Wolfsong Lament

[Sarentegra Imura]

The night was young, the moon just barely having risen above the treetops to turn its nearly-full face upon those that were lurking about the lake, which for once was very few. Why? Well, it was January for one thing, so the air was frigid and whipping fiercely, not to mention that it was accompanied by the needle-point torrents of rain and sleet. All in all, this was a very uninviting scene for the students or even teachers and owls to roam around even though it was scare seven o'clock that evening. One of the few that braved the storm willingly was one Sarentegra Imura, and she was used to this sort of weather as the weather of Erie was almost always cold and rainy, especially in Saren's home county of Waterford, a popular port even to this day. However, as to not make her elder brother Liam fret, she wore her emerald-green fur-lined cloak, the silver shamrock fastening doing its job quite well. Her long mane of red tresses had wrapped itself around her face and bod as if an added protection against the weather. Her usually pale cheeks were flushed a vibrant red, but still she looked impassive. Every once in a while she'd glance up at the castle as if daring Professor Arion to meet her down by the lake. Not many would meet Saren even under fair weather on such a night when the moon had nearly reached its peak of being full, as it tended to make Sarentegra a bit...oh, testy, shall we say? Even with the wolfsbane potion hindering her transformation in a couple of days, the wolfish senses still erupted within Saren as she would still go through the morphing into a wolf, just harmless and without a blood lust. She had asked Arion to come down to the lake so that she and Sarentegra could talk about what was going on with Liam. Sarentegra rarely saw her brother as moody as he was now- the last time being in the waiting room in the hospital when his girls were being brought forth into the world, and even then it wasn't on this side of the scale- the anger-filled betrayal side that is. Her Imura-traited gray eyes were like two chips of ice, her full mouth set in a stubborn stance as she ran her bare fingers through her locks, fighting the urge to drag Arion out herself. After all, Saren was just a student and didn't fancy getting a detention when she could be trying to cheer her elder brother up. Even still...the temptation was fierce.

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

Arion stood in the main entrance, watching through the doors to the great hall as the many students huddled there among the tables, some playing cards while others simply chatted about the abysmal weather. A group of students were laughing, though she really wasn't brave enough to go over and investigate the problem, seeing that one already hassled potions substitute looked frazzled and near to breaking-point as she marched over towards the now shrieking group of third-year students. As Arion hurried over to the huge double doors leading to the grounds, she heard a horrified, "Oh my god!", from the unfortunate substitute and an array of jeers following. The sounds of impending punishment were drowned out as Arion pulled upon the large brass handles, the wind and sleet hissing in a frothy, icy mess into the castle. Stepping swiftly outside, she pushed the door shut by throwing most of her weight onto it. Normally the harsh screams of wind against rain would have made it impossible for her to see or hear anything, but tonight was unusually different. For some reason, she could hear the trees whisper and groan, and the ripples of the lake were as loud as the patter of rain that sleeked the ground. She wore her usual jeans and blue overcoat, her shirt striped with blue and creamy white, though it was too unruly outside to notice. Needless to say, she was soaked through in a manner of seconds. Still, it didn't bother her as much, since she doubted anything negative besides being cold would come of it. Heading towards a dark silhouette near the lake, she wondered exactly how this encounter would end.

[Sarentegra Imura]

She had started to grow tired of waiting and had crouched at the lakeside to play with the giant squid- yes, play, as only a few could truly understand the squid's gurgles and thankfully Sarentegra was one of them. Besides, she and the big beast had reached an understanding on her first full moon at school. The winds brought to her the stench of another and she raised her eyes to look across the rolling hills of grounds, past the beloved Quidditch Pitch and finally to the dark frame that was Arion. Brushing ice from her knees and shoulders, Sarentegra stood up, her features as colourful as the face of a stone at the bottom of a river that had been weathered smooth by the gushing water. Her mass of locks were soaked thoroughly and were clinging to her face, now a dark deep-blood red, the kind that comes straight from the jugular. Why had Sarentegra picked such a horrific night to meet with Arion? Well, twas simply this: she knew that they would not be disturbed and if they were, Saren could easily tell the little eavesdropper off with a flick of her wand which was always tucked up the sleeve of her robes or in this case, her cloak. Good of you to come, she hissed out, obviously not in a good mood.

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

"It was my pleasure." Arion tried to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, not seeing the need for it and thankfully feeling rather more like herself. She would never be able to rid her personage of the decidedly sharp edge that had come with the bite, but last night she had concocted a rather nasty formula that diminished the personality effects of being a part-vampire. In past days, the proposition of meeting with a werewolf so close to full moon in this weather would have frightened Arion, but she now seriously doubted whether Sarentagra would be able to overpower her. "Did you want to talk about something?" She raised her voice slightly so it could just barely be heard over the wind, though she doubted whether or not that was necessary, both females having a heightened sense of hearing.

[Sarentegra Imura]

She caught the sly hints of sarcasm in her voice but decided not to act upon them- they had too much to talk about to waste precious storm moonlight over petty things like insolence. Besides, Saren's voice tended to drip with sarcastic venom at random points in time as well, and she reckoned that that was what was going to occur in her little conversation with Professor Blodeuedd Arion. The raising of Arion's voice was definitely not needed, as she could hear the tiniest of rodents scurry about in the Forbidden Forest about five metres under the ground. Ah well...no time to act on that one either. Yes, but first you must promise me that you will answer my questions to the best of your knowledge, she said, shunting the growl from her tones just in time though there was still a bit of a rough edge to them even as they pierced through the wind and rain.

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

Arion caught the tone changes in Sarentegra's voice and knew that by her demand she wasn't in the most sweetest of moods. This wasn't going to be a pleasant little chat between teacher and student, though Arion hadn't expected it to be anyway. Unable to find anything immediately wrong with Sarentegra's demand yet disliking it anyway, Arion hesitated before answering. "Fine." She tried to think of anything she felt like getting out of the conversation and cornering Sarentegra with it now, but she realized she didn't have any questions that really needed to be answered. So she left her answer dry, lacking, and short.

[Sarentegra Imura]

Arion was right- Sarentegra was in no mood to play nice at the moment or in any moments to soon follow, not until she got the answers she wanted and needed. And, though the professor had agreed to promise not to knowingly lie, there was no telling how much time it would take the pair of them to reach a peace point if there was one to be found that is. Good. Obviously, this is about Liam and you. You should know that I don't give a d**n that he's having an affair with you- I hate Corinne and she me. She's no good for Liam or Laine and Mary though she is the twins' mother. But I do give a d**n about what's happening now. He actually yelled at me- that's hardly ever happened before, and I know it's not because of something I did. The only reasonable explanation is, well, you. What's been going on? she asked, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked down at Arion. It was a rare thing when a female student could look down at a teacher, but Sarentegra was six feet and four inches, so she was bound to be taller than the Care of Magical Creature's professor.

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

"I'm pleased." Arion stuck in this comment upon Sarentegra's announcement about her general approval of Arion and Liam's relationship. She didn't enjoy at all Sarentegra's aggressive tact, so she countered it with one of her own, straitening her shoulders to reach her full height of 5'6. Though she had nothing on Sarentegra, the coolness of her eyes and the hardness of her face made her seem just as formidable. "It's really none of your business, but since you asked, we had an argument." It was fairly accurate, and close enough to the truth anyway. Arion had no desire to alert Sarentegra of her condition, and was even less inclined to go into details of the night before.

[Sarentegra Imura]

When it came to battles, some people commented that she had absolutely no tact whatsoever and was bound to lose everything thanks to her hot-blooded Irish temper. However, the very people from which she derived from and was around on holidays, her beloved Irish, they said that she was the perfect weapon: tall, slim, a quick tongue and mind, and excellent magic skills. And of course she had that little secret weapon tucked away for full moons should she ever need to call a duel on such a night. Not every werewolf encounter ended with just a bite you know...there were also cased in which the victim was mangled to death and the werewolf in question escaped with just a few burnt patches of fur here and there- nothing too serious. At the reply she recieved, she wasn't all that happy. An argument would not make my brother as moody as he is. When I inquired to him what was wrong as he said he was pissed, I recommended he go to you, as you always seemed to be good for him before. At that mention he nearly threw me out of the room and boxed my ears. So naturally I asked what happened between the two of you. Apparently he didn't like that little inquiry and actually did tell me off. In a last resort, I come to you and I expect a decent answer. Forgive me if I'm being a bit 'out of my place' with a professor but since there is the slightest possibility that we may be related one day, I've got to know, Saren said levelly, the growl much better hidden now. The clouds moved from the moon a bit and it shone its brilliance upon Sarentegra, causing her eyes to adopt a predatory look to them and it seemed by the wince she gave that her teeth had elongated a tiny bit and that she'd just poked her tongue with them. Even her nails, usually well-trimmed, were starting to look a bit more like claws now. No, she was not transforming completely, just becoming a bit more wolfish than usual since she was so worked up.

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

Arion raised an eyebrow, carefully skirting Sarentegra's gaze and allowing hers to fall on the lake. This was going almost too far, and when she had made the commitment to be truthful, she hadn't exactly expected that her honesty would be tried so quickly within this heated conversation. "I was unable to be intimate with him, and he took that as a sign of rejection." She blushed a deep red, glad that the darkness hid most of the bright coloring. These questions were far too personal, and she had a mind to call it quits, her thoughts straying to the possibility of a dark room and a warm shower. But the thought of heat made her feel claustrophobic. It was at this moment that she looked up to find Sarentegra's eyes very similar to the way her's had been. It figured. Arion was numb to the small signs of an impending transformation, knowing that if things got out of hand she could simply draw on her new strength and speed to get away. "Why don't you bother Liam about this?" Arion knew the answer already, but asked the question to intentionally needle Serentegra, watching with a cold curiosity to see whether or not it had any effect.

[Sarentegra Imura]

She denied him to be intimate? It took Sarentegra a little while longer than was usual to reply as she had to calculate everything that was running through her complex brain that very instant. The moon wasn't helping much either and try as she might to shove it off, she could feel her senses heightening, the smell of Arion entering her nose. There! That was an odd smell, hardly human at all. Taking another silent sniff with the help of the wind, Sarentegra stifled a growl and clenched her fists, the fact of everything dawning on her. About to make her little accusation, she was cut short by Arion's question. Because I don't fancy losing any limbs or getting into a fight with him- I'd much rather argue with you than him, she remarked simply, the needling just sliding off like the rain on her face. Gathering her evidence in her mind, she gave Arion a smirk, her hands falling to her waist. I know what's going on now, she growled, her eyes holding the ever-harming insistance of knowledge.

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

"Oh, do you? I can be just as difficult to argue with." Arion knew she knew, could tell before she made the proclamation of her knowledge. Bearing her fangs, she watched Sarentegra, a cautious gleam in her eye. Arion's hair was soaking with rain, pressed against her neck, some pieces curled like black satin against her pale skin. Her lips were just as pale, almost white in the moonlight, and her own nails were much too thick for a human's. So much for hiding her new, secret problem. Clothes clinging to her body like a second skin, Arion's breathing was visibly growing more rapid, black blood pounding through her veins.

[Sarentegra Imura]

She noticed Arion's appearance fully for the first time since the professor had returned. I doubt it. You don't know my weak spots, my past, you have no blackmail against me like Liam does. So you see, you might be just as good at arguing as my brother is but you don't have enough ammunition to bring me to my knees, she warned coldly. Gooseflesh rose on the flesh that wasn't protected from the cold but Sarentegra paid it no mind. The worst thing that could happen was that she would catch cold out here, but in her case that was a good thing- it meant that she had a better excuse for not showing up to classes during the full moon period and it did get her out of class for quite some time. Catching the gleam of the lunar light upon Arion's fangs, she mentally prepared herself for anything and everything possible, not one to be caught unawares. I know what you are and you know what I am. Despite that, it's a stupid reason to be skirting around Liam. He doesn't want to hurt you or to see you hurt, but you're hurting him- a hell of a way to repay him, she snarled, her temper beginning to mount with each word she spoke. From what I've seen of him since he started teaching here, he's been the happiest I've seen him since the twins were born! And here you go and yank it away from him just because you've been bitten! she growled, her claw-like nails biting into her palm and drawing sweet blood.

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

Sarentegra's accusations sent anger roiling through her blood, and she hissed angrily before she spat out, "You may feel like you have control over your bloodlust, but my situation is different! I'd rather him be emotionally hurt than physically wounded!" She had never felt so violently angry before, and the passion of her hatred shocked her, her face turning, if possible, even paler.

[Sarentegra Imura]

Saren have control over her bloodlusts? Hah hah...that was funny stuff. Control? There is no control over something like that- you should know that. And physical wounds heal faster and cleaner than emotional ones! Emotional wounds on a person like Liam last forever and leave in their wake deep scars! If I didn't think that you couldn't fix it, trust me, I wouldn't even be out here talking to you. But you can do something about it. Explain things to Liam! she snarled, a bit of red approaching in her usually gray eyes, her own fangs bared.

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

Arion turned her gaze downward, resiliently avoiding looking at Sarentegra. "It's not as easy as that." Arion forced herself not to care about what Sarentegra was saying. "And I think he already knows, anyway. While you were off doing whatever, I talked with him last night. Directly after you left his room, if I remember correctly." Arion looked off towards the forest behind Sarentegra, watching the trees move. Something out of place was happening there, and she knew what it was, though she said nothing. She'd be damned if she told Sarentegra about Tarin.

[Sarentegra Imura]

Frustration that also seemed to run with the Imura line rose up in Sarentegra and she had to shove down that ever-present urge to leap out and attack. Her claws had dug in so far into her palm that they had gone numb, the grass around her mottled with the dark sickly-sweet coppery liquid. My whatever was going to my dormitory to calm down. Whenever Liam and I have a row it's not exactly safe for the pair of us to be in the same room. But you think he knows? Why not make sure he d**n knows, she snapped. Okay, so maybe family was a touchy subject with Saren, but so be it. After all...she had brought it upon herself.

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

"Do yourself a favor and stay out of it." Arion had lost nearly all patience with Sarentegra, but that wasn't the reason she turned around and began to make her way back to the castle. She hadn't been sure before, but now she was certain; Tarin had been watching, and his eyes were following her even now. That was two reasons to retreat back into a safer, more populated place. Her back to Sarentegra, she heard a laugh, very soft and almost directly into her ear, though that was simply impossible, seeing as she was surrounded by wind and sleet and nothing else.

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

((Sorry I'm taking so long to post back, I'm sort of multi-tasking and getting ready for next week. I'll be gone from Saturday to Saturday, but back for a while after. I have some packing that needs to get done, regrettably.))

[Sarentegra Imura]

The hell I will! she snarled, sitting herself down on the wet ground and swiping at the lake's uneven surface with her claws irritably, trying to rid herself of her anger. A while later she wore herself out, the cold having a sapping effect on her strength, and she lay back on the grass, looking up at the rain falling on her. Bloody chit... she muttered to herself. Naturally she didn't really feel this way about Arion and it was that temper of hers talking, but it still made her feel better.

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

While Sarentegra lowered herself to the ground, Arion felt like doing exactly the same. Somehow, he really was around her, and she quickened her pace towards the castle, trying to avoid his voice. But that just led her in circles, his voice coming first from the steps and then from the grounds and then from the lake. The only place it wasn't coming from was the forest, but she was too smart for that. Maybe he was in her head, but whatever it was, she couldn't get away, so she stood still, hands covering her ears as she tried not to cry in desperation. She had to get away from him, knew he was twice as strong as she was at the peak of her anger. "Arion...why are you running from me? It's so impolite." She breathed rapidly, fixing her eyes on the ground and wishing she could disappear. Then he started to whisper a very odd little lymric, his voice snide and hoarse.
"Little blue eyes,
'Fraid of voices,
Only she can hear.
She will run
But I will find her,
Little blue eyes
Full of fear."

[Sarentegra Imura]

She felt the change in Arion's being easily, as the sound of her quickened breath met her senses easily. Still angry though, she hadn't a clue as to why she was doing that so she remained upon the ground, a song of her own flowing from her lips.
Fanged and furred
Tormented and Tormenter.
Heartless and the Heartbroken
Predator and Prey
of Witches and Wizards...
Slayers and the Slayed,
Constantly on the run...
Blood and sweat
Tears and pain
Tis the life of the Bitten,
The Werewolves.
No where to run
No where to hide
Compassion only from the few.
Hiding and sneaking about
Trying to find solace.
Why are we separated from everyone else?
Just for a moment of explicit pain?
Treated like enemies
Everywhere we turn...
No one understands
The Wolfsong Lament.[/b]
Twas a mournful tune that sounded much like a searching howl of a real wolf, with all of the twists and turns with sorrow and anger buried deep inside each note.[/color]

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

Tarin's voice clouded her mind, and with it came a type of frightful anger, the kind an animal shows when cornered. "Get the hell out of my head!" She whispered the words angrily, clutching her hair between her fingers as she ran off towards the castle, ignoring how his voice and breathing just got closer. He wasn't really there, couldn't be, and she proved it to herself as she ran up the steps, the stone hard and solid beneath her feet.
"Little blue eyes,
'Fraid of nothing
Maybe she'll fall down the stairs..."
Arion tripped on something that was definately not the wet ground, and she knew that somehow he had caused her to fall.
"...That's what happens
When you're running
From a voice that isn't there."
In an effort to obtain as few injuries as possible, she had thrown her hands in front of her, and now they were scraped and bruised, though they had broken her fall. Absolutely still, she could hear his heavy breathing mixing with her own. Sleet pounded down around her as she lay on the ground, and Arion wasn't sure whether it was rain sliding down her cheeks or tears.

[~*..::Arion::..*~]

It was only now, when Tarin seemed to be so near, that she smelt the blood oozing from the ground, coating it, drowning it. It wasn't near her, but the aroma was suddenly intoxicating, and she wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. Oh, yeah. The medicine numbs the nasal functions. She should have realized it before, but for some reason she hadn't. The potion, by means of making the infected less dangerous, enabled them from the capability of smelling blood. But now....it had obviously worn off, and she tried to think of where the hell the blood was. She looked down and saw her hands bleeding, but that smell was different. Looking across the grounds from where she had come, she realized that the blood was Sarentegra's. And there was a lot of it. "Just noticed it, did you?" Tarin's voice was right in front of her, and she was actually able to smell him now. He was about five feet away, and that simply wasn't far enough for her. Her skin erupted in goosebumps as she felt his icy voice cut through her senses. "You want it, don't you? You want to know what real, thick blood tastes like." Arion pulled herself into a kneeling position in time to see him advance.
"Stop following me."