Replies to This Discussion

Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on November 10, 2023 at 17:04

"Curtis! Curtis!!" Dominic slid across the muddy ground as another shot rang out, whizzing passed his ear within inches. "No... no no no no." He lowered himself to not be an easy target from their pursuer, collapsing next to the other downed guard. Red seeped from his chest wound and Curtis was desperately trying to breathe through the blood that was filling his lungs. "Oh, God." Dom's hands went to his friend's chest in some attempt at stopping the bleeding, but it was pointless.

"Take c...c... care of m..my mom." More blood pooled out of Curtis's lips as he grabbed onto Dominic's wrists with the last of his strength. "D.. Dom. Please."

The therian nodded and swallowed the guilt rising into his throat. It should've been him that took the bullet, not Curtis. "I will. I promise." Whatever sliver of life the fellow guard was hanging onto to wait for that very assurance slipped away as a final breath gurgled from his mouth.

Another shot exploded through the quiet woods, but Dominic barely flinched. Rage began to fill him up completely as he stared at the dead guard. His dead friend. A woman's wailing suddenly erupted through his mind making him wince and grab at his head. Pain, sharp and searing, lanced through his body at the same moment and he knew undoubtedly that Curtis's mother, a psychic diviner, realized what had just happened to her son.

"I'm sorry, Billie Mae," he spoke into the open though the woman was nowhere nearby. He knew she would somehow still hear his thoughts spoken aloud. "It was supposed to be me. I..." The anger again began to rise and he could feel his body reacting in kind. His muscles and bones stretched and transformed until he was fully in wolf form, a low growl billowing from his chest. The killer hadn't shifted though, the rifle poised at his shoulder while he continued hunting them down not far off.

Dominic padded quietly through the trees and circled behind the unsuspecting serial murderer. It had taken a few weeks to finally find him. He had left a trail of bodies and hid well behind a biker gang that had taken up shop within Therian woods. Whether they knew what the lycan was doing remained to be seen, but from what he heard of the club, they weren't exactly the best when it came to being on the right side of the law. Though, neither was he.

He could hear Aureus's words already as he angled himself in shadow, directly parallel to the murderer. He hadn't been with the Ailwards long, but for whatever reason the aspect seemed to take a liking to Dominic. It made him feel like a charity case if anything, but he owed him. 'Don't always act out of emotion.' 'You're better than you want to believe.' Not today. Not right now. Not when Curtis was lying dead some fifteen yards away because of this piece of shit monster that had killed a number of innocent people. Another growl rumbled from him at a volume he intended the other to hear. Dom wanted him to know that this was the moment his life was about to end.

The gun swung in his direction, but the guard was too fast. Leaping from the brush, Dominic's jaws latched onto the man's throat and tore through it completely before they even hit the ground from the momentum. The killer landed hard and clutched at his neck frantically while Dom watched until his writhing finally stopped and the light left his eyes. Shifting back, he grabbed his jeans and leather jacket just as headlights swung his way from the road. A familiar truck carrying a few of the other guards had finally arrived. 

The small group of Ailwards moved up towards the house. Laughter and loud music could be heard through the cracked window, the scents of cigarettes, alcohol, and something cooking assaulting his sensitive nose. Dominic had a singular focus then and a need to release the warring emotions of losing his friend, so while the others were working out a plan on how to enter the house, he decided the front door was as good a place as any.

Kicking in the cheap wood, the door came off the hinges, splintering the frame. It had the desired effect. The rest of the occupants in the house came running and Dominic got to work those emotions out.

It didn't take very long for the guards to subdue the bikers. Dominic had had his hand in a few of the broken bones divvied out to them. Still, with no one left to release his wrath, the inevitable began as he had to process the loss of Curtis. He could hear the others around him making plans to have the bikers arrested since it turned out they were dealing in drugs among other things. Another spoke about having Curtis's body moved which made Dominic wince. He closed his eyes and tried to wrestle down the wave of pain. The house was suddenly too small to contain him.

He began heading back outside when the scent of another made him pause. His smokey gray eyes zeroed on the nearest closet, his head tilting slightly. Maybe another one of the gang who tried to hide from them. The therian yanked open the door and was rather pleased he would get to possibly smash another one of their faces in, but instead he was surprised to find a thin girl cowering in the shadows. His dark brow lifted. He didn't even want to guess at what she had possibly gone through with them.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Dominic tried to remove the rage from his tone and keep it steady, but it came out more matter-of-fact. Kneeling, he attempted to get a better look at her. "It's okay. You're safe now, I promise. We can get you out of here. Away from them. Do you have a family? Somewhere safe to go?"

• ▶ Reply

TherianPermalink Reply by ✓ Rosabelle Iris Grey on November 11, 2023 at 5:19

Rosabelle cowered more as she watched the much larger man kneel down infront of her. Her hearing picked up his slight rage in his tone when he spoke. Rosabelle couldn't help but whimper as she kept her eyes on his when he looked at her. Hearing the other voices outside the closet, Rosabelle kept her legs close to her chest as she looked back at Dominic. Her head slowly shook at his questions as she then winced at the mentioned her family. Rosabelle was about to open her mouth to tell the man about her parents being killed by the men but soon froze at the sight of a person standing behind the knelt down man. 

Her blue eyes soon glowed a bit in the dark part of the closet, going unnoticed by Rosabelle since she didn't know what she was and knew nothing of the supernatural world. Rosabelle soon moved and looked at the men, getting a small amount of courage to move and speak slightly. "N-No I don't have my family anymore." She spoke hoarsely as she then coughed alittle due to not using her voice in years. "T-The men killed them before t-taking me." She said softly as she then winced at the smell of the blood and noticed Dominic's hand was black and blue. "Y-Your hand.." She said as she gently touched his hand with her delicate, yet cold hands. Rosabelle grabbed a wet rag she had before hiding and started to dab it clean from the blood of the bikers. Her frame was small and very thin compared to other women. Her body was covered in bruises as she had not shifted yet. Her eyes glanced at the man behind Dominic as she kept shivering in fear as she kept cleaning Dominic's hand.

• ▶ Reply

Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on December 1, 2023 at 18:47

Dom kept his crouched position steady as he waited for the young woman to answer. She looked beyond frail and terrified. He was wishing he could make the rounds again on these assholes who had kept her. At her slight shaking of the head to his questions, Dominic knew she was going to have a hell of a time recovering physically and mentally from this without support from anyone who may have loved her. 

The shift she made to gather herself even farther back into the closet made his head tilt slightly to keep his eyes on her. The sure footsteps of someone behind him stopped and he knew who it was from the scent alone. Daniel, another guard, lowered himself to see what had Dom focused on a seemingly empty closet. "Oh."

"Yeah," was all he responded and noted the sudden azure glow coming from the girl's eyes. He knew that response all too well. A fellow therian. 

Dominic watched as she tentatively crawled from her dark corner and came further into the light a few moments later. Her appearance was even worse than he thought. She was pale and had bluish rings under her eyes, the bones beneath her skin visible from lack of nourishment. As she reached for his hand and inspected it, Dominic lifted a brow while she began wiping away the evidence of the brawl that had taken place just minutes before. He caught Daniel's matching expression. Dom wondered if this was something she was used to doing for the members of the gang, cleaning and caring for them whenever they came back a bloody mess.

"I'm alright. I've had worse," Dominic replied, slowly removing his hand from hers. He could see her hesitation and unease with Daniel watching. He dug his hand into the pocket of his pants and produced a keyring. "Do me a favor and get my bike? It's down the road." The other guard seemed to pick up on the cue and nodded, taking the keys and heading back out the splintered doorframe of the house. 

His gaze swung back to the fragile therian before him. If she were human, he might've left her for when the cops came to deal with, but given she wasn't... "My people and I have a safe place you can go to to rest. Clean up, stay for a while. If you have anything here you want to bring, pack it now." His hues had eased from their vibrant grey to their usual hazel now that he had a different focus. "I'm Dominic. What's your name?"

• ▶ Reply

TherianPermalink Reply by ✓ Rosabelle Iris Grey on December 1, 2023 at 23:36

Rosabelle looked at Dom before looking back at Daniel who had left the two. When Dom spoke and asked her, her name. Her throat got dry but she opened her mouth to speak but before she could let out a word, her body flinched and something had started to break inside her which made her gasp. Bones continued to break and contort into something else. Rosabelle's eyes glowed their azure flor as she let out a whimper when she touched the ground. Fur started to sprout out of her already pale skin. As she looked at Dom, Rosabelle had fangs slipping out of her lips as she then let out a growl like scream as the breaking grew more intense. "H-Help." She managed to say as she let out more of an animalistic sound of pain. 

Her mind was running through everything as she even tried to fight the urge to stop her from changing only for her to be in more drastic pain as it made her body spasm and made her collapse in the closet halfway. She was still conscious as she tried to look at Dominic for some kind of help. Rosabelle didn't know what she was or about anything about their world but she knew she would know soon enough. Her hands changed into paws and her body making it more difficult for her to even breath like she was used to. Rosabelle gripped her sides with her paws as she then sliced her dress she wore, revealing more of her body as she was soon had larger sprouts of fur as her body contorted into her feline form. Rosabelle was hoping this would end but she ended up fighting more only to just be in more pain that ever, this took a lot of her energy as she looked at Dom with tears as her eyes shifted from human to feline. 

Her body convulsed a little as she kept fighting, even though the fighting wasn't helping and also making the process go slower while being painful for her. Unknown to her that her name was branded to her lower back, 'Rosabelle' The brand read as she kept screaming and clawing the ground as her body kept shifting. Once she lost the fight with shifting, Rosabelle let her body go as she laid on the floor unconscious while the fur and bone breaking continued in front of Dom. 

• ▶ Reply

Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on December 15, 2023 at 18:04

The lines between his brow pulled together when the young woman's fragile frame suddenly spasmed. "Are you alright?" He reached out a tentative hand to her, noting the glow shifting her hues. She was turning into her therian form, likely from the trauma of what had happened and he couldn't blame her. Instinct seemed to be taking over in order to protect her from all that passed and force her into a more lethal form. However, there seemed to be a panic behind her eyes as if she had no idea what was happening and Dom realized this was likely the first time she was shifting.

"Shit," he breathed, sighing shortly through his nose. He took a step back to give her the space she would need, running a hand through his hair. He was not equipped to deal with this. "Listen, the more you fight it, the more it's going to hurt. Just.. let your body do what it needs to. I promise, it gets easier over time." He didn't know if she could hear anything she was saying. He remembered the first time he changed into his wolf form, like every therianthrope did. It was all blinding pain, searing heat, and more blinding pain. He was lucky though. He had his entire family, a pack, to get him somewhat prepared for what would happen. She seemed to have no idea.

Dominic watched helplessly as her body contorted at odd angles, twisting, breaking, and changing into something new. The white fur began to sprout across her skin, clothes ripping away. At her back, he noted how her skin practically wrapped around her bones from how thin she was until a vicious looking brand caught his attention. A name? Rosabelle? Her screams had now gathered the attention of the other guards who hurried over but he told them to go get busy somewhere else just as quickly knowing that she didn't need any more gawking eyes on her during something so terrifying and exposing. 

"Rosabelle, don't fight it," he tried again to encourage, but the girl had collapsed to the floor, her naked form fully changing then into a snow leopard that lay unmoving. He watched as the steady breaths passed through her new animal body. At least the pain was over for now. Dominic squatted beside her and reached his hand out slowly to rest on her neck in comfort before shrugging off his worn leather jacket. It would easily envelope her tiny frame when she shifted back and as vulnerable as she would feel now in her ailuranthrope body, being nude in her human form wouldn't prove any better.

• ▶ Reply

TherianPermalink Reply by ✓ Rosabelle Iris Grey on January 14, 2024 at 18:53

Rosabelle laid there as she heard the distant voices of Dominic saying her name and telling her to not fight the shift. Once she was fully shifted, Rosabelle almost lost consciousness due to the amount of pain and trauma she had went through. Her eyes would flicker open and closed a few times as she felt the leather jacket lay over her small frame along with a comforting hand on her neck. She could see the difference of things with her new set of eyes. As she had finished, the scents grew stronger as her eyes soon noticed some of the guards were alerted to her screams which Dominic shooed them away. Rosabelle let a few breaths out as she moved her head up at Dominic. Before she noticed, Rosabelle even tried to get up in her snow leopard form. The new feeling of being on all fours and seeing things different made Rosabelle look and start to panic slightly even her leopard form was in control. A small meow like noise came out of her mouth when she looked at Dominic. 

All her senses were on high as she shook out her fur alittle, managing to keep the jacket on her back as she stood and shook. Her eyes looked into his before she moved her head against his hand. Her instincts made her much calmer around Dominic as she then laid down for a moment not know what to do next.

• ▶ Reply

Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on February 4, 2024 at 23:42

Dominic's fingers slipped through the white fur that grazed his hand. He felt her weight push against him, her body now fully shifted. Kneeling down, he gave a few quick pats and sighed. What a fucking horror this girl was going through. Had gone through for who knows how long. It was worse that she didn't have anyone to even go back to. He supposed the one good thing that came of it was the Ailwards finding her and these assholes who had practically kept her as a slave before it could continue for maybe the rest of her life. Given her condition and the history her captors had, it would've been a short and brutal existence.

"I'm like you," he said quietly. "A therianthrope. We can change, shift, into certain animals. Sometimes at the worst fucking moments." He scoffed and shook his head slightly, given that exact moment was happening to her now. "Have certain abilities. I'll give you the run down when we get you to a safe place." The sound of hurried footsteps made him look back as Daniel had returned with Dom's helmet, halting when he saw the snow leopard. His eyes went wide.

"Bike's out front." The other guard looked between them with raised brows. "Not sure she'll fit so well in the seat in that form."

Dominic gave him a withering stare. "Thanks, dickhead. We'll be out in a minute. I'm taking her to one of the safe houses in the city." He waited as Daniel left before looking back at the fellow therian. "Hate to say it, but he's right." Dom stood up and stepped back, decidedly turning around to give her some privacy should reverting back to her human body not go so easily in which the jacket would keep her covered. "Don't think on it so hard. Just let it happen naturally." He let his voice soften. "I'm sure you're exhausted, but I promise I'll get you somewhere you can rest, but that can only happen once you're in your other form."

• ▶ Reply

TherianPermalink Reply by ✓ Rosabelle Iris Grey on February 26, 2024 at 21:45

Feeling his large fingers over her fur made her calm down more from the experience. Rosabelle felt him pat her which made her look up at him as he spoke, trying to explain alittle about what she was but needed to get her to safety. Her senses were still a bit heightened, which made her sense of smell increase when Daniel came up and looked at her with wide eyes. She cowered closer to Dom as she still wasn't used to her new body yet. Once he left, Rosabelle looked to Dom as he spoke about how Daniel was right and that she couldn't fit on the bike in her snow leopard form. Watching him take a step back, Rosabelle watched him turn around as she looked around and tried to figure out to shift back. 

His words made her look at his back as she soon closed her eyes as she let her body shift back slowly, Dom's voice being softer made her feel better as she shifted. It took a bit as she soon let out a gasp once she was back into her human form. Her body shook as she gripped the jacket tightly around her and tried to get up only to fall back onto her knees. Rosabelle soon tried to stand back up, weakly. Once she stood, Rosabelle's legs shook a bit but she was fully standing and blushing as she made sure the jacket was around her even though it swallowed her whole. "O-Ok." She said hoarsely as she gently tapped his shoulder.

• ▶ Reply

Ailward GuardPermalink Reply by ✓ Dominic Howlett ~Mod~ on March 3, 2024 at 1:00

Dominic kept his back to her, and though he couldn't see, he could hear as she fumbled to get herself on her human legs again. She was doing better than could be expected for someone who had just learned she could turn into a big cat. He guessed it likely had to do with the shock that was probably yet to come, still being buried deep within her psyche as survival mode was taking over instead. It spoke to her strength and the abuse she likely endured throughout the years. She was going to need some serious therapy.

He turned once he felt that light touch on his shoulder and saw her back in her human form. "Nice work, kiddo." He smiled to the therian, though it was tight and a bit forced as he tried to ignore how seriously thin she was. The jacket swallowed her completely. "Alright, let's see about finding you something to wear that's more suitable for riding, okay?" Dominic put a gentle hand on Rosabelle's back and led her through the destruction of the house and towards some of the bedrooms in the back. Yanking open a few drawers and closets, he was able to find some lounge pants and a sweatshirt, all of course too large. 

Waiting until she changed from outside the bedroom, he sighed as the rest of the guards were finishing up with the place just as she returned. "Alright, Rose, I'm going to bring you into Evermore. We have a few safe places around the city and its outskirts to house people who need somewhere to go until they get back on their feet. My motorcycle is out front, so you'll be wearing this." He handed her the helmet and nodded towards the front door. 

Dom wondered when the last time was that she stepped foot out of that trash house when his boot hit the grass. It must've been terrifying for her, but maybe a little freeing. At least he hoped. His arm went across her shoulder blades as he walked Rose over to his bike where Daniel had parked it. He straddled the seat and lifted it to balance properly on its wheels. "Climb on and hold tight to me. The apartment is not too far into the city once we cross the bridge." Starting the engine, he tied his hair back with the band on his wrist and waited for her to get situated. "Let's get you the hell out of here." 

• ▶ Reply

TherianPermalink Reply by ✓ Rosabelle Iris Grey on April 3, 2024 at 1:34

Rosabelle's legs were still a bit wobbly but stable when she looked at Dominic. Her eyes examined his tight smile as she held his jacket tighter around her to at least keep some warmth when they came out of the closet. Hearing him talk about how she needed something to wear to ride his bike, Rosabelle looked around as she then noticed Dom leading her to the back where the bedrooms were. Her eyes slightly widened as she stopped at the doorway of one room when he entered and looked through the dressers and drawers to find clothes. 

Pulling out lounge pants and sweatshirt, Rosabelle felt the close be placed in her arms as they went back to the main room. Dom left her in the main room while Rosabelle changed in the hallway, unseen by others. Rosabelle had never stepped in the bedrooms as she wasn't allowed in the rooms. Once she was dressed, Rosabelle went to the door and looked out at the grass. "Evermore?" She said softly as she looked at Dom while he spoke. Her eyes went to the grass and then to her feet, Rosabelle soon slowly took a step out of the building, being watched by the guards as she then soon moved so she was standing outside the door on the grass. Her eyes widened at the feeling before letting out a giggle, not realizing that the grass tickled her feet alittle. A blush creeped on her face when she noticed the guards watching her. Rosabelle soon quickly made it over with Dom and looked at the helmet as he explained that she was going to wear it. 

When Dom straddled his bike, Rosabelle looked at him and nodded as she slipped the helmet on and slowly climbed on and held onto him alittle before feeling him move and tie his hair back. "O-Ok." She said softly as she could hear the rumble of engines, making her jump and grip tightly around Dominic,

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion