Silver Moon: Bk. 02 Ch. 07

Geoff snarled as well and Pam's fox also. Pam didn't really think when she drew her sword and the blade started flicking with different colors of fox fire. Geoff and Xipil did the same and they had fox fire showing as well. Mari pulled out a short wide sword from somewhere and though it wasn't burning it had traces of magic showing. The blade was a magnificent work of art and was made from what was called Moon Silver or mythril. It was stronger than steel, sharper than obsidian, and could fatally wound any creature that was sensitive to silver. Pam really wanted to know where she had acquired it when she noticed it.

The door suddenly snapped open and a thing lunged out. It paused just long enough to get a brief look at it. The creature was a monstrosity. The body looked somewhat like a scorpion but had black scales coating the body and legs. The tail was bony and as it slithered back and forth made a rattling sound. The face looked like a human head and some sort of beetle mashed together. It carried a vile spiritual tang that made her want to retch.

"Come my pretties, let me embrace you and feast on your succulent tissues before I suck the morrow from your bones." The voice sounded like an old hag and made her skin crawl.

One of the specialists tossed a small flaming ball at the creature. As it flew towards her it was growing in size till she very casually swatted it from the air with her tail. It flew back at him and sizzled as it hit the shielding. All of them felt that.

"Oh my does my pretties want to play? I plays with you till I hold you close as I eat you up." The tail flashed out again and impacted on the shield with a solid thud. The force of the impact shoved them back a step or two.

Geoff whipped his sword up and sent a wave of fox fire in her direction. As he was doing that he was calling for the blessings and help of their spirit lord.

When the wave of energy almost reached her a pincer flashed out from where it had been tucked close to her body. It snapped shut on the wave of power and shattered it. "Oh goody you are going to be a tasty boy to nibble on. I think I will save you for desert." This time the tail flashed towards Mari.

Mari didn't even have to think as she brought the sword up and used all of her muscles to slap the tip away from her. When the blade hit there was a slight hiss and a bubbling sound. "Bite me you old hag. You didn't kill my Alpha and you won't kill me."

~~~

Dan was still floating in the sea of light when Mari called for him. It wasn't something she had tried to do but he felt her fear over the pack bonds and that woke both him and his wolf up. His eyes snapped open and though neither he nor his wolf knew it they were glowing the same color as moonlight. Dan took a deep breath as his right hand snapped straight out in front of him. The top of the cocoon shattered and as soon as it was gone he called out in a firm and commanding voice. "COME TO ME!"

When he did that the fabric of the world around him rippled much like a pond when a stone is dropped in it. The rippling was starting to die down yet settled on one spot near him. The ripples were getting stronger and more focused. Suddenly his sword and knife from his world flashed through the opening and the sheath slapped into his hand.

He stood up from the fluid and looped the sword over his back and placed the short sword on his right hip. With hardly a glance around he snapped his sword out and as the arch of the draw brought the tip just above his head it bit in. What it bit into was the fabric of the world similar to how the Kitsunes moved and cleaved an opening which he stepped through.

~~~

The battle wasn't going well at the moment. One specialist was down and probably dead, the other was barely holding his own from the attacks launched at him. Xipil, Geoff, and Pam were all looking the worse for the wear. Their cloths were damaged and they were sweating heavily. Their attacks were doing damage but not enough. The only one that was effectively able to strike the creature was Mari with that blade of hers.

That the monster really didn't like since every time Mari managed to get a blow in another section of her exoskeleton would burn and bubble before dissolving. The one drawback to the sword was that it was relatively short. Mari was simply too short to use a much larger sword but she was rather skilled with it. Geoff was going to have to ask her where she had learned it.

The creature cackled evilly and took a stab at Xipil and this time she didn't hold back. When her tail impacted the shield an audible cracking sound could be heard and he was tossed across the room. He slammed into a wall and slid down it bonelessly. His shield failed at that moment leaving them far more vulnerable to attacks from the side.

The three effective troops backed off at that point to reassess their options. She cackled again and leapt upwards. She seemed to fluidly turn over in the air and the small claws at the end of the six legs grasped the ceiling. "Time for you to go to sleep little annoying dog, your fang is irritating and I am tired of it."

Her tail started to flash towards Mari full speed and she knew that she wasn't going to be able to dodge it. She had been fighting as hard as she could and was starting to get tired so her reflexes were on the slow side. All she could focus on was the tail that was moving incredibly fast yet also incredibly slowly.

Something came out of nowhere and lopped the stinger off the end of the tail. Dan stood there in all his glory and he radiated power. His eyes were still the silver of the moonlight and his hair and beard were the same color. When he spoke his voice was deep yet calm. "My submissive, you will not have her or the others in this room. They are pack or related to me by marriage. I will not allow you to take them from me. Prepare to die."

Dan's appearance was totally unexpected and the creature couldn't stop the attack before he lopped off the end of her tail. When he did that she screamed in agony as it dropped to the ground and ichors started flowing from the stump. "You will die!" She screamed and her voice was laden with promise and power. She was not going to screw around anymore. This dog had the power to destroy her permanently.

~~~

Back at the cave the male had been sitting back and enjoying the show. He had called up a mug of Balrog's Breath and munching on the fried corpses of baby animals. It was almost like he was watching a movie with a drink and popcorn. Well till Dan showed up that was.

He sat up and snarled a curse that caused the female dog to scream in horror and agony as it burned across her skin. "Where the fuck did you come from? I watched you die you mangy mongrel of an Alpha. This will not happen; you will not take my creature from me." He pulled out one last vial, one he had sworn he would never use since it was the blood of not just a demon lord but a lord of the demons who sat on the throne of his level of the underworld.

The demon had gifted it to him though it had cost a pretty price in that part of his soul now belonged to the demon lord when he died. His soul would be ripped into shreds and the lord of the demons would feast on his powers and malignance for many years. By opening the vial and using it he was essentially agreeing to the terms the demon lord had demanded.

Even as drenched in evil as he was the thought of his soul being torn and feasted on by that horrible creature was enough to force him to take pause. Was it worth his soul to destroy his enemies? What was more important to him? Accept the deal or let his creature be destroyed and take a bad blow to his plans. His fingers were barely touching the stopper and were quivering with indecision.

~~~

Dan didn't even bother laughing at her threat. Since he was a very powerful lycan he could pull off some of the horrible moves they showed in many of the bad martial arts movies like jumping from wall to wall and stuff like that. He lunged at a wall and jumped as he twisted his body around so his feet hit the wall first and he pushed over with all the power in his legs. When he did he shot like a rocket across the room. He twisted again to avoid a pincer that tried to get him and lopped it off as well with a single blow.

He had to twist again so his feet would hit the wall first and then he dropped down to the floor. "It looks like you might need a hand there. Can I offer you the one I lopped off?" His demeanor changed to very casual and rather flippant just to annoy the bloody thing.

Pam couldn't help it and had to groan. "Oh god Dan that was horrible. I was really hoping they would return you with a better sense of humor." She heaved a heavy sigh as well.

The creature screamed pure rage and pain at him which made him wince. "God and you need a breath mint as well, no, a store display worth of breath mints. When was the last time you brushed your pincers?" When she launched herself at him he twisted away but not quite enough and her remaining pincer sliced across his back. Dan swung at her but it was a glancing blow since the pain was horrible. He could feel something eating at his skin and it burned as well.

Mari was watching the entire fight and since the hag creature was distracted by Dan she decided to attack from behind. She lowered down slightly before lunging forward and thrust with the sword and without intending it nailed her at the base of her tail. The blade sunk all the way in but before she could withdraw it the tail slapped her away. The sword was impaled in what would be its ass hole if it had one.

Geoff barely managed to catch her and went down with an oof. The scream this time echoed down the hallways and caused a number of people to collapse or fall down and puke their guts out. "Mari you really are a pain in the ass sometimes. Stop fighting with things larger than you."

She snickered at the joke and then at Pam's groan of horror. She struggled to stand up but she was beat and it felt like she had a few broken or cracked bones. Her body was definitely not happy with her and was telling her that in no uncertain words. "Sorry Geoffy no fun and games tonight, I think I broke something, maybe tomorrow night."

Dan was quite impressed with the leap Mari made to be able to even get close to the monster. When he realized where she had stabbed it he had to wince since that made his butt hurt. The monster lost its grip on the ceiling and fell down to the floor. Dan jumped at the monster as she fell and when she landed on her back he came down from above with his sword pointed at what would be the chest. His blade cleanly impaled her.

She started thrashing but the blade had gone through her and had slammed into the floor and she couldn't budge it. She started working on her last defense. It would kill her but not destroy her. It would kill everything nearby and render this part of the palace corrupted. She started slowing her breathing and focused on that special sack inside that would generate the poison gas.

Dan snorted at her. "Not this time chickie. Be a good girl and just die." He called his formal robes forward and drew the Katana from its sheath. The blade flickered with a mixture of blue and moonlight. He walked up her chest and looked down at her for a moment. "Goodbye." He snapped the blade around and cleanly removed her head from the body and the flames sealed the wound to keep any further ichors from coming out.

He jumped down and then staggered. Something deep inside started to react to the death of the monster and he could feel the malignancy growing. When the others started forward he snarled at them. "Back." He called on his wolf and was startled to find the silver wolf with him in his mind. "I will not let you corrupt or seduce me to the dark side of the Swartz. I reject you and the world rejects you."

As he was speaking it was obvious that he was struggling against something. Both Pam and Geoff were looking strained by the spreading darkness inside Dan. The worst part was it feeding on the darkness that Dan kept contained unless he really needed it. Over the mating bond she could feel his struggle. She also sensed that this was a test for him and the strange wolf in his mind was waiting. Waiting for what she wasn't sure but she couldn't just stand there and watch his struggles.

Pam moved forward to him. Since he was kneeling down she worked her fingers into his now silver hair and urged him to rest his head against her swelling abdomen. *Dan, my love and my mate, listen to the heart beat of our children. Your pups or my Kits however the Spirits and Goddess decide. Listen to them since this is what is important. Do what you do, protect your pack, you mate, your pregnant mate, and all the other pregnant women and especially the pups since they are the next generation.*

Dan tried to force her away but she was stronger than she looked and he didn't have the energy. He finally gave in and leaned against her abdomen and tried to listen to her words. It was hard to both listen and fight the encroaching corruption but it did help some. He narrowed down his world to his mate and their pups. He focused on their heartbeat and tried to calm down. As hard as he tried he couldn't get the calm to come but listening and focusing on the new life had stopped the darkness.

When he spoke his voice was harsh with strain. "Help me, keep talking, reminding me of who I am. Lend me your strength to fight this darkness." He had forgotten the Goddess sitting in his mind when he called out to her. "My Mistress I need help. This burden I can't carry or fight alone." It was agony to say that since he prided himself on being able to take care of his own without much outside assistance. "Please help me Mistress. I have never asked for help like this before but I don't have the strength or power to fight this by myself."

She stood up and his eyes glowed brightly for a moment before she appeared in the room. "And that is a lesson you needed to learn my son. You are a very strong Kitsune-Wolf person but you have to learn that there are times to rely on yourself and other when you need to ask for help. Pam is your mate and she is there to support you. She is the mother to the pack as you are the father. Use that strength my son and you will achieve greatness as a wolf." She stepped up behind him and placed her hands on his head.

With a surge of moonlight she purged the malignancy from his spirit and soul. It was not kind or gentle when she did it. It would hurt and burn leaving him in agony till every last bit of the evil was gone. She wasn't cruel or kind; it was simply how wolves were. She had tested him and found him fitting. If he could fight the evil and deal with the pain he could face the pain of the healing and come out a stronger wolf.

Dan screamed as her light flowed through him and his spirit. It was agony and felt like he was burning up inside. Yet there was also a pleasure to it since he knew his Mistress was taking care of him. When she was done he passed out and she caught him and lowered him down. Once he was down she stood up and looked at Pam. "I am pleased to meet you mate of my wolf. Take care of him for me. He has been tried and strained with testing. Comfort my wolf and spread your love over him like a warm rock in the bright warm sunlight. Protect him from himself as well. Don't let him push you around. Stand up to him and fight back with your love and compassion. You will gain even more respect from both Dan and his wolf."

After pressing a hand against Pam's cheek she turned and looked at the room. She had to smile slightly at the sight of those capable kneeling down in front of her. Since Mari couldn't really move at the moment she settled for meeting her Mistress's eyes before lifting her chin as a sign of submission. "Gentlemen I am not sure why you are kneeling since you are not of mine. Rise and only kneel before Rusty and Amaratsue. They are you ultimate leaders. Now I intend to go and have a brief conversation with Amaratsue about why my wolf has seven tails now and I wasn't asked about it." She wavered from view and vanished. The body of the creature and the various bits vanished as well and Mari's sword clattered against the floor.

~~~

Before he could pull the stopper he felt his creation being destroyed and the shock knocked him out. He fell to the floor with a heavy thud and didn't move. With the breaking of the spells entangled in the creature the power in the room recoiled. Since the creature had been the main focus for the palace temple it recoiled to the source of the creation of the creature. This hit moments later and stunned him even more.

In the other room a portal opened and enveloped the girl. When it vanished she was gone as well. The portal opened into the Leaders bedroom and then faded. When it faded the girl was laying there with the scratches and marks he had made on her skin. She was not conscious but faint moans could be heard.

~~~

Back in the spirit realm when Dan woke and called for his sword the ripples caused multiple alerts to be activated. The golden shield had been breached, an opening in the world walls had been made, and someone had left. The initial impact of Dan calling his sword was traumatic to say the least. People were knocked off their feet if they were close enough. A surge of power flowed through the halls though much of it had been contained but it was enough to knock a number of people out. The ones that weren't knocked out were stunned by the power.

The seven women recovered first since they were the most powerful as well as having shields up constantly now. Once they were on their feet they stumbled to the room Dan had been in and looked at it in shock. It was devastated. Tables had been shattered, furniture thrown hard enough against the walls to both destroy the chairs and damage the walls. The cocoon was still there but it had a Dan sized hole in it. The containment area thankfully was intact and the moment the alarms went off it had sealed shut and been moved to a very secure magic proof room.

"Oh hell what happened in here and where is Dan?" Gin No asked. They needed to find him and make sure that he hadn't been overwhelmed by the darkness and if so do what they could to restrain him. Before any of them could move a silver colored missive appeared and fell into Gin No's hand. She frowned at it and then looked startled. "The wolf aspect of the moon decided to step in."

All of them looked rather startled since the Mistress of the wolves to them was a rather remote and cool person. She rarely got involved in the world and even the lives of her wolves. Gin No broke the seal on the missive and read it aloud to the others in the room.

"Greetings and salutations from the Mistress,

I have stepped in and dealt with the corruption of my wolf. It has been resolved to my satisfaction and he will heal quickly. Know that I am not pleased with what has been done to 'My' wolf without being asked. I am currently enroute to discuss this with Rusty and Amaratsue. Which tail would you prefer me not to rip off as I explain my displeasure? Just note the number on this missive and it will come back to me.

Do not interfere with my wolves again without asking. Next time, if there is a next time, it will be two tails I will remove, and then three. Since you are the mates of the spirit lords ensure this is told to them so they will have something to think about next time they feel like using one of 'My' wolves again.

Sincerely

The Mistress of the moon."

All seven of them shuddered. "She sounds just a wee bit ticked off doesn't she?" Gin No stated. "I feel sorry for our mates or prospective mates. No way in hell am I going to get involved since this was their screw up. I think the 'trickster' bit of the fox got carried away and went further than they should have."