Chapter 7 ~ Magical Wolf Monsters
"Hey there," the stranger says, his hot breath fanning Iris' face. She resists the urge to gag as the smell of alcohol hits her nose. The man has definitely been drinking, and not a little, either.
She roughly pulls her arm out of the man's grasp and stumbles back a few steps. Finally, she can get a good look at the stranger.
He's tall, maybe 6'7 at the most, but lanky and skinny with no muscle. She notes that he has what looks to be a dragon tattoo on his upper right arm, but it's covered halfway by the man's sleeve. He has dirty brown hair and a shaggy beard. He's covered in filth and his clothes are torn.
"Where are you going? The party's just getting started!" The man barks out a deranged laugh. Iris eyes him uneasily as she backs away further.
Hands come to grab her arms, pinning them behind her back. She violently jerks around to see her other attacker but is held firmly in place. Whoever is behind her sure is strong.
Iris tries desperately to escape but the firm hold on her arms only tighten further. She winces when a fingernail digs into her skin and panic finally sets in as she realises the situation she's in.
"What do you want from me?" She growls, turning her attention back to the scruffy man in front of her. He's moved closer, close enough for her to smell the alcohol on his breath once again, and he grins wickedly down at her. A slight prick on the inside of her elbow makes her hiss out in surprise.
An odd sense of dejavu makes her head spin slightly. The last time something similar to this happened to her, it ended very poorly. Both for her and everyone else involved.
Iris' vision flashes between the damp alleyway with the filthy man grinning down at her and the cold concrete of the dry, abandoned sewers with the deceivingly kind yet intimidating tattooed Rebel leader for a moment. She remembers the distinct prick of a needle in her arm, much like the one she felt a moment ago, and knows instantly that she's been drugged or even possibly poisoned.
"Honey, it's not what we want from you. We need you to deliver a message to Xavier Kingsley. It's him who we want something from," the man answers finally. She feels panic turn to anger as soon as his hand comes up to caress her cheek.
"Let me the f*ck go or I swear, I'll kill the both of you," Iris demands. She knows her threats aren't entirely empty. She's very much capable of such a thing and, with the way they're treating her, she's beginning to contemplate summoning up her old ways.
This time, it's whoever is holding her arms who chuckles. As she was beginning to suspect by the amount of strength it has to take to hold her still, it's the voice of a man she hears whispering in her ear.
"Sweetheart, I don't think you understand. We're the ones who are going to kill you," his voice is that of nightmares. Gravelly and completely deranged, cold with the very serious threat he possesses.
A cold sense of fear washes over Iris all of a sudden as realisation dawns on her. This situation is like nothing she's ever faced before. She's never had her life dangled on a string in front of her face, and she realises it's the most terrifying thing that could happen to a person.
"Hmm, what's this?" The man in front of her reaches out to touch her necklace, which is glowing a bright, menacing red. The man hisses and quickly pulls away from Iris, as if touching the necklace burns him.
Suddenly, an overwhelming heat surges through her body and goes to sit in the very center of Iris' chest. The intense pain makes her vision blur and her legs weaken. If it wasn't for the man behind her holding her up, she'd fall to her knees.
As suddenly as it all appeared, it vanishes. The heat and pain leave her body and she crumples to the ground as her arms are let out of their previous confines.
Iris' head swims as she drifts in and out of consciousness. She faintly hears the deep, rumbling roar beside her, followed by horrifying screams. She's suddenly too tired to react.
"I am sorry. I have been asleep for a long time. It is good to finally meet you, Iris," is the last words she hears before she finally falls into the endless abyss of unconsciousness.
***
It's still dark outside when Iris wakes up. She looks around, only to realise that she in the truck at the show grounds. The whole living room is dark and quiet, no one else being back yet.
"My head," she groans as she registers the dull ache behind her eyes.
The soft pillow her head is resting on rumbles and shifts beneath her. Her headache is forgotten as she stiffens. Fear from earlier sets deep in her stomach, making her nauseous.
I see you have awakened, a deep voice says in a strange accent. Iris quickly sits up to fully take in her surroundings and find the source of the voice.
She screams, a shrill sound that resonates through the empty expanse of the truck, when she meets the glowing blue eyes of a crimson beast.
Calm down, child. I am not going to hurt you. Quite the opposite, actually, the voice is in her head, she realises. But how can that be possible? Is she finally going insane?
It's a gift shared between the protector and it's host, the voice in her head says, like it's reading her mind. All the while, the wolf-like beast stares at her with interest, it's blue eyes a sharp contrast to it's red fur.
"But, how...?" She trails off.
"I can speak like this as well," the voice comes from the beast this time. It's lips don't move, but Iris is sure it's coming from the crimson creature. "Would you prefer it this way?"
She nods slowly, numbly. She's still uneasy, but at least she doesn't feel like she's hearing things now. "Yes please."
And then the strangest thing happens. Stranger, even, than seeing a gigantic wolf monster in the living room of the horse truck. The creature smiles. Not like a person, but it's lips curve up at the ends and his eyes shimmer with odd happiness.
"Let me tell you, Iris, it is quite the honour. I started suspecting you were never going to find me. I am glad you did, do not get me wrong. I apologise for not appearing sooner. It has been a while, you see," the beast says.
Iris furrows her brows. What is it talking about? Why is it talking to her in the first place? This is all very strange, and Iris subtly pinches herself to make sure she isn't dreaming.
The sting in her arm is the answer. She's wide awake.
"How do you know my name?" Is all she can manage. The beast's own eyebrows furrow, making it look impossibly more menacing than the crimson coat does. As an after thought, she adds, "Was it you who saved me earlier?"
"Oh, of course. You must be very confused. My name is ÎαÏÎ¹Î»Î¹Î¬Ï ÏÏν ÎαÏÏν (Vasiliás ton Dasón), and yes, it was me who helped you earlier. I am very sorry for being late. I was asleep for a long time," it says. Iris tries to repeat what it called itself in her head but comes up with something so far from what it's supposed to be, she's sure it means something far different.
"That didn't answer my first question," she says. Like she suddenly remembers her manners, she adds, "But thank you very much for saving my life."
"It is my duty. You see, my name means King of Forests in Greek. I am a spirit of the earth. I used to be an occupant of Olympus before a new ruler took over, banishing both me and my female counterpart to earth. He believed we were insufficient as his guards, so he decided to give each of us a human to serve. We were part of a plan to help the humans once darkness took over."
Iris' head is spinning by the time he finishes. She still doesn't understand what made her different than any other human on the planet, but she decides not to ask about that. Instead, she just nods.
"I'm talking to a magical wolf monster," she mutters, to which he just offers her another amused smile.
"I live inside the necklace, Iris. I am a part of you. We will speak further tomorrow. For now, you must sleep. You have a big day tomorrow," and with that, the beast disappears.
Iris looks down to see her necklace glowing a bright red once more before turning back to it's usual dull black colour.
A sudden wave of exhaustion hits her and she lies down on the couch, falling asleep as soon as her head hits the small throw pillow.
*ðº*
"If you fall, I'll be there." ~ Floor
I have no news, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
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~ Danielle