A Change of Views [closed]

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A few days ago came in reports about werewolves sightings close to a settlement, quiet a distance from the city. And mentions of missing livestock. He had been given a folder containing the report which held the location and his task to investigate. "Capture one of these beasts, if you can, for questioning. If not, you know what to do," they had told him. He gave them a firm salute and marched off to do his duty.

Ludwig had brought with him his special silver tipped throwing axes. He held one of it in his hand for comfort as he made his way as quietly as possible through the thick of the forest, but his boots still managed to make a faint rustling sound as dead leaves crunched underneath it. He had to walk some distance from the road to the village as it was near the thick of the forest. 'Of course, they had a run in with the wolves, living this far into the jungle. They could be living close to their den for all we know.'

Once at the village, Ludwig talked to a couple of the villagers who saw the werewolves and the ones with missing livestock. He didn't really like doing this part of the job, being not much of a people person. But it's crucial for the job. He found out that the villagers had put up traps around the village. He asked for the location of the traps, so that he might check if any were sprung and received a map from one of the men that had set it up. He thanked the man and headed out for the traps.

He found the first one easily as it was near the village, but the rest was quiet a challenge thanks to the thick forest and the crudely drawn map. The traps were laid out farther and farther away from the village. The weight of the axe in his hand as he clenched it gave him comfort as he trudged his way slowly. It made him felt ready for anything as he approached the fifth trap.

Posts : 393 Join date : 2013-04-04

Antonio raced through the woods, panting as his four legs hit the dry leaves and dirt below him. He had heard a howl of distress from one of his pack members and was anxious to get there fast and see what the trouble was. He followed the other wolf’s scent trail and the sound of their distant cries until finally, he came into the clearing where the trail ended.

There she was- a small female named Cecile who had gone off hunting earlier that morning. Her leg was caught in a trap, and she was looking at Antonio desperately, begging her Alpha to save her. The werewolf rushed to her side immediately and transformed into his human form so that he could use his hands to break the trap and pry it open. He picked up a stone and started beating the metal where the spring was. Once it was broken, he used his superhuman strength to pry it open, releasing Cecile’s foot.

“Thank you, Alpha Antonio,” she murmured as she changed into her human form.

“Can you walk?” Antonio asked, helping her up. The transformation had repaired most of the damage, but the limb might still be weak and scarred.

“I’ll be fine,” his packmate assured him. “I didn’t see it...These weren’t here the last time I went hunting in this part of the woods. I just hope there aren’t any more...”

Antonio put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“We can search for them together. Just stay close to me, and let’s cover the eastern border.”

With that, Antonio and Cecile resumed their wolf forms, and the Alpha led the way through the forest, lowering his nose to the ground to try to pick up the scent of whoever had laid these traps. The trail was stale. The only thing he could really hope to do was search around the forest for anything that smelled the same as those metal traps. The Alpha went on his way, on a mission to clear his territory of danger and protect his pack members. He had no doubt Hunters were behind this, and when Antonio found them, he was intent on showing them what happened when they dared to enter his part of the forest and hurt his family.

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Ludwig was hacking away at some thick shrubs, when he had heard the sound. It pierced through the silent curtain of the forest. It was unmistakenbly a howl. 'A werewolf's howl to be sure. The trap might have caught something after all'. He stopped and crouched down under the thick shrubs. He wasn't sure where it had come from, but he was certain that it was very close. 'Or far away. Damn these woods'. He checked his map. The fifth trap was close. He raised his axe and hacked his way through branches and shrubs even faster.

Traps. Werewolves. The piercing sound of the howl was all too familiar for Ludwig. He remembered it clearly. The one time, the only time he had defied orders... and did what was right. The details eluded him, but he remembered that it was a mission much like this one, only at that time he was the one who had set the trap. What he had caught wasn’t what he had expected. His trap had caught a scrawny little furball. He had seen wolf cubs before and he had known instantly that it was no wolf cub. It was a werewolf cub,whining and trying to bite its way out of his trap. Even though it could have been an interesting subject for the scientists to study on, he released it anyway. It had also earned him a meeting with an unsuspected individual.

His thoughts snapped back to the task at hand as he saw the metal glint of the trap. Ludwig silently crouched down a nearby bush and peered at the trap. It was empty. ‘Scheiß. Don’t tell me it has escaped,’ he thought as he gritted his teeth. Whatever was in that trap could still be around, so Ludwig listened carefully to his surroundings. There was no indication that something was lurking in the shadows. No cracks or hushed breathings could be heard.

The forest sounded just as it should be. Thinking that everything was safe, Ludwig crept slowly, until he’s reached the trap. Meticulous hands carefully handled the trap as his eyes thoroughly for any signs that it has been sprung. Seeing as there was none of the sort, Ludwig sighed and put down the trap again. He pulled out the crumpled map and calculated the distance to the next trap. ‘I definitely have to get a big glass of beer after all this is over.’

Posts : 393 Join date : 2013-04-04

Antonio kept his nose to the ground, sniffing for any sign of Hunters or their traps. He kept an eye on Cecile, worried about her sore leg and wondering if he should just send her back to the Den and ask some of the other pack members to come help him search instead. The Alpha was just about to call to her when he suddenly picked up the scent of a human. Antonio raised his nose up in the air and let the wind carry it to him, letting out a low growl. He looked over at Cecile- yes, she smelled it, too. The other werewolf’s fur was standing on edge and her teeth were bared like Antonio’s. The Alpha raised his tail and ordered her to follow him, racing towards the forest back in the direction where he had freed his packmate from the trap.

Antonio couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew this scent, but it wasn’t until he confronted the Hunter that he actually remembered who it belonged to. When he saw the blonde man, he was surprised that he had ever forgotten his smell. It wasn’t often that he let a Hunter go free in his territory, but this human had been an exception. Antonio had found him releasing one of his pack’s children from a trap when the little whelp had gotten himself caught. It had been a long time ago, but Antonio still remember how conflicted he had been when he had decided to let the Hunter go. He hadn’t wanted to allow such humans into his territory, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that the man had spared one of his own wolves. In the end, the Alpha had confronted him and told him that he would spare his life in exchange for the one he had just saved. Antonio had made it very clear he never wanted to see the Hunter or any of his comrades in this part of the forest ever again, and yet here he was, bringing the same traps.

The Alpha flattened his ears to his head and snarled at him, glaring at the Hunter. He wanted to demand an explanation. This Hunter was the only one that had ever made Antonio question whether all Hunters were as cruel and heartless as the ones who had slain his parents. Usually Antonio would attack a Hunter in his territory on sight, but given their history, the Alpha thought it best to give this one a chance to talk. It didn’t mean he would treat him any better if he didn’t like the man’s answer.

“You, Hunter! What the hell do you think you’re doing here again?!” the Alpha barked.

(Sorry for the wait! My convention's coming up this weekend, so my cosplay's taking up all my free time X_x)

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Ludwig barely had time to react. The area around him had suddenly stilled into a thick silence. Faintly he heard rustling from somewhere far away, getting closer and closer by the second. When the two werewolves emerged from the bushes, Ludwig quickly reached inside his coat for his other throwing axe and turned to face them. He tightened his grip on his precious axes. Usually the sight of the silver glint from his axe could terrify anyone who faced him down.

Not this time. He was faced with two fearless werewolves. Their fur bristled to make them look even bigger and their fearsome teeth were bared. No doubt to make him quake in his boots. One was considerably bigger than the other. An alpha from the looks of it. '...And those eyes. Where have I seen them before?' He took a step back to put a safer distance between him and the pair of werewolves.

“You, Hunter! What the hell do you think you’re doing here again?!” one of them growled at him. His eyes widened at the familiarity of the voice. He couldn't believe that he would meet him again. It was the alpha that had spared his life... after he had freed a scrawny little werewolf pup from a trap. Out of all the werewolves in the forest, he had to meet the one he owed his life to.

His throat was dry as he tried to answer. He knew how bad this must look. He glanced at the trap half hidden by dead leaves. A Hunter with a trap. In the forest. What else did he look like other than a Hunter hunting for a werewolf? It was what he had been sent for. Even if he didn't set the traps. The situation must be dealt carefully. The werewolf, an alpha no less, has legitimate reasons to rip his throat out and leave him for dead. Instead he talked to him. To give him a chance, no doubt. And he would take this chance.

Ludwig sighed and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and threw his axes to the ground as he showed the werewolves his bare palms. He opened his eyes to stare into the brilliant green eyes of the alpha. They were unsettling, but he forced himself to go through his nervousness. He shook the tension from his shoulders.

'I-I mean you no harm. I apologize for trespassing into your domain. Again. I know this looks bad, but the traps were not my doing. I'm here only for a mission,' he said with great care and a voice he hoped to be calm and sincere. And then he remembered something, 'I didn't get a chance to say this before, and I do not know if I could have the chance again, but... All I want to say is, thank you. For sparing my life in the past. You've proven me wrong about your kind.'

Posts : 393 Join date : 2013-04-04

Antonio kept his teeth bared and his body in a defensive position until he saw the Hunter throw down the silver axes. It was a wise sign of surrender. Without those weapons, the man was of little threat to the Alpha. It would be so easy to jump the other and maul him to pieces, but Antonio was not as beastly as he appeared. He had been willing to give this Hunter a chance to explain himself, and he had still not received a satisfactory answer. He eyed the Hunter suspiciously, unnerved that the other had the gall to look him in the eye even after he had thrown down his weapons. Didn’t he know staring at a werewolf so directly was seen as a challenge? No...he was just a human, and Antonio tried to remind himself that their kind did not have the same body language that he and his pack members were accustomed to.

The Alpha let out a low growl and took one step towards the man, though he signaled to Cecile to stay back with a wave of his tail. His flattened ears perked forward with interest at the other’s words, and he cocked his head slightly. Was he being sincere? At least the human recognized how gracious the Alpha had been in sparing his life- most Hunters would not have gotten the same treatment. The last part of what the man said particularly caught his interest, though. So Antonio had been able to change the way he thought about werewolves? The events of that day had certainly made him reconsider what he thought Hunters were like as well, but it hadn’t totally changed the Alpha’s opinion of them. He was too stubborn to think that anything ever could. A Hunter’s job was to control non-human species. Antonio understood that much. Even if there was an act of mercy here and there, that didn’t change their duty.

“When I spared your life,” he started, adding emphasis to these words, “I made it very clear that I never wanted to see you or your kind in this part of the forest ever again. My pack’s debt to you for saving our cub has been paid. We are not monsters or prey for humans to hunt down for their own gain. I want to know what these traps are doing in my territory and what exactly your ‘mission’ is. It must be important if it has led you to venture into such a dangerous part of the woods.”

The werewolves weren’t the only threat out here. There were vampires and other dangerous creatures the Alpha often had to chase away from his borders to keep the younger members of his pack safe. The Hunter was risking a lot by coming out here alone, especially when a group of werewolves could have easily overpowered him, axes or no. And to claim that the traps weren’t his doing...did he mean to say he had been sent to remove them? Antonio wasn’t convinced of that. How forgiving he would be depended on how the Hunter chose to answer his question. The Alpha was still reluctant to attack him, especially after he had thrown down his weapons in surrender, but he couldn’t allow a threat to his pack to remain in his territory.

» Enough Time for Two [Closed]
» Curiosity [Closed, Rated R]
» Becoming one with the Pack (closed)
» Meeting in the Park [Closed]
» Patterns and Poppies [Closed]