Howl at the Moon 8/?
Title: Howl at the Moon 8/?
Series: TDS, Countdown w/ KO.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, Violence
Disclaimer: I do not own Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, or any known political figures who appear in this story.
Summary: AU. Sequel to Rage at the Moon
Life seems to be going well for the werewolf pack of seven. Then comes the call from the leader of the French werewolves. What does he want, and what will he do to get it from our werewolves?
Author's Note: Please comment. Feedback is good.
Also, shout-out to my lovely beta tigris18
One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / Seven
Chapter 8
They were in separate cages, so Rachel couldn’t protectively lay over Alison. Her unconscious friend’s paw was sticking through the space between two bars of her cage. Rachel reached her own paw out and was able to touch Alison’s. A simple touch was all she could do at the moment, and she would have to be content with it.
Rachel whined, hoping to get some sort of reaction from Alison. Whatever drugs had been pumped into the black wolf’s body was doing its job and keeping her under.
The only sound Rachel could hear was the humming of the van’s engine. They were away from Aldric and the rest of his pack, but what would happen when they got to the animal control center?
Finally, the van came to a permanent stop. When the door was opened, Rachel watched as two of the officers gently pulled Alison from her cage. As the black tail was dragged across the floor of the cage, red blood smeared the cream-colored floor.
One officer attached a leash to Rachel’s muzzle. She jumped down from the van and quietly followed the officers into the building. She was taken into a separate room from Alison. She whined at the fact.
The officer soothed her in French. Rachel jumped up onto the metal table when the officer prompted. A veterinarian came in a minute later. After being looked over for a few minutes, the vet said something in French. Rachel got the gist of what he was saying. She wasn’t hurt and would be fine.
Rachel hopped down from the table and walked towards the door. Since she had been completely cooperative this whole time, the officer holding her leash walked with her. She led him to the open door of the room Alison had been taken to.
The officer gently pulled Rachel back. Rachel sighed and sat down on the smooth floor. She could see another veterinarian examining Alison’s bloody tail. Alison was still unresponsive on the table.
Rachel watched as the vet treated her friend and wrapped her tail in gauze to stop the bleeding. The vet finally turned to Rachel and the officer. “This the other one?” the vet inquired in a British accent.
“Yes,” replied the officer. “She’s all well. No injuries or anything. She’s very cooperative, too.”
Rachel tugged at her leash to go inside the room. The officer obliged.
Rachel licked the vet’s hand to show her appreciation, then stood on her hind legs to see Alison. She heard the conversation between the two people as she nuzzled Alison’s neck.
“Was the brown one that cooperative when you picked them up?” the vet asked.
“Yes. I think they’re domesticated,” the officer responded. “I’ve never seen a wolf that cooperative before.”
“Hmm. Well, if they are or not, I’m glad you didn’t have to fight them while getting them here.”
“We shot the black one with a standard dose of sedative as she was running. We missed the brown one, but she laid over her friend and was compliant with us.”
Rachel tried to jump up onto the metal table, but was yanked back down by the leash going taut. The officer apologized and moved closer to give her enough slack.
This time Rachel was able to get up on the table. It was big enough for her to lay down with her head on Alison’s side. Rachel’s tail swished side-to-side across the hard surface.
A young woman hurried in and told the vet, “We have two cages for them.”
Rachel made eye contact with the veterinarian, who turned to the intern and said, “Can one fit both comfortably?”
The intern nodded.
A few minutes later, Rachel was in a large and comfortable cage with Alison. There were a few other dogs in cages around them, but Rachel ignored them. She once again protectively laid on Alison.
<><><><><><><><>
Keith and Dan stepped onto the train from the Montbard station. It was a nearly full train, but they found two seats next to each other.
Keith laid his head on Dan’s shoulder and said, “Wake me up when they serve lunch.”
“Hmm?”
Keith rolled his eyes. “We were up all night. I need to sleep. Wake me up when it’s lunchtime.”
“Well, if that’s the case, I’m going to sleep, too. I’m sure they’ll wake us up.” Dan discreetly kissed Keith’s hair and relaxed in his seat. He slightly smiled at the comforting squeeze to his thigh.
<><><><><><><><>
Lawrence had his ear to the door. It was a couple of hours after what they had hoped was Rachel and Alison’s successful escape attempt. From the yelling that had gone on earlier, Lawrence, Richard, and Jon knew what had happened. Rachel and Alison had gotten away.
Lawrence didn’t hear the approaching footsteps, and fell out of the bedroom as the door was pulled open. He looked up and saw Pierre and five other werewolves.
“I suggest you not provoke Aldric right now. He’s very angry with your friends,” the young blonde man said.
“How about he leaves us alone, and we can’t provoke him?” Jon replied.
“Please, listen to me. Maybe he won’t… Please, don’t make it harder on yourselves.”
One of the men behind Pierre loudly cleared his throat. With an almost sad nod, Pierre gestured for the other five werewolves to seize Jon, Richard, and Lawrence.
They didn’t put up much of a fight. The odds of them escaping now, when everyone was on high alert for any attempt from them, were extremely slim.
Jon, Richard, and Lawrence were shoved to the floor. Aldric was standing with his back to them, hands clasped behind his back.
“Get up,” the wolfpack leader commanded.
Jon, Lawrence, and Richard got to their feet and waited for something to happen.
Aldric swiftly turned, arm outstretched and fingers spread. Richard cried out and clutched at his face when sharp nails raked across his cheek. Two werewolves restrained Jon and Lawrence to stop them from helping their friend.
Richard fell to his knees from the pain and surprise. Warm blood trickled between his fingers. He looked up in time to see a knee coming towards his face. Pain instantly exploded in his nose. Another knee to his forehead laid him out on the floor. There was a stomp to his chest, which drove the air from his lungs, then a booted foot was pressing down on his throat.
Jon and Lawrence’s cries for Aldric to stop fell upon deaf ears. Richard clawed at the foot constricting his airway. There was black creeping in at the edges of his vision.
The foot was finally taken from his throat, and went down on his chest for another stomp. Richard turned over onto his stomach and gasped air into his body.
Aldric kicked Richard’s side. “Get up.”
Richard didn’t bother with a response. He didn’t have enough air to do so. The second he got to his hands and knees, he was yanked up to his feet by his hair, then shoved into the strong arms of a waiting werewolf.
“Richard?” asked the concerned voices of Jon and Lawrence.
“… okay…” Richard managed to gasp out.
Lawrence hissed to Aldric, “You ba-“ He bit his lip when he remembered Pierre’s warning. He had to fight to not lunge at Aldric when the man slowly approached and sized each of them up.
Aldric quickly passed over Richard. He half-smiled as Jon defiantly looked into his eyes. “Not enough,” he stated.
When he got to Lawrence, Aldric tapped his finger against his mouth. He glanced to Dorian, who entered with a cup in his hand. He turned back to Lawrence and nodded once.
Lawrence was pushed down to his knees. Richard and Jon were pulled further away.
“What’s going on?” Jon demanded.
Aldric ignored the question. Dorian knelt in front of Lawrence and told him to drink what was in the cup. Lawrence wrinkled his nose at the disgusting taste, worse than the bitter wolfsbane, but managed to take a sip. In an act of defiance, he spat the drink back out at Dorian’s face.
Aldric grabbed Richard from behind and positioned his sharp nails just above the already torn skin on his face. Lawrence knew what would happen if he acted out again. He made eye contact with Richard, hoping to convey that he was sorry.
Keeping his eyes on Richard, Lawrence drank whatever was in the cup. Dorian covered his mouth and nose to force him to swallow.
Pain shot down Lawrence’s spine. That was only the start. “Wh-what is that?” he managed to say while trying to ride through the sharp pains in his body.
Aldric let go of Richard and menacingly walk to Lawrence’s hunched form. “A plant discovered centuries in Spain. It’s said to be the opposite of wolfsbane, causing pain and bringing out the wild animal.”
“Said to be?” Richard replied.
“Yes. This is the first time I’ve ever used it on another. So, congratulations, Lawrence. Two certain members of your pack have tipped my hand. If we get them back, I’ll be sure to let you properly thank them.”
Lawrence’s attention to words stopped after Aldric had said his name. The pain in his head was putting pressure behind his eyes. It was blocking his hearing. It muted all of his senses until all he could feel was the burning agony inside his body. It felt worse than after he had been bitten and his body was adapting to the werewolf condition. So much worse…
Richard and Jon couldn’t look away, couldn’t block Lawrence’s cries for help. They gasped as something strange began to happen to their friend.
Lawrence’s hair quickly grew longer, past his shoulders. From what they could see, grayish-red fur appeared down the back of his neck and spine. His fingernails grew into sharpened claws, and his canine teeth became longer and pointed. The transformation stopped there.
Lawrence finally was able to open his eyes. Instead of blue, they were bright gold. He stretched out his arm towards Richard and Jon, reaching for them. With a last cry of agony, he fell forward, completely motionless.
Dorian checked for a pulse in Lawrence’s neck, and nodded to Aldric. Aldric said in return, “Good. We’ll check him again when he wakes up.” He glanced to the shocked Jon and Richard. “Let them have a few minutes alone with Lawrence.”
Jon and Richard went to their knees at Lawrence’s side, paying no attention to the quietly leaving werewolves. Richard gathered the altered man up in his arms and cradled him close. Jon knelt behind Richard and held them both. He looked up and noticed the young man standing some distance away, a sad expression on his face.
“Pierre!” called Dorian’s voice from the hall outside the half-closed door.
Pierre jumped. As he was leaving, he mouthed, “I’m sorry” to the group of three.
Richard kissed Lawrence’s lips, then dropped his head to Lawrence’s chest.
Series: TDS, Countdown w/ KO.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, Violence
Disclaimer: I do not own Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, or any known political figures who appear in this story.
Summary: AU. Sequel to Rage at the Moon
Life seems to be going well for the werewolf pack of seven. Then comes the call from the leader of the French werewolves. What does he want, and what will he do to get it from our werewolves?
Author's Note: Please comment. Feedback is good.
Also, shout-out to my lovely beta tigris18
One / Two / Three / Four / Five / Six / Seven
Chapter 8
They were in separate cages, so Rachel couldn’t protectively lay over Alison. Her unconscious friend’s paw was sticking through the space between two bars of her cage. Rachel reached her own paw out and was able to touch Alison’s. A simple touch was all she could do at the moment, and she would have to be content with it.
Rachel whined, hoping to get some sort of reaction from Alison. Whatever drugs had been pumped into the black wolf’s body was doing its job and keeping her under.
The only sound Rachel could hear was the humming of the van’s engine. They were away from Aldric and the rest of his pack, but what would happen when they got to the animal control center?
Finally, the van came to a permanent stop. When the door was opened, Rachel watched as two of the officers gently pulled Alison from her cage. As the black tail was dragged across the floor of the cage, red blood smeared the cream-colored floor.
One officer attached a leash to Rachel’s muzzle. She jumped down from the van and quietly followed the officers into the building. She was taken into a separate room from Alison. She whined at the fact.
The officer soothed her in French. Rachel jumped up onto the metal table when the officer prompted. A veterinarian came in a minute later. After being looked over for a few minutes, the vet said something in French. Rachel got the gist of what he was saying. She wasn’t hurt and would be fine.
Rachel hopped down from the table and walked towards the door. Since she had been completely cooperative this whole time, the officer holding her leash walked with her. She led him to the open door of the room Alison had been taken to.
The officer gently pulled Rachel back. Rachel sighed and sat down on the smooth floor. She could see another veterinarian examining Alison’s bloody tail. Alison was still unresponsive on the table.
Rachel watched as the vet treated her friend and wrapped her tail in gauze to stop the bleeding. The vet finally turned to Rachel and the officer. “This the other one?” the vet inquired in a British accent.
“Yes,” replied the officer. “She’s all well. No injuries or anything. She’s very cooperative, too.”
Rachel tugged at her leash to go inside the room. The officer obliged.
Rachel licked the vet’s hand to show her appreciation, then stood on her hind legs to see Alison. She heard the conversation between the two people as she nuzzled Alison’s neck.
“Was the brown one that cooperative when you picked them up?” the vet asked.
“Yes. I think they’re domesticated,” the officer responded. “I’ve never seen a wolf that cooperative before.”
“Hmm. Well, if they are or not, I’m glad you didn’t have to fight them while getting them here.”
“We shot the black one with a standard dose of sedative as she was running. We missed the brown one, but she laid over her friend and was compliant with us.”
Rachel tried to jump up onto the metal table, but was yanked back down by the leash going taut. The officer apologized and moved closer to give her enough slack.
This time Rachel was able to get up on the table. It was big enough for her to lay down with her head on Alison’s side. Rachel’s tail swished side-to-side across the hard surface.
A young woman hurried in and told the vet, “We have two cages for them.”
Rachel made eye contact with the veterinarian, who turned to the intern and said, “Can one fit both comfortably?”
The intern nodded.
A few minutes later, Rachel was in a large and comfortable cage with Alison. There were a few other dogs in cages around them, but Rachel ignored them. She once again protectively laid on Alison.
<><><><><><><><>
Keith and Dan stepped onto the train from the Montbard station. It was a nearly full train, but they found two seats next to each other.
Keith laid his head on Dan’s shoulder and said, “Wake me up when they serve lunch.”
“Hmm?”
Keith rolled his eyes. “We were up all night. I need to sleep. Wake me up when it’s lunchtime.”
“Well, if that’s the case, I’m going to sleep, too. I’m sure they’ll wake us up.” Dan discreetly kissed Keith’s hair and relaxed in his seat. He slightly smiled at the comforting squeeze to his thigh.
<><><><><><><><>
Lawrence had his ear to the door. It was a couple of hours after what they had hoped was Rachel and Alison’s successful escape attempt. From the yelling that had gone on earlier, Lawrence, Richard, and Jon knew what had happened. Rachel and Alison had gotten away.
Lawrence didn’t hear the approaching footsteps, and fell out of the bedroom as the door was pulled open. He looked up and saw Pierre and five other werewolves.
“I suggest you not provoke Aldric right now. He’s very angry with your friends,” the young blonde man said.
“How about he leaves us alone, and we can’t provoke him?” Jon replied.
“Please, listen to me. Maybe he won’t… Please, don’t make it harder on yourselves.”
One of the men behind Pierre loudly cleared his throat. With an almost sad nod, Pierre gestured for the other five werewolves to seize Jon, Richard, and Lawrence.
They didn’t put up much of a fight. The odds of them escaping now, when everyone was on high alert for any attempt from them, were extremely slim.
Jon, Richard, and Lawrence were shoved to the floor. Aldric was standing with his back to them, hands clasped behind his back.
“Get up,” the wolfpack leader commanded.
Jon, Lawrence, and Richard got to their feet and waited for something to happen.
Aldric swiftly turned, arm outstretched and fingers spread. Richard cried out and clutched at his face when sharp nails raked across his cheek. Two werewolves restrained Jon and Lawrence to stop them from helping their friend.
Richard fell to his knees from the pain and surprise. Warm blood trickled between his fingers. He looked up in time to see a knee coming towards his face. Pain instantly exploded in his nose. Another knee to his forehead laid him out on the floor. There was a stomp to his chest, which drove the air from his lungs, then a booted foot was pressing down on his throat.
Jon and Lawrence’s cries for Aldric to stop fell upon deaf ears. Richard clawed at the foot constricting his airway. There was black creeping in at the edges of his vision.
The foot was finally taken from his throat, and went down on his chest for another stomp. Richard turned over onto his stomach and gasped air into his body.
Aldric kicked Richard’s side. “Get up.”
Richard didn’t bother with a response. He didn’t have enough air to do so. The second he got to his hands and knees, he was yanked up to his feet by his hair, then shoved into the strong arms of a waiting werewolf.
“Richard?” asked the concerned voices of Jon and Lawrence.
“… okay…” Richard managed to gasp out.
Lawrence hissed to Aldric, “You ba-“ He bit his lip when he remembered Pierre’s warning. He had to fight to not lunge at Aldric when the man slowly approached and sized each of them up.
Aldric quickly passed over Richard. He half-smiled as Jon defiantly looked into his eyes. “Not enough,” he stated.
When he got to Lawrence, Aldric tapped his finger against his mouth. He glanced to Dorian, who entered with a cup in his hand. He turned back to Lawrence and nodded once.
Lawrence was pushed down to his knees. Richard and Jon were pulled further away.
“What’s going on?” Jon demanded.
Aldric ignored the question. Dorian knelt in front of Lawrence and told him to drink what was in the cup. Lawrence wrinkled his nose at the disgusting taste, worse than the bitter wolfsbane, but managed to take a sip. In an act of defiance, he spat the drink back out at Dorian’s face.
Aldric grabbed Richard from behind and positioned his sharp nails just above the already torn skin on his face. Lawrence knew what would happen if he acted out again. He made eye contact with Richard, hoping to convey that he was sorry.
Keeping his eyes on Richard, Lawrence drank whatever was in the cup. Dorian covered his mouth and nose to force him to swallow.
Pain shot down Lawrence’s spine. That was only the start. “Wh-what is that?” he managed to say while trying to ride through the sharp pains in his body.
Aldric let go of Richard and menacingly walk to Lawrence’s hunched form. “A plant discovered centuries in Spain. It’s said to be the opposite of wolfsbane, causing pain and bringing out the wild animal.”
“Said to be?” Richard replied.
“Yes. This is the first time I’ve ever used it on another. So, congratulations, Lawrence. Two certain members of your pack have tipped my hand. If we get them back, I’ll be sure to let you properly thank them.”
Lawrence’s attention to words stopped after Aldric had said his name. The pain in his head was putting pressure behind his eyes. It was blocking his hearing. It muted all of his senses until all he could feel was the burning agony inside his body. It felt worse than after he had been bitten and his body was adapting to the werewolf condition. So much worse…
Richard and Jon couldn’t look away, couldn’t block Lawrence’s cries for help. They gasped as something strange began to happen to their friend.
Lawrence’s hair quickly grew longer, past his shoulders. From what they could see, grayish-red fur appeared down the back of his neck and spine. His fingernails grew into sharpened claws, and his canine teeth became longer and pointed. The transformation stopped there.
Lawrence finally was able to open his eyes. Instead of blue, they were bright gold. He stretched out his arm towards Richard and Jon, reaching for them. With a last cry of agony, he fell forward, completely motionless.
Dorian checked for a pulse in Lawrence’s neck, and nodded to Aldric. Aldric said in return, “Good. We’ll check him again when he wakes up.” He glanced to the shocked Jon and Richard. “Let them have a few minutes alone with Lawrence.”
Jon and Richard went to their knees at Lawrence’s side, paying no attention to the quietly leaving werewolves. Richard gathered the altered man up in his arms and cradled him close. Jon knelt behind Richard and held them both. He looked up and noticed the young man standing some distance away, a sad expression on his face.
“Pierre!” called Dorian’s voice from the hall outside the half-closed door.
Pierre jumped. As he was leaving, he mouthed, “I’m sorry” to the group of three.
Richard kissed Lawrence’s lips, then dropped his head to Lawrence’s chest.