Monsters and Madness (Werewolf!TsumexOC) (On Hold)

Chapter 19

Shauna stared as the old woman stood in front of her, silently, her long white hair covering her face as she stood hunched over. If she were to guess, Shauna would assume that this woman was nearly ninety years of age. She was dressed in a long, black tunic, with a white shawl on her shoulders. Her skin was a deathly pale colour, as if she had been touched by Death himself. She held a black walking stick, her pale, wrinkly hands resting atop of it as she stood in front of the young blonde.

"Werewolf..." She muttered out, her voice crackling slightly and causing a shiver to run up the blonde's spine.

Slightly unsettled by this woman, Shauna took a cautious step back, "Who are you?" She asked, in a demanding tone. This person had a strange scent... but, then again, Shauna wasn't sure what scents were what. She still hadn't gotten used to that...

A smirk appeared on the elders face, and she lifted her head to look at the younger woman, revealing a pair of pale golden eyes, "Don't be so tense..." She spoke calmly, her eyes glinting although appeared to be losing their sight, "What harm can this old hag do to a youngster like yourself?"

For some reason, this didn't ease Shauna's nerves at all. There was something overpowering about this woman, something that made her wolf side tuck it's tail and whine. She wanted to do that; but, as everyone knew... she was stubborn. "You didn't answer my question..."

A laugh erupted from the old woman's mouth, "My my! Such a bold young girl..." She smiled, "If you must know, my name is Molly... it was something else once upon a time, but goodness me, I can't possibly remember that long ago... So just call me Molly..." She raised a hand, "You poor dear... you're malnourished... feeding off some crows... I've never seen a werewolf reduced to such a pitiful state..."

Shauna frowned, "... I've never been out of that pitiful state... I'm not—"

"A real werewolf... you've been changed... is that right?"

"What? How... did you know that?"

Molly smiled, revealing sharp canines and missing teeth, "It is obvious, love... you do not behave the way of a werewolf... you're simply too human..."

Shauna frowned, "Too human? Well... duh, it's only been about a year..." She frowned, has it been that long? Or longer? She can't even remember.

Her stomach suddenly gave a loud growl, and she flushed in embarrassment, gripping it. The bird meat did nothing to satisfy her hunger, if anything it made her want more.

Molly smiled, "You poor thing, you're starved... come, follow me and I shall look after you..." When she noticed that the blonde didn't move, she smiled in a more gentle way, "Do not worry, young one... I have no intention of harming you..."

The elder werewolf led the blonde into the forest, silence falling between them as they simply walked. The forest became more dense as they went further, and the trees, despite being dead, seemed to block out most of the sunlight. The snow crunched under her feet as she followed the fast pace of the old woman, until the relieving sight of a small, wooden cabin came into view.

Now, Shauna's watched many, many horror films, and if there's one thing she's learned, it's to not follow strangers into an isolated cabin in the woods. That never ends well. She frowned slightly, unsure what to say as she was led inside. She still wondered why she chose to follow this woman.

"Sit down, child, and make yourself comfortable." Molly smiled at her, ensuring her that everything was fine. Shauna still felt like it wasn't.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked, cautiously, her green eyes staring at the old woman.

She received a smile, "Because, child, you're a fellow werewolf... And anyways, you seem rather vulnerable."

Shauna frowned, "I'm not..." She mumbled, but who was she kidding? Of course she was vulnerable, she spent months in a prison, forced to give over her blood to vampires. How could she not be vulnerable?

Molly set a plate of food on the small table, ushering her to sit, "Eat, child... you can't survive on crows..."

Her stomach growled loudly and she blushed, though she shamelessly dug into the food, the delicious scents drifting up her nose and causing her mouth to water. She didn't care if she looked like a pig, she hadn't had a decent meal in months; one that wasn't laced with sedatives.

Molly smiled at her gently, sitting down and remaining silent as the blonde ate her fill. To no surprise, she cleared the whole plate and sat back with a contented sigh, her stomach full and the pain of hunger gone. "So, young one... what is your name?"

"Shauna," She no longer felt any fear in the presence of this woman. She practically saved her life, there was no reason to fear her anymore, "Thank you for the food..."

"It was no problem..." The woman's golden eyes narrowed as her gaze rested upon the bright red scars that littered the younger werewolf's neck, "... Those are some nasty wounds..."

"Vampires," Shauna hissed the word, as if it were venom, "They had me locked in a cell... used me as some sort of blood bank..."

"Is that so..." Molly sighed, "So you were held captive in the mountains then?"

"You know about it?"

"Of course, I can smell their deathly scent from here... I can also smell the werewolves who are held there, as well..."

"Wow," Shauna blinked at her, "Your nose is stronger than any werewolf I know..."

Molly smirked slightly at that, her sharp teeth glinting, "My dear, I'm not like the werewolves you know..."

"Huh?"

Green eyes met the golden pair, and suddenly the overpowering fear crept back into Shauna's heart, "Because, darling... I'm a true werewolf..."

000000000000000000000000

"Kiba..."

The alpha turned to face the Beta, who's face was brighter than it had ever been since the attack, "Yes? What is it?"

The Beta werewolf gave a wide grin, "We found it... our scouts found the vampire's stronghold... They're hiding out in the mountain."

"Is that so?" Kiba's blue eyes glinted and he nodded, "Good. We'll prepare for a rescue mission, then."

"Shouldn't we wipe them out, once and for all? This has gone on for too long now..."

"We can't be reckless," The Alpha shook his head, "If we handle this poorly, we could risk all of their lives. We have to be smart. Saving them is top priority; whatever happens after that, we'll deal with it then. Understood?"

The Beta nodded and bowed, "Understood... We'll regroup and plan the recue mission."

Kiba nodded, "Good... We only have one shot at this. It's do or die at this point..."

The other werewolf ran off to make the preparations, and Kiba turned to set his gaze upon the mountain, his eyes narrowing.

'We'll save you all... I promise...'