Lychaon's Curse Ch. 02

Author's note: This story is a work in progress and what you are reading is the rough draft of a manuscript that will eventually be a text and graphic novel. Once the first draft is complete there will probably be a general update to the entire story where I publish second drafts.

*

Chapter 2

Natalie rode Nimrod down the dusty desert road, a feeling of unease settled around her like a cloak. It had been a week since Nathan had left, and while Natalie was playing at the Inn she got a letter from him saying he was staying in town longer than expected. Now that the frontier was out of sight she wished that she had taken Mama Ostler's offer to stay in town. The ranch had felt... wrong since the incident. Natalie touched the revolver strapped to her waist as she recalled the scene she had come home to seven days earlier.

At first, she hadn't noticed anything wrong. But when she went to the barn and unlocked it she found the box stall empty, as was the entire barn. Alarmed she went back outside and looked around. It was then she noticed the door that was used to load hay into the loft had been left open... and then she noticed the large paw prints left in the sand, far more than just a single set.

Natalie had been telling herself since that it just meant the man she had saved was safe and back with his own kind... she was still trying to process just what he was. She hoped that was the source of unease and not a subconscious warning that she wasn't safe. She looked over her shoulder again, half expecting to see herself followed; but the road was as empty as it always was.

Finally, the ranch was back in view, but as she rode Nimrod through the gate her unease climbed to a nearly unbearable degree. I should go back. The thought came unbidden, reminding her of the strange feeling that had led her out into the desert. However, the sun would be long gone before then and if she felt vulnerable walking home now the night might just drive her mad.

"Come on now Nat. You spook easier than a child," she chided herself as she led Nimrod to the barn. But then the horse stopped and snorted softly. Natalie turned to him and saw him eyeing the barn suspiciously. In the last week, this had become a routine, even though she had scrubbed the stall she had left the man in. Nervous as she was, she didn't want to coax him tonight. She wanted to get upstairs and throw on the security measures. With a groan, she tugged on the reins but the horse refused to budge.

"Not you too. Not tonight. If you cooperate I'll give you some treats; how about that?" She pleaded, sighing in relief as he pricked his ears up at the idea of treats. Natalie was reassured about the sudden lack of fear in the horse and led him to his stall. Perhaps we are both spooks she mused as she set up the harness and started working on his leg. Once the prosthetic was off she started to leave the stall before Nimrod pulled on her hair and whickered at her.

"I know! I have to go get the treats first buddy," she laughed at his concerned look as she lugged the leg down to the tack room. Natalie walked in and set the leg on the table, deciding she had best get the treats first. However, a voice from the corner of the room stopped her mid-step.

"Hello " Natalie whirled around to find a strange man leaning against the wall, half in shadow. Natalie took a step back, her hand going to the revolver on her hip. "I wouldn't if I were you. My brother's angry enough about the last time you shot him," he said. That made her pause.

"Your brother?" She repeated slowly. Quietly she studied him, and after a moment it clicked. He was much smaller, a little taller than Nate, and had lighter coloring, but he shared the long nose and high, broad cheekbones. He nodded.

"Yes" my brother, the person you locked in here? The wolf you didn't butcher?" The casual expression and stance of the man clashed with the anger in his voice. Natalie shook her head as her unease bloomed into full-fledged terror. The implications of why this man was here were plain enough. She shook her head again as she tried to stay calm.

"I didn't shoot anyone," she began. The man pushed himself off the wall and started to pace in her direction.

" Oh, so was that the man who lives with you? We can wait for him to show up too." He told her. Natalie was about to ask him who we were, but she was interrupted by the terrified trumpeting of her horse. Before she had thought about it Natalie was out of the tack room and drawing her weapon.

Standing in the open doors of the barn was the black wolf. When she had run into the aisle he had been sniffing at Nimrod, who was reeling in his harness, screaming in fear. Natalie pointed her revolver at the ceiling over its head and fired a single shot. The crack filled the barn as the wolf's head whipped towards her. A deep, savage rumble ripped from its chest as it turned from the horse to her.

The man who had been waiting in the tack room approached her again. He had his hands up and was talking slowly. "You see that's the one you shot- if I were you I'd drop the gun before he gets tired of it being pointed at him" Natalie glanced at the man while she pointed the gun at the wolf. The rumble exploded into a snarl as the wolf started to stalk towards her.

"Like hell, I will-" she started but just then the wolf lunged and Natalie did what she had been taught to do by her father- shoot. Several things happened quickly. The full weight of the wolf slammed into her and carried her to the ground. While she was still reeling she felt the gun being taken from her. With a feral screech of her own, she ripped it out of the grip of the man before trying to wiggle away. Then the weight of the wolf was lifted off of her for a moment, but before she could scramble away she felt teeth clamp down on her leg.

Pain coursed through her as she was dragged back roughly. Natalie twisted around until the wolf was in view before firing again, this time seeing the bullet hit its shoulder before it dropped her. Whimpering in pain she struggled to her feet, finding her leg barely able to handle the weight. However, In her haste to escape, she had forgotten about the other man, and he stepped up behind her and struck her across the back of the head, catching her as she crumpled.

After he lowered her to the ground he turned to consider his brother, who was panting heavily, blood pouring from his wounds. He got the wolf's attention before signaling to him.

"You should shift, she got you good." The wolf snorted and started to shrink. While he was shifting his brother looked back at the human crumpled at his feet. With a shrug he kicked the gun away and gave her a quick pat-down, revealing a knife tucked into her skirts. These removed he pulled a length of rope from a pack he had left in the other room and bound her ankles and wrists, before tossing the prone form over his shoulder.

Marrok, now fully shifted, dug his clothes from the pack and pulled them on, wincing at the searing pain in his shoulder and forehead from where he had been shot. As he rolled his shoulder he paused, realizing that he didn't feel tired or dizzy. But it was the same sound... As he walked out of the spare room he saw his brother shouldering the human.

"Can their weapons have different effects?" He asked. His brother nodded and shifted the weight of their captive so he could respond.

"Sometimes, I doubt she shot you with the same thing, the scars are bigger." As they turned to leave the barn a sparkle caught Marrok's eye. In the dirt where they had collided was what looked like a pile of sparkling rocks. When he picked it up he realized it was some kind of decoration- a series of gems arranged to look like flowers and the moon. Marrok had never seen anything like it. He pocketed it before trailing after his brother as he carried their captive to the main building. Marrok tried the door, but unlike the others, it didn't budge. He looked at his brother, who dug around in the pockets of the woman before producing a short, twisted wire that he slid into a hole set into the door. There was a soft click before the door was pushed open. His brother slid their captive to the floor before touching the blood spreading over the layers of fabric she had wrapped around her waist.

"Killian, stop that bleeding if you can, I want to take a look around." He instructed, waiting to see his brother start tearing some strips of cloth from her clothes before he turned and strode further into the structure.

There were 2 floors, the bottom floor being considerably larger. One room on the bottom floor was filled with objects covered in white sheets and dust, Marrok didn't feel the need to linger after a quick walkthrough and made his way to another room with a handful of basins of varying sizes. Here he found some clothes, dirty and bloodstained, buried beneath other soiled garments in a basket. They were small enough to belong to her, even if they looked different than what she currently had on. He smelled them then, recognizing his own blood- but barely anything of his sister.

Confused, he brought the clothes with him as he poked his head into the next room. It was large and spartan, with a single dresser and a bed. Marrok passed this room over as well. At the back of the house, nestled behind the stairs was the door to a large area. In this was a contraption that held the remains of a fire in its belly. The room was also ringed with flat surfaces, cooking utensils hung from the ceiling, while a large rack of knives covered one wall. In the middle of the room was a long wooden table, which had several jars, clay pots, and piles of cloth heaped upon it.

Another room branched off from this and in there Marrok found a large cache of food, including several large chunks of the smelly yellow lumps he had been left in the barn. He grabbed one on his way out and tossed it at Killian as he finished patching up their captive.

"What is this?" He asked as his brother snatched it out of the air. Killian looked at it for a moment and laughed before tossing it back.

"Its called cheese. Humans managed to solidify milk before it rots and keep it for long periods." He explained. Marrok made a face and sniffed it as he climbed the stairs, finding the carved steps much less intuitive than the earthen ramps he was used to. On the top floor, there were only 2 rooms, facing each other from either side of a small landing.

The first room he looked into was another sleeping chamber. After a glance he could tell the space belonged to the female, as it had several outfits similar to what she had on in a small enclave attached to the room as well as tossed on the soft cushion he assumed served as a nest. At the end of the nest was a chest, which he opened to find a smaller case, which he set to the side as he rooted around. Much to his surprise, there were several papers with images on them, including one of a male that looked strikingly like her. In the smaller case was a pretty wooden box, that had another long piece of wood jutting off of it. Stretched across it was a handful of strings. In the case next to it was another smaller piece of wood, which also had strings attached to it. At the bottom of this smaller box was a folded up piece of paper, covered in markings.

Taking the paper he placed the things back in the boxes and left. The last room in the building was filled with switches and lights, each sporting a small label with more of the markings on them. Curiously Marrok flicked a random switch. In the distance, he heard a light hum. After looking around he didn't see any changes in the room so he stuck his head out the door. Part of the wall was thin and transparent, which allowed him to see the perimeter surrounding the cluster of buildings. Every few feet was a pole sticking up higher than the rest, which was sending pulses of light from one to the next.

There's too much here that's new. None of it feels safe. He thought to himself as he watched the dancing lights. After a moment he was pulled out of his thoughts by Killian calling his name. She must be waking up. That in mind he stopped back in the room and flicked the switch back to its resting position before heading down the stairs.

When he arrived in the main area of the house he saw some blood congealing on the ground, and a small, smeared trail leading back to the room devoted towards food. There he found his brother propping the woman up at a chair at the table. Her head lolled back on her shoulders and she groaned softly.

"She's slow to wake, you have a moment if you need to do anything." Killian paused, considering their captive before adding, "I think if we use intimidation she won't fight anymore. " Marrok nodded and glanced around the room before going to lean next to the wall of knives. Chances are she'd see it as a threat. Killian sat at the table, halfway between his brother and the woman. From there he could function as a translator and peacekeeper if need be.

He glanced back at his brother. Marrok leaned against the wall with his eyes trained on the woman. His brother had earned the reputation for control and level-headedness despite his condition, but Killian sensed the old wildness in his brother. To his trained eye, the wolf looked to be just below the surface. He was worried Marrok was taking the loss of their sister too hard to keep his head.

Natalie woke up to a searing pain in her leg and an ache that had settled into the back of her skull. Remembering what had happened she kept as still as possible, despite her discomfort. From what she could tell she was in the kitchen, tied up and sat at the table. Ever so slightly she opened her eyes, trying to maintain the guise a little longer. From what she could tell the man that had approached her in the barn was also sitting at the table; while the man she had saved- Marrok- leaned next to the knife rack. The two were conversing in their silent language, something that intrigued Natalie even in her current situation.

After a moment Marrok's eyes snapped to hers. His face was a mask of anger and pain as he studied her. The resemblance to his wolf form was uncanny, down to the way his hair looked like bristling hackles. Natalie also noticed some new scars from their last encounter; a long mark going over his cheek and eyebrow in a divot. There was also a scar in his shoulder from the second time she shot him.

She must have shifted, or perhaps opened her eyes just a bit too much, because he suddenly scowled, his head tilting to the side. Quickly he signaled to his brother, who also turned to study her for a moment before jabbing her sharply with his finger. "We know you're awake, lies and trickery aren't going to help you." He said. Natalie sighed and opened her eyes all the way, squinting at the light. Her head throbbed as she leaned forward, cupping her head in her hands with a groan.

Natalie looked at her wrists and noticed they were bound. Trying to move her legs also told her that her ankles were similarly tied. She pushed down the wave of panic she felt as she looked at the rope wrapped around her wrist. How do I get out of this? What's my angle? She thought. Natalie knew they thought she and Nathan had something to do with the white wolf dying. She didn't know how easily she would be able to convince them otherwise. She was terrified, and angry, neither of which felt like a good idea to show these two.

Looking up she took a moment to return both their stares with one of her own before asking, "What do you want from me?"

"The truth, to start." said the one at the table. He nodded at Marrok, "He and our sister were attacked, our sister died. The trail led right to here, where we found him. Care to explain that?" Natalie sighed and rested her arms on the table.

"My uncle and I stumbled across them fighting a beast we were tracking. We hid while we watched them, then someone else; I couldn't see who- shot them. They took the beast with them and," her voice died in her throat as the axe appeared in her mind, " and they took your sister's head and tried to poison your brother." She watched tensely as the information was translated to Marrok. After a moment he shook his head and signed something back.

"He doesn't believe you. It's rather convenient that you just so happened to see them get shot by someone you couldn't identify. He wants to know why you would be tracking the creature into our territory in the first place. How you could even find your way in the dark? You certainly don't look like any hunter." The brother translated. Natalie felt the panic again as she swallowed.

"It had killed some of our cattle; you can find where we buried them out back- my uncle thought it was too dangerous to just let wander around the ranch."

"But that doesn't explain why you were out there"

"He had been gone for a while all by himself, so I got worried and went after him," She swallowed, before continuing, "I don't know how I found my way or even saw the people out there. The moon and stars were bright I suppose," Her eyes flicked up to where Marrok signaled something else.

"He says you also came back for him when he was poisoned and locked him in the barn. That doesn't sound like someone who only watched from afar." Natalie felt her fear give way to anger for a moment as she remembered the effort that went into saving her captor.

"I felt bad for him and his sister, so went back out there to get more samples and-"

"Samples?" Natalie winced at the interruption, realizing her mistake as she watched the hands flowing through their language.

"Um, yes. After the people who shot you left my uncle and I went down to look at the aftermath. He took the poison darts from your shoulder and some bloody sand."

"And why would he do that?"

"Because he knows a professor at the University and had to travel into the city anyways. He figured he could talk his friend into running some tests while he was selling the cattle."

"Alright. So back to the original question- why would you go back out there?" Natalie thought about the nightmare she had had. Should she tell them she had a dream of their dead sister? The headless woman crying for her brother was still too fresh, too disturbing, so she pushed it out of her mind.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. I just couldn't get it out of my head." She hoped it was true enough for them as they discussed what she said. While they talked she looked at what was spread on the table in front of her and realized that the jars of medicine she had bought were still where she had left them a week ago. The irony stung. She also noticed the clothes she had been wearing that day and a lump of cheese for some odd reason.

"Marrok still doesn't believe you. He says he remembers you putting something on him, for all he knows that was the poison." The statement cut through her thoughts as the brothers turned back to her. It was then something in Natalie gave way, taking her composure with it. Her voice rose to an enraged shriek as she grabbed the little clay jar of medicine with her hands and heaved it at Marrok, catching him square in the chest and splattering its contents down the front of him.

"It was medicine you fool! All I did was try to help you and this is the thanks I get? Are you serious? Next time I find you half-dead in the desert I'm gonna spit on you and be on my way you total ASS." She swayed in her chair as the pain in her head spiked suddenly. Groaning she tried to rub her temple with a knuckle as her captors regarded her.

Marrok rubbed the ointment between his fingers as his brother translated the angry shriek of the woman. Sniffing the cream on his fingers he did recognize aloe and chamomile- a simple treatment for sunburn. He looked at her as she tried to cradle her head in her hands. Something still wasn't right, but he was becoming less sure that she was the person who was the source of his rage. A wave of helpless frustration washed over him.