Bullseye [Hunter]

Ruby had never been harmed during one of her transformations, at least never like this. It was difficult for her to cope. Her eyes became a litany of colors, changing constantly back and forth, flickering from the gold of the wolf to the emerald green of Red's. She couldn't release the wolf, not so horribly injured, her canines were still too long, her vision and hearing too acute. It was painful. Wickedly so, it hurt worse than the damned arrow. The blow to the wolfs pride, coupled with the agony of being struck down, was a harder blow to Red's heart than any weapon could ever make.

Before she could pull the piece out a woman appeared at her side. It was difficult for Red to stop the snarl from bubbling up through her vocal cords. The beast was wounded and frightened and it wanted nothing near it, but Ruby could tell the woman only wished to help and forced the beast away, grinding her teeth and fighting through the pain.

"T-thank you...m-my name is Red." Red stuttered as much as she could but it came out more of a growl, the beast was fighting her for control, it was a raging battle, she barely registered the cloth being placed in her mouth, but she did feel the weight on her chest as the woman held her down. As the arrow was pulled free, Ruby's eyes bled to gold and the roar that ripped free from her vocals was purely animalistic. A roar of pain that echoed far and wide, and then Ruby lay still. Her chest heaved as she forced herself to breathe, to conquer the pain.

"I..." Ruby struggled to find her voice, her canines slowly receding her face becoming a little less elongated, her claws reverting back to nails, and the gold slowly trickling from her eyes as she returned to herself. Ruby could feel the beast recede, to lick at its wounds and heal, awaiting the next full moon, and Ruby licked her suddenly dry lips. "I was running through the forests, I drew to close to a hostile village and a marksmen hit me an arrow, his aim was apparently better than I could outrun." She winced as the pain came back full force.

She wasn't sure she wanted to tell the woman she was a werewolf just yet, that's not something you threw into everyday conversation and certainly not in conversation with a stranger. Most of her close friends accepted her, realizing that her intentions were true and good of heart, but that did not mean everyone was so kind, that was proven today by the neighboring village.

Ruby grinded her teeth forcing her body to relax and her heart rate to decrease. She needed the wound to clot without loosing much more blood, the only way that was going to happen is if she calmed down. Lowering your heart rate slowed down the blood flow, if you slowed down the blood flow you didn't bleed out as fast. Ruby winced as another wave of pain crashed over her side, panting slightly as she began to sweat. It was the one downside to the wolf. She had incredibly endurance, excessive strength, sight, hearing, smell... but healing was not in her ability list.

Red struggled to focus, to ground herself by listening to the womans words, she was dressed strangely and had an odd bit of what appeared to be armor, but Ruby paid it no mind. If she was willing to help a complete stranger for no apparent reason she was aces in Red's book. Normally she wouldn't bare her soul to a complete stranger, but she supposed special circumstances called for an exception.

"I'm not human." Red gasped, fighting against the pain. "Werewolf. During my run I drew too close to a neighboring village. they thought I was a threat coming to kill them, so they shot at me." Ruby moaned out. Writhing in the snow, and attempting to say as still as possible. "The wolf enhances all of my senses, sight, sound, smell, taste, running through the blizzard is as simple as a child running through a meadow for me."

She hoped beyond all hell that the woman wouldn't suddenly decide she was a monster and run her through, God only knew it wouldn't be the first time Ruby had been shunned due to her curse.

"If its not to much trouble, please keep talking, it helps distract me from the pain." Ruby was not beyond begging. She needed this stranger for the time being. She didn't know if she could limp back to the nearest village without bleeding out... her life was in this strangers hands.

Werewolf, Lycan, Child of Luna, Child of the Moon, all of these words had been used to describe her at one time or another, along with a variety of foul and distasteful terms. She had never paid them much heed, having dealt with them for years. It was always nerve-wracking when telling someone for the first time because you could never guess their reaction. It ranged from terror, to awe, to fear to wonder. No two reactions had ever been the same and no one had ever been as devastated when Red came too and found the love of her life ripped to pieces in the snow, his blood staining her mouth and hands like some macabre painting.

"Half human?" Ruby focused on her words, let them calm her runaway heart. The conversation gave her something to focus on. "What is the other half? And what dimension have you come from?" Ruby's words were not biting or harsh, merely curious, eager to hear more from this stranger. Perhaps she could repay her for this kindness with something from the Inn?

"No! Please! Don't harm anyone for my sake, they were merely protecting their people! Nothing more! I cannot fault them for trying to keep their people safe!" Ruby pleaded. She had taken enough innocent lives in her time. She need not take anymore. Control was something she had worked hard to obtain and now that she had... she never wished to take another innocent life. Not unless she absolutely had too.

Ruby watched the woman as she cooped some strange goop onto her blade and then onto her injury. Red almost moaned at the sweet relief it brought her body. It was followed by the cold press of snow and the combined sensation sent goose bumps skittering across her flesh.

"Thank you...for everything you have done. What is your name?" Ruby wished to know the name of her savior, whoever they were... they were a friend in Reds book.

"Rek'aa" Red breathed her name like a prayer as the pain slowly began to recede. She had broken out in a sweat and she could feel her hair cementing itself to the back of her neck, as she fevertantly tried to calm the wolf down, it was whining, crying from the depths of her soul, eager to exact revenge on the ones who had harmed it, but Red was not a bringer of death, Red tried to be the best person she possibly could be, even if that meant defying her own instincts. "I would say it is a pleasure, but I believe most any other situation would have been preferable to meeting you." Red stayed on her back, she knew it was better to let the foreign substance heal her without much movement.

"I'm unsure if they were hunting or not.. more often than not I am perceived as a threat, it's not every day people encounter a three hundred pound wolf." Her laugh was quiet but humorous. She enjoyed making light of her situation, no matter how much it presumably sounded like she was insulting herself. Rek'aa lifted her as though she weighed nothing, and quite possibly to the alien girl, she didn't.

"It matters not to me what you are, but who you are inside, and if you were willing to help a complete stranger... you could tell me you were a centipede in disguise and I would still trust you." She tried to smile through the pain to show the young woman that she really didn't care who or what she was.

"I live at the Golden Inn. I run the place with my Granny, if you ever need anything, food, shelter, a friend... do not hesitate to ask, I would be more than happy to help you out for the kindness you have shown me." Ruby whispered into the woman's chest, her breath wafting across her collarbone, as she faded in and out of consciousness, she wasn't in pain anymore, just exhausted from the loss of blood and the lack of sleep.

Ruby smiled as the woman Rek'aa explained her wild nature, the side of her not graced with kindness and a gentle touch. Ruby laughed lightly which quickly turned into a wince as it strained her abdominal muscles. She groaned quietly, rubbing the flesh around the area in an attempt to soothe it. She fought past the pain to offer her a half hearted smile.

"Every full moon I turn into a gigantic man eating wolf, I believe we can call it even." Red grunted, willing the pain in her abdamon to tapper off a little bit. It was amazing, the creatures, the people, the wounded souls that somehow found themselves lost in their world. They ranged from large and terrifying to small and human, barely able to lift a sword from its scabbard, much less use one in combat. Suddenly the humans that were already here were no longer the weakest race and with all of these bizarre meetings of people from other planets, it had turned their world upside down and colored it full of impossible things.

"It takes quite a bit to annoy me my friend, you would certainly have to try harder than this. I feed the people of this lands during the day, but deal with the drunks once night falls. The Golden Inn is also Aledon's most popular bar, and if I can deal with the drunks trying to paw at my clothing surely I can handle just about anyone." Red laughed genuinely this time, they might get a few free grabs in while she was still recovering. You couldn't dodge as well with a gaping hole in your side.

As Red was set down on the floor of her Inn, she tested her weight gingerly on her right side, she winced as pain laced across her side but it wasn't horrible, she could deal with the ache, it meant the wound was healing. Forcing one steady breath from her lungs, she turned back to face the hunter.

"Can I get you anything? Tea, beer, soup? I make mean venison if your interested in food." She winked and slowly began to limp towards the kitchen. The cafe was deserted, the patrons knew that on nights when the moon was high the Golden Inn's doors remained firmly shut. Ruby, nowhere to be found.

Red motioned towards the bar, she usually only opened it in the evenings after the cafe portion was closed but she figured Rek'aa would want to continue to talk to her and they could do that while she cooked if she cooked at the open bar. Red moved slowly not wanting to agitate the wound as she trotted into the back room, hefting off a rack of venison before limping back into the bar area. She lit a fire beneath the iron skillet and slowly set about cooking it, running a hand through her long hair as she seasoned it with numerous herbs.

"Thank you." She brushed prettily as the woman complimented her. Red did not try to be kind, did not try to be a perfect angel if one will and she did have a violent side, a vicious, violent horrible side that preferred carnage over friendship and love and Red had struggled with controlling that for a great many years. But this was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. "Although I could say the same for you, I was a stranger, someone that could have been violent and cruel and yet you still offered me aid. That is not something a selfless person does."

A gasp of breath and choking on air, Ruby's eyes shot up from the meat to her new found friend. Green eyes glittered with worry and without mind of her own injury she shot around the bar and put a soothing hand on the woman's back, eyes seeking out what was causing her such a vicious reaction. The mask... was it some kind of breathing device?

"What's wrong? What can I do? Do you need oxygen? Your mask, please, I can help you!" Ruby pleaded with the woman hoping beyond all hell that she would be alright.

Ruby face flooded with worry and concern for her new found friend, even with the knowledge of Earth and all of its modern remedies for things, she doubted she would have any kind of knowledge regarding the strange piece of technology strapped onto the woman's body. It had so many flips and switches and levers, she was half tempted to take a wild guess in the dark, to give the woman an appropriate amount of oxygen, but knowing all the weapons this woman had scattered about her person, Ruby didn't think that would be such a good idea. Border lining panic, she wracked her brain for anything she could possibly do to help and coming up blank.

"Please if there is anything I can do... just tell me, any food or drink I can get you?" Ruby was trying to figure out what it was the woman required to no avail, she couldn't bring her a different oxygen level... that was beyond her control. A knock on her door startled her out of her musings, and Rek'aa was on her feet in an instant, blades drawn. Ruby gently placed a hand on her arm, trying to get the woman to settle down but not wanting those blades buried in her stomach. "This is a cafe, please calm down, people are allowed to come in here for lunch." Ruby laughed lightly, willing the warrior to relax.

As the boy called Rek'aa's name, Red frowned... how did he know she was here? Had they been followed? That wasn't possible...was it? They had come from the Northern hills! That was so bloody far away! Had he seen her wolf? For a moment panic overtook common sense but she forced herself to relax, eyeing the massive tome in the woman's hands.

"What's that?" Red's curiosity got the better of her and she gently cocked her head to the side.

Red nodded along with her, she could understand paranoia, it came to her with each coming of the full moon. She shed every last trace of humanity and became a demon, it was simply her lot in life, the cards she had drawn, whatever you wished to call it. She had long ago accepted her wild nature and she had long ago come to terms with all the people she had killed. It was taxing on her at times, but the monster only reared its ugly head a few times a month and for now, at least, she could deal with such things.

"Your gear? What would Charming require with your gear? If you work for him... why would he find it necessary to take away your weapons?" Red frowned at Rek'aa and made a mental note to speak with Charming. She really hadn't had the chance since she had returned home. So caught up was she with the bar, the cafe, the Inn, meeting and greeting the new comers... she had scarcely had a day to herself much less to someone else.

"You are welcome to help out around the cafe if you would like." Ruby expertly plated the venison, seasoned it briefly and slid the plate towards her with flourish. "We could always use more people, but I fear your talents might be put to better use as a guard then in this stuffy place with me! The choice is yours of course! Although... the cafe is closed for the next few days until the full moon wanes." Ruby laughed lightly.

"As for my curse... its complicated, it is, exactly that, a curse. Its not something that can be settled or controlled entirely, it wouldn't be a curse if it could, but I appreciate the gesture all the same!"

Red chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, mulling over her words about Charming. She loved the Prince just as she loved Snow, they were an extension of her family, a piece of herself... but this woman's words confused her, she didn't understand why Charming would take someone's weapons from them, especially if his intention was to employ them into his guard, it seemed a bit counterproductive. Unless... he was suspicious of her, if he didn't trust her and thought she might harm some of his citizens... she could understand why he had taken her weapons. This woman was obviously from an era much more technologically advanced then they were and who knew what kind of weaponry was scattered about her person. For all she knew, she could blow up all of Aledon with a flick of her wrist, perhaps taking her weaponry had been a wise decision.

"The Inn needs more help than the cafe, keeping the guests in line, checking them in and out, making sure all of their supplies and items get brought with them... it comes first and Granny is getting a bit old, although if you tell her I said that I will have to hunt you down!" Ruby laughed lightly, that was of course if Granny herself didn't bury a bolt between her eyes.

"The wolf... it's difficult to explain. I am the wolf, and the wolf is me, but we are still separate... when I become her, I am still myself but I'm different, I see things differently, smell things differently, society and its etiquette are lost, if I lose control of her, she becomes horribly destructive, destroying everything and anything within its path. Its chaos in a physical form...if that makes any sense." She mused quietly.

Granny could use a bit of extra company and she had a feeling that this warrior just might be able to keep her notable temper in check. Granny was wickedly deadly with any kind of loose object, it was a miracle Red didn't have a permanent dent in the back of her skull from all the times she had been clobbered over the years. Subconsciously she rubbed at the back of her head, wincing as the motion pulled on her wound.

"Please don't worry too much about us, if the King needs your skills more, please help the kingdom first, but we are always welcome to an extra set of hands, feel free to pop in and send Granny off to rest anytime you like!" Red chirped happily, slowly mimicking the warrior and seating herself on one of the many bar stools... man that was tender. What was with her and getting nailed by arrows that was the second one in less than a few months... maybe they were increasing the size of the hunt? Red winced at that thought.

Suddenly she jumped away growling and snapping and Red watched the display bewildered and confused. She did not understand this half human, her antics and behaviors were so utterly foreign... she forced herself to remain calm, to give her the space she needed to relax and regain control of herself. When she managed to calm down, Red thought over her words and chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"What... what are you if you don't mind me asking?" Red did not wish to offend the woman, but she was dreadfully curious.