Of Wolves and Ice [Frieza]

Ruby trudged through the ice, her breath misting in the air and as the sun dipped lower and lower her eyes flickered to gold and back again as the wolf threatened to break free of its cage, she still had a few hours, but she could feel the beast slamming against its restrains, pegging, pleading, crying to be released, to be let out. This was the worst part of her curse, the waiting. The wolf was a part of her and apart of her was hurting from the effort of restraint, it was complicated but she felt the beasts pain.

The sound of whirling gears and a heavy male voice made her physically wince, her senses were hyper sensitive during this time of the month and it made her incredibly uneasy, the noise was a jackhammer to her skull. She grinded her teeth forcing the wolf within her to stop its snarling, but not all the restraint in the world could keep her eyes from flickering to gold and then back to green and then back to gold, and her brows furrowed in confusion at his words.

"Your ship? There is not a body of water for quite some distance, I apologize if this is your land, my intention was not to intrude, I was actually hunting deer. Girls gotta eat." She flashed him a crooked smile and held up her bow as if to prove her point. She eyed his strange hovering chair, guessing immediately that this was not his given home, more than likely he was dragged here by the curse, even his odd appearance screamed of something else.


"I'm assuming you're not from around here?" She spoke the words as politely as she could, perhaps if he was feeling lost she could help him. She had helped a great deal of newcomers and she was forever looking for an ally over an enemy. Friendliness was in her nature, in the very embodiment of her blood. Even the wolf had ceased its panicked snarls. For now, at least, he would be given the benefit of the doubt.

Ruby watched his reaction carefully, he seemed in slight shock that she wasn't here spying on him. Did that happen often from where he was from? She couldn't imagine being spied on all the time, she could imagine the wolf within her ripping whatever poor soul tried to shreds. She winced a bit at that image, the beast was dominating during these brief few hours, even she found control difficult during these times. She shook away the beasts bloodthirsty thoughts and almost jumped out of her flesh as he shot a proverbial death ray from the tip of his finger.

Well damn... maybe Regina wasn't so bad, hopefully he wouldn't turn out trying to take over this realm, because she wasn't sure if magic could stand up to whatever power this man wielded. Hesitating slightly, she dragged the carcass into the clearing and glanced back up at the strange male.

"Would you like some? I help my Granny run the Golden Inn... I'm not too shabby of a cook." She smiled up at him, if this was his land, and since he had killed her dinner, the least she could do was offer him some, she just had to make sure she vanished before the sun set, she wasn't sure how he would react to her being a Child of Luna, and she didn't want to die because she startled him. Ruby blinked as his quiet and calm demeanor shattered as he announced his title. Her eyes flickered, changing from gold, to green and then back again, the wolf was growing agitated. Ruby forced it away. He calmed again as he asked her who she was.

"My name is Ruby... or Red whichever you prefer and I cannot shoot death rays from my fingertips so I'm a considerably less powerful being." She was careful not to say human, because she wasn't and she didn't want to lie to him. She just hoped he would find her statement worth a chuckle and not take offense, sometimes she couldn't help the witty retorts that escaped her without her consent.

Ruby watched the strange being. Despite her vast knowledge of earth and all of its technologies, she knew his knowledge and the machine allowing him to float was something well beyond her knowledge. He seemed to have a great deal of power, and she could only imagine what other weapons he had hidden. If that was his own energy... what kind of weapons could he have hidden? She didn't want to test him, even with the strength and power of the wolf, she couldn't stand much of a chance against a death ray... but he couldn't be all bad, he hadn't killed her, nor harmed her and aside from originally being put off by her initial presence he hadn't done much in the way of cruelties.

"Please come down. I'm sad to say I can't fly and it will be awfully hard to give you your rack of venison without you being within my reach." Red smiled up at him, before squatting down to skin the animal. Not really thinking and still feeling the power of the wolf coursing through her veins, she didn't bother with a knife, simply cracked the ribs apart with her bare hands before kindling a small fire and setting to work on cooking the meat. She winced slightly at her mistake, but made no move to justify it. He would either make note of it, or he wouldn't. "Here, I don't have any spices or herbs put its at least tender."

Red sat back on the balls of her feet, crouched low as she bit into her side, no doubt the wolf would devour a great deal of the carcass after she turned. It was essential she come to these more abandoned areas when the full moon came, despite her control over the wolf, Red liked to play it safe. She watched him carefully, eyes flickering and lighting up as he asked her where she came from. She swallowed down her piece of meat and licked her lips.

"This is my homeland. I was born in a small, poor village, just barely sustained by the land, I'm not even sure if it exists anymore... this entire world was placed under a horrible curse and all of us were taken to a different world, our memories wiped clean. Only recently were we brought back, but now, I fear, the curse is working in reverse, ripping innocent people away from their own worlds to bring them here... much like yourself. What world do you come from?"

From his expressions and his tones she wondered vaguely if he had ever had a conversation without some greater goal in mind. He seemed kind of surprised at himself and at her as if he couldn't believe she had not done something to try to kill him or vice versa. She wondered what kind of world he must come from to think so dismally of every creature he came across.

She accepted his apology with flourish, smiling rather largely and dipping her head in appreciation for his thanks. It was even more bizarre seeing his hovercraft floating without him in it, but to each his own inventions. Red was not one to judge based on appearances. She changed into a monstrous black wolf who had a taste for human flesh... who was she to change.

She was surprised when he began telling her his past. He didn't seem like the type of person who opened up to people easily. She wondered what was different about her, why he had chosen her of all people to tell all of this too. His past wasn't pretty, but then again whose was? Was there anyone out there with a clean slate? With things they didn't regret or disliked doing. Red had a list of them, and it was clear he was not as cruel as he was making himself out to sound like. Red listened intently, she did not mock him, or interrupt, she let him get it all out only nodding when appropriate to show that she was listening.

At the end of his explanation Red remained silent mulling over his words carefully. It was difficult for her to imagine a realm where space travel was something simple and given little to no thought. She couldn't imagine a realm where conquering and selling practice was common place. Ruby never dreamed of owning the skies, how could she when she could not even own all the sides of her on the ground? She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully mulling over her words carefully before moving to speak.

"Everyone has sins marring the past, and if someone tries to tell you otherwise, they are a liar and more than likely a thief... at least in my experience." Red smiled lightly, humorlessly. "I ran away with my lover and killed him in cold blood because I could not control my curse... and if I can not claim control of myself... who am I to judge anyone else?" She wondered if they had curses where he came from, she wondered if he knew what a curse was... but just because he had killed people, didn't mean she was going to run away screaming. He had showed her no ill intent and she wasn't planning on leaving.

Red listened intently, her overly sensitized ears catching every miniscule rise and fall in his tones. Yes she was most certain he had a dark side, but so did she. His was much more voluntary, but if Ruby had taken the time to learn to control the wolf, a great deal of death could have been prevented. She chewed her meat thoughtfully before gulping it down to speak.

"And yet if you are as evil as you claim, why did you not strike me down the moment you laid your eyes upon me? With that laser trick it would have been fairly easy. I doubt my arrows could have dealt much damage even if you had missed me... if you are so evil why kill a deer for me? Why join me for dinner and engage in casual conversation?" Her bright green eyes twinkled with laughter, not at him, but at the world in general, Ruby was always making light of intense situations.

"Not that I'm complaining, I much prefer being in one solid piece than with a gaping hole through my abdomen." She winked at him laughing animatedly as she finished the last of her meat and rose to stand to grab a thigh off of the deer. She turned back to look over her shoulder. "Would you like some more? My curse makes me unbearably hungry during this time of the month." She returned to the fireside and began cooking the large portion of meat.

"You are correct. We are different, it has been your free will that has taken lives and not some fabled curse, but you are not a monster. If you were... you would be like me when I turn, no regard for anything or anyone. It matters little to the beast if you are pure of heart or have killed a thousand innocents once my beast takes over, everything becomes fair game. You may take lives, but you choose who to kill and who to leave alone." She tilted her head up to glance at the still barely visible moon.

"In a few hours time. Luna will be shining her light through these lands, and once her light hits me..." Ruby locked his gaze, her eyes rippled, fading from her human green to a wicked gold. Her teeth lengthened just slightly and her face grew just a tad longer. "I will be gone and in my place will stand the wolf the size of which you have probably never seen." Red shivered violently and all traces of the change were gone. "I've tried to learn to control it, but to no avail, it's the real reason that I'm out here... so I don't hurt anyone." Her voice was softer, quieter. It was clear that she had a great amount of difficulty with this knowledge... but then again who enjoyed a loss of control?

Ruby had begun to tell him about the only monster she hosted when he exploded. Emerald eyes widened as he screamed at her. Her mouth fell open in slight shock as she took his words without a sound. She didn't say a word, she allowed him to belittle her to scream his rage at her. After a moment she closed her mouth and looked straight down at the ground. She didn't make a sound, didn't flinch and took his words with a straight spine. She only looked up again when she was sure he was gone. Dropping the rest of the thigh away, suddenly no longer hungry she stood up, wiping the tears she refused to let fall from the corners of her eyes, she extinguished the fire and erased all traces of her small campsite ever being there.

Stubbornly she scuffed out the traces of her footprints in the snow before looking up into the sky, the sun was low slowly dipping below the horizon and Ruby felt the hurt ripple through her body, ripple through the wolf, and suddenly she didn't want to wait for the sun to vanish. She wanted to run now.

Red raced through the snow, the winter air stung her cheeks and nipped at the tip of her nose as she sprinted through the forest. Her flesh was flushed with the efforts of her exertion and goosebumps broke out across her skin as the bitter cold sunk in deep. Emerald eyes glittered with barely contained excitement as her pace turned faster and faster. Nimble fingers worked furiously, ripping away articles of clothing with every snap of a clasp and every loosening of a lace. A trail of clothing lay strewn behind her and even then her eyes only seemed to glow brighter.

Her eyes swirled to a thick gold. She felt the bones cracking in her arms, lengthening, molding, regrowing, bare as the day she was born she raced through the forest suspended on all four limbs, her gait turning faster and faster. Her spine cracked and bent, the bones grinding against one another as her tail extended from her rear. Her face elongated, her nose sunk in, teeth became dagger-like fangs and manicured nails became jagged talons. Ebony fur erupted across her flesh until nothing remained of the woman and everything remained of the monster. She didn't want control this time, she wanted freedom and she let the monster have her. Dark black fur sunk into the snow, there was a brief pause in her furious pace as she simply felt and then... she was gone. A dark, ebony blur flying across the snow at unmatchable speeds. Her chest heaved with her excitement, her tongue flying from the corners of her mouth as her fur warmed the very depths of her bones. Nothing could ever compare to this euphoria, this feeling. Pounding the earth she tore through the trees, rocketing through the snow. She pitied whatever pitiful creature crossed her path this day.

Ruby and red... completely different human beings that had been fused together during a horrid curse... were gone. Ruby was curled up asleep somewhere in the darkness of her own mind, Red sleeping soundly right next to her, three souls inhabiting the same body, theirs and the beasts and while normally it was Red that fought for control, who tried to conquer and tame the beast., but this night she had merely surrendered to the monster. She let it take her, and Red slept on, while the beat tore anything it came upon to shreds.

Pounding the earth at a relentless pace the monstrous creature plowed through frozen streams, grinding them into dust and cracking them beneath its strength. It didn't jump over bushes or fallen logs, simply plowed straight through them sending the wood splintering in all directions. Animals scampered out of its way, they could feel its power beating like a war drum through every strike of its paws. It owned the forest, this was its domain and it ruled with an iron fist. Angry and ferocious the monster continued its violent reign.

A voice. It knew not the words it spoke nor did it care, but its claws tore into the dirt and its jaws splayed wide in a snarl that could have made grown men quiver in their boots as it rounded on this creature. Who it was mattered little, their size it cared for even less. Soulless, angry golden spheres pierced the darkness like beacons. Daring the creature to draw closer, daring it to attack. Muscles rippled beneath ebony flesh and it radiated the strength given to it by the power of Luna. Jaws splayed wide, rows of glistening white fangs, as long as ones forearm oozed with saliva which dripped from its teeth to pool upon the forest floor, its tongue coiled back in its mouth before unfurling letting out a roar befitting a demon straight from the depths of hell. Whoever this being was, they better pray they stay out of the monsters reach.

The monster was gigantic a beast of raw power, destruction its mistress, bloodlust its lover. Cold and calloused golden eyes flickered with such things, looking to destroy whatever lay in its path. The beast could not fly though, it had no super natural powers only its raw primitive power. Thick, bulky muscles set to the earth, a furious unmatchable pace as it followed the flying pest. Its paws pounding the earth were nothing short of thunderous cracking through the silence.

It saw nothing but how it would destroy the creature above it, their words fell on deaf ears, it did not hear them nor did it care. Its speeds only increased. The scent of fear caught the creatures nostrils and it veered off to the left, momentarily distracted by the smell of anxiety. The heard of elk were set off into a panic and attempted to flee, but they weren't fast enough. The monster lunged, caught one of the beasts by the jugular and ripped the life supporting vein from its throat. Blood spewed from the artery while the creature screamed, wheezing through its last few breaths as the wolf tore into its side. Claws spearing the flesh in an effort to hold down the blood soaked carcass.

Canines tore through flesh and muscle, slicing through organs, and resting upon bone. Massive muscles pulled loose mouthfuls of entrails and stringed muscle, hardly chewing it and swallowing it down like the feral beast it was. The cracking of the elks ribs whipped through the air as the monster applied more pressure to grab a bigger mouthful. Intestines, half eaten chunks of liver and pancreas littered the forest floor and stained her fur. Golden eyes caught a glimpse of purple trailing in the sky and she turned.

Long wintery teeth now stained a nasty crimson with blood, it fur now dripping with the life force it had taken, its attention returned to the best in the sky and once again it set a furious pace. The monster no such things as time. All that mattered was the destruction, the power it could wrought against the earth.

But then... the beast skidded to a halt the sun beginning to peak over the horizon, fear clouded the monsters eyes, wide and trembling, it turned on its heel, charging back into the thick forest in a desperate attempt to escape the sun's rays but no creature can be so fast. The monster screamed, it fur retracting back into human flesh, its arm and legs cracking and splintering, reshaping bone and ligaments. Her spine bent and twisted, allowing her once more to rise up on two legs. Her body writhed in the snow as agony overtook all other senses, her body twisting and cracking in unnatural ways. The beasts jaws splayed wide, a silent cry as the snout returned to the fine structured face of Ruby. Golden eyes flickered their last dying breath and were replaced with emerald green.

Red gasped, her lungs screaming for air as she desperately tried to regain herself. A round of violent hacking coughs shook her frame. Her eyes were wild and unfocused and spasms still rocked her body as she tried to gain her bearings figure out where she was. Sweat plastered her hair to her flesh as she scanned the forest. She looked down eyes widening as she stared at the blood that covered her chest and arms, her blood soaked fingers trailed across her face to feel the thick life force beginning to cake onto her flesh.

Tears flooded her eyes and she stood up, backing up quickly and ramming into one of the trees hard enough to shake snow loose. So long, so hard she had worked for her control and just like that it had been shattered.

"Not again... not again..." Red trembled, sinking to her knees in the snow. She let the bitter chill of the element numb her flesh and the devastation she felt in her heart.