When Night Falls

No More Sorrow - Linkin Park
It would be good if you would listen to this while reading this chapter. (: Thanks

-Ryan's POV-

I pressed myself against the trunk of the tree, holding my breath, thankful that the wind was in my favour.

And thankful that I didn't need to breathe at all, or my excitement would give my position away.

I stared hungrily ahead, my eyes fixed on my target, a doe, the monster in me demanding to be fed.

Right now, I was controlling myself, restraining the predator in me. I needed to have some sense still, otherwise I would never be able to capture my prey. I could feel myself slipping slowly, and giving in to my instincts...

"A-ROOOOO!!"
There was a loud howl, one that shattered the silence easily like glass. It echoed through the forest, resonating with agony and fear.

Disturbing.
Before I could do anything else, the doe had bolted. I cursed, the monster in me roaring. I kicked the dust in anger, sending a fox scurrying for cover.

I clenched my teeth, angrily running my hand through my hair.

Damn that wolf that ruined my dinner.
Another loud howl exploded through the forest... Almost like a scream... then...

Silence.
That wolf sounded pretty hurt. I could... end its suffering.
The demon in me roared in approval.

I turned, running quickly towards the direction of the wolf...

I pushed through the thick foliage, careful to be as quiet as I could.

I could hear the pained breathing of the wolf, which seemed to be slowing, and the soft whimpers of pain it emitted every now and then. I could hear it scrabbling at something, its sharp claws scratching against some metal surface.

I drew closer, and the scrabbling grew louder, as though it knew I was approaching it. It started to growl, a low guttural sound. It seemed to be trapped.

I entered the small clearing, aware that the wolf could now see me approaching it, just like I could see it now.

It was a huge wolf, black as night.

Its eyes glinted in the moonlight, black and mesmorising. I stared at the beauty of the wolf, stunned. Its long fur, smooth and glorious, and its muscled body.. How beautiful and flawless.

I hissed under my breath, seeing that its leg seemed to have been caught in a hunter's trap.

It had lost a great deal of blood.

I could see the ugly metal jaws of the trap digging into its leg, the only thing that marred its beauty.

I was amazed that it was still alive.

I clenched my fists, cursing softly under my breath.

"Damn those idiotic hunters."

How could they even do such a thing to such a beautiful creature?
Its eyes were focused on me, and it bared its teeth, sharp and white, whining as I drew close.

Its fur glinted in the moonlight, and it looked as though it was glowing.

So beautiful...
I hesitated, before reaching out to touch it.

I was surprised that it didn't bite me. Instead, it looked up at me, whining softly, its tail thumping on the blood-soaked ground.

It was losing too much blood.

"Let me take your pain away." I told the wolf.

I tried to lift it up towards me, but it suddenly snapped, growling and biting, as though it understood my intention. I pulled back.

How could I even think of killing it when it was so determined to live?
I stared into those beautiful black eyes.

Then suddenly, I realised that it wasn't just a wolf.

It was a werewolf.

And those familiar eyes...

"CHRISTINE?" I whispered.

"Is that you?"

Its dark eyes penetrated mine, and it whined, its tail thumping again, nuzzling its head against my hand.

It WAS her.

"I'm going to remove this from you ok? It's going to hurt, because it has dug very deep into your leg." I said, stroking her fur comfortingly.

She whined softly in response.

I placed my hand on the cold metal, wanting to pull the jaws apart, and at once felt a burning sensation on my palms. I cried out in pain as my skin sizzled like burnt meat, and I quickly pulled my palms away as I cursed.

"What the hell!??"
I looked at the trap, examining it closely without touching it. The jaws of the trap had been dusted with silver.

Goddamit. No wonder she was losing so much blood!!
She turned, watching me, concerned. I showed her my palms, and she whined softly, licking my palms soothingly in apology. She stared up at me, pushing me away. She wanted me to stop.

I felt myself flare up in anger.

"I'm not giving up on you, Christine."

I spat again on my palms, rubbing them quickly together, before I reached for the jaws and yanked them apart. I could feel my hands burning, and she yelped in pain as I quickly pulled her away before the jaws slammed shut again.

I held her close to me, aware that she had fainted. The pain had knocked her out, and her breathing was slowing. I laid her slowly on the ground, before shrugging out of my jacket quickly, and placing her on top of it. I stared at her wound, ugly and gaping, blood pouring out. The edges of her wound were still coated with silver. I took care to wrap part of the jacket around her wound so as to stem the flow of the blood.

She wasn't going to heal fast enough with the silver dust. I had to remove it.

Carrying her in my arms, I teleported back to my place.

-Christine's POV-

I drifted in and out of consciousness, welcoming the sleep. The pain was unbearable whenever I was awake.

I was swimming, a black pool. It was as though I was dreaming, and every time my eyes opened, it was as though I had lifted my head out of water, gasping for air.

Thinking was slow, hard. I stared up at Ryan, and watched his mouth form words and I stared blankly back.

He was calling for Hades.

I thought slowly.

Did I die?
I felt my leg throb painfully in answer.

I guess not.

Who's Hades?
He placed me on a bed, leaning over me.

"Christine, please try to stay awake!"

I groaned, closing my eyes in response. He was so annoying. I wanted to sleep.

"YOU FUCKING STAY AWAKE OR I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU HELL! YOU HEAR ME?"
I heard him roar and I winced. The sound was amplified in my ears, especially since I was in my wolf form.

All at once, he pressed something warm against my wound and I screamed, kicking back in response. He pressed my leg down, dabbing at my wound, seemingly intent on intensifying the pain. I protested, biting him.

He didn't seem to mind the pain, and he continued to dab at the wound. I hissed angrily as he continued at it.

It was some time later that the pain started to fade away.

Then, it was entirely gone.

"Christine. You need to change back into your human form."

I snapped in response. I was too tired.

"C'mon. You can sleep after that." He poked me.

I purred softly, pleased. Right now, sleep was the best thing that I had ever heard of. It was still a little painful, but I slowly morphed back into my human form, exhausted.

"You can sleep now." He whispered, pressing his cool hands on my head.

I moaned, muttering a quick thank you as I slowly faded away into the darkness...