Malcontent

[Raelena St. John]

--semi-open; should be apparent why

Rae could smell something off.

Really, she was surprised she could smell much of anything. Generally when she left the Cave, all she could smell for blocks was smoke, beer, and body odor. If she were lucky, she'd catch a wiff of someone's perfume or cologne (even though the latter didn't have as many positive connotations for Rae as it would for most women).

Now, though, she smelt something... odd. Yet familiar. Almost tangy.

Brow furrowing, the rockstar turned, surveying the streets. What was that? Dog, maybe? It smelled something like dog.

"Oi, any one there!" Rae called to the night around her, turning again. Most of the residents of Masonville had gone home for the evening. Smallish towns weren't exactly known for their nightlife. After all, even the Cave had recently closed, and it wasn't a weekend.

Still, Rae heard something shift.

"Wonderful, this is jus'...." muttered the rockstar, shifting herself. She narrowed her eyes, squinting into the dark. "Come oot an' play!"

Suddenly something leaped from the shadows toward Rae, and she just managed to scramble out of the way. Even then, something lashed at her, tearing great gashes in her clothes.

"F**kin' hell! Who th' f**k?" Rae paused, blinking.

A werewolf stood before her, slavering. Rippling muscles, black fur, and the attitude of a killer.

"Who th' f**k?" wondered Rae, tilting her head. As far as she knew, there were only a handful of lycan in the area: herself, Eryk, possibly Mae, and that merc, Neilen. But this one...

Before Rae could think again, the shape leaped at her. Spitting curses, Rae dove for the bushes, mind racing through possibilities. She soon settled on an obvious course of action:

fight.

[eryk]

Four paws padded along the back alleyways of Masonville when growls perked two grey ears. One of those ears was half bitten off and as the muzzled face turned toward the noise only one amber eye shone. The other had a milky film over the startling blue, some slight scaring visible.

The wolf had been doing its rounds of the night checking up on the people he cared for. Rae was usually the first on his list before heading off to the forest to stare at a specific cottage till dawn. When Rae had left her club the wolf at followed her scent at a safe distance. Now at the sound of another wolf, with additional musky scent he started out of the shadows.

A head peaked free of a building corner to find Rae being attacked by a werewolf. Who? Had a new wolf come into town without his knowing? Sure he wasn't the alpha or anything but he scouted pretty thoroughly, and it surprised him that one got through. No way would he let his alpha go it alone however.

Snarling he stepped from the shadows his fangs bared. The beast had just leapt at Rae and as soon as Rae was clear he leapt at the beast. She'd been there for him, now it was his turn. Hopefully she recognized him in wolf form.

[Raelena St. John]

Even without backup, Rae had been fairly confident in her ability to deal with one lone wolf. After all, you don't get to call yourself alpha unless you could kick some serious tail. But when Eryk showed up, Rae knew the fight would go from a brawl to a slaughter.

She let Eryk deal with the vicious newcomer for a few moments as she quickly shed her clothing. Fortunately, years of bedding people had made Rae an expert at stripping in a hurry. Within seconds she was down the basics, and her body began changing: russet fur sprouting along her pale skin.

The killer knew how to fight, and eagerly tore into Eryk, ripping, clawing and teething. He squirmed to get at Eryk's neck, desperate to worry the tender flesh there.

As soon as Rae turned, she snarled, and the killer's eyes flicked over to the newly changed lycan.

Eryk! Rae stretched her mental call to her packmate. I disnae ken who th' bloody mongrel is, but he can bite like hell. We can take 'im!

[eryk]

Eryk snarled and his blood burned in his veins as the other lycan attacked him. But Erky had learned to ignore pain better than most people and whatever the other wolf did to him didn't seem to faze him too badly. Xavier had taught him to keep fighting, if you didn't you died.

Of course we can take him. You could probably send him chasing with his tail between his legs. But I wasn't gonna let you have all the fun. His minds sent through laughter as she joined in on the fight.

The wolf got a good swipe in knocking Eryk off of him, but the young lycan shook it off and leaped fangs bared. Even with one eye he could see this fight wasn't going to be too bad. Eryk dove for vital points on the wolf trying to give Rae plenty of room to fight.

[Raelena St. John]

Tain't ye supposed ta be whiney an' meek? teased Rae. She launched herself at the wolf's now exposed back. The massive monster had ignored Rae while dealing with Eryk, and now had to deal with the mass of fur and muscle that collided with him. All three lycans were destined to collapse in a mass of fur and fang.

Rae made certain to aim carefully, hitting joints and weak spots, all while carefully avoiding Eryk. It made her expend more effort than normal, but she had a feeling this wouldn't be a long fight.

The large lycan was clearly used to using his size to his advantage. Furthermore, he'd been expecting to deal with one little female lycan. Not two well trained, practiced fighters. He was struggling just to lash out at them. Yes, his wounds healed quickly, but when so many gashes opened, it was hard for even a lycan to catch up.

Besides, the wounds he scored on the russet wolf were healing almost as fast as he could make them. Which meant that he could only damage the other one, and it seemed like the russet she-wolf kept interfering.

Clearly this wasn't going to last long.

[eryk]

Eryk was pretty much under the two of them and with a canine grin he started kicked all four legs. The claws on those paws flexed his toes spread to rake over the underbelly of the large lycan above him. Laying on his back he looked like he was trying to run up the underside of the stranger. It might actually get the giant goon off of him.

I've been gone for a month, Rae. People are bound to change. The lycan clamped his jaws on Eryk's shoulder, and the younger, smaller wolf snarled kicking violently. He closed his maw over the closest body part.

Rae, I'm not strong enough to get him off of me! He released on the hunk of flesh turned his head and bit down hard on the creature's carpals. Bones crunched under the force, and the larger wolf finally losened his grip. Eryk wiggled and scratched as quick as he could looking for soft points. One claw finally found it's eye.

[Raelena St. John]

Aye, kenned ye died or someit. Didnae even hear ye fir a while.

Rae tried not to think about that. Not right now. She needed to focus on the fight. They were winning, sure. But that was because they could read one another's thoughts, and the bigger lycan clearly hadn't expected to face them.

Said bigger lycan was apparently beginning to squish poor Eryk. Snarling, Rae shoved her shoulder against the larger were, trying to get him off her packmate.

Eryk, I cannae get 'im offa ye, lad. He's bigger then I'm used tae dealin' wit'.

The lycan alpha's paws dug into the ground, and she heaved against the larger wolf.

Who was beginning to understand this momentary advantage. Grinning, the large black wolf leaned forward, shoving more of his weight onto Eryk. He more or less ignored the flailing female, figuring she could be next.

[Ϛ Neilen Darkshire]

At first Neilen had been a little upset when he started developing a mental link with Raelena. It meant less privacy for him, and meant he'd been hanging around one place for too long. So he'd fought it. As such, it wasn't nearly as strong a link as Rae shared with Eryk.

However, he could still tell when she was in danger, and he had to admit that at times, it was an advantage worth having. Times like now, when he was out for a romp and itching for a fight.

The fact that they could use his help was just an added advantage.

Neilen came flying out of left field, and slammed his considerable weight into the side Rae was pushing on, forcing the larger Lycan off of Eryk. They were still entangled, but at least there would be no crushing going on. Neilen found himself near the other lycan's face and he growled dangerously at him, spittle flying at the others' eyes.

Neilen wasn't born a lycan, so he would never be as strong as a lycan of his size who wasn't turned, but he was larger than the average lycan simply by nature, and thus had a lot of weight to throw around. And since he was a shapeshifter, he was used to inhabiting bodies other than his own, so the change had actually been relatively smooth.

That being said, he still found, as the other lycan struggled to get back onto his feet, that he probably couldn't have taken him alone; which went a long way toward explaining why Eryk and Rae hadn't already dispatched him. Snapping at the other's neck, he struggled to open a link to Raelena and Eryk.

Who is this guy? An old boyfriend?

With a link as fragile as his, it was impossible to determine whether he was speaking to Eryk and being serious, or speaking to Rae and joking around.

[eryk]

Never having actually met Neilen he blinked in surprise when he was suddenly free. Jumping to his feet he shook himself and winced. The stranger had done a number on his shoulder, and being a halfy meant he healed almost human slow. Not leaving Neilen to fight on his own he charged going for a limb that had been reaching for the new wolf's body.

Don't think so, but I'd have to see him in human form to be sure. Eryk joked his jaws closing over a hindleg. I'm guessing you're another member of the pack?

Being such a small wolf Eryk was getting jerked around by the hindleg until he shifted finding the achille's tendon and biting down hard. His grey fur was soaked in his blood and the other wolf's but he kept fighting. The pain could be ignored until after the fight. Eryk was sure to fare worse than Rae, or the larger other male.

[Raelena St. John]

May be an ole lad o' Eryk's mentally growled Rae, half-meaning it, but ye ken he tain't mine.

Rae skittered out of Neilen's way, and she made sure that Eryk could get up without struggling much. Now that all three of them were there, the other wolf didn't have a snowball's chance. Particularly since the three of them could communicate with a simple thought.

Let me take most o' th' hits, lads. I'm a better wolf than ye two. 'sides, she grunted as the wolf clawed at her, lad's after me.

The wolf had more or less given up on fighting all of them. He now seemed desperate to get away, clawing toward Rae and away from the two male wolves. He didn't even bother to try and fight them, beyond some basic twisting and blocking.

Eryk, get th' f**k oot o' th' bloody way. Neilen can take hits better then ye, an' I even better. Work on herdin' his arse toward me. I'll make 'im regret 'e e'er heard o' me.

Rae bristled, snapping her jaws as the other lycan's face.

The other wolf just snarled, but there was a touch of desperation to it now.

[Ϛ Neilen Darkshire]

^{sorry, i forgot it was my post here ><}

I wouldn't quite say that, he tried to respond to Eryk's query, but he really wasn't sure whether the message would get through. The whole pack mentality thing was just not him. Everything they tried to communicate to him came in sounding distant and otherwise strange. But he had other things to be worried about.

The wolf they were fighting spotted an opening and tried to get out of the near-triangle he, Rae, and her friend were forming, but Neilen pounced as the other wolf moved and slammed him back toward Rae, drawing blood from the wolf's haunches as he did so.

Would... kill him or knock him out or something? ...have all night, you know.

He really did have all night, were he to be perfectly honest, but it was unlike him to simply let things happen and not be a pain in the ass about it all. Besides, he particularly enjoyed riling up Rae in particular.

[Raelena St. John]

F**k off, a**hole, mentally spat Rae, though there was no fervor in her words. As the wolf swung toward her, she reared up, slamming both forelegs into him. The combined might finally rendered the wolf unconscious, and he slumped down in front of them.

Heaving, Rae backed up a few steps, studying the wolf. Her wounds were already beginning to heal, sealing up as they watched. The torn hair even slowly regrew.

Either o' ye lads ken who th' hell tha' is? she demanded, jerking her muzzle toward the body. Unfortunately, he hadn't transformed back into a human form. That happened sometimes, when you hit a lycan too hard. Especially if they were a full lycan.

Like Rae, for example.

F**k, I ken he was after m'job, she murmured. Stepping forward, she batted him with a paw, sniffing slightly. Hell, like either o' ye two idjits listen tae me anyway...

[eryk]

Eryk had tried his best to keep the wolf where Rae had wanted but one good kick had him flipping backwards. When he got back up the wolf was down. He limped over to the other too wishing he healed like Rae did. Heck he'd go with healing like the large male.

Um, so far nothing is ringing a bell here. Head lowering a bit he sniffed at the massive lycan but even the scent wasn't coming up with anything. Eryk was very smell centered and him not knowing the scent meant he most likely didn't know the guy.

Are you suggesting he was a challenge to your alpha? If that was so technically neither the other male or him should have interfered. Leaving the strangers side he lowered his head and check Rae out. You alright, alpha?

He loved calling her that because he knew she didn't make him. It was his version of her calling him 'pup' at least in his mind. His tail lifted a bit as he turned his attention to the other wolf. One clear amber eye with one milky on turned to face Neilen. Ears perked he sniffed taking in the specific musk of each wolf.

So who's he? He nodded at Neilen his tail dropping.

[Ϛ Neilen Darkshire]

Ouch, Rae. That kind... language really hurts my virgin ears.

The thought was accompanied by a (literally) wolfish grin, enforced by the fact that Rae had actually listened and finally knocked the bastard out. Fighting was all well and good, but Neilen honestly preferred to do it in his human form. Less sharp bits to work with, sure, but he found it much easier to maneouvre, among other things.

He unconsciously growled at the fallen lycan, something he chalked up to his inner wolf still not trusting the guy, even knocked out. He sniffed at the body of the stranger, but no recognition dawned on him. He had been blessed with a keen sense of smell, even by lycan standards, and he was pretty sure he would recognize the scent of someone he actually knew.

Challenging ...alpha? And here I thought she meant he... her job as a rock-star.

His ears perked as he noticed the younger wolf's attention falling on him. It made sense, he supposed, that Rae's pack member would want to know who he is. Hell, if Neilen wasn't so firmly apathetic about the whole pack thing, he probably would have been pretty curious about who Eryk was, too.

I guess you could say... old friend. Name's Neilen. I'd shake your hand, but...

He raised a paw in the air for a moment before letting it fall back to the ground with the wolf-equivalent of an unconcerned shrug.

[Raelena St. John]

He tain't a rock star, tha's fir sure agree Rae. She prodded the body with her foot, not seeing any reason to even pretend to be gentle. But he attacked me oota nae where. So he might o' wanted m'alpha thin'.

Blinking, Rae looked at the other two, realizing they'd never met. It felt odd, considering her connection with both of them. In all honestly, she'd spent about as much time with Neilen as she had with Eryk. Just, the time with Neilen had been over a lesser stretch of days. He'd been her guard while she stewed in a cell, after all.

Ye two can sniff an' rub again' one ano'her sometime, joked Rae. I'm sure ye two will get along jus' dandy. But we need tae figure oot wha' tae do wit' our wee friend here.

Rae gave the unconscious body another kick, this time with a back leg. She grinned at her two friends, tongue lolling out.