The Nexus

The road was dark, and only the light from the half moon above was enough to keep Eevi on it properly. Well, that and the large amount of trees off to the left of her. She did her best to keep her distance from them though. Staying to the right of the road, she walked on, wishing that the next town would hurry up and appear, so she could stop walking. After two days of traveling, she wasn't sure she could take much more... She just wanted a bed to sleep in.

A soft sigh escaped her lips, as she looked down at the dirt being kicked up as she walked. Rain would be nice as well... but maybe when she got to the town.

She might have arrived to the next town already, if that damned farmhand hadn't kicked her off his wagon after telling the children stories. So what if the were somewhat superstitious... Kids were told stories that were ridiculous all the time.

An angrier sigh came from her this time and she looked back up. No lights yet... no town. So, she'd just keep walking.";

He always fought it. Every time, he would fight it, as if he could somehow overcome the pain, overcome the very will of his body and bones and stop it from happening at all. He had never stopped it from happening, but still, he fought it. Perhaps one day, he could beat it, and he could study and learn, and make it stop indefinitely. This night was no different.

The pain that had nestled deep within Bennett's body had long subsided, only to be replaced by hunger. Hours ago, when the moon had illuminated the sky, the change had nearly torn his body asunder. Every half moon, every full moon, Bennett felt that same pain. Like his body was trying to compress what it could not hold. Now, he only knew hunger. His claw had scarred the tree as it clenched harder. Eyes darting through the dark, he could smell life nearby.

Without hesitation, he stalked through the forest, quickly and silently. Soon enough, he came to a clearing near to the road and he could make out a figure.
Still, he fought.
Try as he might, he couldn't pull himself to look away from the silhouette. knew it only as prey, and if he looked away, it could disappear, and still he would hunger. On the tip of his nose, he could smell a town a few miles in the direction the figure was heading. Perhaps if he gave in, he could take this girl, feed from her, and restrain from devastating the village.
Still, he fought. Even as he bolted from the clearing of the woods and towards the girl, he fought. Though it was no use. The wolf in him wanted her blood and it would have it's way.

Eevi pulled her bag around her as she walked, deciding to at least quench her thirst, and a bit of her hunger. The waterskin she pulled out was nearly empty, and she took as small of a drink as she could, before she pulled out a small piece of dried meat. The last of what she had.

She chewed slowly, trying to savor the flavor for as long as she could, trying to convince herself this would be enough to make her less hungry. At least until she could resupply in town.

A chill ran down her back, and she stopped, glancing over her shoulder as if she felt someone watching her. She held her breath for a breath moment, before she took the rest of what was in her waterskin and drank it.

Quickly putting everything away, she started again, walking at a quicker pace down the road. "The cards said everything was fine... and that nothing was going to happen. I even read them twice this..." She went quiet as she realized that she actually hadn't done a reading that morning when she woke. She had forgotten, when she had rushed to catch the farmhand's wagon.

So, she actually had no idea what may be in store for her. 'Please don't punish me for not doing a reading! she thought quietly, nearly running now. She was almost certain there was something behind her. Something chasing her.

For the love of the Gods, she prayed it wasn't wolves...

The figure stalking the girl was too large to be a natural creature of the woods, or any kind of human, and it was far too hairy to be a giant either. He only saw red, the hulking wolf. It's enormous paws pounded against the ground with loud patters, and uncontrollable snarls and growls rumbled from it's throat as it grew closer. It had come to a full run by now, wanting nothing more than her heart. No, her lungs. No, her throat. The beast could only concentrate on her scent, though it reeked of hay and farm. It was the beast's favorite part, he had noted, tearing the flesh and taking in the deep scent of the deep red blood that poured from humans. Often it took animals when he was on the road, too far from any town or village to find any human victims, though it wasn't satisfying. There had been a time the beast had run rampant through a bustling forest, savagely consuming nearly thirty forest creatures.

Bennett never considered himself part of the wolf. It was the beast and he was 'he'. He refused to believe it was himself when the beast tore out the lungs and entrails of innocent people; Full grown men, women, and children. The beast held no discrimination.

Closer and closer it came. The light of the moon had finally touched upon it, showing a mane of silver and yellow eyes and great white fangs. It had a large arched back and long legs, claws longer and sharper than even it's teeth. It was the size of two men of six feet and must have weighed hundreds of pounds. This mass was close enough to the girl that she would not notice, and for a moment, he wondered if she would run. It loved to toy with it's pray. Bennett hated it. He wished the beast would get it over with, so it'd be less torturous, though it did give him time to resist. Usually to no avail.

Breath growing a little quicker from the pace she had, she continued on. Then the sound came. The snarls, and the sound of paws against the ground. Gods be damned, her luck was not with her today.

Taking a glance, she looked over her shoulder again, and there, in the moonlight, she saw it. Her eyes widened at the sight of the fearsome creature, and she let out a breathy scream, taking of in a full run now.

That was no wolf! That was a monster!

"Gods help me!" she yelled, her feet carrying her as fast as they could.

If the beast could form expression, it would have grinned at her despair. It chased after her, pacing itself, and inside, Bennett pleaded the girl to run. He did his best to resist her scent and to resist her fear, but it only exhilarated the beast.

The monster took a bold lunge forward, nearly snagging the young woman, missing by inches. This appeared to frustrate the monster, but it was apparent something was slowing it for the time being. It rushed forward once again, hoping to get up next to her, but the beast slowed from time to time, releasing impulsive whines, as if in pain, and then would subsequently sound a deafening roar, as if to shock the girl to make her stop.

A single cloud had covered the moon, just momentarily, and Bennett used this to his advantage. It wasn't much, but he had more control over the werewolf when clouds took the moon from it. The beast trudged forward, as if an incredible weight had come upon it, and soon it picked up speed once again. The beast was single-minded and was determined to rip this woman apart. It had gotten closer this time, lunging one last time, only to miss again, cutting the back of her shirt before landing hard and falling behind.

Somehow, the girl had gotten lucky.

Her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest, because of the fear, and the excess running. She had never really been fit, and this was really taking its toll on her. But her mind told her to keep going, or it was going to be the end.

Another scream was let out, when the beast roared just behind her, and that made her push harder, continuing. How would she ever out run the creature?

Up ahead... she could see lights. Redeeming lights that might save her! A town. If only she could get to it quick enough...

Her cloak and back of her robes were ripped as the beast set his claws on her, but somehow missed her skin. But then she heard it fall, and she continued on, not daring to look back.

The centurion of the town rose when he saw Eevi approaching, out of breath and low on energy. He called to her to halt, and she did more than just that, slowing just a little before her legs gave out and she fell forward, sliding just a bit along the ground, unconscious.

The sun stung against his back and that woke him. No longer a beast, Bennett slowly stood to his feet, shielding his eyes from the light. He quickly examined himself, finding he was nude, though this wasn't new to him. He was relieved that he had no blood on him this time. He wouldn't have to go out of his way to find a spring this time. This was a small victory for him, despite he was relatively in the middle of nowhere. He was a few miles from the road, but he could see the forest he had come from not far off. This was good. That meant the town was near.

He gave a long stretch, hoping to get the ache from his muscles and cracked his neck. "Glad that's over with..." He had been keeping track in his head, It was every half moon and full moon that the wolf took over him. With the dawn of a new day over him, he began towards the town.

When he had arrived, he had done well to cover himself. It had been a long awkward stare-down between himself and the centurion.

"What should I make of this?" The centurion asked, his accent thick.

"Bandits, ser." Bennett replied. "In the night. I took rest in the woods, foolishly, hoping to avoid such a thing. They took my clothes, they did. Had I known a town was so close, I would have pressed on the next couple of miles." He managed to sound embarrassed enough. The centurion frowned.

"Have you any coin?"

Bennett shook his head in reply. The townsguard tossed him a single gold coin and stepped aside. "There's an inn and a tailor, three buildings from where I stand. You'll dress yerself, or you'll be removed from the village."

Bennett bowed in thanks and headed inside the town, going straight towards the tailor. People turned their heads towards the nude man in question, but he soon enough emerged fully clothed. He wore a dark green tunic with a khaki under shirt and baggy pants with common shoes. His eyes were a light brown color and his hair was a grey that matched the mane of the werewolf. If someone looked closely enough, they would see his ears were slightly pointed, but it was difficult to notice from a distance. His first destination would be the inn, to get some food.

"Why do I even have to pay for the night! You all are the one that brought me here! I didn't ask to stay!" came a very loud, angry voice from the inn. Eevi slammed her hand down on the bar across from the innkeep, and she frowned. The man seemed not to budge a bit at her outburst.

"30 Silver, that's the rate for the room," he said in his gruff voice.

Eevi groaned and tossed the coin onto the counter. "This is ridiculous. And I suppose you are going to charge me the full rate for tonight as well, hmm?"

"50 silver for tonight."

Eevi's face turned a darker shade of red, and she opened her mouth to say something. But she made no noise, and she closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down.

She was going to warn him about the beast that was outside of town, but now she hoped he was mangled by it...

"How about this... I do fortunes and tell stories to bring in more guests tonight, and you give me a discounted rate, AND a meal..." Innkeepers were often fond of people who performed, because they brought in more business.

This man was no exception.

He gave a nod of his head, and said, "Then only 20 silver. I expect you to start your performance before the sun goes down..."

Eevi let out a sigh of relief and laid down 20 more silver, turning to head outside to gather some supplies. She opened the door and stepped, out, just barely able to avoid bumping into a man walking in. She huffed, looking at him for a moment, before she turned, making her way on down the road.

As he was ready to push on the door, a familiar face burst through. It had caught him off guard and he stumbled back in an attempt to avoid being knocked down. There was the brief moment when she looked at him, a curious brow raised upon his forehead and before he had a chance to speak, she had turned and walked off. "Rude..." He muttered. He watched her carefully and a smile crept over his lips. Though his memory was somewhat fogged, he recognized her as the girl from before. She lived. That was a relief.

A small part of him wanted to catch up and speak with her, but it was more likely a better decision not to. He turned heel and headed into the inn, heading out only moments later after learning he was fifteen silvers short of staying. Also learning it was the only inn and town, he set off in hopes to make some money.

He passed a smithy. He hadn't the faintest on how to work steel and fire.
He passed the same tailor as before, in which he would be no use.
He found a place of food. He knew how to cook, but he recently found the smell and appearance of meat to be considerably less appealing than before. He occasionally asked a passerby if they had a few pieces of silver to spare, and off of that, made an outstanding two pieces.

It wouldn't be long before sundown and he still didn't have enough silver. He would head back to the inn and try to barter his way into a room. Perhaps he could convince the man to take what little he had.

"Perhaps I could tend the bar for the night? This is all the silver I could get a hold of, please, sir. I'll tend the bar, I'll dance, anything you like." He said, giving the innkeep a pleading smile.

The innkeep seemed uninterested in what Bennet had to say. He turned away for a moment, before he handed a key over to the man. "You best be ready to help. My barmaids will need it, because I expect a crowed tonight with the performer I have here." He cleared his throat and made his way into the back, to make sure the food was being prepared to his specifications.

Eevi had made a quick stop in town, and had returned not long after her departure, staying in her room for most of the day. She had napped, still being tired after lack of sleep the day before, plus, she expected to be awake for a while tonight.

She woke as the sun started to go down, and she groaned, pushing herself off the bed, and straightening her hair with her fingers. She looked at her cloak, and frowned at the claw marks. Well, she would just have to get that repaired later.

She slowly made her way down stairs, and started setting up in the main area, at one of the tables. She had her cards out, and would really wait til more people were gathered for dinner, before she started anything.

Then, she would stand on the table.

"Gentleman... and ladies," she said, giving a sweeping bow. "The past holds many stories, giving us insight on how to live our lives. The future is often uncertain, but with the right tools, we can know what is in store. I am here to give you perspective on both! Take a glance into the future with my cards, or listen to my tales, and be entertained!"

Bennett hadn't noticed her until she had stood onto the table. Part of him was horrified, especially when she began on about fortunes and the like. He had to admit he was curious, but it was for the best, he told himself. If he could resist, he'd be all right. She would know nothing. He hoped. He had done well to leave whatever town he was in and hideout in the woods when it was near to transform. No one had discovered him.

He had been cleaning the counter top at that point, but had stopped once he had seen her. It wasn't until she was done speaking that he caught himself doing nothing and continued his chore. Already, people began lining up, asking for various drinks, though most of it was mead, plain and simple. He served and did his best to keep up cleaning whatever patrons sloshed about onto the counter. His efforts were in vain, more or less. He did keep a keen ear out to what the girl was doing, however.

He grew more and more curious with each passing moment.

Each person that came to her, wanted their fortune. She was not afraid to tell them exactly what she saw in their fortunes, good or bad. Some people left happy, other's left grumbling to themselves.

Between the times that she read fortunes, she told stories. Old stories that one had heard as a child, to stories she had heard while in her priesthood. Also, many told stories that she had heard from the gypsies as well.

All in all, everyone seemed entertained, so much that not only was the inn making more money than it was used to, but she was making money as well. That helped, since she had been low on funds. Tips, of course, were always appreciated.

She'd lean back in her chair, and begin telling the story of how she had outrun a ferocious beast, though she didn't tell them where or when this happened, because she didn't want to frighten anyone.

She described the beast in great detail, and the people seemed quite interested in the story, up until she was finished telling it. The story was altered just slightly, to make herself look better.

A lot of the people had become more interested in her stories rather than the drinks, or they were too drunk to drink anymore. He had a moment to take a break when she began her story about the beast. It was then that he stepped forward from the bar and raised a question. "Oh, when did this happen?" He asked genuinely. Inside, he cursed himself for opening his mouth. "And where? Quite the feat for a young lass as yourself to pull something off like that. I don't mean offense either. It doesn't sound like many men could outrun a thing like that." Again, he cursed himself inside.

In his head, he hoped to justify his questions as a sort of revenge for nearly bumping into him earlier. To make himself look busy after asking the questions, he quickly grabbed a mug and began cleaning it out. He really wanted to see what she was going to say, except he was sure to regret it in the near future.

"I mean... if this was recent, I wouldn't want to encounter a thing like that. I quite tend to fear the beasts of the wilderness."

"I'm a bumbling idiot. That's all it is. You're going to die here, Bennett. Someone is going to find out you're a werewolf and run you through with a long silver blade and that'll be it." He thought to himself, doing well disguise these thoughts with a faux smile.

Eevi looked to the man, and frowned at him. She stood and crossed her arms as she looked at him. "Well! Usually one doesn't question a story, but if you insist on knowing... It happened about a week ago. And I happen to be quick on my feet. A thing a woman traveling alone must be able to do." She gave a huff, and plopped back down in her chair, but people seemed to be questioning her now.

How annoying. It was a story! Why couldn't they just enjoy it. "I think that is all for tonight! Thank you for your time," she said, though she didn't sound so thankful anymore.

It was definitely time to head up to her room, and do her routinely sessions before bed.

She started to gather her things, giving a glare to Bennett, as if trying to silently threaten him.

The inn began to clear out after that, and Bennett gave a sigh, cleaning up the mess. It was time for the bar to close up anyway and he was ready to head to bed as well. When there were only a few people left in the tavern, he rounded the bar and walked towards her.

"Hey." He said apologetically. "I'm sorry for ruining it like that. I take stories about beasties a bit more serious than I should. You see..." He lifted his sleeve on his right arm some, revealing a rather terrible looking scar where he had been bitten. He lowered the sleeve before she got too long of a look and folded his arms across his chest.

The inn had grown quiet and night had well taken it's place. Bennett had an odd feeling in his chest. He always did the night after a transformation. He would feel better in the morning. "Is there any way I can make it up to you? Would you like a drink?" The way she gave him threatening glances made him slightly uncomfortable, but either way, he'd be on the road again tomorrow. No harm done, he figured. Though he believed in karma, which was partly his reasoning to make it up to her.

Eevi shoved her things into her bag when she saw him approaching, and she gave a sigh when he spoke to her. She turned on him, jutting out her hip and putting her hand on it. "You better be sorry. I could have made a few more coin, but when people start to think, rather than listen, it gets hard."

She shook her head. She had seen his scar and brought her own hand up around her neck, giving it a light rub. "Yeah, well, you shouldn't let stories get to you. They are just stories." Clearing her throat, she pulled her bag over her shoulder and looked at him.

Almost denying him the chance to make it up to her, she thought better of it. Anything that was free, was great.

"Fine, a drink then. That should start to make up for it..." Start/

The man smiled and headed back towards the bar, pouring the lass a drink and pushing it in her direction. "I'd offer you coins to make up for the loss, but I didn't even have enough to stay the night here." He admitted before pouring himself a drink as well. "That's why I was tending the bar tonight." He rounded the bar again and took a seat, taking a swig of his drink and setting the mug down with a heavy thud.

"You have a curious talent." He added. "I've always been fascinated by fortune tellers, although most cases, I've seen them to be gypsies." He ate a van of gypsies once. Or rather, the beast did. "You don't really look the part though, how did you learn to read cards?" He then chuckled. "Or is it a hoax? I won't spoil your secret if it is. I'm not one to rob one of their income."

Eevi took the drink but just looked down at it, listening to him speak. A grin crossed her face, as he spoke of the talent she had. She raised her hand up, as if to emphasize what she was about to say.

"I learned from traveler's and then added in my own bit of knowledge. I've found it to be quite accurate. I also make poultices, elixirs, and charms for luck and fortune... or anything else you may want."

For a moment, her face flushed at her own words, and she glanced away. Clearing her throat, she continued on. "None of it is a hoax. I truly believe that what I do is true and is my calling."

Giving him a curious glance though, she continued. "You aren't from this town, that is obvious. Why travel, when you have no coin?"

Bennett stared at her for a moment. A question he had not expected. If it hadn't been so far away, he would've gone back to the woods where he changed to find his gear. At least his coin, the rest was likely torn to shreds. He frowned and stared into his cup momentarily. "I had coin." He said, swishing the cup around and taking another gulp from it. He looked up at her suddenly and lied just as he always did. "I was robbed by bandits last night. By the woods a few miles east. Came in my sleep, robbed me of the clothes off my back, my gear, and my coin. I do admit, despite many dangers, I feel like I have to travel. Most places don't suit me well."

He fiddled with his thumbs, looking back to his drink. "There are many dangers on the road. There are more people than one would expect..." The way Bennett said this was odd. It was more like a confession than a word of caution. He changed his tone quickly, "I've grown accustom to the road. Been traveling for about four years, now. What about yourself? You must be a seasoned traveler yourself."