Wolf's Bane || IC || Closed || Not Accepting

[Epyon]

The change over took him fully. The wolf was nearly complete by the time help arrived in the form of Aime. He was unable to see exactly what was going on since his vision nearly went black but then it sharpened and he was able to pick out exactly what was going on. Imelda was shifting and fighting, putting her attacker in a headlock. Niamh was firing on her attacker. Amelia was distracting the one going for him. Soon, he felt his fur thickening around his neck and other areas. He chose wisely in beginning his shift so soon. His icy blue eyes flared with rage and anger at the audacity of these mindless beasts daring to attack them. After what felt like an eternity, despite it being a few minutes, his change was completed and he gave a low, throaty and ominous sounding howl as challenge to the three attackers. Just in time too, for Amie gave a squeal of pain. Aiden's howl sounded just a minute and a half later.

 

Enraged further, Antonio gave no chance for his attacker to answer his challenge. He raced for the dark brown wolf whose attention was still mostly on Aime. A fatal mistake in his book. Antonio rammed into the distracted rogue with his shoulder, claws raking and slashing as he connected. He could feel his claws sink into muscle and come free, followed by a pained howl. The first punch may have been lost, but at least he drew first blood with his claws, not counting the bleeding holes from where his rounds connected. His opponent was quick to recover though as Antonio soon had to backtrack to avoid a similar gashing swipe of a clawed paw. However, he took the opportunity that was presented and ran the other wolf down to the ground where Antonio began to rake and slash with abandon. He snapped his head down, jaws closing around the neck of his assailant before shaking his head viciously. He continued until the satisfying sound of a broken neck and the flimsiness of the body beneath his jaws signaled his victory. However, to be sure of his victory, he ripped the head off the now broken neck.

[hazeh]

The male werewolf that Imelda had been fighting was none too pleased to have been deserted. It snarled and bellowed its displeasure, but cut off just as soon as Aiden responded in like. Its head snapped over to the white wolf just a few yards off and bared its teeth.

 

Aiden's hackles rose. He flashed teeth at the other werewolf in kind, ears pressed deep into the thick fur of his head. The transformation had just completed, and the long, bushy tail that sprouted from his backside was erect and stiff. This unknown werewolf would have no authority over Aiden. He flexed the claws in his forepaws, and the werewolf turned fully to face him, growling and posturing. Just feet away, Antonio was slashing away at another werewolf, and Aiden's lips curled back, as if taunting the one he faced. You don't scare me, he motioned, running his tongue across curved fangs. The growl in his chest rumbled low like distant thunder. The darker wolf advanced toward him, snarling loudly, and Aiden continued to respond with curls of his lip and the bristling of his fur until the other wolf finally caved in and lunged for him.

 

The werewolf was big, and it hit hard, but Aiden fell into the tackle on purpose as the two of them rolled to the ground. With his own massive paw-hands, he dug in his claws into the divot of the werewolf's ear and tore with all of his strength. The wolf squealed and shook its head, flinging splatters of blood across Aiden's face. It snapped large, glistening teeth at Aiden's muzzle, taking off a chunk of Aiden's pink nose and piercing the soft flesh of his lip. But that meant Aiden's teeth were also close, and he returned the favor by closing his jaws tightly around the bridge of the wolf's snout as they twisted and turned. The white, speckled werewolf was thrown onto his back and Aiden grunted as the wind was punched from his stomach. The other wolf bore down on him with teeth again, and Aiden swung up with his claws and smacked the wolf's muzzle away, even managing to gouge deep marks into the side of the wolf's face. As the darker werewolf turned to meet Aiden again, the white wolf rolled up and latched his teeth around the throat of his opponent. He could feel the gurgle of breath and growl under his teeth as he bit down harder until the thick trickle of blood flooded across his tongue. The werewolf flailed, scraping its claws against Aiden's fluffy shoulders and chest. As its trachea was crushed in Aiden's mouth, he jerked back and ripped it from the werewolf's body with a spurt of blood in its wake. It stumbled back, gasping and choking, until it fell limp to the ground.

 

Aiden spit out the meat from his mouth and gave himself a thorough shake, ears perking up again. Surely the others could handle the last one.

 

 

Amie had passed the threshold of self control. Fur blossomed from her skin the color of a raven's glossy feathers, and her body contorted in the shift with pain from both the change itself, and the other wolf that she had thrown herself at. She felt its teeth pierce her shoulder and snarled, but the sound was not loud enough yet as the shift took over her throat and chest. The sports bra she wore flexed painfully over her expanding ribcage and body, and for a moment looked like it wasn't going to give under the pressure. Then, after a moment, the seams split simultaneously and the blue fabric fell in pieces at her feet. She writhed under the wolf she'd tried to grapple with as it continued its assault with fangs and claws, but then suddenly the wolf was gone, leaving Amie panting half-changed on the ground, bleeding freely in many places. Her ice-white eyes glazed with pain as she trembled. The shape of her mouth morphed into a longer snout, the dark nose folding into place at the end and flooding her with a sharp, bold combination of scents. Her shorts rent into ragged halves as her tail pushed through and the muscles along her backside and thighs bulked even larger. She gave a small, involuntary whine from the pain of her bones rearranging for her newly shaped hocks and paws. Though she'd transformed several times before this point, Amie had only four months to get used to the change, and each time it was still quite painful to bear.

 

By the time her transformation had completed itself and she was able to pick herself off the ground, two of the unknown werewolves were dead and the third was being cornered by Imelda and the police woman-wolf that Amie was not entirely familiar with. Aiden was sitting off to the side, watching the others with sharp eyes and a quite bloody face, though from his own or another wolf, Amie was not entirely certain. He did not look inclined to help them, though he was not letting the unknown werewolf leave his sight, either. She had a feeling that underneath his pretense of apathy, had the other werewolf posed more of a threat to them, he wouldn't have been sitting there waiting. The black werewolf turned to look over at Antonio and lowered her head and ears in thanks for his help as she limped closer to him. The offending werewolf had its head grotesquely ripped from its shoulders, and Amie prodded the corpse with her nose, hoping to find a hint of some scent that could help her.

[shadow_claw]

The smells. The sounds. The scent of her pack reaching her nose caused a violent tug in her gut. She wanted, no, needed to join them. But someone had to keep everyone safe. If they were all to change, there was no telling what would happen. Someone had to keep their head.

 

Imelda's protection gave her the time to recover that she needed. As she scrambled to her feet, the wolf that had previously knocked her down moved to rush her again. This time, Niamh was ready. She rolled away from both Imelda and her enemy, firing two quick shots into the wolf's side. A yelp of both pain and surprise was her reward. Crimson quickly speckled the beast's side, but Niamh wasn't fooled. A few bullets wouldn't down this creature.

 

Antonio's howl pierced straight through her core, leaving the officer frozen for a moment. The hair on her body stood on edge as her own feral instincts pushed against her mind. Not much longer. She could hold out. Besides, with Imelda helping her, they could take their enemy down in no time. Her friend's condition worried her, however. She had taken a beating from one of the other-now dead-wolves. As soon as this was over, she could tend to her pack mates.

 

Until then, she could hold on. Even through shaking hands and uneven breathing, Niamh wouldn't change. It would leave no one to think clearly.

[ValidEmotions]

Two of them were down. Imelda recognized the sound of a dying breath. That left one more and she was currently facing him.

 

Her ear twitched at the faint sound of sirens.

 

With a growl, Imelda charged at the last wolf, ramming her broad shoulder into his chest and slamming him into a park bench. Wood planks split in two and metal crumpled under the impact. Her claws ripped at furred flesh until she was kicked backwards. Tumbling, she rolled a few inches before surging back to her feet.

 

But the wolf was already running, fleeing from his opponents before he ended up like his friends. Snarling at his departing back, Imelda twisted around and started sprinting. The sirens were getting louder, much faster than she would like.

 

Reaching her arms out, she scooped Niamh off the ground, laying her over her left shoulder to free her right hand. Which she promptly used to snatch Aiden's scruff and start dragging him along. Shooting a quick glance at Antonio, she gave a short huff.

 

Following her lead, Antonio gathered Amie in his arms and followed suit in fleeing. They couldn't afford to be caught by humans, couldn't afford to be found at the scene of a potential crime. There was nothing to be done about the dead werewolves. They would have to hope law enforcement deemed it merely a fatal battle between them.

 

Sticking to back-roads and out-of-the-way routes, Imelda hurried everyone back to her residence. Once she ushered everyone inside through the back door, she set Niamh down and let Aiden go, pointing at the fridge to indicate that everyone could eat anything they scrounged up. At that moment, she started her shift back into human shape.

 

About fifteen minutes later, with skin replacing fur and her wounds largely healed, Imelda stretched her arms over her head. "Food, clothes, then we talk," she stated, frowning slightly. Jogging into her bedroom, she shuffled through her dresser and closet until she managed to find a handful of sweats and random outfits that looked like they could fit everyone in her living room. As she returned, she slipped a hoodie on over her bare torso and hopped into a pair of leggings. "Here, try these, all of you," she instructed, tossing the batch of clothes onto the couch.

[ValidEmotions]

:v Bump

[Epyon]

No sooner had they left the area of the park did he look back just enough to see the first of what would be many squad cars pull up to the park, crimson and blue lights illuminating the darkness of the park and the bodies of the two traitors. For their sakes, he hopes they just think those two duked it out and killed each other in the process. But... what would they think with the head of one ripped cleanly off? Well, the other one has been raked with claws so they'd think that the other one died of bloodloss. Gods above, I hope they think that... Antonio kept a close tail on Imelda as she led him through a winding path to her home. The sirens of responding units soon faded while the distance between them increased until they finally arrived to the front door. He entered and gingerly set Amie down on a chair, giving her a small look of apology for suddenly picking her up like that.

 

While Imelda shifted, dressed and then presumably went to find clothes for everyone, he started his change. Bones popped and shifted to allow for the body of a human being once more, hair receded until the only hair on his body was on his head and other parts where there should be hair. Roughly eleven minutes later and he stood fully exposed. Not for very long though as Imelda came back with an armful of sweats and other unisex clothing. He picked out a pair of black sweats and a black T-shirt that fit him snugly. He then went to the closet and pulled out a pair of shoes he left there for who knows how long. "Quick thinking, Imelda," he began. "Though I think your apartment is a little too exposed for five wolves. Thin walls and all." He began to pace in an area that wouldn't hinder the others as they shift back into humans. "We could go to my house. Well, it's an hacienda but, still a house. Plenty of room for all of us, far enough from town to escape notice and my closest neighbor is ten miles away. Only problem is... we need to go back to the park and get our rides. It's a good half-hour drive away from here, though since it's nighttime it should only take us twenty. What do you all think?"

[hazeh]

Aiden was just as thrilled as everyone else to hear the police sirens. He froze for just a moment, as if seized by some sudden memory that kept him welded to his spot. What he didn't expect was Imelda's furry paw to reach out and snag him by the scruff of his neck (an accomplishment, given how much fur he had back there) to yank him along. He reacted with a snarl and a snap of his jaws, but quickly fell into line behind her as she loped down the street holding their remaining un-shifted werewolf ally. He was not as fast as the others, though the lack of a burden to carry allowed him relatively equal speed as they escaped the strobes of red and violet.

 

Amie wheezed slightly when Antonio scooped her up. Really, she was a grown woman and a grown werewolf at that. Carrying her should have slowed him down more than it did, and she was honestly rather impressed by the time they made. She could have done without all of the jostling, though.

 

When they made it back to Imelda's apartment, Amie was already a few minutes into her shift back to human form. Though the pain blazed brighter and harder during the shift, she could feel the wounds begin to ebb away, as if the transformation was accelerating the healing process. For that she was thankful, even if being a werewolf got her into this mess in the first place. She hobbled onto Imelda's couch on her half-formed feet, growling out a garbled "thanks" that really didn't sound like a word at all. She flopped back over onto it, in a similar way she'd done several nights ago-- face down and motionless, save for the slow molding of her body and bones. She didn't stir until the last of it was complete.

 

Aiden, on the other hand, merely snorted at the others and lumbered over to a vaguely open space of floor in the corner of Imelda's living room. His large size made him quite cumbersome, but from the brief flash of warning fangs and press of ears against his skull, shifting back was not up for negotiation. At least, not now-- not when things had just gone south, and they were no better off here than anywhere else. He settled into a curled position and exhaled loudly, ears twitching as he listened to whatever sounds arose on the other side of the walls.

 

Amie oomphed as a large bag suddenly plopped down onto her backside. With a groan, she rolled it off and then turned herself onto her side to peer up at the others. A change of clothes would be nice, considering she had very little left. She quickly pulled out an old tee shirt and a pair of shorts that were probably once used for yoga. Or cheerleading. Or whatever workout regimen Imelda had in high school. "Food sounds great," she said, exhausted and still aching. The wounds were closing quickly, but it would take some time before the actual pain began to fade completely. She glanced over at Antonio as he spoke, nodding her head at his suggestion. It wouldn't be a bad idea to relocate, given how pressed for space they were in here with a kid that refused to shift down into a more comfortable size, and the fact that their adversaries were running loose in the city wasn't going to make her feel any safer. She considered Antonio's offer for a moment before a more pressing inquiry burst forth,

"Okay, but first order of business: what the , guys." She rubbed at her forehead, wincing slightly when the motion made her shoulder spasm. "Seriously. What. The. Hell. Also, I don't think it's wise for us to go anywhere near that park right now. Does anyone else have something we could use for transportation in the mean time?"

Edited April 26, 2017 by Shiny Hazard Sign

[ValidEmotions]

Bumping up so I can see it. Will have a post by Saturday evening.

[ValidEmotions]

Crossing the small living room into the open kitchen, she pulled open the fridge and scrounged around for something suitable. Imelda listened to Antonio's proposal and, while she wasn't very certain, she couldn't find a reason to turn the idea down. Minus the cars once Amie pointed it out. Closing the fridge, she set the packets of raw meat down on the counter before starting to tear them open.

 

Turning the stove burners on to high heat, she grabbed down a few pans and spread them across the stovetop. "They won't be seasoned and they'll still be rare, but I'm not feeding you guys cold meat," she commented idly. Placing the cuts into the pans, she let them sizzle for several minutes. In the meantime, she turned back to the others. "My immediate suggestion would be the city bus but I don't think Fido over there is going to let us use that option," Imelda remarked.

 

Taking a moment to think, she took the time to turn the meat before continuing. "I have an acquaintance who owes me a favor. He's got some company vehicles; I think we can get away with using one. Let me give him a call," she informed.

 

She turned off the stove and motioned to the pans as she left the kitchen. "Grab some while I make this call. Be civil," Imelda instructed, climbing the stairs two at a time and disappearing into her room again. Usually, the cordless phone for her landline was situated in the living room but it tended to float around as the woman often forgot to return it back to the charging base. Picking it up off her dresser, she made a soft sound at the flashing low battery icon.

 

Quickly, she dialed a number and held the phone to her ear. Several moments ticked by, marked by each ring, until a man finally answered with a drowsy greeting. "Oh... Sorry Steve. I know it's late but I was wondering if you could let me borrow a truck? Something came up very last minute and I'm in a pinch," she spoke.

 

There was a pause on the other end of the line as, Imelda assumed, Steve woke up and absorbed what she'd said. "Why do you need a truck at this hour?" he questioned, a hue of suspicion coloring his voice.

 

Imelda shook her head before remembering he couldn't see her. "Family emergency and the intercity bus won't get me there in time."

 

Steve sighed and Imelda picked up the sound of rustling fabric. "Alright, fine. I'll be there in ten."

 

"Great! Thanks! We're even after this," Imelda stated, the phone dying before she could hang it up herself. Still gripping the cordless in her hand, she hurried back downstairs and set it on the charger along the way. "Good news: our ride will be here in ten minutes." She looked over at Aiden before continuing. "Bad news: Steve doesn't know I'm a werewolf. Which means all of us need to be human. Now hurry up and get changed."

[Epyon]

When Aime spoke her doubts and then reasons for why returning to the park was a bad idea, he nodded, ceding the point to her. "Alright, yea. You're right. So, anyone else have any ideas?" he asked. He was restless, that was his first fight with someone other than Aiden in a long while. He was happy to find that he escaped relatively unscathed. Aime got beat on pretty badly but she was healing fast, thankfully. He couldn't forgive himself if she died on his account. Or on anyone's account, really. He went to the kitchen to eat and after heating up a couple of corn tortillas and finding some guacamole and sour cream that were still good, he decided to make tacos for himself. "Anyone else want some tacos?" he asked. They wouldn't taste great since seasoning is nonexistent but the guacamole and sour cream should help with that.  "Oy, dog, hurry up and shift! I don't feel like letting the cat out of the bag for your account," he said to Aiden who still looked unwilling to shift back human.  Ten minutes, should be enough for everyone to get something into their systems, especially if he gets the taco orders in fast. Until their ride arrives, they'll need to stay put but they can't go anywhere without all of them being human.