FOTD, Garlic #11, Molasses #20, w/ Chopped Nuts, Malt, Peaches, & Blueberries - Dance In The Dark
Title: Dance in the Dark
Summary: A werewolf wanders into a panther's territory.
Timeline: September 2012 - Supe!AU - Oz is 26, Andy is 28.
Challenge: FOTD (lupine), Garlic #11 (My Treat - Supe!AU: Oz and Andy meet by accident), Molasses #20 (alpha male)
Toppings/Extras: Fresh Peaches (There's a great deal of power and manipulative energy in the air today that could throw you off course if you aren't careful. Have confidence in yourself and don't back down if things get too confrontational.), Fresh Blueberries (Do you want to see what human eyes have never seen? Look at the moon.), Malt (Summer Challenge 2010 - A thwarted party.), Chopped Nuts
Rating: PG-13
New York City wasn’t the best place for weres. Central Park was a pathetic excuse for ‘nature’, and not even a small percentage of how much space all the weres in the city would need if they had chosen to all change on the night of the full moon. Luckily, the more powerful ones could control themselves, and the less powerful ones were connected with packs that owned or rented or borrowed land in upstate New York for purposes such as this. The drive was hell, especially when you felt that something wild calling in your blood, and all you really wanted to do was get out and run alongside the road.
But the day after always found them beaten and exhausted, from a night of hunting, or fighting, or whatever they chose to do. They were lucky to have the energy to drive back to the city before collapsing into a sleep that lasted a few days. Andy was one of the few that were powerful enough to keep the change from happening, but he liked the change too much to do that. Nothing, not even sex, could compare to letting something primal take over and control your actions for a few hours each month. Returning to human form always felt like slipping into a costume that didn’t quite fit right; it stretched around the elbows and shoulders, and felt tight across his back. Just when he got adjusted to it, it was the full moon again.
Of course, it wasn’t always fun and games. Sure, he got to run, and hunt. Nothing could quite describe the feeling of absolute victory that came from having your jaws clamped around something’s throat until it suffocated, and knowing that you’d eat well that night. But there were other things in the forest that he went to; things that hunted in packs. They may have promised to stay on ‘their’ land, but it was hard to remember promises when you’re a giant, wild canine that might come face to face with a black panther that was just as large.
As the moon finally started to rise, howls could be heard in this distance. They made the hair on the back of Andy’s neck stand up, and his lip curled into an unconscious sneer. In answer, or maybe a natural challenge, he threw his head back; the sound that ripped from his throat was far from human, a feline scream that echoed through the trees. In seconds, there was the sound of ripping clothes and melting flesh and grinding bones. Minutes after the moon began to rise, the forest was filled with predators, cars and ripped clothing left outside the tree line.
~~~
Hours passed before anything odd happened. He had scouted the perimeter of ‘his’ territory, and found nothing wrong. He had hunted, and taken down a deer that was already fat in preparation for winter. He had taken his fill, and hid what was left of the body; he didn’t trust another animal to not steal what was left of his kill.
Then he had caught the scent. It was cold, and smelled of rotting leaves, with a hint of something else. Books. Musty books, and dust. Vampire. Before he really knew what was happening, he was running, ducking under low branches, jumping over logs. No smart vampire would come into the middle of were territory. Only a new one would let their scent carry downwind. All in all, it sounded like his favorite kind of prey: something very stupid.
And so, he ran and hunted, and searched. He found the tree where It had been resting, but Its scent disappeared there. It had escaped by jumping from tree to tree. It might have been stupid enough to come here, but It was smart enough to know how to get away. He may be able to climb trees, but he wasn’t going to pursue a walking corpse that had the advantage of being above him. Letting out an annoyed growl that seemed to roll across the woods, he stalked away.
There would always be other prey.
~~~
It was nearly sunrise before anything happened again. He had been eating a few last bites on his kill from earlier that night, when he heard the soft pad of footsteps. Not like him, not panther. Wolf. There was a wolf in his territory. As much as he wanted to growl, and scream, and let his presence be known, he stayed silent. He made his way through the trees and leaves, stepping over branches and keeping low to the ground, and eventually came upon him.
Not that it was hard to spot a massive black wolf, lounging around in his territory. He crouched, the muscles in his shoulders and legs tensing. For a moment, the world around him stilled. Time seemed to slow. He pounced.
It was all a tangle of slick fur and claws; teeth and snarls and growls. Somewhere in the middle of it, the moon set. The sun started to rise. Almost immediately, it became a tangle of long limbs, the growls came from human throats and mouths, the teeth weren’t as sharp. They leapt apart, landing less gracefully than they should have, exhausted with the change and the battle and the night. Still, Andy kept his teeth bared, a growl low in his throat.
The other man bared his own teeth, but looked less secure now that he was human again. He was the one to break the silence, voice hoarse and words odd around his Irish accent as he got used to speaking again. “The fuck is your problem?”
Andy’s words were just rough and odd. “You’re on my land, mutt. The wolves get most of the damn forest, so I know you had plenty of other space to run.”
The werewolf’s eyes narrowed, in suspicion and thought, and he was quiet. Andy could almost see the thoughts running behind his eyes before he spoke. “Nobody told me there was land I wasn’t supposed to go on.”
He was telling the truth. Andy would have been able to smell if he was lying. A bit of his anger receded, and became laced with confusion before he realized what that would mean. “You’re new to the pack.”
“Do I sound like I’m from here?” He snapped, purposely putting emphasis on his accent now that he was gaining better control of his speech. “Moved here a few weeks ago. Like I said, nobody told me there was land I wasn’t supposed to go on.”
“The smell of panther everywhere didn’t tell you that you might have wandered into territory that wasn’t yours?”
“I was a bit more focused on getting somewhere I could rest before the sun rose. I didn’t think that there might be any other species in the forest, and I can honestly say that I didn’t expect to get attacked from behind when I wasn’t threatening anybody.”
Andy frowned, but the rumble of car engines cut off whatever answer he might have had. Almost immediately, his frown turned into a feral grin. “Looks like you better hurry up before your ‘pack’ leaves you, mutt.”
A snarl came from the other man, but he didn’t argue. He started to run, and Andy caught a glimpse of broad shoulders through the trees as he got farther away. Giving an huff that was somewhere between annoyed and amused, he stood and stretched, again feeling as if this skin didn’t fit right. But there was nothing he could do about it now, and he started his own journey back towards his car.
When he reached the tree line, Andy wasn’t sure if he was at all surprised to find the headlights and hood of his car smashed and dented to hell and back. He had attacked a member of the pack. No matter the circumstances, part of his knew he was getting off easy. If he had the energy, he would be pissed. Instead, he changed into the spare pair of clothes in the trunk, and started the long drive home. Point to the wolves. Now it was his turn.
Summary: A werewolf wanders into a panther's territory.
Timeline: September 2012 - Supe!AU - Oz is 26, Andy is 28.
Challenge: FOTD (lupine), Garlic #11 (My Treat - Supe!AU: Oz and Andy meet by accident), Molasses #20 (alpha male)
Toppings/Extras: Fresh Peaches (There's a great deal of power and manipulative energy in the air today that could throw you off course if you aren't careful. Have confidence in yourself and don't back down if things get too confrontational.), Fresh Blueberries (Do you want to see what human eyes have never seen? Look at the moon.), Malt (Summer Challenge 2010 - A thwarted party.), Chopped Nuts
Rating: PG-13
New York City wasn’t the best place for weres. Central Park was a pathetic excuse for ‘nature’, and not even a small percentage of how much space all the weres in the city would need if they had chosen to all change on the night of the full moon. Luckily, the more powerful ones could control themselves, and the less powerful ones were connected with packs that owned or rented or borrowed land in upstate New York for purposes such as this. The drive was hell, especially when you felt that something wild calling in your blood, and all you really wanted to do was get out and run alongside the road.
But the day after always found them beaten and exhausted, from a night of hunting, or fighting, or whatever they chose to do. They were lucky to have the energy to drive back to the city before collapsing into a sleep that lasted a few days. Andy was one of the few that were powerful enough to keep the change from happening, but he liked the change too much to do that. Nothing, not even sex, could compare to letting something primal take over and control your actions for a few hours each month. Returning to human form always felt like slipping into a costume that didn’t quite fit right; it stretched around the elbows and shoulders, and felt tight across his back. Just when he got adjusted to it, it was the full moon again.
Of course, it wasn’t always fun and games. Sure, he got to run, and hunt. Nothing could quite describe the feeling of absolute victory that came from having your jaws clamped around something’s throat until it suffocated, and knowing that you’d eat well that night. But there were other things in the forest that he went to; things that hunted in packs. They may have promised to stay on ‘their’ land, but it was hard to remember promises when you’re a giant, wild canine that might come face to face with a black panther that was just as large.
As the moon finally started to rise, howls could be heard in this distance. They made the hair on the back of Andy’s neck stand up, and his lip curled into an unconscious sneer. In answer, or maybe a natural challenge, he threw his head back; the sound that ripped from his throat was far from human, a feline scream that echoed through the trees. In seconds, there was the sound of ripping clothes and melting flesh and grinding bones. Minutes after the moon began to rise, the forest was filled with predators, cars and ripped clothing left outside the tree line.
~~~
Hours passed before anything odd happened. He had scouted the perimeter of ‘his’ territory, and found nothing wrong. He had hunted, and taken down a deer that was already fat in preparation for winter. He had taken his fill, and hid what was left of the body; he didn’t trust another animal to not steal what was left of his kill.
Then he had caught the scent. It was cold, and smelled of rotting leaves, with a hint of something else. Books. Musty books, and dust. Vampire. Before he really knew what was happening, he was running, ducking under low branches, jumping over logs. No smart vampire would come into the middle of were territory. Only a new one would let their scent carry downwind. All in all, it sounded like his favorite kind of prey: something very stupid.
And so, he ran and hunted, and searched. He found the tree where It had been resting, but Its scent disappeared there. It had escaped by jumping from tree to tree. It might have been stupid enough to come here, but It was smart enough to know how to get away. He may be able to climb trees, but he wasn’t going to pursue a walking corpse that had the advantage of being above him. Letting out an annoyed growl that seemed to roll across the woods, he stalked away.
There would always be other prey.
~~~
It was nearly sunrise before anything happened again. He had been eating a few last bites on his kill from earlier that night, when he heard the soft pad of footsteps. Not like him, not panther. Wolf. There was a wolf in his territory. As much as he wanted to growl, and scream, and let his presence be known, he stayed silent. He made his way through the trees and leaves, stepping over branches and keeping low to the ground, and eventually came upon him.
Not that it was hard to spot a massive black wolf, lounging around in his territory. He crouched, the muscles in his shoulders and legs tensing. For a moment, the world around him stilled. Time seemed to slow. He pounced.
It was all a tangle of slick fur and claws; teeth and snarls and growls. Somewhere in the middle of it, the moon set. The sun started to rise. Almost immediately, it became a tangle of long limbs, the growls came from human throats and mouths, the teeth weren’t as sharp. They leapt apart, landing less gracefully than they should have, exhausted with the change and the battle and the night. Still, Andy kept his teeth bared, a growl low in his throat.
The other man bared his own teeth, but looked less secure now that he was human again. He was the one to break the silence, voice hoarse and words odd around his Irish accent as he got used to speaking again. “The fuck is your problem?”
Andy’s words were just rough and odd. “You’re on my land, mutt. The wolves get most of the damn forest, so I know you had plenty of other space to run.”
The werewolf’s eyes narrowed, in suspicion and thought, and he was quiet. Andy could almost see the thoughts running behind his eyes before he spoke. “Nobody told me there was land I wasn’t supposed to go on.”
He was telling the truth. Andy would have been able to smell if he was lying. A bit of his anger receded, and became laced with confusion before he realized what that would mean. “You’re new to the pack.”
“Do I sound like I’m from here?” He snapped, purposely putting emphasis on his accent now that he was gaining better control of his speech. “Moved here a few weeks ago. Like I said, nobody told me there was land I wasn’t supposed to go on.”
“The smell of panther everywhere didn’t tell you that you might have wandered into territory that wasn’t yours?”
“I was a bit more focused on getting somewhere I could rest before the sun rose. I didn’t think that there might be any other species in the forest, and I can honestly say that I didn’t expect to get attacked from behind when I wasn’t threatening anybody.”
Andy frowned, but the rumble of car engines cut off whatever answer he might have had. Almost immediately, his frown turned into a feral grin. “Looks like you better hurry up before your ‘pack’ leaves you, mutt.”
A snarl came from the other man, but he didn’t argue. He started to run, and Andy caught a glimpse of broad shoulders through the trees as he got farther away. Giving an huff that was somewhere between annoyed and amused, he stood and stretched, again feeling as if this skin didn’t fit right. But there was nothing he could do about it now, and he started his own journey back towards his car.
When he reached the tree line, Andy wasn’t sure if he was at all surprised to find the headlights and hood of his car smashed and dented to hell and back. He had attacked a member of the pack. No matter the circumstances, part of his knew he was getting off easy. If he had the energy, he would be pissed. Instead, he changed into the spare pair of clothes in the trunk, and started the long drive home. Point to the wolves. Now it was his turn.