No I am Doyle
1 Angry Lawyer
Part 34 - When Fur Flies
Thaddeus landed in the middle of the street in the outskirts of Berdyans'k. Small homes with smoking chimneys line the avenue. He sniffed at the cold night air; the stench of aged misery still clung like brambles to cloth. He felt not the cold, internal warmth poured off him like a furnace. Thaddeus looked to the heavens.
"I am not sure where he went to"¦ well, you should still know. I knew before that infernal machine child had its little tantrum." Thaddeus threw his hands up. "I swear"¦ you are no help"¦ so called Powers That Be and you can't tell me where a single werewolf is. Oh, no challenge, eh"¦ don't you think I've had enough challenges over the millennia. No. I'll do it on my own." Thaddeus stretched out his powerful arms, his feathers fell free like a dandelion. They disappeared onto the wind. As he molted, his massive muscles shrank down. All bird-like features shifted and melded into a human looking eyes, nose, mouth, and feet. His wings folded into his back and the shimmering halo faded from sight. His golden clothing refit to his new size. Black hair replaced his multicolored plumage; Thaddeus took on a Scandinavian human appearance.
"Now"¦ where to begin. I will have to walk it from here." He began to stroll along the street, the air swished strangely on his now bare skin. A car backfired behind him, black smoke discharged from the tailpipe.
"They really have devised magnificent means of defiling all that you have created," he said to his unseen advisory, "just observing... Not interfere? What do you call what you have sent me here to do? Yes, yes, necessity." As he walked several vagrants gave the strangely dressed man who talked to himself odd looks. "I am not saying that we should let them handle this on their own, but"¦" Thaddeus stopped and looked at an old man who lay in an alley, hacking and coughing; illness escaped into the bitter wind. His frail body shook from hunger and despair. The man, the Archangel felt, had lived a decent life and now suffered for his lack of greed. Thaddeus' heart fell at the sight. So many people had walked past in heartless detachment.
"No wonder so many apocalypses had ripened in the autumn of man's inhumanity," Thaddeus said with disgust. The angel pulled the staff from its casing, plucking a lush green leaf from the sacred wood. He crushed the leaf in his gauntlet. The withering man gazed upon Thaddeus, his illness allowed him a glimpse of the true visage of the Power's avatar, yet he knew no fear.
"Here child, eat this," he said, placing the leaf paste upon the man's bloated tongue. He began to cough out the disease that gripped him; his pale flesh took on a lively hue. His mercy complete, Thaddeus started walking down the street again. He looked up as the Powers spoke to him.
"Oh, I know"¦ we are already interfering, what's one more"¦ leave me be."
-
The two lovers lay in Natalie's bed, their limbs intertwined; she kept looking at the ring he had given her. It was a humble ring, yet Natalie saw it as the most beautiful thing ever. Oz absently ran his fingers through her hair.
"You know," said Oz, gazing out at the full moon, "I really don't miss the cages." Over the last years, he had managed a remarkable level of control over his transformations. The techniques of influence he had learned in Tibet had come to full fruition. He no longer feared the moon, even though his blood still ran hot during these three nights.
"I am sure," Natalie said with a laugh.
"So, when were you going to tell your family?" he asked.
"Probably tomorrow. You?" Her delicate fingers circled his bare arms.
"I haven't spoken to them all that much since my cousin Jordy bit me. Something about the werewolf thing"¦ I think they can only deal with one wolf in the family. But I am sure I'll call them sometime soon." She nodded in understanding. Oz's mind soared in thought. Natalie rolled on her back and sighed lightly.
"I can't wait to go to the carnival tomorrow," she said, "They remind me of when I was a child."
"Oh yeah, I always liked the Gravitron." Oz gave way to a moment of reflection. "Although"¦ it's not a really good idea after five corn dogs." Natalie laughed and rolled over again to look at him. Her smile dropped away.
"I just, well, I don't have that good of relationship with my mother and father anymore." Natalie admitted. "Not since they were divorced. Now they speak to me as much as each other. I just miss the old days. Being a child. Holidays. The circus"¦ Oh, there is going to be circus at the end of the carnival, in like, two weeks."
Oz's reflection turned dark. His thoughts were torn from a place of innocence, his blood boiled, he felt hunger overtake him. Spasms wracked his chest. Oz felt his muscles twitch. Suddenly, he knew he needed to leave. He had no time to spare. Oz leapt up from the bed, wearing only pants. He felt the hair grow long on his arms and back.
"What is it, Oz?" asked Natalie. Worry etched into her features as she reached out foe him. Oz looked back and forth for the quickest exit. The wolf was coming, and Natalie's safety was in jeopardy.
"I've gotta leave. I'm changing." Oz's face puffed as his bones stretched and reshaped. His ribcage widened, a cracking, shifting sound coming from them. Oz groaned as he ran for the bathroom door. He would never make it back to his apartment, back to his cage. As he ran into the bathroom, he screamed out, "Natalie, don't open this door." He slammed the door shut and with a moan of pain, he locked the door.
Natalie got out of the bed. Slowly, she walked towards the door separating her fiancé and herself. Behind it, she could hear groans and thumping. The groans were quickly replaced with low growls, and Natalie became very scared. She had only witnessed one transformation in the past, and then, Oz had been in his cage. He had let himself go to show her the truth and the danger of their relationship. Now, the wolf was free, or rather, only locked behind a flimsy wooden door.
"Oz?" she asked meekly. She heard nothing. "Oz?" She moved in close to the door, listening. No thumping, no growling, nothing. Natalie's bare feet slid lightly across the old carpet. She let out a fearful sigh. She could only wonder, what was causing him to change? "Oz"¦ are you all right?" Still, no sounds came from behind the door. Her eyes were lightly rimmed with tears.
"Please, Oz, say something," she asked weakly. Natalie jumped as a clawed fist slammed through the door, accompanied by a deep growl. She ran for the front door to her apartment. Behind her, the sound of wood cracking resonated richly as the door was splintered free of its hinges. Natalie glanced back as she fumbled with the door handle. She saw Oz, fully changed, leaping at her from only a few meters away, claws bore to strike.
-
The stranger had just arrived in Donets'k, taking his first few steps off the air plane. It had been the first time he had ever ridden in a plane and he found that it was just another one of the splendors this world had to offer. The man was considered to be very handsome, and well muscled. He was well dressed in black pants and a black leather coat that was bought for him by a former love. His light brown hair had been grown to its once great length. Deep blue and not fully human eyes glanced at his surroundings with a seemingly perpetual naivety. The stewardess bid him a good night, followed by a lingering smile.
"And you to," the man said, beaming back charismatically, as he walked down the stairway to the runway below. Cool wind blew and clouds seemed to gather in the dark horizon. The stranger pulled his coat closed, a small shiver collected at the base of his spine. At the end of the runway, an older man in a fine suit leaned against a car. He approached the stranger; his walk was a casual swagger.
"Are you the Groosalug?" he asked, offering his hand to the foriegner.
"Yes, yes I am, my friend."
Thaddeus landed in the middle of the street in the outskirts of Berdyans'k. Small homes with smoking chimneys line the avenue. He sniffed at the cold night air; the stench of aged misery still clung like brambles to cloth. He felt not the cold, internal warmth poured off him like a furnace. Thaddeus looked to the heavens.
"I am not sure where he went to"¦ well, you should still know. I knew before that infernal machine child had its little tantrum." Thaddeus threw his hands up. "I swear"¦ you are no help"¦ so called Powers That Be and you can't tell me where a single werewolf is. Oh, no challenge, eh"¦ don't you think I've had enough challenges over the millennia. No. I'll do it on my own." Thaddeus stretched out his powerful arms, his feathers fell free like a dandelion. They disappeared onto the wind. As he molted, his massive muscles shrank down. All bird-like features shifted and melded into a human looking eyes, nose, mouth, and feet. His wings folded into his back and the shimmering halo faded from sight. His golden clothing refit to his new size. Black hair replaced his multicolored plumage; Thaddeus took on a Scandinavian human appearance.
"Now"¦ where to begin. I will have to walk it from here." He began to stroll along the street, the air swished strangely on his now bare skin. A car backfired behind him, black smoke discharged from the tailpipe.
"They really have devised magnificent means of defiling all that you have created," he said to his unseen advisory, "just observing... Not interfere? What do you call what you have sent me here to do? Yes, yes, necessity." As he walked several vagrants gave the strangely dressed man who talked to himself odd looks. "I am not saying that we should let them handle this on their own, but"¦" Thaddeus stopped and looked at an old man who lay in an alley, hacking and coughing; illness escaped into the bitter wind. His frail body shook from hunger and despair. The man, the Archangel felt, had lived a decent life and now suffered for his lack of greed. Thaddeus' heart fell at the sight. So many people had walked past in heartless detachment.
"No wonder so many apocalypses had ripened in the autumn of man's inhumanity," Thaddeus said with disgust. The angel pulled the staff from its casing, plucking a lush green leaf from the sacred wood. He crushed the leaf in his gauntlet. The withering man gazed upon Thaddeus, his illness allowed him a glimpse of the true visage of the Power's avatar, yet he knew no fear.
"Here child, eat this," he said, placing the leaf paste upon the man's bloated tongue. He began to cough out the disease that gripped him; his pale flesh took on a lively hue. His mercy complete, Thaddeus started walking down the street again. He looked up as the Powers spoke to him.
"Oh, I know"¦ we are already interfering, what's one more"¦ leave me be."
-
The two lovers lay in Natalie's bed, their limbs intertwined; she kept looking at the ring he had given her. It was a humble ring, yet Natalie saw it as the most beautiful thing ever. Oz absently ran his fingers through her hair.
"You know," said Oz, gazing out at the full moon, "I really don't miss the cages." Over the last years, he had managed a remarkable level of control over his transformations. The techniques of influence he had learned in Tibet had come to full fruition. He no longer feared the moon, even though his blood still ran hot during these three nights.
"I am sure," Natalie said with a laugh.
"So, when were you going to tell your family?" he asked.
"Probably tomorrow. You?" Her delicate fingers circled his bare arms.
"I haven't spoken to them all that much since my cousin Jordy bit me. Something about the werewolf thing"¦ I think they can only deal with one wolf in the family. But I am sure I'll call them sometime soon." She nodded in understanding. Oz's mind soared in thought. Natalie rolled on her back and sighed lightly.
"I can't wait to go to the carnival tomorrow," she said, "They remind me of when I was a child."
"Oh yeah, I always liked the Gravitron." Oz gave way to a moment of reflection. "Although"¦ it's not a really good idea after five corn dogs." Natalie laughed and rolled over again to look at him. Her smile dropped away.
"I just, well, I don't have that good of relationship with my mother and father anymore." Natalie admitted. "Not since they were divorced. Now they speak to me as much as each other. I just miss the old days. Being a child. Holidays. The circus"¦ Oh, there is going to be circus at the end of the carnival, in like, two weeks."
Oz's reflection turned dark. His thoughts were torn from a place of innocence, his blood boiled, he felt hunger overtake him. Spasms wracked his chest. Oz felt his muscles twitch. Suddenly, he knew he needed to leave. He had no time to spare. Oz leapt up from the bed, wearing only pants. He felt the hair grow long on his arms and back.
"What is it, Oz?" asked Natalie. Worry etched into her features as she reached out foe him. Oz looked back and forth for the quickest exit. The wolf was coming, and Natalie's safety was in jeopardy.
"I've gotta leave. I'm changing." Oz's face puffed as his bones stretched and reshaped. His ribcage widened, a cracking, shifting sound coming from them. Oz groaned as he ran for the bathroom door. He would never make it back to his apartment, back to his cage. As he ran into the bathroom, he screamed out, "Natalie, don't open this door." He slammed the door shut and with a moan of pain, he locked the door.
Natalie got out of the bed. Slowly, she walked towards the door separating her fiancé and herself. Behind it, she could hear groans and thumping. The groans were quickly replaced with low growls, and Natalie became very scared. She had only witnessed one transformation in the past, and then, Oz had been in his cage. He had let himself go to show her the truth and the danger of their relationship. Now, the wolf was free, or rather, only locked behind a flimsy wooden door.
"Oz?" she asked meekly. She heard nothing. "Oz?" She moved in close to the door, listening. No thumping, no growling, nothing. Natalie's bare feet slid lightly across the old carpet. She let out a fearful sigh. She could only wonder, what was causing him to change? "Oz"¦ are you all right?" Still, no sounds came from behind the door. Her eyes were lightly rimmed with tears.
"Please, Oz, say something," she asked weakly. Natalie jumped as a clawed fist slammed through the door, accompanied by a deep growl. She ran for the front door to her apartment. Behind her, the sound of wood cracking resonated richly as the door was splintered free of its hinges. Natalie glanced back as she fumbled with the door handle. She saw Oz, fully changed, leaping at her from only a few meters away, claws bore to strike.
-
The stranger had just arrived in Donets'k, taking his first few steps off the air plane. It had been the first time he had ever ridden in a plane and he found that it was just another one of the splendors this world had to offer. The man was considered to be very handsome, and well muscled. He was well dressed in black pants and a black leather coat that was bought for him by a former love. His light brown hair had been grown to its once great length. Deep blue and not fully human eyes glanced at his surroundings with a seemingly perpetual naivety. The stewardess bid him a good night, followed by a lingering smile.
"And you to," the man said, beaming back charismatically, as he walked down the stairway to the runway below. Cool wind blew and clouds seemed to gather in the dark horizon. The stranger pulled his coat closed, a small shiver collected at the base of his spine. At the end of the runway, an older man in a fine suit leaned against a car. He approached the stranger; his walk was a casual swagger.
"Are you the Groosalug?" he asked, offering his hand to the foriegner.
"Yes, yes I am, my friend."