Always the top shelf

[-Roan-]

The afternoon moved sluggishly on, as the rain poured heavy outside the castle, providing no light to the library’s walls. In a back corner, hidden by a pile of books and papers, sat a small Hufflepuff girl with a bright purple ribbon in her hair, intently focused on a book, as she always was.

Roan Aliagh was spending another of her afternoons pouring over books in the library, looking for all the interesting information she could find. She found that keeping herself secluded away from the rest of the school kept her remotely happy, and had not made any attempts to try and fit in so far. She grew up around books, and lived with them as her friends, and wasn’t used to anything else.

With a sigh Roan closed the current book she was reading, Dragons in History, while she jotted down the last note in her journal, In her month long stay here, the Hufflepuff had become accustomed to keeping detailed journals of all she learned. One day she hoped the knowledge would be useful to her, because something in her 3 so far completed journals had to come in handy sometime. They consisted of facts about interesting creatures, social behaviors of others, random spells or quick notes on a famous Witch or Wizard. So Roan stood up and stretched the stiffness from her arms, and headed into the layers of shelves to return the book and find another.

Hmmmm, I’ve learned about dragons, vampires, lycans, powerful witches and wizards, spells and battles, now what?

Finding the spot where she had borrowed the Dragon Book, she slid the book onto the dusty shelf with a plunk. Now to select her next endeavor. Slowly she strolled through the shelves, reading each binding of every book, taking in their titles like picking a fresh fruit in a market. Finally one caught her eye, at the very top of a shelf. It was rather large and had a dark blue leather binding. Elementalists: The Masters of Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water.

That is the one!

So Roan looked around for a stool or something to stand on, but could not find one in sight. So with a scoul on her face, Roan put her hands on her hips and stopped to think. She didn’t know a spell yet to get that down, so she tried jumping up to grab the book, only to land on the floor in a heap, her brown hair and skirt in a disarray. So she stood up, dusted herself off, and crossed her arms. How were people expected to get these top shelf books down?

[Tori]

Tori had been looking in the thicker section books and had three books in her hands. The top one was Defensive Spells for the Young . The other title were obscured from her hands.
She looked down an isle and saw a Hufflepff jumping for the book on a top shelf. She asked if the girlk needed some help.

Tori thogut to herself yesterday we were doing the accio charm in class.

Accio"

The book flew to Tori's hand. "Is this the one you wanted?' she asked.

[-Roan-]

Roan watched in relief as the student summoned the book from the top shelf. She would have never been able to get it herself. So took the book from the students hand and held it to herself. This was awkward for her since she wasn't accustomed to being around others for more than a few moments of time.

"Thank you very much miss, I would have never gotten it myself." Roan muttered, trying to sound as calm as she could. She kept her eyes from wandering around and looked at the girl. She noticed that heavy burden in her arms and took it as an opportunity to meet another person in this big school."My name is Roan, Roan Aliagh, from Hufflepuff. Would you like some help with those books there, they look awfully heavy"

[Fenris Fenrir]

"Knowledge; the spark of the ages; the one thing that makes Man unique above all other creatures. Well; that isn't much of the case anymore now is it?", came an voice with an educated air come the rear of the Library. Slowly and steadly, the rise and fall of footsteps echoed throughout the aisles as the owner of the voice strode closer. Ever so closer. Ever closer came the heavy-footfalls that ring with dull thuds as the figure neared the young girls. Closer; the owner of the voice was just around the corner. And then the owner was seen by those that clustered in the dusty aisles of the Library.

The man seemed uncomfortable in the library; it was too enclosed for his tastes; nothing like the vast wilds of the Forest in which he dwelt. The black outfit that the man had grown to wear now collected dust like a magnet, but it created quite the interesting appearance in the mind of Fenris Fenrir. Like he was an ancient and nameless evil; though he was not old and rather new to this lands; his predecessors, the lycans, were not. Even the mighty wolf that came before him was feared by those of weak flesh; the humans. And how amusing it was that those that aqquinted him with a human were so wrong; Rutherford was the human; Fenrir was the lycan.

That was how it was and that was how it was going to remain. But Fenrir had not yet noticed the young girls, or at least his looks did not show it. "Now other creatures have come from man that are greater; more advanced and more likely to survive. The humans have grown weak and pitiful as they first were when Man first came to power. And now the age of Man is drawing to a close; the Age of the Successors, however, is coming.", said Fenris in a strange and harsh voice; nothing like the intelligent one that he used earlier.

"Hello Ladies."

[-Roan-]

"Hello Ladies."

Roan flinched and turned to see the person who had spoken to her and the girl near her. As soon as she saw him, she did not feel comfortable. Roan already didn’t like being near people, but this man seemed wrong, and the library was not a good place to meet someone who made you feel like running away. And the things he was talking about, that man was weak. What was he talking about, wasn’t he a man? A human? No, he didn’t feel normal, his voice was too harsh. Nobody who talked that way or wore those colors was normal, not in her mind. All her instincts told her to flee, and she started to tremble a little as her mind fought between curiousity and running.

“He…lll…oo?” Roan said her voice trembling. She gripped the book she was holding to her chest to keep her hands from shaking. It was either stay or run. And Roan chose to get out of her place. “Im sorry, I have to leave, want to get back to reading” she murmed, turning to leave the aisle and get as far away from this man as possible.

[Fenris Fenrir]

"You don't want to stay? Very well then; it seems that I shall have to find some enjoyment elsewhere. Yet I am not one to assault anyone in the temple of Knowledge; it is for all to share whether they be human filth or others. So here you are safe; but if I find you anywhere else outside of this temple; then you will not be lucky. That time; a fate akin to Death will await you. Savvy?", said Fenris as he backed away. What had come over him? Were his human feelings starting to take control again? No; he had expelled Rutherford; Rutherford no longer had a place in Fenris Fenrir. He had cast off that side of him; never to return again and yet he spared this girl.

With a contorted look of frustration upon his face, Fenris Fenrir slowly turned on his heel and walked out of the Library. However, if someone that had known the lycan when he was Richard Rutherford; they could have sworn it was him that was in control; not Fenris Fenrir. Rutherford was merciful; Fenrir showed no such thing. The girl was lucky that his emotions plagued his thoughts these days; otherwise her bones would have littered the floor; left to gather dust and cobwebs; only to become as ancient as the books that she sought.

[-Roan-]

ooc: Hard to think a lycan would have such a beautiful post

"You don't want to stay? Very well then; it seems that I shall have to find some enjoyment elsewhere. Yet I am not one to assault anyone in the temple of Knowledge; it is for all to share whether they be human filth or others. So here you are safe; but if I find you anywhere else outside of this temple; then you will not be lucky. That time; a fate akin to Death will await you. Savvy?"

Roan stopped mid her escape. She felt something well up in her, what she felt when she stands in front of a storm that could strike her down at any time, but doesn’t. Something filled her with a new-found strength. He had told her blatantly that he would harm her if they met again. That would not do, even for the shy young Hufflepuff. She was new to the school, and had not done much yet, just read books and visited a few of the grounds. He had no reason to threaten her, and she was going to make sure he knew that. So she turned around.

“Was that a threat? Because no matter how I look, I do not take well to threats. We humans are not filth, for don’t we appreciate the same things you do?” Roan said as loud as her timid voice would allow, hoping to call back the man. Then the little voice in the back of her head scolded her and she winced. Well, there was no backing out now, what was said was said. She felt her short-found courage leave her, but still she stood strong, not even sure if the mysterious man would come back. She would be ready though, and looked around her, taking strength that she was surrounded by the books she loved. So then eyes forward, she waited

[Fenris Fenrir]

ooc: Normally I would take that as an insult. But I shall be leinient and you get away with that; young whippersnapper

bic: The giant of a lycan stopped in the middle of his tracks. Did this girl have clue of what she would be going up against? Did she really want to try his patience and let him lose control? He had let her off scot free, he had gone against the word of his master and now the ungrateful fool did not heed his warning and let him be. Now she too tried to play the hero, just like those in the Divinations class room. And they had met only a piece of Fenrir and more of what sembelence of Rutherford that the abomination still retained. But this girl was not so lucky. Now she had angered him with her words. Humans were....humans were....

"UNFIT FOR THE LANDS THAT THEY WERE GIVEN! HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT THEY DO TO THE LAND? THEY POLLUTE IT, THEY DESTROY IT AND FOR WHAT REASON! THEIR OWN GREED! HUMANS DO NOT APPRECIATE THE SAME THINGS THAT I APPRECIATE; THEREFORE NEVER SAY THAT WE ARE THE SAME!", bellowed Fenrir at the top of his lungs. She really touched a nerve and now she wasn't going to get off easy for doing so. "Too long have you Humans tried to control us; too long have you tried to hold onto the leash of the lycans, but no more! The end of that reign is nearer than you can contrive, but you girl; you will not be the same when that day comes. That is if you come out alive."

As he advanced on her; silver-grey fur began to sprout from all over his body and as soon as his body was covered in the fur, Fenrir ripped off his clothing as he changed even further into the monster of a wolf that he was. Once he had finished, he towered over his agressor; for not many were 8 feet tall in the school so few could match him in height. 'What makes you think that you can stand up to me, girl? What makes you think that you can stand against the likes of Fenris Fenrir!'

[-Roan-]

ooc: *claps for post ^* wonderful, wonderful

When the man…well…apparently lycan…advanced, Roan knew she had made the biggest mistake of her life. Her hand moved towards the pocket in her skirt where she knew her wand was stowed. And all of the spells she ever learned were running through her head. If anything she had to get out of here alive.

'What makes you think that you can stand up to me, girl? What makes you think that you can stand against the likes of Fenris Fenrir!'

“You ask what makes me think I can stand up to you? I say the fact that I am not ignorant about the human race, the fact that I know that humans and lycans and vampires and all others who appreciate literature and the beauty of words on a page are the same. It is only the brutality of you animal like creatures that separates us. For what other than an animal would advance on a young girl without good reason!?” The Hufflepuff said with strength in her voice. She wondered where it came from, for she was not this strong. If she lived through this expieriance, she would find out later.

In order to protect herself Roan withdrew her wand from her pocket and pointed it in front of her, taking a few steps back to place the Elementals book on the ground. It had done nothing, and should not suffer for her stupidity. She silently apologized to all the books around her that may lose some of their words of wisdom. And she also made a few prayers that she would live, for she was not yet ready to die. But few could stand up to a lycan of his size and live. So with a large gulp she held her eyes to his.

“You are a monster for this”

[Sealla (not so retiredness)]

(Gah! Sorry, I'll mod my post
EDIT: Done)

So this was where the scent of Fenris had led her; the school Library? Did he want to do some sort of reading or something? Things just didn't add up. The doors were closed, and inside her sensitive ears, one torn, caught yelling and snarling from only one. Fenris. Gently and slowly she creaked open the door, standing on her bare feet and clothed with the same white cloak that she had worn only a few days ago. Her strikingly blue eyes fell on the large silvery-mottled form of the Lycan she had grown to love.

Then it occurred to her. This was a moment in time that he had warned her about; his madness. Her eyes stood wide from under her long lashes as she stood at the door. Mindless killing... he couldn't be like them... he wasn't like the humans. He wouldn't kill them to prove a point... would he? "Fen..." Sealla cooed softly, almost in shock. After a few moments, she tossed the long black hair she had behind her so that it rested on her shoulders. Still he didn't answer.

"Fenris..." she called gently, like a mother to a son, after the girl he had dangerously advanced on withdrew her wand from her pocket. He wasn't going to kill the two little girls to prove something. He wasn't like humans. He couldn't be. Not him. Not Fenris Fenrir. Not the Lycan who had shown her all the kindness she had never recieved. Her eyes stared, looking for the love she had within him. Maybe he hadn't noticed she was there, not even her scent.

[Fenris Fenrir]

Fen...............

................Fenris...................

That voice; he had heard it before, but where? He knew that sound, that sweet melodic song yet in his rage he could not place the owner. Yet Fenrir dared not turn to face the owner of the voice for the minute he did so the girl would use that moment for her advantage. Either to hurt him or make a run for it but such a thing would not be allowed....he couldn't allow it. But the voice...it still echoed in his mind; forever haunting him; calling for him to cease this madness. How he wanted to stop; how he wanted to go to the voice that called him.

But he couldn't ; not after his rage had reached such a high point. Fenris Fenrir was past the point of control, but then again when he was around humans he had little control to begin with. The blood pulsing through his veins; the sense of all caution lost overwhelmed him. But now his mind was set and even though his body wanted to resist; his mind proved to be the greater. He continued to advance on the girl that dared to challenge him. The one that called him by name.

'You couldn't be any less correct when you say that; for that is what I can be to those that call me out like this. I gave you a chance and you go and waste it. Some way to live out one's life; to have it handed to them on a silver platter and then have the platter be thrown in the server's face.', said Fenris into the mind of the girl, 'I don't take to kindly to that I am afraid, so it looks like you must pay the check in advance.'

And a look of regret passed over the flaming coals that were Fenrir's eyes as he continued to walk toward his nemisis at the moment. There was still something that kept him from tearing the girl to shreds but it would not hold out for long.

Forgive me........

........forgive me.........

[Sealla (not so retiredness)]

No. He wouldn't. He couldn't. Not now. Not for no reason. Should it become needed, she would have to compare him to the humans he was just about to attack. And should she do so, he would know and realise that she was correct. Sealla's lips parted, jaw dropped slightly in a little amount of shock. He didn't turn to see her; to see what or who was calling, should he not recognise. He couldn't do this...

On silent bare feet she trodded towards the giant Lycan, the one who had expressed his love for her only nights ago. The white cloak covered her whole form, apart from her neck, and flowed behind her steps. Now, she was beside the massive creature, still threatening to attack the girl. And so gently, like a feather, she ran her thin fingers through the thick mottled fur behind his ears, scratching them like he had done that same few nights ago.

And just to make sure he would notice her, she grabbed the lock of fur that was closest to her grasp and stepped only inches in front of his nose, exact eye level for the both of them. "Fen..." the woman cooed once again, letting her other hand stroke his neck lovingly. She had to stop him. He couldn't become like the humans he so loved to kill. She couldn't let him. She wouldn't...

[-Roan-]

She didn’t know what to do. Roan was puzzled by the appearance of the new woman, cloaked in white. The way she talked to the lycan was calming, but seemed to have no effect on the advancing. The Hufflepuff was forced to continue stepping back to keep distance between her and the attacker. Her wand arm was shaking and there was a lot running through her mind.

When he spoke in her mind, she was confused and actually took a few moments to look around before realizing what was going on. That caused her even more stress, and she shook her head and closed her eyes in order to get rid of the noise that did not belong there. That harsh voice was like needles in her ears. But she listened to his words, and decided to put more fuel to the fire.

“You don’t have to do this, you are part human too Fenris. All lycans have some human form in them, they have some humanity. If you attack me you just prove that lycans are nothing more than animals, and all that love of literacy and looking at the beauty of life means nothing, because all you want to do is kill, and kill without reason.” Roan said, her voice losing its vigor. How much longer could she hold out?

Then the woman went and stood in front of they lycan, scratching his ear as if he were a lapdog. Roan stopped backing up and her breath held in her chest. Was this it? Was she going to live this horrible ordeal?

[Sealla (not so retiredness)]

Finally realising the girl had actually spoken, Sealla could have shuddered with anger. She was going to drive Fenris to madness, and sign her own death warrent. "Good God, girl, do you not know when to keep your mouth shut?" she snapped harshly, though not even turning around. Like she had done when Mikayla had noticed her in the forest, the woman held no emotion wrought across her face. Her facade was blank.

Do you not realise that you're writing up your own death by speaking to him? Don't speak, and it might just save your life... couldn't the girl see that it was endangering her, and that Sealla was trying to help, but in a different fashion? No, she didn't want her love to become a mindless killing machine for no reason, like humans were. She couldn't let it happen. All that time she had spoken, not once had she stopped affectionately petting Fenris.

Fen...

[Fenris Fenrir]

The sweet voice still filled the mind of Fenrir even as he slowly and steadly closed the distance between himself and the insulting girl. She kept on provoking him in ways that seemed like they should help but they would do nothing more than increase the fires of his maddness. An unquenchable fire that could only die down; never die it. It would always be there; nothing Fenris could do would ever take that away from him, but it was the price to pay for the gifts that he had been gvien. His size; his strength; so surely this was how he had to repay those that had gifted him with such powers. And he repaid in the form of self-sacrifice of his sanity.

Suddenly, the owner of the voice imposed herself in front of Fenris and behind the clouded vision of his wrathful eyes, Fenris saw Sealla. How noble of her; to try and stop him in such a state. He had warned her of this; the one thing that he never would be able to change or control, and yet she still stayed by him. How odd though that she thought that this insolent girl deserved to live; all humans had it coming for themselves in time; that they were doomed to die and Fenris only helped to send them off quicker. Did Sealla care for the human more than she did for him?

Even as Sealla stroked his neck as a master does to his pet, Fenris slowly stopped in his advancing on the girl and the wrath loosened it's grip on him for a moment and his woeful eyes gazed at Sealla; forgetting that the student was even there. So Sealla wasn't doing this for the student's sake; she was doing this for his. For a moment pain welled up in Fenrir's mighty heart and the pain from such joy began to hurt him, but the joy and sadness of the moment was stolen as quickly as it had set in.

'You don’t have to do this, you are part human too Fenris.'

Those words instantly set Fenris into a frenzy; the red wrath swirling once more in his eyes and a low growl utter forth from the deeps of his throat. She dared compare him to humans! He wasn't a human and he would never accept such a fact from one of them. Despite Sealla's calm and silent pleas; the young student had just signed her fate. Twice; twice had Fenrir had seconded thoughts and had almost acted on them, but it seemed that the humans were the masters of one thing; provokation. Gently shaking off Sealla with a twist of his head, Fenrir slowly walked toward the girl and soon the walk broke out into a run.

Within moments, Fenris' head came into contact with the girl's stomach and from there he rammed her into a wall. And as he paced back a little to stare down at the crumpled form, one thing slowly entered into the girl's mind.

'Never call me human, girl. It will only be worse for you if you do.'