Welcome to Gaia! ::

Right here, right now.
Stand my ground and never back down.
I know what I believe inside.
I'm awake, and I'm alive.

Leaves rustled and twigs snapped as two forms raced through the woods. And even though they weren’t making any effort to be quiet the noise they made was pale in comparison to the racket being created a few hundred yards behind them.

“What kind of idiot summons a dozen hellhounds,” the black and silver haired teenager asked while glancing behind her to check on the progress of said demons.

/The same kind of idiot human that gets himself eaten by said hellhounds five seconds later,/ the dark grey wolf running alongside her quipped while jumping over a fallen log.

“Not helping.” Lunaris Skye growled to herself as she forced herself to run a little faster.

It had been a relatively easy mission at first. A stupid human was messing around with demonic forces he didn’t understand and sicing the minor demons he managed to summon on a nearby town. SunStar had been contracted to track him down and stop him. Luna had gotten the assignment. Finding him had been the easy part. She was a little cautious since his hideout was only a couple miles from the edge of a nearby coven’s lands but far enough away that she shouldn’t run into any problems. The target was human and it was a standard bag and tag. Easy in, easy out. At least, that was how it was supposed to go.

Sadly reality was much less forgiving.

Hellhounds in and of themselves weren’t that hard to deal with. They were weak on the demonic scale and generally stupid. However, alpha’s tended to be stronger, more vicious and more intelligent. And larger packs could be difficult just by sheer numbers.

Luna held back a sigh as she vaulted over another downed tree. Farther back the pack of hellhounds let out another baying cry as they continued pursuit. The girl had lost track of where they were or how far they’d actually run. Location tended to come secondary to pack of blood thirsty, demonic dogs intent on ripping you to shreds. “Damn these things are persistent.”

/Well you did shoot and kill the alpha’s mate./

“It was chewing on a human!”

/I didn’t say you were wrong./

“Still not helping!”

MoonStriker glanced behind them. /I’m guessing about 5 left maybe./

The girl nodded. That sounded about right. They’d initially killed 4, including the alpha’s mate, at the human’s hideout. After that they’d switched tactics. Instead of letting themselves be backed into a corner they’d started running. They weren’t fleeing. Instead they were trying to spread the pack out (since over distance basic things like stamina and speed would cause some to lag behind) and managed to pick off 3 that had pulled ahead. However, the alpha had smartened up and was keeping the remaining hounds closer together. So it was time to change tactics again.

A few minuets later the two burst into a fairly large clearing. They skidded to a stop and turned to face the direction they’d come. Luna reached up and undid the clasp on the strap holding her bow and quiver of arrows on her back. She tossed these aside before reaching behind her, pulling two tonfa blades out of the sheaths across her lower back. Moonlight flashed off the two large blades as she swung them into position in front of her. The two blades were magically reinforced steel with silver inserts of a wolf and crescent moon along the flat of the blade. They were triangular in shape with the majority of the blade pointing back along her arm almost all the way to her elbow.

/I got the ugly one./

“Which one’s the ugly one,” Luna asked while glancing over at the wolf. In her opinion they were all as ugly as sin. Hellhounds were not one the pretty demonic races.

/Beta./

“Oh gee thanks,” Came the partially sarcastic retort. That left the alpha and the rest to her. It made sense if she thought about it but it didn’t make things easier. She didn’t doubt that she and MoonStriker could take these stupid demons. It was just not going to be very pretty.

Both looked forward when the sounds of hellhounds crashing through the trees grew louder. This time when they hounds let out their baying cries they were met by two, haunting wolf howls. The challenge the wolves’ was obvious even to those who couldn’t understand what was actually said.

‘Bring it on doggies.’

The hellhounds burst from the foliage with a mighty crash. MoonStriker was a dark grey blur as he tackled his called target and knocked it further from the remaining pack.

Luna’s blades flashed and she dodged the first hellhound’s pounce, slashing deep into the back of its’ neck as it passed. She continued the turn, flipping the blade in her other hand so the longer point was pointing forwards. She stabbed that blade into the chest of a second hound as it leapt at her. She cursed as the demon’s body slammed into her, making her stumble back a couple steps. She hissed in pain as its’ blood splashed on her hand and arm; causing the flesh to begin to burn as if splashed with acid. The girl let out a growl and shoved the dead dog away only to be knocked down as the alpha and remaining hell hound slammed into her.

The three went down in a snarling heap. Luna knocked the hell hound away as she fell. She brought her leg up and slammed a kick into the alpha’s stomach as she rolled with the fall. The alpha let out a yelp when the kick launched it into the air. It landed with a snarl and immediately scrambled back to its’ feet. Luna rolled up onto her knees and hopped back up onto her feet, sweeping both blades in front of her in a guard position. She watched her two opponents got back up and began to circle. Her whole left arm burned with pain in various spots and her hand was going a little numb, making her grip on that blade looser than she’d like. This was not going to be easy.

Luna braced as the two hounds charged once more.

This was gonna hurt.

I'm awake, I'm alive.
Now I know what I believe inside.
Now it's my time.
I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life.

"I will do everything in my power to come home."

Right here, right now.
Stand my ground and never back down.
I know what I believe inside.
I'm awake, and I'm alive.

MoonStriker’s ears flicked back when the sounds of something big crashing through the forest sounded nearby. /Incoming,/ he called over to the girl as he and his opponent circled.

“I hear it,” Luna replied. There was no way to tell whether whatever was coming was friend or foe. And she couldn’t risk taking her eyes off the two hellhounds in front of her to glimpse in the direction the noise was coming from. She tensed and scrambled back a couple of steps when Asuras suddenly threw himself between her and the hellhounds. She blinked in surprise when he told her to ‘stay here.’

The two hellhounds growled and switched their focus to Asuras.

Meanwhile Luna switched her attention to MoonStriker. The dark grey wolf was circling his opponent. The hellhound he was fighting had a few claw slashes but not much else. “MoonStriker, break,” she ordered.

The wolf growled but shifted his body as the hellhound lunged in. MoonStriker dodged, slamming his body sideways into the hellhound and knocking the small demon away from him. The hellhound’s growl turned into a yelp as Luna threw one of her blades and it buried itself into the demon’s side. MoonStriker let out a small woof at the now dead hellhound before looking towards Luna. /Little One behind you!/

The female werewolf’s attention snapped back towards Asuras and the other two hellhounds. The alpha hellhound was keeping Asuras engaged while the remaining one ducked around the man and leapt for the girl behind him. Luna brought her injured arm up, her second blade still clutched in that hand, but wasn’t fast enough. She cried out as its’ teeth grabbed her arm from the inside. She let out a small grunt while her blade clattered to the ground. Her ‘other half,’ her wolf self, surged to the forefront of her mind as agonizing pain raced up her arm. Luna’s nails grew, sharpening and hardening into claws, as her eyes began to become more lupine. She let out a growl while grabbing the back of the hellhound’s neck. She basically ripped it free from her arm and slung it with all her inhuman strength at a nearby tree.

The thrown hellhound yelped as it struck the tree and fell to the ground; stunned by the impact. It slowly started to get to its’ feet. It wasn’t down for the count yet.

/Little One!/

Luna’s breath started to come in uneven gasps as the urge to shift shapes slammed into her almost like a physical blow. She just barely held to her human form; although the claws on her hands and the shape of her eyes showed just how close she was to losing it. Fighting always brought ‘wolf’ close to the surface of her mind. Deep and painful injuries only increased the urge to shift (since shifting helped heal injuries, especially major ones). Luna flinched as the pain in her arm throbbed. She closed her eyes as she focused on pushing the urge to shift back. She couldn’t afford to change at this moment.

I'm awake, I'm alive.
Now I know what I believe inside.
Now it's my time.
I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life.

"I will do everything in my power to come home."

Right here, right now.
Stand my ground and never back down.
I know what I believe inside.
I'm awake, and I'm alive.

MoonStriker kept an eye on the final hellhound as it squared off with Asura. He knew that they had to make sure each one of the hellhounds was dead. The human who had summoned them was dead, so they could no longer be controlled. If they just left the hellhounds alone they would go on a rampage; killing innocent people and creatures. The wolf looked towards Luna.

The teenage girl’s breathing slowed as she managed to get a hold of the urge to shape shift. Luna opened her eyes and straightened up. She untied the black cloth band around her upper arm and quickly wrapped it over the bite wounds on her lower arm. Werewolves healed fast so the deep wounds had already almost stopped bleeding. However, that didn’t stop the injury from hurting like hell.

Luna glanced around. All the hellhounds were dead except for the one Asura was currently dealing with.

/You okay Little One?/ MoonStriker asked while gently nudging Luna’s leg.

The girl nodded in reply. She was alright for now. Luna shifted her full attention to Asura. She wondered just who the heck this guy was and why had he interfered in the fight.

I'm awake, I'm alive.
Now I know what I believe inside.
Now it's my time.
I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life.

"I will do everything in my power to come home."

Right here, right now.
Stand my ground and never back down.
I know what I believe inside.
I'm awake, and I'm alive.

Luna backed up a little when Asura got close. “Don’t,” she cautioned, flinching and shaking her head a little. ‘Wolf’ was still close to the surface with all the adrenaline still in her system. Wolf instincts tended to label others as three things: pack, prey, and threat.

This guy wasn’t pack and he sure as hell wasn’t prey.

Normally she didn’t have any problems controlling her inner wolf but today hadn’t exactly been a good day. She was tired and scratched up from having run for so long and so far (although the scratches had already healed themselves since they weren’t deep). The only bad injuries were the bite marks and burns from demonic blood that had splashed onto her exposed skin (mostly her arm). However, even those injuries were rapidly starting to heal thanks to her lycanthropy. “I’m okay,” she told Asrua.

MoonStriker snorted.

“I heal fast,” Luna added while sending a small glare at the wolf. She looked back towards Asura. “Thank you for helping.”

I'm awake, I'm alive.
Now I know what I believe inside.
Now it's my time.
I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life.

"I will do everything in my power to come home."

Right here, right now.
Stand my ground and never back down.
I know what I believe inside.
I'm awake, and I'm alive.

“I would head more southeast if I were you,” Luna called after Asura when she saw which direction he was heading. She tilted her head back a little to look at the stars in the night sky; using their position to orient herself a little better. Part of her noticed that the moon was close to full. Well that explains why wolf is being so annoying, she though to herself. Wolf's influence became stronger closer to the full moon. Luna could resist the urge to change on the night of a full moon if needed but it generally wasn't worth the effort and pain. “There’s a human town a few miles to the south west of here. They’ve been having demon attacks lately. They’re not exactly in the best of moods.” Granted she and Asura had just taken care of that problem. Still the town’s people were anxious, on edge, and liable to attack anything that was suspicious.

Even if someone over looked Asura’s appearance, he didn’t exactly scream ‘human and not a threat.’ Luna’s nose alone told her that. She hadn’t come across someone like Asura before nor had she heard stories from other Hunters that sounded like him. She didn’t smell or feel the hint of ‘wrongness’ she associated with the majority of demons. One thing her instincts, both human and wolf, seemed to agree on was that Asura was old.

“There’s a coven nearby to the southeast. Which could be a blessing or a curse depending on what you’re looking for.” Covens were Sanctuaries, safe havens, and to many home. But no matter how powerful or well guarded; Luna would never think of them as ‘safe.’ Safety was an illusion. No amount of guards, power, wards, or protection could ever make something safe. Her life had proven that to her earlier on. It had scared her; both physically and mentally. Every day that she lived and breathed was proof that nothing was ever safe.

/Either way we’re going the same way he is,/ MoonStriker commented as he trotted past carrying Luna’s discarded bow and quiver via its’ strap in his mouth. /I need a detour./

“What? Why,” the girl asked as she scooped up the blade at her feet and pulled the other free from a dead hellhound as she passed. She gave both tonfa blades a quick wipe off on her pants before returning them to the sheaths across her lower back. She made a quick mental note to clean them better when she got a chance. Demon blood tended to be corrosive even on magically protected metals.

/Just because you don’t mind being all bloody doesn’t mean I don’t. Besides, I need to get this bad taste out of my mouth./ The wolf remembered there being a small river towards the south from map both of them had looked at before embarking on their current mission. Plus, he’d kept better track of where they’d been running while being pursued by the hellhounds.

“I thought you would have known not to bite those stupid things by now.”

/Claws weren’t enough./ MoonStriker’s origins made him immune to some of the more undesirable effects of contact with demonic blood. However, that did not make the demons taste any better.

Luna frowned as she tried to examine the wolf as best she could. MoonStriker wasn’t noticibly limping. Unfortunately, the dark color of his coat made it harder to spot blood at night. “Wait. Those things didn’t get you did they?”

/Nope./

This time the werewolf snorted in disbelief. “MoonStriker,” she growled in a tone that was somewhere between annoyed and worried.

/I’m fine,/ The wolf shot back. He glanced over at Asura before trotting ahead. /Now stop being rude./

Luna blinked in surprise before looking over at Asura. She wasn’t used to being around others. Her general nature was a lone wolf. She was used to working alone with only MoonStriker for company. Those few people she did hang around with here used to her almost random conversations with said wolf. Most of them could even follow what was said even though they only heard half of the conversation. “Sorry.”

I'm awake, I'm alive.
Now I know what I believe inside.
Now it's my time.
I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life.

"I will do everything in my power to come home."

Right here, right now.
Stand my ground and never back down.
I know what I believe inside.
I'm awake, and I'm alive.

Luna shrugged when Asura said they could go alone with him if that’s what they wanted. To be honest, she really didn’t have anything else to do at the moment. Her current assignment was done and she hadn’t been given a new one yet. Plus, she felt like she owed Asura for his help. The least she could do was to see that he got to the coven without running into any problems.

/Admit it. You’re curious,/ MoonStriker called back from up ahead.

The girl scowled at the wolf and stuck her tongue out at him when he glanced back, but said nothing. She did have to admit she was curious about a couple of things. She wondered why Asura had bothered to interfere with her fight with the hellhounds. It was rare that immortals helped anyone without their own motives or at least getting something in return. However, Asura didn’t really even seem to care. Luna was also curious as to just what Asura was. He wasn’t like any magical being she’d ever come across. If she had to guess she would have said he was probably some kind of elemental being. His presence and his scent both reminded her of the earth.

Luna’s thoughts snapped back to the current situation when Asura continued speaking. “If its’ information you’re looking for the coven would be a good place to start,” She pointed out. “If I remember correctly this one is the largest in this part of the country. And it’s run by a vampire.”

/Water,/ MoonStriker cheered when he heard the river up ahead. The wolf took off running.

“Hey! At least drop my stuff before you jump in!” The female werewolf sprinted ahead in order to catch up to MoonStriker. Her weapons could survive a dunk the water but she had other things in the small pouch attached to the quiver that would not mix well with water. If he killed her phone again he was going to be in so much trouble…

A little while later…

Luna paused as the coven’s manor appeared in the distance. She’d been basically quiet the entire time she and Asura had been walking. She wasn’t much of a conversationalist and even if she was, Asura seemed like one of the silent types. She had stopped at the river for a few minutes to wash as much of the blood and grim off herself and her clothes as she could short of actually jumping in. Her arm band was still wrapped over the bites and burns on her lower arm.

“Well, this is the place,” She said while looking over at Asura. She motioned for him to go in ahead of her. “After you.”

I'm awake, I'm alive.
Now I know what I believe inside.
Now it's my time.
I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life.

"I will do everything in my power to come home."