Howling[Visualspice]

[Looshi]

Not so fast.

Blinded by rage the creature did not care to realise that the werewolf cradled the girl in his paws. It wasn't going to touch her, not while he still stood. Its voice hurt Lorant's ears; the shrill shriek, high enough to break glass. But it did not disorient him. He was better than that. And with that same arrogance, he gave a swat with a large paw at the incoming spectre. It ripped through it, and the chalky white shreds floated down through the air like snow.

A creature of magic, no ghost. Lorant would not have been able to harm it as he did if it were a lost soul. He gave a loud snort through his nose, pathetic. In moments the quiet rang through his ears, as if he never experienced it before. He stuck out his tongue and panted, his hot breath flitting towards the librarian. Lorant's tail thumped on the ground behind him. He was proud of himself. He was a good doggie.

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OOC: Awwww, Lorant <3 so coot little puppy

IC:

As the ghostly figure faded away, all Artemis could do was remain, pressed now with her back and shoulder against the warm fur of the beast behind her- the beast that had protected her, and now one that was thumping his tail. It was only at this gesture that she realized he was her second plight, despite him saving her life as she pulled away suddenly, staring at him with terrified eyes as she grimaced, uncertain what to make of him as she crawled backwards and away.

However, she didn't get too far as she paused, blinking slightly-
it's tail was wagging...
wagging...
didn't dogs normally wag their tails when they were happy?
Blinking, because she was most certainly UNCERTAIN about this little arrangement, but on the other hand...
This creature had just saved her life.

She felt her shoulders settle a little, though they were still tense as she tried to study his face, tried to make sense of this was but-
her mind rattled, it was too difficult to fathom, so she merely pressed on through a whimpering breath, "That's a good dog, yes.. now,.. er.. nice.. wofly.. beastly thing... Just stay there and be a good dog, now." She gave a nervous laugh, but still continued to crawl away from him until she gave a  gasp, back of her shoulder hitting against the back wall- the force knocking over an urn from above that smashed beside her as she slapped her hands to her ears, gasping and tensing with fright.

[Looshi]

He was so proud of himself! Wait until he told the Bishop! Maybe he'd be given treats?! Those thoughts had his tail thumping louder against the flooring, but then it slowed when the librarian pushed away with him, fright dancing on her features. Lorant tilted his big head, in the sheepish dog-like way. He wasn't going to hurt her. Yet, he understood her fear. He was large and intimidating, much more threatening than an average wolf. He assumed that was the point.

He stood up to his full height and made paces towards her as she tried to slither away, his eyes were wide and bright. Lorant flinched as the vase dropped down, his hackles raising and readying for another attack beyond the door, but when there was nothing, he relaxed back down. With obvious hesitation, he nuzzled at the librarian's face, trying to give what little comfort he could offer. Lorant waited not for her to calm down, brief was his kindness. The open door called to him like a rampant howling wind. And he padded off towards the dark, his claws clicking on the floor.

A nose had better sight than eyes. Better yet, a wolf nose had better smell than a humans. Lorant was reluctant to change shape on certain reasons, and those were some of them. The room was unlike what he expected; he expected another poorly lit chamber stacked to the roof with books. The books were there, hundreds of them. But sitting in the centre of the room as a desk made out of expensive and old wood. Inks laid dry in their containers, and quill pens sprawled haphazardly over wreaths of paper. Questions burned in his mind as he pressed his wet nose to the flooring.

Why was there magic? Why is there magic? This was Connlaoth! Why haven't the Mordecai found this place? Someone was keeping a secret, but to what purpose?  He still did not have the answers. Lorant's nose rolled over countless piles of dust that had him sneezing, but all the while they were telling him stories. It had been a long time anyone was down here. He was beginning to presume it was forgotten on purpose.

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Artemis let out a  squeal when the wet nose found her again, dizzy by the fact the wolf was being... 'puppish'.  So she blinked, hair in disarray as she followed his body as he disappeared into another back room.  It took some time for her to compose herself- as she found herself rambling terribly to herself-

"Oh, Artemis, what did you get yourself into this time?" she began, hands shaking as she pushed herself, only barely to her feet, needing to use the nearby wall for support. "Here I find there are magical books in a library, some man hunting after them can transform into an animal- and some ghasty, ghostly woman tried to rip off my face." She choked on the expression, clutching at her dress. "Gods... maybe I'm dreaming." she said, feeling dizzy as she wilted against the wall. But still, curiosity lead her forth, noticing, with some interest, the room Lorant had disappeared, so further down the rabbit hole she went, leaning against the wall for support, holding her breath as she stepped in through the open door.


There was much to be seen in this place- stacks and stacks of books that were ancient and old and reached near tot he ceiling. Craning her neck, she found herself amazed as she took a few steps in, then a few steps backwards towards the back wall, to give herself enough room to crane her neck properly to just take it all in.

"Books.. there has to be thousands upon thousands of books!"

Fear still over took her, but now she was enchanted, and could not help herself from slowly following along the wall of one book shelf, heavy and overstuffed with books, stood out to her.  As did a worn, fat blue book as well- for it stood out, seeming to have settled out of place as the librarian in her took over and she attempted to push the blue book back into place.
"There." she said, rather proudly to herself before turning around and hearing a click. But the moment her eyes swept over Lorant, the book shelf came to life, pivoting and sweeping her into the wall as it turned with a lurch, carrying her out of view.

[Looshi]

Lorant let out a series of sharp barks when out of the corners of his eyes he saw the wall move, and the librarian girl disappear. He sped over, his body jarring stacks of books. One of them tumbled over, and the loud sound reined over the room. Pages fluttered into the air, but he had no time to care for such messes. The bookshelf was gone, and what stood in its place was a wall. Carved into its face was a scene akin to what decorated the library's architecture. Connlaoth, strong and proud. Lorant turned around on the spot, giving a low desperate whine. He clawed at the wall, standing up on his hind legs.

What trickery was this? He demanded to know!

The wall gave him a blank stare. He knew what he needed to do. Outside the room was a pile of his clothing, and he wound his way back to them. Lorant hunkered down, and a soft tingling drew up his legs, to his shoulders, down his back and over his face. Slowly, he shrank back down to his man flesh, and the cold air pressed upon his bare skin. If the girl were there to see, she may  have fainted once more, as there was now a naked man crouched in the dark. Ansgar must have been breathing fortune on him. His pants were still intact. Lorant could say the same for his shirt as he played with it in his has. The awkward transformation was the last it could take. He dressed in what he could, leaving him bare chested but not bare bottomed.

"Librarian!" Lorant pressed himself against the wall, ears to it. "Can you hear me? Oh most likely not." He scowled. His hands were feeling up and down along the wall and when he felt a loose stone, he pressed on it. With a click, the wall turned, taking him with it the same way it took her.

   It was pitch black on the other side, and his eyes struggled to adjust. Lorant breathed in the stale air through his mouth, and taking a step forward made him stumble as stairs laid below his feet.

"Librarian!" He called again, his own voice echoing back.

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When the wall sealed behind her- she gave a start, not knowing what to do or knowing where she was. She stared out tensely into the darkness as her eyes adjusted- but soon heard Lorant calling through the shelves. Turning around, she tried to look desperately for some sort of clue- the blue book- but before she could respond to Lorant, or even attempt to use the lever again, the floor rumbled and turned-  Spinning the wall around- so that the pair was on opposing sides yet again.

Blinking as she found herself back inside the room, she heard Lorant call from inside.

"Wolf!" she shouted, pressing herself against the books- also, feeling silly she had already forgot his name...
"I... I'm back on the other side! In the room with all of the books!"


OOC: lol

[Looshi]

 Oh for the love of-

It was like they were at a show at a local festival. One goes in, another goes out. Every year Vestalla would hold them. Lorant didn't like them. They were loud, people were everywhere, and being happy. It was safe to say, he wasn't fond of this one either. Lorant stepped down carefully, finding his footing on the stairs. The shadows felt like they were thicker there, as if he was breathing them in with the stale air.

"Do whatever you did!" He yelled back. "I'm away from the wall!"

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Blinking, Artemis looked up at the bookshelf, studying it and trying to figure out how this thing might work, then back down to the blue book from earlier.
And with haste, she clutched onto it, and tensed, feeling the shelf rumble as the wall shifted, pushing her and spinning her back into the darkness with him.

After a moment, she finally released a breath, noticing his form in the dark.
"I... well.. I'm here." she said softly, then noticed, the paleness of his bare torso flesh in the dark, and if he could see, he'd notice her face had become redder. And all she could do... was stare.
Yes.. awkwardly stare...

[Looshi]

He did see, and grinned with a laugh quick on his tongue. Modest little thing. Lorant was no great stud, whatever lean muscle he had was covered in dark hair. He didn't have the Connlaothian fair locks, but he did have that. Her staring was a nice little confidence boost, he had to admit. Yet it was hardly relevant to their situation.

"Librarian, you're drooling." He said cooly.

[visualspice]

Artemis jumped at his comment, a hand going over her lips.

"It's just- that- well - you- er.." and here she found her entire body going hot as she stuttered. "Yo're clothes!" she finally barked out, staring again as she braced herself against the book shelf.

"Wh-what happened to your-"

Shirt?

[Looshi]

"Shirt?" He finished, greatly amused at her flustered antics. Really now. It's like she had never seen a half-naked man before. She could hardly get a good look at him in the dark anyhow. "The seams tore." He said simply, Lorant assumed he needed no more of an explanation. The transformation was too much of a strain on his poor, poor clothing. Boo hoo. Despite his lax demeanour to the subject, he would hear an earful of it later from the Bishop.

"Wonder where this leads." He said, taking a couple of tentative steps down. Lorant glanced over his shoulder, certain he could see better than she could in the dark. He held out his hand. "Need me to guide you, Librarian?"

[visualspice]

Artemis blinked. Thank goodness he couldn't see her in the dark, for her face was quite red.  She thought about his explanation and realized, again, that he was a werewolf-
werewolf..
Something she had never believed in.

Until now.

She hesitated as she looked at his hand, then shook her head.
"N-no, I'm fine . I mean I can walk just fine, I.. I'll just follow behind you." she stammered.
Not only was she in the presence of a werewolf, something that just baffled her, but also int he presence of a shirtless man- and shirtless men , or even handsome men with shirts on, had always made her 'flittery'- as in she had no idea how to react to them in any sort of situation.

Lorant was no exception.
So she did all she could do- follow after him as they moved within the dark.

She was wringing her hands nervously as they walked and had she had not been so caught up within herself she might not have caught her boots upon themselves, for soon she was tripping over her own two feet as she stumbled forward, gasping as she fell right into... Lorant's bare chest.


OOC: lol

[Looshi]

As they made their way down the winding corridor, Lorant's mind was far from settled. His thoughts kept roaming, and try as he might he could not stop the ever growing feeling of dread in the core of his person. He had failed his god, and himself. The wolf had taken him, and he had let it. Let it! He was a pitiful creature, undeserving of forgiveness, but when he could, Lorant would take to his knees and beg his god to cleanse his soul. He could do better, he would say. He had to do better. But for now, he would delay as much as he could in the darkness. He didn't want to face the light. Not yet. Not yet...

His breath was stolen away as the librarian slammed into his back, and he barely caught her before she stumbled the rest of the way down the stairs. Lorant held her up by an arm, and pulled her into him. Her warmth against his bare flesh.

"Watch it." He said, a growl apparent behind his voice. Lorant set her back on the stairs, but didn't let go of her arm. The hallway was wide enough for two people to stand side by side, and he didn't care if she didn't want to, he would not have her fall and break her head open on some silly stairs. That would be a terrible way to go.

"Do you have a death wish, girl?" He said, "Stay beside me. At least I can hold on to you."

[visualspice]

Artemis's face was a glow with the hottest of blushes, her hands clammy and heated as well as they were held beneath his and she, guided away much more safely.
And all she cold do was stammer a lame, "Th-thank you," as she tried to focus her eyes on the darkness around them.
But as just a normal human, with no magics about her, it was impossible to see, and she nearly tripped again, breath catching in her throat, but this time she managed to catch herself against the wall just as they walked off of the stairs.

"It's so dark.." again, another lame comment- but what more could she say or do? She was blind here in the basement, the bowels of the library. And for what purpose? Why had she allowed herself to become so far lead astray- so far deep, deep beneath the ground of this house of books?

[Looshi]

Lorant was glad as they came to the bottom of the stairs, at one point he hadn't been sure if they would ever end. They were deep below the library now, and the staleness of the air did not improve. It all screamed at being ancient. How long had it been since anyone graced this place with a presence? A long time. His human nose couldn't tell, but the wolf at the back of his mind reassured him in his assumptions. He let go of the librarian, and took the first steps forward into the new domain. Blue light flickered beside him, and one by one torches lit up the hallway. Lorant covered his eyes with his arm, and winced visibly.

   "Magic!" He growled. The wolf was stirring once more. "What in Ansgar's name is this doing here? Was this built by mages? As an escape route from the city?"

   When his eyes were adjusted, he lowered his arm and looked back to the girl, her features set a glow in the wreath of the blue fire around them. "Look at this place." Lorant placed his hand on one of the supporting beams of the wall, and traced the designs with his fingers. "This was made from love, not haste."

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Startled by the display of blue flames, Artemis hung back, she too, shielding her eyes as they slowly began to adjust. And, despite the squirmy sensation she had around this magic, she was at least thankful that it was there enough to light their path. She wasn't fond of all of this travel in the dark.

Blinking, she finally lowered her hands away from her face and began to look around-
this place looked so.. so... old! And to think, such things existed beneath the library!
Though, as she approached the symbols chiseled into the wall, she could not help herself but wonder what had been here so many years ago-
Clearly it wasn't some sort of library as it were today, and idly, her fingers traced over the gentle recesses in the ancient text- and as she did so, she noticed Lorant was doing the same and her fingers flinched away as she blushed- but she couldn't help but feel..
as if when she touched the text.. something had whispered to her.

Turning around, she looked at the wall-
but nothing was there.
Just stale silence.


"This text looks very old," she began, after swallowing the dryness inside her throat away.  "And yes.. it is evident much care was taken into making this. Look at all of the detail." She was simply mesmerized by it, her eyes dancing against the full breath of a nearby blue torch.  She even slightly smiled, her heart fluttering.
But when she touched it again, she swore she heard something and drew her hand back-
the words had been haunting and so faint, she started to second guess herself as she lowered her hand to her side.
Clearly the ancient text was not whispering to her. That would be foolish. 


She turned to Lorant.
"Who do you think could have carved all of this?" and here her eyes swept outward into the room, noticing all of the walls and beams were full of this ancient text.
And it was beautiful.

[Looshi]

It reeked of magic. Had this been the place he was searching for all along? Hair was sticking up along the back of his neck, and he could feel the warmth of a torch light across his bare skin as he stood close. His calloused hands continued to trace along the ancient words, his mind struggling to comprehend what they just stumbled upon. By all reasonable actions they should have turned back through the dark stair case and brought the authorities. But he didn't trust the Mordecai. They were too afraid.

   "People not from our time." He said, his brown eyes glancing towards the librarian. His pulse was racing through his ears like thunder. Lorant, waved his hand through the flame of a torch, and came out unscathed. Pure magic.

   "They were smart." He began, taking steps forward into the hallway. "It's underground far enough that Mordecai abilities can't reach it."

   He wished he could read the writing spread all over the blue tinted walls. The light danced on them, as if telling their own stories. He wanted to know those tales. "The writing could be spells. We should be wary."

[visualspice]

Artemis heard his words, releasing a breath about how the text was obviously ancient, and she moved forward, despite his warnings and began to inspect each inscription carved into the wall. A thrill of excitement washed through her as she began to recognize some text- but in another aspect, it was as if it weren't just one language, but two, and then all together she realized it must've been some other language all together as she shook her head, simply staring in awe.

"I can almost read it.." she said, voice straining over one tone. Her infatuation kept her brown eyes glued upon the words. She shook her head, reading silently inside her head.
"Da'r... d'ar eth m'uht s'int uh..." she struggled over the words, brown eyes searching reading, digesting more. "It's.. it's a story-" she began- and as her fingers continued to move over the text, reading a little more, trying to decipher it as she went- her body prickled with excitement until-

The lights began to go out-
one snuffed at a time.
And as each one did, Artemis jumped, gasping and clutched a hand to her breast as slowly, but surely, the duo was suddenly surrounded in darkness.

"Oh... oh dear.." was all she could stammer-
and the darkness was so cold....



OOC: I just randomly made up ramblings she's saying lol
but on another note I'd write more but I have to go for the evening XD might post later if you reply~ :3 but yeah XD hopefully not a lot of typos in this D: *rushes out zee door*

[Looshi]

He wasn't quick enough to tell her to stop what she was saying. Lorant's heart caught in his throat, and the cold of anxiety seized him to the core. His instinct to run instead of fight was pushing hard against the corners of his primal mind. And one by one, the light around them was snuffed out like dark hands closing in on them. The two of them were left in darkness once more, and the air hung with stale dread.

"Why?!" Lorant yelled out, grasping at his hair to pull it. "Turn the lights back on! Turn them on!" He wasn't certain who he was asking, but desperation was in his voice. While he could see, the werewolf hated the feeling of the darkness swimming around them. It was as if it had a presence of it's own, slithering down the back of his neck.

   "What did you do?" He stalked over to the librarian, and took her by the arm. And he would have said more but his words were cut off. Below them the floor rumbled.

[visualspice]

If all of Artemis's hair could stand on end, it probably would, as his sudden shoutings had frightened her as she clamped her hands over her ears and grimaced.  His voice was thunderous, like the sharp bark of a dog.
And then his sudden anger was turned oh her. Gasping, she took a step back, but he had already fetched onto her arm. Her eyes went to his, she held a breath and froze- having no idea how to explain herself when suddenly the floor began to rumble, the entire room beginning to shake.

Artemis gave a start, leaping off the ground as it felt the very tile she had been standing on had begun to move- and when she looked down, she noticed there were glyphs there too, similar to the one she had been reading on the wall- and the only reason she could see them in the dark, was because a snuff of light began to warm in their centers, and pooling across the glyphs like water as they glowed.
Blinking, her eyes looked this way and that, realizing the entire set of tile throughout the room posessing the glyphs from the story began to light up in a big wave of a burning gold color starting from one end of the room to the next, until the entire place was consumed in it's subtle light and eerie glyphics peered back at them like glowing eyes.

"Oh.... oh my..."
She curled a set of fingers to her lips, feeling herself trembled- and all she could say in her defense was.
"But I was just reading it- it .. it was just a story.."

What harm ever came from just reading a story?!