ENDLESS JOURNEYS (O/A)

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

It doesn't take terribly long for Alec to shake his pursuers, and he takes a moment to rest against a tree as he catches his breath. His tongue hangs out of his mouth as he pants heavily, wondering why being in this shape doesn't include keeping his sweat glands.

The wind picks up and something comes across his nose. A familiar scent, not too far away. He sniffs some more and recognizes it as Trinity along with another strange smell. His curiosity getting the better of him, he decides to pursue the smell.  

[Kerana]

After some searching Kerana and uncertainty of whether she was heading she was heading in the right direction. She sees a green cloak, she runs after it. "Hey! Trinity! Wait up! We need to talk! Ha-" she gets to a screeching hault. "You're not-"  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

Before Kerana can finish her sentence the thief spins around and puts a knife to her throat. His twitchy eyes looks right into hers as he breathes heavily, exhausted from the run.

He speaks in a thick and rustic accent, his breath smelling of garbage bins. "Shh-shh-shhhhhh...shouldn't be screaming so loud now. My aren't you a pretty one...I aim a tail like yours could fetch for quite a bit on the market, not to mention the one with fur." He snorts out a disgusting chuckle, thinking himself very clever.

He hears Trinity's footfalls as she approaches. He spins Kerana around and puts her back to his front. He presses the knife to the location of her jugular. He frantically shuffles back until he hits a tree.

He licks his lips in anticipation as he shouts, "Don't try anything, shady wench. I'm awful nervous and might nick a pipe or two."  

[PixelMuse]

As soon as she heard the thief's threat she stopped. Great the exact reason why I didn't want the kids along for the ride... Not revealing her position she drops into her shadow. The thief hears voices, all the same voice all of which said "Coward!" With that the darkness with in the coat grabbed his wrists tightly causing him to drop the knife. "Now drop the green cloak and the money and get! Or I will do the same to your neck!"  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

The thief is surprised by the sudden squeezing of his wrists. But his benefactor had prepared him for this.

He chuckles, "You really should have listened, now this pretty little pet's head will have to roll"

With the flick of his wrist (and just as he makes out what sounds like a large galloping animal) a hidden blade snaps from a compartment up his sleeve and makes it's way toward Kerana's neck.

Alec had just arrived as the thief had taken Kerana hostage. He wanted to call out to her, but was afraid to alert the thief. He was afraid of getting hurt, but more so of her getting hurt.

Instant relief came when Trinity had removed the knife from his hands. But he knew something was wrong. He could smell it in the air. He could hear it in the thief's voice. He could feel it in his heart.

Before he could think, his emotions and animal instincts took control of his actions. With uncanny speed he bounds from his cover and leaps at the thief.

With less than a second to spare, the thief's arm is snapped in the wrong direction. He squeals as loses his grip on his hostage and finds himself lifted off his feet and against the tree he was using as protection from Trinity. He looks down at demonic, inhuman eyes. They were glaring at him, into his soul. It was a werewolf, the stuff of nightmares.

Warm urine streams down his trousers.

There was no Alec, only the wolf that sensed a threat to one of it's pack. It snarls, foaming at the mouth as it looks up into the peon's eyes. It smells the cowards urine. It draws it's muzzle in closer until it is breathing against the face of it's prey. It's growl slowly increases in ferocity.  

[PixelMuse]

Trinity watched as the events unfold. It was too late that she realized that the man had another ace up his sleeve. Luckily a werewolf came, which is quite a rare coincidence. She then thought to herself, Has all of this time with self preservation made me loose my touch? she had one time sworn to protect the innocent and was very good at it, that is until now...  

[Kerana]

Kerana closed her eyes while she was being held hostage. Tears streek down her cheek. It was a bit unexpected to see Alec come out of the blue but she was relieved. She checked her neck, no wounds, she stood back up and looked at the man that held her hostage. "Alec? Please stop. I'm okay now, don't sink to his level." She hoped he wasn't too far gone and reached toward the wolf.  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

As soon as Kerana touched him, the wolf slowly gave way to Alec again. The blood lust in his eyes fade and regain their compassionate gleam. He releases the thief (who as soon as he hit the ground rolled into a ball, clutching his broken arm.)

Alec turns to Kerana and says apologetically, "I don't know what happened. I completely lost it. That's never happened before. That wasn't me...are you alright?"

A blubbering mess, the thief attempts to crawl away while Alec tries to apologize for losing control of himself.  

[PixelMuse]

Trinity wasn't about to let him get away "Not so fast!" At that moment his shadow pulled him down by his neck. She picked up the dagger the their was using and recognized the blacksmith signature. It was the same one that made the metal glove her opponent wore years ago. The thing is no one seem to know of this blacksmith even among those of the trade. She has yet to find this person's work in the shops either. Which brought her to one conclusion. "What's the name of the one who sent you?!" she landed the dagger next to him cutting a little of his hair in the process the base of the dagger is within his sight.

She grew impatient, her green eyes were glowing with the thief pinned to the ground she took her coat back. It now had a blood stain on the sleeve. She sees the mechanism on his arm she thought it was rather fancy for any thief. She didn't have to look twice to know it was the same blacksmith. Her foot pressured his back making it uncomfortable for him to breath. She reach down into her shadow and brought out her glaive. She pointed it at his neck the blade was designed to curve around one's neck. "I'm awful furious I might nick a pipe or two."  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

The thief whimpers as the blade comes closer to him. Saliva and mucus mix together as he spits out in a panic, "I can't tell you! He's gonna kill me! I'm dead!"  

[Kerana]

Kerana smiled at Alec, "Yes Alec, thanks to you and Trin-" she stopped as she watched what Trinity. It was not long before she got a sense of deja vu. She approached the scene "Stop! Trinity stop. He's been through enough. Let's just do the right thing and turn him in. Please, this isn't you, you could have easily killed those bounty hunters or that mob that was after you in the village. But you didn't, don't add to your bad rep and most importantly don't stoop to his level."

Kerana looks at the thief's arm and started healing it.  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

The thief starts to thrash wildly as Kerana's healing starts to take effect. "No no no! Stop! AUGH!"

Starting from the site of his healing wound, fire begins to engulf the man. It isn't long before he completely enveloped in flames.

Alec raises his hands to guard his face as the heat starts to rise. The smell of dark magic is overwhelming. With a growl he says, "He's cursed! Whoever sent him wants to make she he doesn't talk."  

[Kerana]

As the man pleaded, That's strange, usually people have a more soothing reaction to this. She stepped back when the fire started and bit her thumb nail. Oh, no... I killed someone with my healing spell crying I'll never heal anything ever again... I don' t know what I did wrong though I've done it with out trouble. It's was usually an easier spell to do....

Then she heard Alec's explanation. She began to feel a little better about what she tried to do. It does make sense too, for one covered with dark magic to have a volatile effect. 3nodding  

[PixelMuse]

"Well observed... Alec? she couldn't believe that he was the same creature as the boy she saw earlier. However if Kerana knows its Alec, she might as well accept it. "Though, he cut his life short by making a deal with a necromancer. His reward would be death his lose would be his life." she scuff's some of the man's ashes a little. "People who came close to turning me in were only granted the reward of death. It's part of why I avoid getting captured."

She looked over where the man last was. Something didn't make sense, it puzzled her, "Now the question is, why was he sent? My first guess normally would be he had a message but there doesn't seem to be any." She turned around, "Another possibility is he wanted me loured out here so that I wouldn't be in the way..." she started to mull it over a little as she walked over to the bag of gold.

"I guess we'll find out shape the town's in. Let's give the people back their money...Unfortunately I don't think they'd like the sight of me with the bag of gold. Alec..." she said trying to get used to his other form, " Could you shift back? You guys can return the money, I'll wait in the tavern I pointed out earlier."  

[Rikki Tikki Travi]

"Ah, right. No problem." Alec takes his satchel from Kerana and trots over to some cover so he can change with some privacy.

The change is a bit faster this time, although no less stomach turning. Once he is back to his normal self he hastily throws his clothes back on and rejoins the others. "Ah, if you don't mind my asking...who would want to curse wanted posters to make people hunt you down?"