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(Credit to Giphy)
The Adela forests was in a state of tranquility one fine morning. The sun was shining, the wild life was roaming about, and the winds fanned the tree tops causing them to swish back and forth.
In the middle of all of this was a dwarf, Josef Grinsbeard. A ranger of sorts, he had his trusty crossbow on his shoulder as he moved through the forest, the early moring breeze tickling his beard.
It was another fine day for Josef, he was traveling to the nearest city but decided to take the scenic route.
You never know what you can spot on the scenic route...
Dan'l loved the woods or loved them when in his wolf form. There was something to be said for the wildness and beauty of nature, even more to be said for not being around a sea of people when people were terrified of wolves. Rabbits, rodents, and the scent of birds filled Dan'l nostrils and he relished these scents to often it was the unwashed bodies of fellow travelers that dominated his olfactory scence. A slight snarl escaped from the wolf as he caught scent of something on the wind. So much for being alone and one with nature. There was somebody else out here in the woods and it smelled like a dwarf. Dan'l took the time to try and hone in on the other smells as well. There was the ever present sweat of course but there was more than that. The odors of grass and dirt mixed with the scents of wood and metal. Disdain for the figure instantly vanished and was replaced with a mixture of awe and respect. If this person was what Dan'l thought it was....
It took almost no time to change from wolf into Dan'l's dwarven form. Thankfully his clothing changed along with him so he wouldn't be forced to approach a stranger entirely naked. With the wolf's enhanced scence of smell still with him momentarily he began following his nose towards what he believed would be a dwarf ranger. Or at the least a dwarven archer. Both of which were oddities but he could learn from either...and how he did love learning.
(((ooc sorry it took so long)))
Suddenly the dwarf stopped.
Scratching his beard for a second, he looked to be thinking...before he whipped around, crossbow off his shoulder, and aimed in front of him.
"Show yourself! Ya drakk!" The dwarf said in a loud, gruff voice. "I don't approcate it when some grobi sneaks up on me. If ya lookin' fer a fight then fight, don't fight me like a coward!"
Dan'l chuckled for a moment wondering just how to deal with the comment thrown his way. He was known to be a bit of an ass and he decided to show that side of him if only for a moment. Using skills honed over decades of training he began to work his "magic".
From just behind the dwarf an elf whispered, "I'm here, I'm really here behind you." From twenty yards to the right an orc roared, "Come get me dwarf!" From directly in front of the ranger a female dwarf called out, "Is that any way to talk to a lady?"
From one hundred yards away Dan'l fought back laughter as he changed his voice each time. He understood of course that it was best to know who, or what, was in the woods with you. However, you didn't have to call somebody a draak did you? He made sure his footsteps would be heard as he continued on his way. Also making sure that no weapons were visable. He wanted the dwarf to know while he might be an ass, he wasn't an enemy.
Josef may have been one of the friendliest dwarves from his hold, but that didn't mean he didn't have an iron will.
THis wasn't much but tricks by some Zaki Grobi Josef thought Or worse, an elgi? Wasn't the first time they tried to trick him.
Josef kept his crossbow ready, though he heard the voices he heard no indication of any movement...until he heard footsteps.
He turned himself and his crossbow to the sound. "Yeah last chance grobi! Else i'mma put a bolt right between ya doks!"
"You do and you'll deprive yourself of my company for the forseeable future. While you may want that, I alas do not. Or if you prefer... Ye ken take that bow an shov it straight up yer arse. What more do you need to see or here to deduce I'm not your enemy. If I were I'd be wearing your guts for garters already. Now then threats aside it's a pleasure to meet another dwarf, strange as it is out here in the wild."
"Oh, so you must be one of them wut dawi I've heard of." Said the dwarf ranger, not phased by the threats, instead chuckling. "Clearly shows, a true dawi knows his weapons."
He made movement with his crossbow as if he was indicating what it was. "This is no bow, we dawi of the Dron Zorn don't use bows; bows are for weaklings and elves, not that there is a difference, but this piece of fine dawi craftsmanship is called a crossbow"
"And I won't be too cocky if I was you, beardling." The dwarf's stance was at the ready, but he was relaxed. "I've fist fought spawns of chaos larger then you and I've beaten many of their kind. You don't scary me laddie, you only make me laugh at how adorable you like."
The dwarf was still chuckling, as he lowered his crossbow just a bit. "But I suppose you don't know any better, your only a beardling after all! I remeber the days when I was a beardling meself. Ha! I was just as cocky."
His chuckling subsided as he nodded his head, now grinning. "I suppose cockyness has its place; still be in the karak, instead of out in the beautiful surface."
"Beardling? You're probably right but that's why I approached you. Who better to learn from than from somebody older and presumably wiser than yourself. You've years of experience that I would gladly learn from old timer. To compensate for the annoyance I can offer you little more than my company though. That and possibly a yarn or two dozen I've acquired over my few years. I might be young and a bit rash but I have traveled and picked up all manner of strange tales. A few you may find interesting enough to tolerate my presence."
"I suppose traveling with nothing but elgi could be boring." said the dwarf ranger. "It's rare I see dwarves in these lands...might be a welcoming change... very well, beardling, you may join me for a bit."
The dwarf heft the butt of his crossbow onto his shoulder with one hand pointing the arrow upwards.
"The name's Josef, Josef Grimsbread, but you I prefer Josef Grinsbeard." the dwarf smiled. "Come now, I am heading to the next city, it's a few days travel. You may yet to learn a thing or two from your elder."
As Josef said that, he once more held the crossbow with two hands and began moving on the same path as he did.
Dan'l sniffed the breeze and tried not to laugh at the other dwarf, Joseph, being so cautious. Nothing up ahead, nothing at all. The thought exited his mind just as another thought burst forth, there was NEVER nothing to smell in a forest. Something had driven away the creatures that called the forest home. How far they had gone was something he hadn't decided just yet. While his hearing was excellent he depended on it far less than sense of smell in wolf form. Since his change even that had begun deteriorating. He paused for a moment straining his ears for the sounds of the forest and found quiet. Not the tranquil quiet one finds along a river bank or even deep in the woods. This quiet was an eerie, unsettling quiet. An unnatural quiet. Or one brought on by a large predator perhaps.
The hair on the back of his neck stood upright and Dan'l made a point of drawing a throwing knife in each hand. They weren't much as far as wepons went but they were what he had, and used. Being a thief out in the wild... It came with a few downsides. Then again if it came to it he could always see if the werewolf came out. It tended to do so when his life was in actual danger. Dan'l hoped that wouldn't be the case.
"Joseph, there's something here. Can you hear or see it?"
"I hope your not talking about yourself." the dwarf said, only turning his head slightly to the side as he said that, though after a few more paces he stopped and looked back at Dan'l. "Only thing I see is you, and I hear...nothing?"
The dwarf then began glancing around, suspicion on his face, gripping his crossbow tighter. "I don't suppose everything's been scared away by your musk?"
"My aroma hasn't scared anything off I'm afraid. I fear that it, and your, might attract something instead. It's far too..."
Dan'l broke off mid sentence as at the outer ranges of his hearing he could just make out heavy footfalls. The fact that he could hear them at all causing shivers to race up and down his spine. Whatever was coming wasn't just big, it was very big. Whatever it was was getting closer as well.
"We've got company and it's big. I really hope you know how to use that. If not we're in trouble" Dan'l said while motioning towards the crossbow.
"Me? Me!?' The dwarf exclaimed. "I had been in this thingaz for days without a problem! It was only until you showed up did it become this quiet! And you have some nerve, beardling! Not just accusing your elder! But ya accusing him of not being able to use his weapon?! For shame! Does your family know that yo..."
The dwarf drowned on with his yelling, but it seemed that his yelling was attracting said big thing. Though, it would appear that he was concerned more with yelling at the beardling, shaking his fist at him in the process.
Dan'l waited until the other dwarf's eyes were averted before rolling his eyes. The ranger was like many, many, so many others he had come accross. All manner of people in love with the sound of their own voices. Arrogant, opinionated, and to a point worthless. He shook his head in wonderment that of all the folk to meet out in the woods it would be this one. Then again Joseph's worth was about to get tested from whatever it was that was coming for them.
Dan'l watched as trees were pushed aside as if they were little more than stalks of grass and an immense figure began blocking out his view of the sun. Dark scales covered the entirety of the lizardlike beast scales so dark they could have been blue, purple, or black. The scales may have at one time held a shine but time had taken its toll and the scales no longer held any luster. The muted colors did little to diminish from the awe inspiring power and majesty of the incredible ecreature though.
Dan'l felt a tremor in both of his hands as he stared up at the oncoming dragon hoping Joseph would have some idea of how to cope with a creature like the one coming for them.
"...and further more, ya wazzock! I've seen more battles then ya have in years! Years!" The dwarf shouted at Dan'l, until it felt something breathing from above.
"What is it ya...eh?" THe dwarf began with yelling until he realized what he was looking at, as he slowly looked up. Took him a few seconds to gather his response. "Meh, I've seen bigger."
Then the dwarf took off sprinting, disappearing into the foliage, as the monster roared at where Josef was.
Dan'l stood frozen in fear watching the dragon approach until the creature unleashed a massive roar. From what felt like down in the depths of his feet he felt an answering roar whell up before being unleashed. Part roar and part animalistic howl of rage it tore loose from his body even as his body began the transformation from dwarf to werewolf.
The throwing knives dropped from his hands as his hands enlarged and fingertips sprouted three inch long razor sharp claws. Fur burst out all over his body and Dan'l could feel the pain of bones growing and reshaping as his body grew two feet taller, his face elongated and became more canine, and muscle mass grew all over the new body. Werewolf and dragon stared at each other for a long moment before the dragon drew in a large breath of air and exhaled a noxious green cloud.
Dan'l didn't think, didn't hesitate, but did react. The werewolf form was quick, very quick. It rushed forward underneath the stream of gass coming forth from the dragon's mouth. Going toe to toe with a creature as large as the dragon was suicidal to say the least but the werewolf didn't care. It began to tear first into one of the dragon's feet and then into the back of one of the dragon's knees.
A nearby tree began to sway voiently, but it's foliage blocked the direct view, making it seem like there was somthing crawling on the inside. A few moments later, the violent swaying stopped.
Suddenly a crossbow bolt flew out of the tree's foliage, finding it's mark into the dragon's left eye.
The dragon recoiled backwards, howling in pain by the doubl attacks.
The dragon's recoil from Joseph's attack almost had disatrous results for Dan'l as he was almost squashed by one of the dragon's legs. His quick reflexes saved him from that unfortunate demise. A few more swipes into the back of the dragon's knee and the werewolf decided to change legs. It moved to the other front leg seeing more and more weight was being put on the leg in front of it it howled triumphantly before tearing into the back of the knee with tooth and claw.
A shower of scales flew from behind the dragon's leg as first the scales and then the skin behind them was sawed through. Flesh and then muscle and sinew gave way the dragon roaring in equal parts pain and frustration at the loss of an eye, the loss of both of it's legs, and the inability to do anything about it. Knowing it had nothing to lose it attempted to squish the bug that had caused it so much pain.
Dan'l was barely able to roll out from underneath the dragon before it came crashing to the ground. A split second later the dragon's mouth grazed the top of his head as it attempted to remove his head from his body. "Down but not out" Dan'l growled out loud before leaping onto the side of the beast and heading for the dragon's neck. The dragon could feel the werewolf's weight on its back and must have known it was going for a killing blow. Over and over again the dragon flexed its body undulating it in a variety of unatural movents attempting to throw the little bastard free. Each time Dan'l lashed out with his claws and managed to hold on.
Another crossbow bolt flew out of the trees, piercing the scales and impaling itself into the dragon.
THe dragon roared again, but it was only met by another arrow to the other eye. The dragon was now blinded, but it was not done. It began to rolling by his sides, trying to crush the bug like a steamroller and get away from the shower of bolts.
Whipped back and forth by the force of the dragon trying to be rid of him Dan'l through his weight around riding the dragon as if it were a stallion in need of breaking. A particularly violent thrust from the dragon sent him flying forward and he was just able to grasp the bottom of the dragon's jaw with one hand to avoid falling to the ground. With his free hand he reached up and sank claws into the other side of the giant lizard's jaw. Dan'l jumped from this perch up higher his claws sinking into the dragon's snout and then with his free hand the werewolf grabbed hold of one of the fired bolts.
The dragon roared and thrashed with each hit it had taken each movement threatening to shake the pest loose. It could smell and feel the werewolf as it hung from its jaws even made a few snaps at it to no avail. It tried to drag the side of its face along the ground to rid it of the parasite but that didn't work either. A momentary freedom from the creature's weight gave the dragon a momentary relieve but it didn't last. Claws sank into its snout causing the dragon to inhale another breath. There was nowhere for the insolent werewolf to go now. It was as dead as the dragon was blind.
The werewolf's hand gripped the bolt and thrust foward with all of its might. The bolt went past the dragon's eyesockets and deep, deep into the cranial cavity. Blood and brains oozed out from around the shaft as the dragon finally fell to the ground dead. As it did Dan'l let go of the bolt and fell to the ground. His body began changing back to dwarven form before it even hit the ground. When it hit it hit with a dull thud. His crumpled body lay still but breathing beside the mamoth dragon.
The tree that the bolts began shaking violently, as if somthing was sliding down from the tree.
Moments later, the same dwarf came out of the foliage, crossbow on his shoulder as he laughed heartily.
"Not bad, beardling, not bad. Though I don't know if I should call ya that, with ya fangs and all." The dwarf chuckled as he nodded at said fangs. "Though you really are a wazzock! What were ya thinking getting under it! Ya couldn've been crushed to death!"
Dan'l faintly heard Joseph talking through the haze in his mind. He opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. The massive dragon had been taken down and it seemed as if the werewolf had indeed come out to play.
"... I don't know if I should call ya that, with ya fangs and all."
Now that was something Dan'l wished could have been avoided but the cat was out of the bag so to speak. He ran his hands down the length of his boy checking for injuries other than the bruising he knew he was going to have and found none. With a groan he got to his feet and looked over at the other dwarf.
"What happened? I know what you saw but I can never remember after the werewolf comes out. It looks like we did ok. Hell better than ok."
"'ave a looky ova there." Josef said as he gestured over at the dead dragon corpse. "That was mostly ya doing...bit sloppy job you did, but ya got the job done, so I suppose that's worth something."
Josef then began to stroke his beard, being a bit thoughtful, before continuing. "Your no regular dawi, that's a fact. But what exactly happen ta ya? This can't exactly be the works of any normal dawi, well, least no sane dawi."
Dan'l chuckled softly before addressing Joseph. "I made a mistake of judgement a few years ago is all there is to it. I saw a stranger with an unusual looking dagger. Between the ruby in the handle and the runes inlaid in the blade I though I could make a decent amount of money if I took it off of the stranger's hands. Thing is, I'm good, I'm really good with removing objects from somebody without them noticing until hours later."
Dan'l grinned sheepishly, "The stranger was far quicker than I gave him credit for. Not only with his eyes, but with his hands as well. I reached for the blade and walked away with four distinct claw marks accross the top of my hand. The stranger had the balls to laugh at me telling me he'd feed me my testicles if I tried to go after the blade again. A week later I had my first change into what you saw earlier. I can't control the change just yet but I've heard rumors that it can be done at will. Fact is I'm kind of scared of what I become."
"Eh, can't say it's all that nature for a dawi to be growing that much hair and claws, but least ya not dead." The dwarf said as he continued to stroke his scruffy beard. "But serves ya right ta be stealing like that, ya should feel lucky he just let ya go;could've easily ended ya life then an' there."
Josef then placed his hand against his hip, and said "Ya tried seeking help for this, hm, change?"
"He could have killed me and some days I wish he had. Other days, like this one, I think maybe it was a gift of some kind. It's saved my life a handful of times so while I fear it I'm also not ready to be rid of it. A strange predicament I know. As for stealing it is the only life I know. I've been doing it my entire life and I'm quite good at it. I'm less good at spending time out here in the wild. That'd be the reason I joined you. I was hoping to learn from a master of the outdoors. You see there is one aspect of the change I am able to control, and actually like."
Dan'l relaxed his body and began the change from dwarf to wolf. In the wolf form he stared up at Joseph for a moment before reverting back to dwarf form.
"Not exactly a form I'm willing to take in cities. It is very welcome in the wild though."
"I see laddy." said the Dwarf as he raised an eyebrow. "Can't say I don't share some of that enthusiasm. But Tell me laddy, what do you know so far of the, hm, the "wild"?"
Dan'l gave a rueful smile, "Not as much as I'd like to. I can hunt and track in my wolf form. Other than that I'm useless as a babe on the front lines of a battle. If anyone can teach me any woodscraft it would be a ranger. Who better to learn from than another dwarf?"
Dan'l grinned, "I did tell you earlier that I could 'pay my way' with stories. I've a library's worth of stories stored in my mind. Use them to entertain sometimes to earn a meal when there's hard times in an area I'm passing through. I'd rather my belly was full after entertaining starving children rather than taking the last bit their family has as I disappear into the night. Even a thief has morals."
"Huh, woodscraft are for elgi." Josef snorted before beating his chest with his free hand. "We dwai are karag folk, mining is our speciality!"
The dwarf then set the butt of his crossbow on the floor, the hand now at the other end of the crossbow.
"But, I do know a bit on survival, if that'll mean anything to you. Fer starters, we got to relay on no one but ourselves out here; there are no usage of coins out here, out here you must hunt for your meal. I am assuming you know at least that much?"
"Aye, mining is in our blood. But it looks like the sun, the moon, and the stars are in your blood just as much as they are in my own. I can't fathom swinging an axe in a mine for hours. I don't imagine you ken either. As for hunting the wolf does that either on his own or with a pack. I've never been good with weapons other than knives."
Dan'l started looking around the forest floor for those. He recalled pulling out a pair of throwing knives before the werewolf had taken over. He must have dropped them somewhere. A few seconds of frantic searching and the missing knives were found and placed back where they belonged.
"I might be able to get a rabbit or a squirrel with one of these blades but not much more than that."
""Hm, speak fer yaself." Josef grunted at the other dwarf. "Ya clearly neva set foot in the mines before. Ya don't use axes, ya wazzok! Ya use pickaxes...can't believe that I'd live ta hear...Mining is one of the pillars of dwarven community! Nothing boring about it!" The dwarf exclaimed the last part.
"Ya beardlings these days,and the longbeards called me a wazzok..." the dwarf mumbled as he shook his head.
"Anyways, knives aren't gunna do ya any good if ya can't catch ya prey. Ya be better off in ya wolf form." The dwarf continue, but he gave Dan'l a begrudged look. "Throwing knives are good for smaller game, if ya can sneak up on those quick little buggers, but if you want bigger game, ya need something bigger."
Holding his crossbow up with one hand, Josef grabbed one of the throwing axes from his belt. "This, is enough, if you can land it on something vital. Though it has the same problem as the knife: ya gunna need to sneak up on ya target, as range is only limited to how far ya can throw."
"Sneaking up isn't going to be a problem. Or at least it wouldn't be if game decided to feed inside a city." Dan'l gave a weak laugh. "I seem to be as clumsy in the woods as a drunk orc trying to walk a tightrope and as loud as an army of orcs feasting after a victory. Perhaps with your help I'll be able to walk half as silently as you."
"The day I, sneaking isn't hard when ya know what ta do." The dwarf grunted. "That, and like any craft, practice."
Josef then pointed the throwing axe in his hand at Dan'l. "Ya got da smell down. But before we can do anything of the sort, we need to find a target. Tell me ya at least know how to track;what with ya nose."
Dan'l blushed for a moment. It was true he could track by scent... kind of. It was something that came naturally when in wolf form and he thought it was there in werewolf form as well. In dwarf form it was only an effect that lingered from when he changed from one of the other forms. It might be possible to trigger it while in dwarf form but he had as of yet figured out how to do so.
"At the moment yes. The wolf has the ability to track by scent but the longer I'm in this form the less I am to be able to use it. Also the stronger the scents nearby the more difficult it is to utilize." Dan'l pointed to the dragon's corpse mere feet away. "That isn't making things any easier. As it is I still don' hear any bird calls yet. Shouldn't take too long though birds are resilient, right?"
He moved a dozen yards upwind of the dragon's corpse and sniffed the air slowly. "Birds are coming back I can smell 'em. Them and a few of the forest's scavengers are about. There's a pig out there, damned wild pigs will eat anything. It's not as docile as a deer but will a pig do?"
"I think ya mean boar." Josef grunted again. "Boats are more dangerous then they look. Ain't the regular pigs you know. Boars can runs faster then a bull, and can pierce ya with its tusks. Them are really aggressive, make them angry and they'll charge ya. The bigger they come, the more aggressive they will be and the harder they ram ya."
The dwarf shifted his crossbow onto his back, before continuing. "But, I suppose it'll do. Which way does ya knows tell ya it is?"
"The scent is on the wind and the wind is coming from the north I think. This way at anyways." He waved a hand in the given direction. "I can even tell you it's probaly about half a mile away feeding on some berries right now." He sniffed the air once, "No, not berries. Some sort of over ripe fruit though. Not sure what kind of plant that is but the odor is intense." He wriggled his nose trying to get the scent clear before turning to Joseph.
"I'll let you lead the way as I want to watch and learn."
"Doesn't matter as much fer barries, it's mostly looking at its texture." The dwarf said as he began walking at the indicated direction. "Alright lady, smell is important fer tracking but it ain't da only thing ya relay on. Keep ya eyes peeled for any visuals;hood prints, feeces, and such, anything that indicates that a boar has been through."
Dan'l tried looking at the surrounding vegetaion and at the ground underfoot but all he saw was the path of destruction that the dragon had left behind. He gave a small sigh of frustration but continued looking for something, anything that would point out where the boar had been and was traveling. He saw small piles of scat that looked old and dry. By the size he thought whatever had left them behind couldn't be more than squirrel or rabbit sized. He turned his attention from the scat to study some of the foilage and hesitated....
"Joseph?"
He wasn't sure if what he had seen was making him uncomfortable or the wolf inside of himself hungry. He did know what he saw was blood, fresh blood. He reached out a finger to feel the viscosity and found it hadn't had time to dry in the least. Unthinking he found himself sucking the bit of blood from his finger relishing the taste of it. His untrained eye looked over the ground nearby and the other plants without noticing anything awry.
"If it's feeces, you've got no choice but to smell it." Josef said as he was examining something, his back turned to the wolf so he saw none of the blood. "And don't think to make me doing it, we are training you afte-"
Josef was intrupted when his nose picked up something. "Is that blood? Beardling?"
"Aye, and fresh too." Dan'l tried doing what the ranger had suggested earlier looking for any signs of disturbance from footprints to broken twigs and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Further looking at the branch with the blood on it though made him second guess ordinary. The blood was splashed at about his shoulder level and he saw with a bit of surprise it was less a splash and more of a spray as the lone bit of blood he had seen was far from the last of it.
The blood had sprayed farther in to the plant soaking the stalk before running down into a small pool at the bottom. Rather than the small amount of blood he had noticed before there was a large amount of it and no sign on what had caused it, or were it had come from.
"What do you make of it Joseph? With that much blood gone there should be a body lying somewhere, right? Or some track from whatever caused it."
Josef slowly began making his way to where the blood was. "Hm, looks like what eva was the victim was as stout as us, maybe a bit smaller...the attack seemed o have come from this direction." Josef said as he looked back at he opposite side of where the blood was before glancing back.
"What ever that was hitting must of hit real hard for blood to fly everywhere and this far. Might have taken its victim too, considering there's not a body around, or is there?"
"What does it smell like to you? A human, an elf, a dwarf?" Josef said, taking a knee to examine the some of the blood some more.
Dan'l groaned inwardly when asked what race the blood smelled like it came from. The truth was he could probably put a race to it by smell but the wolf within him was roaring inside of his head. The wolf raged telling him the taste, the feel of teeth biting, tearing into flesh. It promised more and more of the wonderful not scent, but taste of the blood. Dan'l ground his jaws together his hands bunching into fists as he tried to clear his head.
"It's elven I'm sure of it." A bit sheepishly he added, "I don't think the werewolf likes elves."
"Aye, of course it is an elgi, nothing but a bunch of knifed ear trouble makers to haughty for their own good." The dwarf grunted. "Though that would mean they must of upset something unnamed off...likelihood anyways, them elgis usually are in tune wiv nature. Though I tell you I've seen some strange egli on my travels."
He said that last part with a chuckle, before standing back up and glancing at Dan'l. "Come now, the boar can wait. Knowing egli there bound to need help, though, I do hope it ain't an elf you fling that took the brunt. Be a damn shame if it was..."