Lunus cocked her gun and fired. The sparks of the flint burned bright like flames against the night's eternal darkness, and the smoke of the barrel ascended into the air, mixing itself with Malkouth's mist. Light hit the ominous scene as the silver bullet gleamed, catching the white of the moon and the orange of the sparks.
The bullet soared determinedly towards the core of the Alpha's body and hit him, piercing his flesh and tearing into his monstrous form. He fell ingloriously to the ground, a crumpled heap, but something was wrong. He wasn't dead. He was merely wounded, and with a wolf like Balthazar, wounding was far from acceptable.
Lunus fell to the ground with a thud and a cloud of forest ash rose up around her. She coughed twice and winced with pain. She had landed squarely on her back behind her shoulders and dropped her pistol from the impact.
She lifted her head and looked to Balthazar. He was an inching heap of fur, pulling himself through the soft dirt back into the forest. His refusal to fight any more told Lunus that she had done a fine job of injuring him badly, but she wanted more than pain or weakness from the great villain of the forest.
A panic struck her as she watched him slink away, and she hurried to find her gun, brushing her hands through the disintegrating deadness of the dry autumn leaves. Suddenly, her hand touched something metal, and she knew he was done. As Lunus picked up her gun and rushed to ready it for another shot at him, she knew what she wanted.
She wanted his life - all of it. She wanted his coat as a rug. She wanted every piece of him to suffer and die and the blood to drain out of him. She wanted to watch him die. She wanted to be the one to put the silver bullet through his heart and vanquish the monster, the shadow, the Alpha... even the Devil himself.
Lunus rose to her feet and turned to go after him, walking deliberately and determinedly with each step through the crunching leaves. She clenched her teeth and looked at him with hatred as she saw him collapse a few yards in front of her. She came close to where the pile of fur lay and raised her gun, cocking it with firm and deciding hands.
She was about to shoot when something happened. Suddenly, the wolves eyes opened, and she jumped back with a startled jolt. The eyes that watched her were trimmed in a soft and gentle brown, and they seemed almost human. It took her off guard and scared her more than anything. The wolf turned its head to look at her, and as he did, his fur began to fade and his fearsome body disappear.
"Lunus," the wolf said, its voice fading into that of a man, "help me."
Lunus stood paralyzed in pure shock and astonishment. The beast said Lunus. Balthazar not only knew her name but was asking for help? No, not Balthazar. Not the wolf, but the man... whoever that was.
She tried to regain control of her senses, but it was hard. There was nothing to prepare a Hunter for this. It wasn't in the training or the books or the manuals. It wasn't anywhere. But Evan knew... somehow, and Mr. Hollis. She would have to ask them more about it later. That is... if this wasn't a trap.
She shook her head to dismiss the thoughts of any possibility of Evan's rightness, and reminded herself that there was no humanity in wolves, especially in Balthazar. This was all a trick, a trap, a ploy for survival. Balthazar was clever. He knew he was done, so he decided to pretend he was human. Appealing to her compassion and humanity would give him the help he needed to live or the time he needed to escape, but she knew... she would offer him neither.
Lunus took a step forward and raised the gun again, keeping her arms straight and secure. This time, she was shaking, but she had her mind made up: she would shoot him. She put her finger on the trigger and began to pull, but as the fur continued to fade, phasing in and out with Balthazar's weakness, she saw him change and fall into the delicate shape of a man.
Lunus's eyes widened in involuntary disbelief at the sight of him. Her arms fell to her side, becoming limp, and she dropped her gun. The shining metal pistol descended into the crushed and fallen leaves and went off, the silver bullet striking against the splintered bark of a nearby tree with a thunderous sound.
"Please, help me," the man said faintly, breathing heavily with painful, labored breaths.
Lunus shook her head, her mouth agape. "Evan!" she wholeheartedly exclaimed.
"Please... help," he mumbled again before falling unconscious in a feverish pain.
"Evan, what are you...!" she stopped.
What was she going to do? This was Balthazar, the werewolf, the monster, the Alpha. She couldn't help him. If she saved him now, she might be lunch tomorrow... or somebody else could be. Either way, it wasn't good. But Evan? She remembered what she had told him earlier, and she understood what he meant now that she might find Balthazar just as human as he was. She hadn't thought it possible, but here she had.
Perhaps Evan knew more than what he said, then. What if there really was a curse on the town? If that was the case, it might not matter how many werewolves she killed... there would just keep being more of them. In which case, shooting Evan would mean absolutely nothing.
Lunus bent down and examined him. His shirt was torn and bloodstained. She had shot well, but just a little off. She missed his heart.
"From what I know of werewolves, this should heal," she muttered.
She lowered herself down and knelt on the ground beside Evan, staring at him as if he could somehow help in her decision.
As Lunus saw it, she had three choices:
If she shot him, he would die, and Balthazar along with him.
If she helped him, he would live, but for how long, and how many people's lives would be cut short or put in danger because of it?
If she left him, he might live but he might die, and she wasn't sure that any good would come from either, but at least no one could hold her responsible for it.
She touched her hand to Evan's face, thinking to leave him, but he opened his eyes and looked at her, his brown eyes desperately pleading from behind the lenses of his dark rimmed glasses.
Then again, there was this strange affinity she had for Evan Marshal... the kindhearted man and the cold blooded beast.
"Lunus..." he said softly, and she saw the mortality in the brown rings of his blackened eyes, "please, help."
His words cut through her, and her heart yearned to help him.
She closed her eyes and thought for a moment.
"Alright," she said begrudgingly, opening her eyes. "I'll help you, Evan," she promised, and she stroked his hair gently to comfort him. "But I really hope I don't regret this."
Lunus and Evan sat the next morning on the wooden platform of the tall gallows which the Hunters had erected speedily the night before. They had been given places of honor on the stage for their participation in the discovery of the cure and sat alongside Eccord, Howard, Arthur, and the other members of the Town Council. Before them all the town was gathered. Women held their children on their hips and men lifted their little ones high on their shoulders to see this amazing spectacle of justice. At last, the curse of Banglador would be broken and paid for! Evan tapped his fingers on his thigh with nervousness. Someone was missing, someone of note, and it had begun to bother him considerably. "Where is Ryan?" he whispered harshly towards Lunus. She shrugged. "I don't know," she answered. Arthur looked at them for a moment, overhearing, but he turned his ey
Ryan was quiet on the walk back towards the town. At the cave, he had rejoiced with Evan and Lunus as they shared what had been perhaps the happiest time of their lives. Freedom, at last they had freedom and what a release that was to each of them.There Ryan had been celebrating with them, joining in their laughter and glee, but it was different now. He wasn’t talking and his face looked a little more serious despite the fact that he was still smiling. There was a determined look on his face which glittered in his eyes like kindness, and Evan couldn’t help but watch him as they walked together through the forest now devoid of magic and mist.“Do you think we could come back, back to the town?” Lunus asked, wanting to get him talking again as much as she was genuinely curious.Ryan looked up at her. His smile broadened and his eyes lit. “Yes, of course!” he answered
"Ryan," Lunus breathed, and she looked at once with teary eyes to Evan.So, it wasn’t over.Jeremy’s body laid on the cold stone in front of him, his blood poured out upon the floor of the cave, and the red light illuminated the deathly scene as it danced within the darkness of the ground which swallowed them. The light brought with it an eerie reminder of all who had died there.There was the faint sound of drops falling from the altar, and Lunus looked up to see that some of Jeremy’s blood had splattered on the slab where Evan sat and mingled with his own. The mingled blood dripped down and fell to the ground. Then, all of the lights went out and the cave was filled at once with an almost tangible darkness.“Who goes there?” asked a voice from all around them. The tone of it was hollow and threatening.“Rya
Evan felt the pain of the bullet as it tore through his flesh. He felt the force of it shake him, and he doubled over in agony, grabbing the place of the wound, and stumbling back.He ordered Lunus to get down and pushed her back away from him, since he seemed to be the shooter's desired target. No matter what, he wouldn't let anything happen to her.He heard the gun cock. There were footsteps approaching, and he could see the vague silhouette of a man in the dim light of the red flashes. Then, there was another blast of the silver handgun, and he felt the touch of another bullet as it tore through his chest.He stumbled backwards and fell on the altar, grasping at the stones.He screamed in agony. The pain was so excruciating it was debilitating. He breathed in deeply and unevenly, each touch of air hurting.
The neighing of the horses and the cries of the Hunters were like needles in the wolves' ears as they approached, charging at them with a special gusto, probably brought on by the knowledge that this would be their final hunt."Don't think this is the end, Balthazar! I'll get you yet!" Arfak vowed as he backed away, running off into the forest and calling on his wolves to follow.Evan wasn't sure if he should be angry or relieved. Arfak and his wolves had gotten better. They were both more coordinated and more powerful. They moved as a team now, instead of a mob. Still, he thought he could haven beaten them and saved the town some trouble.They had to die. All of the spirits had to be released without a place for them to dwell. With nowhere to move to, no host to take them, no body to control, they would be forced to disperse and return to the forest... to Malkouth. He
Evan was watching the crowd from his place near the gates of the town, careful to keep himself hidden, and he knew that Lunus was doing the same. He listened to Ryan's words with a peculiar fire growing in his chest. It was the ignition of hope, causing him to want to jump up and scream for gladness, but this was not the time for such an open display of joy and exuberance. No. To the contrary, this was a time to watch the scene from the shadows in silence.Ryan had instructed them to wait. They would break the curse together over the stones where the covenant was made. That way, they would keep their cover, and after... Evan supposed that they would run away. He could not see any alternative to that, even here. They were still wanted. He had crimes he had to answer for, and so... they would have to run. It wasn't the happy ending he had wanted, or even an ideal one, but it was one which offered life to the two of them... and a l