#teristha

Teristha’s eyes fluttered open, waking up from what she thought was a deep sleep as her eyes darted around the darkened room. A few moments would past before she finally felt something around her chest, a muscular arm covered in dusky grey fur barely visible in the darkness, though Teristha’s keen eyes were able to make it out. She’d smile as she twisted her head slightly to face the one holding her, Tyrrinan. The woman had almost forgotten that they had rented the room at the inn so that the two of them could spend the night together in solitude. As the worgen woman would stretch her leg ever so slightly, she would feel the fabric rub against her exposed fur. Her thoughts drifted as her eyes examined her surroundings. Only a few days ago something like this would never have happened; herself being seduced by mere physical attraction, for even now she tried to deny that truth. There had to be some draw, as she wouldn’t have been with him so many times in such a short time. Each time she exposed herself a bit more until she lay within his arms.

The woman sighed inwardly. This shouldn’t be happening, she should be seeking something fuller… something to reduce her dependence on her son and daughter-in-law for help, something to help fill the void in her heart, something more the skin deep. Tyrrinan was nice, respectful of her wishes and desires while simultaneously maintaining a will and power of his own. The two of them having accidently forged a mental link meant that there was little that Tyrrinan could hide from her. This fact would have annoyed Teristha in the past, her companions thoughts were more often filled with lust than anything else… at least around her, and yet for some reason this drew her ever closer to him. In all honesty, she thought, this shouldn’t be continuing. They had their fun and now it was time to move on and yet every time she thought this was the case she would be drawn to him.

Teristha shifted slightly, as she attempted to slip away from Tyrrinan while he slept. Her eyes would flare open as she felt Tyrrinan’s arm move across her breast, and a thought flashed through her mind. What if he awoke? It would be rude if she had left in the middle of the night without leaving a note saying she left, which she did not possess the materials to write. The woman would shrug slightly as she nestled herself back against his chest, smiling as she tried to drift off to sleep again. Her mind drifting to a strange thought:

Teristha sighed as she slid into her bed, dark ochre eyes scanning the room. The twins, Maddilyn and Maxith, had decided to spend the night in a little nest that Rennik had constructed when they first moved into to the small apartment. She reached up and pulled one of the pillows into an embrace, nuzzling her nose into the fabric as she let out another sigh. Sleep would not come easily to the female worgen, but in all honesty it never had. The life she had trained her to be a light sleeper so much that even the act of falling asleep proved difficult.

Of course, she would admit this to no one; they already had enough cause for concern without her adding more emotional baggage. Deep within the shadowed recesses of her mind she knew the truth. She was jealous of them, jealous of how easy their lives appeared or how easily they seemed to shrug of difficulties of the past. She would shift slightly as her thoughts drifted to Rennik and Dahliah. The mere idea of Dahliah moving in was mind boggling. That someone who barely knew wanted to help her with what Teristha was going through, and yet was going through hardships of her own? The only people who ever offered to help Teristha through her most difficult moments were those who were obligated to do so, but Dahliah held no such burden. Teristha’s mind continued to wander, or did she? It’s not as if the women disliked Dahliah, one would say she was even fond of the Gilnean women.

Teristha shuddered as she continued to think deeper. It was unlikely that Rennik had told her about his father, and she understood why. It was hard enough to tell her own son about what happened that night, and who would be proud to have someone like that as a father anyway? No, that did not bother Teristha so much as the feeling of betrayal; that she was still lying to her son about one thing. She would have to tell him eventually. The woman couldn’t continue hating her parents for their actions eighteen years ago forever; she would have to let go of the past at some point and that would involve telling the truth. The truth was that they turned their backs on their daughter when she needed them most. That they rejected her pleas as mere fabrications to protect herself and even worse tossed her out to fend for herself. Teristha growled as she continued to fight her own mind’s wandering, in her parents’ defense they did allow her to stay through the winter though she would have longed for some degree of freedom.

The woman sighed as her fingers wrapped around those of a small boy standing beside her. He looked back up at the woman with his grey eyes. He was a skinny bow, probably four and a half feet tall, with dark, apparently “sun-touched” skin, and black hair. He spoke to the woman, “Is something wrong, mom?”

The woman blinked a few times, they had taken a pause during one of their walks. She had dark ochre eyes almost melding into her pupils, and her eyes seemed filled with sadness. Her skin was the same “sun-touched” tone that her son possessed and equally black hair. “What make you think that, little Rennik?” She frowned as her hand rand through his hair.

Rennik looked into his mother’s eyes, “Your frowning mom… haven’t smilled today.” He turned and tried to hug his mother.

The woman nodded as she hugged her son, sniffling a bit. She spoke softly, “I’m just a bit hungry is all, I’ll be fine.” She looked around, “Although… the forest seems darker today. I know it is late, but…”

The boy blinked, “Home.” The woman nodded and they began, to head home.

A short time passed before a loud wolf howl punctuated the air, the woman’s hand instinctually tightened around Rennik’s hand, pulling him towards her as she quickened her pace. “It sounded close,” she said, her voice tinted with worry.

The two ran for a while, the young boy stammering, “M-m-mo-ACK!” He shouted as his foot caught on an exposed root, nearly pulling his mother down as well.

The woman turned, letting go of Rennik’s and and kneeling down, “Rennik, are you alright?” She looked up, not waiting for Rennik’s reply as her gaze rested on the strangest things she ever saw. The two beings stood on sturdy paws and were covered with deep black fur, as well as possessing wolf-like head. Their resemblance to wolves ended there as they had human-like hands with wicked claws and stood on two legs. The wolf-things snarled and lunged at mother and child.

The woman gasped as she tapped into her inner will, summoning a shimmering barrier between the pair and the wolf-things. The wolf-things, worgen as both mother and child would learn later, yelped as their bodies slammed into the barrier, snarling at the woman. Her voice would sound harsher as she spoke, “Renn, listen to me. Head to town, don’t stop for anything until you get there. I’ll meet you there later.”

Rennik blinked, “No! I’m not leaving you!” The young boy turned to face the worgen, fists feebly raised in defiance.

The woman grimaced as the worgen tested the barrier, throwing their weight against it. “Rennik! This is not the time to argue, run!” She looked as the boy stood still, faltering slightly. “Run!” the woman shouted, grimacing as her body appeared to falter. The boy then ran as quickly as his legs would allow him. One of the worgen had turned its attention from the woman to the child and gave chase. The woman growled, throwing a shadow bolt at the pursuing worgen, the shield failing. The worgen the woman attacked yelped as it was hit by the bolt of shadow energy, sending the worgen flying into a tree with a sickening crack. It had died on impact with the tree.

The woman would have little time to celebrate as the other worgen lunged at her, its weight easily knocking her over before it opened its mouth wide, sinking its teeth into her shoulder. The woman screamed as the fangs tore into her flesh, regaining her composure long enough to throw a close ranged shadow bolt into the worgen. It yelped before being sent flying into a nearby tree, taking a bit of the woman’s flesh with it before its back snapped, just as its companion had.

The woman coughed before looking up at the night sky, a beautiful full moon climbing toward its zenith against a cloudless, starry canvas. She felt the change immediately, her muscles felt as if they had burst into flames as they shifted and grew around her skeleton, which felt as if it was being broken in every possible place. The woman’s eyes widened in shock as her arms sprouted deep, rich, black fur and her head twisted into a wolfish visage. With her last breath, she let out a loud howl.

A few days passed without incident, after a while the girl even forgot the traumatic events. She sat up and looked up at the window. What was once her only avenue of escape had been sealed off, turning her room into a sort of prison. Her father, a tough man by the name of Cigurd, had found out about her little adventure. She grudgingly accepted her punishment, not saying a word about the man in the clearing.

A few weeks had passed, and the young woman, though by most accounts she was still a child, was in her bed. The girl groaned, her stomach felt as if it had turned inside itself. Her stomach wasn’t the only reason she was miserible, tomorrow was the day she was to meet with her suitors, least the ones her parents approved of. Although she relished the thought of meeting other people, she knew deep down that her opinion meant nothing. She rolled over and glared at the dress she was to wear.  It wasn’t the style but the color, a bright pink, that she did not like. She even told her mother that and still the girl would have to wear it, and if the girl couldn’t trust her parents to listen to her choice of color… her input tomorrow will have little effect.

On the other side of the house, a very different thought process took place. The event the next was would be post-poned until Teristha felt better.

Weeks passed into months before Teristha recovered, unfortunately the girl refused to smile and the dress was suddenly to small for her.

The girl grimaced as she tried on the dress. Her mother, a rather stately woman named Khirsta, spoke in a concerned tone, “Is something wrong, child?” She frowned as the girl did not respond, turning to the maid trying to dress Teristha.

The maid scowled, “She’s a bit too big around the waist now, and…”

Khirsta interrupted the maid, “Then make the adjustments,”

“Mom! Can’t,” the girl began to protest but was cut off by a stern glance from her mother.

“Lady Khirsta? May I have a word?” the maid spoke in a soft voice.

“Very well,” Khirsta responded. “Don’t run away, okay dear?”

“Like I could,” the girl grumbled as both mother and maid left the room.

Teristha wasn’t sure what had happened, but her mother seemed very flustered. The day after she was summoned to her father’s study..

He explained that, he explained, in rather harsh terms, that the girl’s choices had force them to act. Cigurd tried to calm the girl down by saying that she would be able to stay until the warmer spring days of the next year. This knowledge was of no comfort to the girl who tried to explain about the man in the woods, Her father scolded the girl in brutal terms, saying that she was just protecting herself from the consequnces.

After that meeting, Teristha was kept in her room. Then, on September fifth, her child was born, a boy whom she later named Rennik. Her mother taught her the basics of what she needed to know. When the weather warmed after her sixteenth birthday, she was shown the door and never allowed to return. Teristha snarled in a bestial manner as the door closed, but a crying noise from her arms brought her back to reality. She lifted the infant up and walked away. “It’s okay, we’ll be fine… I promise.” If only she knew.

The present-day Teristha awoke with a start. She scratched her head, had she fallen asleep? She groaned as she got to a sitting position on the floor and began to cry. Even now, after seventeen years, the memory cut deep into her heart.

She would continue crying before noticing a small black worgen pup was trying to wipe the tears from the woman’s face. Teristha pulled the pup into her arms and whispered into the pup’s ears, “It’s okay. Mommy is fine, little Maddy.” She began to hum, resolving then and there to find the figure in the mirror. And if it lead her to Rennik, then she would welcome him back into her family. She owed him to keep the promise she made, all those years ago.