[1] Restless Days in Wolf's Rest
Rushing Waters
The werewolves were now sniffing the air, hoping they could weed out who or what was coming toward them. They heard but… Perhaps smelling will give them more information. Julian's instinct got him to try…
Wait a moment… There’s a shadow approaching.
And it certainly didn't look closer to average sized, rather it was much larger than anyone in the village, and it had... Many tentacles...? Claws?
“Uh. What.”
Yaryna, on the other hand, changed into her werewolf form, being notably a bit larger than she was in her semi human form.
”GET AWAY FROM IT!”
The urgency of the situation plus his ex’s warning got him to change into his entire wolf form as well almost immediately while stepping back defensively before the foe.
A few werewolf adults changed in their forms as well, while the children were mostly staying behind with some non-beast people.
While werewolves were gathering information and the ominous shadow was emerging, Aphina seemed perfectly content—if at least a little perturbed—to watch a ladybird descend onto her outstretched hand. She whispered to it and frowned deeper. With a nod, she apparently dismissed the little guy.
She took a step towards the quickly forming front line, though she had no stronger form herself—at least, none she was reverting to now. Instead, she merely called to those who seemed more battle-ready—perhaps fewer of those here than one would find in a less naturally protected circle, but an encouraging amount nonetheless.
Julian might have been rattled by the sudden events and stress but nonetheless, he was now on the front line with everyone else who did.
Trying to think of a way to fend off the beast, he considered going straight to the point. But… On one hand, he isn’t as young as he used to be. And certainly not going outside of the circle often, as it was relatively safe for a long time, it took some of his agility now compared to when he was younger and more contributing.
"The beast's greatest fear is falling apart faster than it is already. If we focus our forces on any weakened patches, we may be able to scare it away without a battle to the death."
Aphina’s words, however, got Julian to reconsider his initial strategy of attacking head-on. Instead, Julian was looking for the weak points as recommended.
It took him a bit to notice that he had seen the weak point. And honestly, he was relieved, there's one spot that he found was off so he leapt onto it without waiting any longer.
Bas squinted at Aphina, but at this point it was getting harder to dismiss the odd girl immediately. "And would you be one of 'our forces,' girl?"
"Oh, in a manner of speaking..."
Bas rolled her eyes and drew her sword—not a particularly fine one, but solid enough to do the job. "Anyone who's not looking to fight should evacuate, now."
Not quite on the front lines herself, Aphina scanned the edges of the Rushing Waters for the best escape route. With all the hubbub about the caravan, there were a good few people to evacuate—but how far? It was strange enough for a beast to come all this way, so how much deeper into their settlement would it be willing to hunt?
Hopefully they wouldn't have to find out. With the beast's current location, the safest way out...
While Aphina was looking for a safe escape route, Julian’s attack at the beast—with his own teeth and claws, which he had always counted on as his best asset in defending himself—was quite powerful; perhaps not to the point of greatly incapacitating it, but that was a quite good start.
If it got to push the creature away, that’d do. After a few instants of hurting it, Julian was jumping back to regain his stance.
"Those of you not prepared to battle, this way!"
But Aphina's voice was swallowed by a great cracking sound. She swiftly looked up to find a fresh split in the rock face above, with little chips of the stone already spilling down. A deep rumble made her doubt the damage would stop at that.
"...Not this way!"
Julian caught on the cracking sound; however, he hesitated between looking away or keeping sight on his target.
… Julian hoped that it wasn’t going to get extremely worse, but he himself knew it was unlikely that right now it was going to be kind to him. So, he could only keep the best interests of his loved ones at heart and currently continue his attempt to fend the beast away so it wouldn't harm their community.
Between the fighting, the rerouting, and the general panic, the evacuation effort had devolved into a free-for-all that Aphina couldn't hope to properly direct now. But at least Julian was doing well, well enough she didn't entirely want to look at the results. But the damage only made the beast thrash its uninjured limbs (if you could call them that?) more frantically. Lips pressed thin, Aphina surveyed the whole scene again and hurried toward where Bas was struggling to get close enough to strike.
The beast’s thrashing was something Julian predicted well enough to avoid it on time, especially with the damage he has done to it. Perhaps it was a good thing that his own instinct stayed and didn’t get worse with time. (That and he knew he wasn't getting any younger.)
In any case! The perfect timing got him to prepare another attack while the chaos was still happening.
With a quick look at the rock face, Aphina shouted for Bas to get ready, then seized a spare shovel (well, clearly caravan goods, but they could spare it for this situation, she figured) for leverage and pried into a smaller crevice. A sharp crack and a slightly less worrisome rumble as she backpedaled, then a chunk of rock twice her size split and fell, pinning a the clawed end of a tentacle beneath it.
If Bas was surprised, impressed, or anything else, it didn't show—she simply took her chance to hack through the rotten stretch of flesh bared in front of her now. The beast's screech rattled any smaller stones around.
But before Aphina could celebrate or maybe put the shovel back, the neighboring tentacle smacked into Bas, coiling around her before she could swing again.
While Bas getting yoinked was not a positive development, the beast was in poor enough shape by now that Aphina felt little need to interfere. Maybe things had settled enough for her to try directing the evacuation again? Several people had made it out by now one way or the other, at least.
Aphina’s and Bas’s efforts were noted, but the screech was very unnerving, and seeing both women getting smacked was not a fun sight, still… Julian had to keep going to get the osmogorch away before it did any more damage. So once again, the werewolf tried to strike again, narrowly wounding it first then on the second attempt, managing to harm the monster once more.
Please, just leave us alone.
Aphina quietly went to the caravan cart to return the shovel and stepped back into the open just as Julian tore through the rest of the wounded tentacle. The beast writhed with another cry, seeming to finally begin its retreat—then the rock face from earlier finally came down with a massive sound. Rock chips flew from the impact, leaving a few scratches on anyone in the vicinity, Aphina included.
The chaos aggravated the beast's panic as a few new radiating cracks threatened its footing (if you could call it that?). Its remaining appendages thrashed out desperately at anything within reach.
Yet another dodge from Julian as he managed to avoid the tentacle coming in his way.
It was getting really tiring. Why wouldn't it f-cking give up? Why did it keep trying?
He had strongly considered killing it just for the sake of making it stop whatever it was doing…
When he saw a familiar figure stuck in another tentacle.
“PAPA!”
How did it-?! Frantically looking around, it really looked like only Orel was snatched in the tentacles, and both Mischka and Yaryna were a far distance from the foe, still rattled by the beast’s panic. But it did look like both were also looking for a way to take him back, Yaryna switching back to her usual form and Mischka crying out of fear although currently restrained by her mother.
“WHY DID YOU TAKE HIM?! LET HIM GO!”
“DON’T GO CLOSER, MISCHKA! Let your father take him back..!”
“But he’s tired! This monster won’t give up!”
“No. I will not risk losing you as well.”
It… How was he supposed to get there? More cracks meant less balance, and it also meant it was harder to get to rescue Orel safely. How.. Was he going to rescue him? He agreed with Yaryna though silently. There was no way he’d let their daughter suffer the same fate. So if Yaryna could hold her back, then Julian could focus on Orel.
I’m coming to help you, I promise.
The beast didn't attempt any more snatches before finally finding some stable spots... and resuming its retreat with its victims in tow.
Bas swore, but there was little she could do besides squirm. "You people have an interesting definition of 'evacuate' here!"
Aphina bit her lip, unable to even consider snapping back at her in the circumstances. If the great beast had found a way out, they should have been able to follow, surely? She surged closer, trying to discern what parts of the rock face were still reasonable to balance on. Though the requirements would be a bit different for creatures with fewer limbs...
In Aphina's defense regarding Bas’s statement, it’s not like she wasn't trying, she did what she could! And Julian himself was trying to push the creature away! Maybe it was a good thing he could not say his thoughts out loud in his current form, all just to come to Aphina's defense, or else he’d just dig himself deeper in his own grave.
"Julian!" she cried. As succinctly as possible, she pointed out the fastest route she'd determined. But it wouldn't hold steady for long...
Julian was looking for the most secure route to take when he heard his name, looking where Aphina was pointing.
And he was grateful for her help. With only a nod in response, he hopped on the crumbling path with surprising ease (muscle memory, he wondered?), despite knowing it could and would fall at any moment. But waiting was not a luxury right now. Especially since not only was his son kidnapped but Bas was too.
With Aphina still back on solid ground (relatively), there was little for her to do now but hope for the best. She paced closer to Julian's remaining family, but with the beast gone, the cliff seemed stable again, at the very least. Hopefully there was no need for any more action over here.
As Aphina got closer to Yaryna and Mischka, she’d notice how uneasy both seemed, yet still with a tint of hope in their eyes. Yaryna knew that despite Julian’s several flaws, he would never give up on his children when they’re in danger, and that was proof enough. But would he succeed or not, that she didn't know. But she could only hope, and so did Mischka.
Julian then soon realized he'd made it to the rock face, and still on the beast’s trail.
Either way, the rush got him closer to it, that’s good… He could do that. Orel would come home safe and sound.
Meanwhile, the creature only hastened its retreat as Julian kept after it. Flinging itself along the rocks, it finally came to a stop... Then its body went limp and flabby and shot down into a crevasse that looked far too narrow for something its size. Its grip on its prey(?) didn't seem to slacken in the process, but just how far down there would a person fit...? Shadows swallowed the lot of them before a guess could be made.
Julian was still out for blood, both figuratively and literally. Why wouldn't it stop- Oh? Wait- What the h*ll was happening?! How did it..? Running to the crevasse to try to get a hold of it, Julian noticed how really narrow it was even for the beast, puzzling him even further. Trying to look was useless now, considering the oddities of the crack, but… He’d smell.
…So that’s what it was. He would remember that. It didn't mean that he was happy about that, though. Orel was now gone to who knows where, how would he explain that to his daughter and Yaryna…?
With a tired sigh, he smelled once again the crevasse before hopping back up to the rock face and going back to the cliff… Though now it was not to return home, no. But they deserved to know, before he left.
But how alright was the ground now that it had been quite destroyed? Guess he’d have to stay in his wolf form a little longer while coming back.
Oh he’s absolutely not looking forward to this.
At this point Aphina considered sending out her ladybird again for an update, but they were awfully far away, relative to bug size. The poor thing was likely tired enough from earlier.
Getting back to the settlement was easy enough for Julian, but it felt heavy. Heavy inside.
Aphina was continuing to pace when she caught a glimpse of Julian bounding back down. It was easy enough to tell from the way he held his head that he wasn't carrying anyone, but she still tried to hope until he was clearly within sight. No...
And while it was clear he wasn't limping or any such thing, she couldn't stand to just quietly wait for the real news. "Did it injure you at all?"
Even if he heard Aphina asking, Julian wasn’t ready. He stayed a little longer in his wolf form, thinking how to word this. Then after a few minutes, he went back to his human-ish form to talk. Just so they all know. They deserve to.
“No. I’m… Physically fine but Orel is…”
Yaryna was about to interject when Mischka stopped her.
“Let dad finish what he has to say.”
While slightly grateful for Mischka to have let him time, Julian was still unsure how to explain. It seemed too crazy to be true and yet…
“The creature disappeared with him and… I don’t know where exactly they’ve gone to. I just know it went down a crevasse. That’s it.”
In case coming back empty-handed hadn't been indicative enough, his hesitation spoke volumes. But there was still a marked difference between deducing, knowing, and hearing. At least he was all right, as far as that went. Aphina nodded silently.
Yaryna frowned even further, snapping her fingers as she spoke, rather angrily.
“You’re not telling me he disappeared just like that?!”
“I’m telling you that’s what happened! I tried to get to it, but it was way too dark for me to tell where it’d go!”
Mischka’s voice was heard again.
“And you have no idea if you’ll fit either...? You know, I could have gone checking with you-”
“Absolutely not.”
Julian was clearly tired, and he regretted having snapped at his remaining child like that. But he couldn’t afford to lose another.
“Mischka… I’ll look for him. So please, don’t do anything foolish in my stead. Try to stay safe. I know you’re a strong girl, but you’re still growing. And Yaryna…”
The woman’s ears twitched but she looked back at Julian, close to crying out of frustration.
“…”
Ah, he knew that look. The ‘You’re still a useless and irresponsible father, anyway’. He’d deny it but… Who knew? He failed to keep Orel safe. Maybe he was useless. But he’d be even more useless if anything happened to Mischka as well.
“I’m going to search for him. Whatever it takes, I’ll bring him home safe.”
At this point, Yaryna was crying, silently. Her speech seemed like she’d about to break down in sobs but, she didn’t waver.
“…You better be. What are you waiting for..?! Each minute counts, y-you know!”
At this point, Julian considered going outside alone, he couldn’t bear to look in his ex-wife’s eyes anymore. It hurts.
Aphina didn't feel she had any place in this conversation. Toward the end, perhaps, but it was still hard to feel like she wasn't interrupting. She stepped in anyway.
"Time is of the essence, yes, but so are rest and preparation, da? It's better to take the time to set out your first steps rationally than to keep going headlong in despair or exhaustion, when mistakes are sure to be made."
Yaryna was very close to just run away to her home, it still stings. But Aphina talking got her to wait, just listening with her back turned from the rest. That’s… Actually good advice. Now for Julian himself?
To be honest, he was already miserable. If he was thinking, would the time spent on that be still fine? Won’t it waste the precious minutes he could have spent looking for Orel in another way?
… No matter how much Julian desperately wanted to head out again to rescue his son, it would be madness to rush out unprepared, and what if he himself didn't come back? It’d only hurt Mischka a lot more.
Aphina let out a breath and nodded at Julian with an attempt to reclaim her usual smile. "I believe I'll ask the better-traveled—" she gestured to the caravan—"if they have more knowledge of that creature." Now was no time to admit she didn't even know what it was called. Something something realm of hidden knowledge versus non-hidden and—yes, certainly not the time to go on about the semantics of her godly gift. Ahem. "I'm sure they'll have every interest in assisting, considering..."
Aphina’s added speech got him to think. Hey… That’s not a bad thing. In the meantime, rest and preparation, right. But first, he looked at Aphina, with a grateful look.
“… Yeah, thank you. I’ll actually… Just try to think about it on my part.”
He was exhausted to be honest, he knew that if he leapt now, he’d crash in the middle of his path without knowing where exactly to go. So perhaps a moment of rest will put back his mind together, and he’ll have clearer ideas.
“But do let me know of anything useful, I’ll… Go rest for a bit. Then I’ll come up with something once I’m...”
More put together? Well, he wasn’t sure about this but. He could pretend to be okay eventually.
In the meantime, Mischka was seen talking with Flora a bit farther. It wasn’t clear what was going on, but they soon parted ways, with the girl going home with some small bags held in her hands; and the man, unsure of his usefulness at this current situation, considered leaving the place after tending to some people’s injuries. He was seen having a sympathetic yet sad smile to Mischka.
Aphina gave Julian a nod. She spared Mischka's bags a sideways glance, but she felt that was of little consequence at the moment. So Aphina just dusted off the few scrapes she'd gotten and marched towards the relatively unharmed part of the caravan.
Flora was done here it seemed, but it didn’t mean that this situation wasn’t worrying. But in the end, it was up to Julian what to do, and Flora had no relation to the caravan, so what else could he do but leave? As the blond man was finally packing up his things, Julian approached him.
“Hey, Flora?”
“Hm?”
“Are you going to be alright yourself?”
“… Well, the most alright I can be. Frankly? I’m quite troubled at how it turned out, but I’m not sure what else I can do to help you? So, I think I’ll take my leave, just… So, I don’t feel like a hinderance to you guys anymore. If… I find out anything about Orel… I’ll tell you first and most; I know how important he’s to you.”
“Ah. I see… Well, thank you for the offer. I won’t turn it down, but please don’t feel like you have to do it for me. Just take care, okay?”
“Still… We might not see each other for an indefinite time, I don’t know what I’ll do exactly but… If I learn anything useful for you, I will make sure you’ll know it before anyone else. But yes, you too, take care.”
“Yeah, thank you.”
And with that, Julian went back to his house to attempt to rest from everything, but he knew he’d think about it a lot. While Flora took his leave from the Wolf’s rest, not without a worried glance at the family.
Aphina, meanwhile, asked around about the strange creature and how everyone was faring physically. Her expression grew more troubled as she went. Finally she accepted a medic's offer to take her somewhere for basic disinfection, just in case. As long as their supplies weren't limited, she supposed she had no reason to refuse.
Particularly when her next objective, it seemed, would be in the healing cave himself...