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

Chapter 22

Her chest heaved as she struggled to regain her breath, her muscles aching for her to stop and rest, but she refused to listen. Her bloodied fists clenched, and she swung forward, smashing through the boulder in front of her. Until now, all punches have only created dents, but this final punch shattered the large boulder with a thundering crash. Blinking in realisation of what she's done, her emerald eyes lit up and she gave a toothy grin, throwing her hands into the air and cheering, "I did it! Finally!"

"Don't celebrate yet," The harsh voice of her mentor scolded, "That took you eighteen punches! Cheer when it only takes you one."

Shauna's face fell and she gave a pout, "Awwe... fine... but I got closer than before! The last one took twenty-five punches..."

Molly sighed, "I suppose you're making progress... but an enemy isn't going to stand still like a boulder, you have to shatter it with one punch. Make sure they stay down." She folded her arms.

Pouting more, the younger werewolf nodded and panted, her energy depleted. She looked at her blood-stained fists, reaching up to lick at the wounds, causing them to heal within minutes. Normally, she'd consider this action disgusting, but that had been her human side protesting to it. Now, she was a werewolf, and this was how they survived.

Molly looked at the exhausted girl for a moment and smiled, "Alright child, time for a small break... I'll make some food-" She blinked in surprised when Shauna fell backwards, immediately falling asleep. Smiling in amusement, she shook her head fondly, 'She's working so hard... she really wants to get stronger... to protect those she loves...' Sighing, she walked over and picked the young werewolf up into her arms, walking into the small cabin to settle her down on the couch. The blonde never even budged, as she simply curled up on the couch and slept soundly.

Two hours passed before she finally woke up, and when she did, she had a horrible headache. Groaning, she sat up and rubbed her head, frowning at the headache, "Ow..."

"You're finally awake..." Molly smiled at her, handing her a drink of water, "You've trained all morning with nothing to eat or drink... it's only natural you'll feel drained... Rest, child. We'll resume tomorrow."

"T-Tomorrow? I'll be wasting time resting—"

"Resting is a part of training," The older werewolf frowned softly, "You're not immortal, werewolves are never immortal. You need to rest too. Even us mythical beasts have our limits... It can't be helped." She sighed, "Rest. If you really want to move around, I'll only allow you to take a walk, provided to eat first..."

Smelling the food, Shauna nodded, "Okay..." Her stomach gave a growl of agreement.

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Dinner had been just what she needed, and despite the warning that she needed a rest, Molly allowed her to go for a small, relaxing walk to cool down. Sighing in content, she stretched her arms upwards, letting out a quiet yawn. The moon was shining down on the snow-covered forest, the snow crunching underneath her feet as she walked.

Shauna sighed as she stopped and looked up at the moon, the pale orb reflected in her emerald coloured eyes. She felt relaxed, the chilly, crisp air doing wonders for her lungs. Her muscles felt like they were revived, and as she breathed out, she never wanted that moment to end.

"Beautiful night for a walk, isn't it?"

Jumping at the voice, she quickly whirled around, blinking in confusion. She frowned, unsure of who it was, due to them standing in the shadows of the trees, "... Who's there?"

"Shauna, don't you remember me?" A female, it seemed, asked, and indeed a woman stepped out from the trees.

Shauna narrowed her eyes; was she supposed to remember this girl? She wasn't sure if she could. Long black hair, odd purple eyes... She blinked, "... Who are you, again?"

The female twitched in annoyance and huffed, "You couldn't even be bothered to remember me? How cruel." She sighed, "It's Jasmine, Shauna. If you remember?"

Immediately, she tensed up. Jasmine, she was a part of Rex's gang. Rex. That name seemed to make her heart thud painfully, with fear. Her eyes narrowed, "What do you want?" She snapped, "How did you even find me out here?"

"I've been travelling around, not much to do now since Rex is gone," She sighed and twirled a piece of black hair around her finger, "I'm surprised to see you here. I had heard stories that you were captured by vampires... Judging by how hideous your neck is, I'd say I'm right about that."

Shauna placed a quick hand on her neck, feeling the several scars that she wore. Due to the wounds being inflicted by another beast, they would take longer to heal than if they were made by a human, or a normal animal. The comment made her feel insecure all of a sudden and she pulled her hoodie up to try and hide it. With a scowl, she shot a glare in Jasmine's direction, "Get lost, I'm not in the mood to deal with the likes of you..." She narrowed her eyes, turning to walk away.

Jasmine huffed, "Is that so?" She shrugged as the blonde kept walking, "So then, you don't want to know what your boyfriend is up to, these days?" Shauna stopped, freezing in place, causing Jasmine to smirk; she had her attention now, "Yeah, I ran into him a little while back, just thought you should know."

"Where is he?"

"Hmm? Why should I tell you, after you were so rude towards me?" She gave a small smirk, noticing the other females' growing annoyance, "Maybe if you ask nicely..."

The other werewolf growled in anger, her eyes beginning to glow, "Just spit it out already, or I'll force it out of you." She snapped, her teeth sharpening.

Narrowing her purple eyes, the black-haired woman shrugged her shoulders slightly, "He's looking for you, ya know." She stated, causing the other to freeze, "Been searching for weeks now, and here you are, taking it easy in a secluded place... how selfish must you be?"

"I'm not resting," She spat back, "I'm training."

"You could have at least told him you were alive. How do you think he must feel? Tch. You don't deserve to be with him." Her eyes glowed in the darkness, her fangs glinting, "I'll end you right here, and he'll be free of your curse."

Shauna narrowed her eyes at the threat, "Is that so? You're going... to fight me?" She turned to her, fists clenching, "What's wrong? Jealous because you'll never be with him? Get over yourself." She snarled, "I'll be done here in a few days, and then I'll find him. You'll see..."

Jasmine glared, "Can't if you're dead."

"I'll die faster from a cold than if you were to attack me." She retorted with a sly smirk, her eyes flashing an odd colour of gold, despite them usually being green.

With an enraged yell, Jasmine shot forward and attacked.

Only a half hour later, a she-wolf laid on the cold ground, the snow around her turning a dark crimson. She stared at the other female's retreating back, vision hazy.

'How... did this even... happen...'

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"Kiba... we're ready to strike..." The werewolf whispered, a spear tightly gripped in his hand, "On your signal..."

Kiba's eyes were locked on the mountain side. They spent weeks planning for this mission, and now they were finally ready. He narrowed his eyes slightly, 'If Tsume were here, things would be easier... but no matter...' He glanced back at the group of werewolves, each holding spears with silver tips in their hands. Their eyes glowed with the need for vengeance, but they all knew that this was a rescue mission, and rescuing the others was their priority. Nodding at the werewolf next to him, he raised a hand, "Now."

The plan was in motion.