My shoulder was the worst wound I had. I had one other bite, but it had hardly broken the skin, and the rest would be bruises under the fur.

I stood and shook myself off before deciding to go looking for Autumn. It wasn’t hard, she had jumped a few logs and ran a few circles to throw me off, but her scent was too familiar to my nose now that I knew to look for the undertone of honey. I continued padding quickly threw the woods after her scent before it abruptly stopped. I turned around and searched for where she might have turned off but found nothing.

I stuck my nose in the air and her scent got stronger. I began following it and put my nose to the ground but her scent wasn’t there. It was only in the air. I c****d my head to the side and looked around. Then it hit me, I looked up and saw her in the tree directly above me. “Bloody wolf!” She cursed. I sat down and looked at her for a minute then stood.

I backed up and wagged my tail then stood on my hind legs and staggered backwards. I yelped playfully and jumped, but then I fell on my side. I stood up and shook myself off. She laughed a little. “Dumb wolf.” I laid back my ears and bared my teeth at her without any sound.

“Grrr, back.” She bared her teeth at me in return. The woman was afraid of nothing! I couldn’t smell any fear at all. I rolled over and itched my back then stood and sneezed. “What the hell?” I heard her mumble. I barked at her once, then again. “You just keep barking and acting stupid but when I get more bullets your ass is dead.”

Well that wasn’t nice. I sat down and looked at her. I had just saved her life and she was threatening mine. How amusing. I stretched and yawned then walked a circle and plopped down. “You’ve got to be kidding me! I’m going to be stuck in this tree until this bloody wolf turns back!” She mumbled to herself. I tried to snicker but it came out all wrong. “Bloody hell, are you laughing at me?” I looked up at her and let my tongue hang out.

“There is something wrong with you. I think you’re just not right in the head, you were probably the town idiot.” I closed my mouth, stood up, and glared at her. Then I smiled, although I’m sure it looked like I was snarling. I walked to the bottom of the tree and sniffed it then looked at her and barked, “You wouldn’t,” she threatened. I promptly pissed all over the bottom of her tree, kicked some leaves at the bottom of it, and wagged my tail before trotting off.

That was going to give her something to think about. If only she knew it was me! She would be so pissed! I wasn’t going to go so far away that I couldn’t get back to her quickly though, not with the other werewolf missing.

Autumn…

The bloody wolf was nuts! Rolling around like a puppy and barking at me as if it wanted to play! It was either nuts or smarter than any werewolf I’d ever encountered. It could have been trying to get me out of the tree by making me think it was friendly then it was going to eat me. Then it pissed on the tree! What the hell!

It was almost like he understood me, but that was impossible, wasn’t it? I was going to have to wait a few hours before I got down. I didn’t want to risk that it would come back or be waiting just out of sight. Maybe I would even have to wait until morning. Would I fall out of the tree if I fell asleep?

At least I would only have to worry about one werewolf, this one had to have killed the other one. Maybe if I were lucky he would howl and I would know how far away he was. I didn’t want to be stuck in this tree all night. Please howl!

As if in answer to my silent hopes I heard a howl in the distance that told me he was far enough away that I could make it safely away. I climbed down from the tree and began going over the events of tonight in my head. I was getting madder and madder with every step I took.

I fumed threw the woods, defeated. Tonight would not be the night that I rid us of the werewolf, of either werewolf! How could I have missed? Twice! And with my last bullet!

Suddenly I was slammed into a tree hard enough to knock the breath out of me and somewhere in the back of my mind I knew my nose had been broken. The smell of whiskey drifted to my bloodied nose. Hot breath ran along the back of my neck and I could feel something that could only be a man’s p***s hardening against my backside. Could this night get any worse?

“Hello, wench.” He breathed hot in my ear. “Tell me, are you a screamer or a moaner?”

I struggled with no results so I sniped back, “I am a hunter and I am going to blow that thing off.”

He let out a rough laugh, “You are a woman, and a fine one at that, I’ll enjoy this.”

“The hell you will!”

“I know that voice, Autumn?” He said as he turned me around and slammed my back against the tree. “Ah yes, Autumn,” Howard Kale smiled, “If you will not moan, then scream, and if you tell anyone your father will regret it.” He crushed his mouth to mine painfully and I turned my head away as I fought to free one of my hands. He had me pressed so tightly to the tree I couldn’t move.

He was supposed to be dead! “Now that’s it, fight me.” The bastard breathed as he bit my earlobe painfully hard, drawing blood. I wouldn’t make a sound. If I could not get away I would not give him the satisfaction as so much as a peep!

I turned my face back to glare at him. This time when he tried kissing me I bit his lip so hard that I tasted blood. I heard my teeth pierce his skin. Suddenly he drew back, “b***h!” He yelled then slapped me hard across the face. I could taste my own blood now, he had busted my lip, and he hit me so hard. I didn’t so much as squeak. I only smiled at him.

“I thought you were supposed to be dead, Howard.” I gritted out.

“I’m very alive. Funny thing, it's easier to fake your own death than you’d think.” He smiled.

I tried to get loose and almost got a hand free. “Let me go and I won't tell anyone you're alive.”

He grabbed both my hands in one of his and forced them above my head, his knees digging into my thighs, holding me to the tree. I knew there would be bruises. With his free hand, he tore my shirt open and grabbed my breast painfully tight, digging into the skin. Then he locked his hand on my jaw, holding it shut, and kissed me again, this time biting me the way I had him; not a sound. When he let go of my jaw I licked my lips and spit the blood back in his face.

He slapped me again then lowered his head to my breast and bit into the n****e so hard that I knew he had broken the skin; not a sound. Anger filled me and I pulled at my hands and legs, desperately trying to free my body so that I might kill him. It was no use. I couldn’t let this happen, I couldn’t let him r**e me!

He had tightened his hold on me and then began ramming his hand down my pants, ripping the button off. I twisted my body furiously but it didn’t work, he had too good a hold on me. His hand forced between my legs and painfully probed. His uncut nails slicing into my skin. His fingers pinched tight on my c**t and his knees dug harder into my thighs; not a sound!

He pulled his hand from my pants and rubbed his fingers together, then shaking one finger in front of my face while clicking his tong said, “You’re dry, tisk, tisk.” Then he slapped me again and smiled an awful smile. He pressed his crotch to mine and ground his hips. “You know, I like to play first. I’m sure you will too. Soon though, I will be inside you and you will be wet for me Autumn.” His hand slid around and grabbed my ass and pulled me against him, his fingers digging deep into my flesh. His hand once again was being rammed down my pants.

“Once I get loose I swear I’ll kill you.” I seethed.

He laughed again, “You won’t be able to move once I’m done with you and no one will believe you.” His finger shoved painfully into me then two. “You’re tight, you are a proper lady when it comes to that, aren’t you?”

“Go to hell,” I said threw my gritted teeth, desperately trying to ignore the pain as his fingers jerked my hips forward and up. Suddenly he pulled me from the tree and threw me to the ground. He was on top of me in seconds, holding me to the ground. I couldn’t breathe; I wasn’t going to give in to the panic! My hands were above my head again, his free hand pulling out his filthy p***s.

“You know what you’re going to do first? You’re going to put that dirty little mouth of yours to use, and don’t you even think about biting it or I’ll shoot your father in the back of the head and leave you with no one.”

Since he used to work for us he knew all about my mother and how my father was all I had left. My heart pounded in my head, the anger was unbearable, and racing through my veins. “You stick that thing close enough, and I will bite it off and when you’re on the ground crying in pain I’ll kill you.”

He slapped me again and rammed his hand down my pants again, “You like it too much Autumn, admit it, you fight just because you like it. You get off on the fight, fight me, give into your anger, you know you’ll be rising beneath me begging me to hit you again.”

“Slap me, slap me like the b***h you are! Don’t hit me like a real man, slap me, woman!” I gritted out threw my teeth. “I’m getting so sick of your s**t already, you ram your hand down there like it means something then you slap me! You’re nothing but a spineless piece of s**t! f*****g hit me!” I wouldn’t cry!

Just as he drew back his fist a low grow came from somewhere close. This night just kept getting better and better. I was going to be violated and eaten all at the same time! At least I could die knowing this son of a b***h would be killed too. That’s when I noticed he had stopped and was looking around.

“Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf.” I gritted out as his hold loosened. This was my opportunity! I pulled frantically at my wrist only to have him slap me with his free hand.

“Be quiet, b***h! I ain’t afraid of no wolf!” He hit me again. The deep rumbling growl came, followed by a snarl this time, and I saw the beast stalk from the trees, its hair raised. He let go of me completely now and scrambled away at the same time. That’s when the black werewolf launched itself forward.

“No! I’ll be damned if I let a bloody werewolf take my revenge!” I yelled as I ran forward, intending what I didn’t know. To my surprise, the wolf came to a skidding halt and looked at me as if I were crazy. Me! That’s when I began to back away. “He’s mine to kill! You hear me! I’ll let you live to see tomorrow if you just go back into those woods now!” I was talking to the damned thing! It looked in the direction Howard had run and took a step in that direction. I picked up a rock and chucked it at him. “No!” I said.

It flattened its ears against its head and looked at me then narrowed its eyes when I picked up another rock. “You want hit again? I’m a damn good aim! Even at a moving target. If you go after him I’ll have to chase you, pelting you with rocks the whole way.” It sat down and shook its head as if flies were bothering it. “Get!” I said.

It stood up and c****d its head. I drew back to throw the rock, “Get.” It sneezed and took another step in the direction Howard had gone and I threw the rock and picked up another as I took a step toward him. He turned and looked at me then shook himself and ran into the woods. I let out a deep breath and began walking, picking up rocks as I went.

I had to be crazy! I just chased off a werewolf with rocks! I looked down at my chest as the wind blew and that’s when I remembered my shirt was ripped. It was a good thing it was a button-up, I could just pull it together. My face was going to be bruised from where I’d been slapped repeatedly. I wiped the blood from my nose with my sleeve and continued walking until I got to my horse.

Father was going to have a fit. I had to think of something to tell him. Would he even believe me if I told him what had happened? I didn’t believe it myself. How the hell had that wolf not killed me? I began for home, staying close to the woods so that no one would see me.