Rest of a Lifetime

[Mikayla (back <3)]

A wolf ran through the forest, leaves crackling before its strong honey brown paws, determination flowing through it like a soft, sweet wind on a summer night. That night was neither soft, nor sweet, rain pounding upon the wolf's darting form, scarcely any light leading the way to the tunnels as the moon high above ducked in and out of focus behind white clouds. Lightning whipped through the air high above, thunder crackling behind it to send the medium sized wolf scurring all the faster.

There, in the distance, the tunnels loomed, wavering red forms welcoming those who approached with promises of warmth, and, although it could not be smelled due to the overwhelming scent of rain, food. The wolf sped up, haunches rippling with powerful muscles as it propelled itself the rest of the way. At the mouth of the cave, the wolf politely, with a distance from anything dry, shook itself, fur moving everywhich way to let off what felt like pounds of water. When it was done, the wolf collapsed, breathless and frightened, on the floor of the cave.

Its body spasmed, its muscles contracted, swirls appearing beneath the skin. Bones creaked and snapped, reforming into a more elongated form. Fur retracted to show flesh, tan and whole erupting. The new figure, when it was whole, was a teenage girl no older than seventeen, wearing soaked black jeans and an equally drenched black long sleeve shirt. Golden brown hair dripped water from where it was pooled around a small, beautiful face. The eyes which opened, trying desperately to focus, were a bright electric blue, lighting up her entire face to make her extraordinary. When she stood it was seen that her figure was slim, lightly muscled, and entirely shapely, a figure others would envy no doubt.

Mikayla Siarra looked around her, the empty entrance having looked so much more welcome from the outside. She gulped air as she looked at the single fire in the center, and, taking a break from gasping, delicately sniffed to find the all-amazing smell of food far away. No one was in the room, not a single soul to welcome the new lycan into the den. Mikayla miserabely staggered to the fire, falling beside it to warm her shaking body. She prayed that either someone would come soon, or the fire would dry her, bringing her much-wanted, no, much-needed warmth before she passed out.

[Xavier]

The thunderclap directly overhead of the Tunnels violently woke Xavier from a relatively peaceful sleep. It was pitch black in his den, or almost so, since the reflection of the fire could be seen trying to creep in through the crack in the doorway. The silver Lycan got up off his stomach and yawned, stretching out every muscle, tendon and bone, popping them comfortably into place. He shook his whole body contentedly, then changed into his human form, causing silver fur to melt away, revealing tanned, human skin that rippled with muscles barely contained underneath it. Xavier was strong, even for a Lycan. His upbringing forced him to be. But all that testosterone never went straight to the brain. He was cool-headed and relatively peaceful. That being the case, Xavier threw on a pair of silk pajama pants, tied them tight, then ran a hand through his messy green hair before rubbing his orange eyes and opening the door to the hallway.

Blinded by the light for a moment, Xavier yawned, then walked down towards the main chamber, where he found a single girl shivering by the fire. He knew she was a Lycan by her scent, but he hadn't seen much of her at all. He wondered who she was. Before approaching her, Xavier grabbed a warm, dry blanket and a pair of pajamas that he thought would fit the girl. Then he walked up next to her silently and plopped down onto the floor, crossing his legs and leaning back, propping his hands behind him. He let the warmth of the fire bathe him comfortably as he sighed.

"You're a Tunnel Lycan, aren't you, my dear?" he asked calmly.

[Mikayla (back <3)]

Mikayla was thawing with the speed of a turtle, clothes sticking to her skin in wet patches. Every few seconds a spasm shook her form, leaving just as quickly. The cold was down to her very bones, so that, when one lycan approached, she did not even notice, spending all her concentration in warming her core. The room felt slightly warmer to her, as body heat transferred easily between lycans, but she assumed it was because she was trying so very hard to keep herself awake and slightly warm. Then a voice echoed in her mind, the words taking a few moments to sink in.

"You're a Tunnel Lycan, aren't you, my dear?"

Mika turned her head slowly, the shaking having slowed enough for her to move. "N..n...no...mmm...mm...mister," she replied, wondering at the way he seemed so warm and comfortable. Her eyes set on the spare pajamas and blanket, and she tried to smile, wondering if the muscles actually worked. "I'm n-new here," she said, beginning to remember how to speak again. "M-my name's M-m-mikayla." She eyed the clothing again almost hungirly, letting her fire blue gaze set on them. "P-please tell m-me t-those are for m-me."

[† Cealla †]

Cealla hated thunderstorms. She didn't quite know why, but there was something about the lighting and thunder that generally kept her awake all through the night. Not even the comforting body of her sister lying next to her could help her ease into sleep. So she stayed up, listening carefully for any signs of someone moving around outside. As she expected, the Tunnels were deathly silent.

Until she heard Xavier exit his room, followed quickly by a few words that were exchanged with a voice she didn't recognize. Once more, her curiosity bested her. Rolling around and tossing the covers off of her small, childish body, she exited the room and slowly emerged out into the warmth of the next one. Somebody had obviously gotten a fire started, though she didn't realize why until she saw a girl sitting beside it.

Her delicate nose told her that the girl was obviously one of lycan blood, though not one that she had ever seen around here. Yawning loudly, she came up next to Xavier and leaned her head on his shoulder, taking a good, long look at the girl. She looked more like a drowned rat than an actual threat to their existance, which caused her to chuckle a bit.

"Who's your new friend, Grandfather?" She questioned, being as polite as possible. "I can't say I've ever seen her around here before, but then again I'll admit that I'll never get to see everything."

[Xavier]

This girl, she was intruguing, he had to admit. She was visibly cold, shivering all over. He wasn't surprised. The storm that raged on outside was quite potent. Xavier chuckled and nodded at the girl.

"No, you're not a Tunnel Lycan? Then, my dear Mikayla, why on Earth would you stumble into my humble home? I'm sure you've heard stories of humans who have narrowly escaped with their lives - and limbs - from this place."

As the girl questioned the purpose of the clothing that he had brought along, Xavier nodded.

"Indeed, these are for you. I wasn't sure if they'd fit, so I took my best guess. It looks like they're a little big, but here you go."

Xavier placed the folded pajamas in front of the girl, then placed the towel on top of them.

"If you want to change, you can use my chambers. Down the hall, third door on the right. I'll stay here until you come back."

A sudden pressure on Xavier's shoulder made him jump.

"Cealla?! Goodness, granddaughter, please don't do that again. You nearly made me jump out of my skin!"

Xavier patted Cealla on top of her head gently and then kissed her cheek.

"This girl? Her name is Mikayla. She's cold, frightened, and needs to warm up. Could you be a dear and show her to my chambers so that she can change into some dry clothing? I'll stay here and tend to the fire."

[Mikayla (back <3)]

Mikayla's shaking had eased enough for her to look at the other lycan, then shake her head slightly. "I'm completely new," she said, words sluggish and molding together, but no longer stuttering. "A student, slytherin, up at the school. I just....wanted to be with my own kind for a day or two. It can get lonely around just humans. They don't understand."

Dragging herself to her feet, Mikayla let her bright blue eyes look over the new girl, head tilting slightly. She was no more than a child, and reminded Mika so much of her old den she felt a shudder move through her body before she could stop it. Her eyes darted away and she bent, picking up the bundle, careful not to get the clothes wet.

"I thank you so much for your hospitality," Mikayla murmured, running a hand through her drying hair. "Sorry to have come on such a terrible night. It was sunny when I set out from Magical Horizons." She nodded, the most her tired body could do, and walked carefully to where Xavier had directed her to go. Although he had told the child to accompany her, Mika didn't wait to see if the child obeyed, entering the chambers and sparing no time before she began to undress. The clothes peeled of, having started drying to Mikayla's skin, with a slightly painful sensation. Gritting her teeth against the tugging, Mika took off everything from her black jeans to her blue lace bra, placing the clothes in a neat pile on the floor.

Hands that, away from the fire, shook slightly again dried a fit body off, then slipped on fleece pants, taking extra pains to tie the drawstring tight. Next they pulled on the matching fleece shirt, buttoning it up as quickly as numb fingers would manage. Bundling all her clothes into a ball, Mikayla moved back into the other room, grateful for the loose clothes that encompassed her enitre figure save for her arms. She sat by the fire a few moments, then, when assured she would speak normally, she turned to Xavier.

"I thank you again for your hospitality," she said, voice, now that it was normal, a soothing lyrical sound that had undertones of mischief. It was a voice that could drive a person to do crazy things, just because that voice asked it. And, of course there were the electric blue eyes, so seriously intent on Xavier at that moment. "I'm not sure I would have ended up half so healthy as I started out this morning if you hadn't gotten me into warm clothing. What are your names?" Mika glanced at the girl, but her gaze slid away quickly as before.

[† Cealla †]

She raised one eyebrow as the mysterious girl walked away, not even waiting for her direction. A snort emitted from her little human nose- how rude. Perhaps that was what all students from that school were like, rude and unknowing of their ways. She also found it rather rude that the girl just came in and sat by the fire like she lived here, which certainly wasn't true. Maybe Cealla was a little high-strung like her grandmother, but at least she had some idea of manners.

"She's an odd one." She murmered to Xavier as soon as the girl left. Opening her mouth, she let out a large yawn and then went to sit on the floor by the fire. Another loud thunderclap sounded, reminding her of the storm passing overhead. This was definitly not a good night.

If not for Xavier being there, there would have been the temptation to simply drive the girl away, back to where she came from. She didn't belong here. Her family lived here, and that didn't include room for any rude outsiders. But she wouldn't show this, of course. She owed it to her father to cast a kindly light upon her little pack. Hence she moved over to allow the girl to join her beside the fire, though she averted her eyes.

"My name's Cealla." She muttered, wrapping her arms tightly around her body and continuing to stare down at the ground. There were little puddles everywhere from where the girl had dripped and her eyes locked onto those, intent on the patterns that the reflection of the flames made upon the water.

[Mikayla (back <3)]

Mikayla smiled at the girl who had given her name before the lycan who helped her, and, from the conversation, was her grandfather. "Pleasure to meet you, Cealla." Like before Mika felt herself looking into the past as she gazed at the girl, but this time she faced it and didn't look away. Her blue eyes somewhat softened, her voice becoming a soft croon. "How old are you, Cealla?"

Looking at the girl as she was, Mikayla couldn't help but notice that as the girl stared at puddles on the floor, she seemed uncomfortable and a tad bit angry. Mika couldn't really understand why, as she had tried her best to be kind and had thanked them for their kindness. Truly, if the storm hadn't hit, she would have slept outside, waited til morning came, and then greeted all the wolves in the tunnels personally. As it happened, she would have probably died if she had stayed out with the torrent of ice cold rain, and thus she had no choice but to enter and pray the lycans didn't throw her out. Looking at the girl, Mika realized how close she came to being thrown out and left for dead.

"I'll leave once the storm is through," Mikayla said quietly, shrinking into herself as, by wolf years, she was barely more than a pup herself. Adulthood for humans came earlier than for lycans, and probably for the reason that lycans usually outlasted humans by a good number of years. "I'm really sorry for having intruded upon your home, it wont happen again." She had thought, since they were all lycans, there would be friends for her in the tunnels, people of her own kind to associate with. Now, looking away from the girl and into the dancing fire, Mikayla knew how wrong she had been and just wished she hadn't left the campus at all.

[Xavier]

As Mikayla spoke of misunderstanding, Xavier nodded. He wasn't surprised, honestly. Even he found it difficult to live among humans sometimes.

"I understand where you're coming from, believe me," Xavier said quietly. "Sometimes I find most humans to be...annoying...at best. However, there are some that I manage to get along with quite well."

As the girl rose and thanked Xavier for his kindness, the Elder nodded. She didn't seem the type of girl that would wander in to his home to wreak havoc. She was very sweet, too. By the look of her, Xavier guessed that she was a sixth or seventh year student. She seemed very mature and quite well mannered for her age. Her body seemed to match her maturity level as well. Xavier blinked and shook his head, shoving that thought to the back of his mind as the girl went off to change.

"What is wrong with me?" he asked to nobody in particular. "Sealla just DIED, and already my sights are wandering off. When she died, a part of me did, too."

Xavier thought to himself for a moment.

Maybe I need someone to refill that part now. Maybe Sealla's time in my heart as my sole thought has ended...

Soon, the girl reappeared, wearing the clothes that Xavier had given her. He nodded in approval. They fit. Good. Once again, the girl thanked him, and he nodded back in return.

"It was nothing, my dear, trust me. It's the least I could do for one such as yourself. My name is Xavier, Elder Lycan of these tunnels. This is my home, and you're welcome to stay for as long as you see fit."

The chamber seemed to become deathly quiet after the short exchange between the two females. Xavier could sense a bit of hostility and resistance on Cealla's part, and Mikayla seemed anxious and a bit frightened. That wasn't good. Xavier realized that Cealla felt that she had an obligation to protect the Tunnels, but this was a fellow Lycan. Not one from the Tunnels, mind you, but clearly not hostile in any way and grateful for his kindness towards her.

Xavier's gaze switched to Cealla and he sent a message to her privately.

Cealla, my darling. Please don't be rude to our guest. She's not going to hurt any of us in any way, so there's no reason to show any hint of hostility towards her. Just...try to be friends, okay?

A look of concern crossed over the Elder's face, and he shook his head clearly as Mikayla stated her plans for the next morning.

"Nonsense, Mikayla. I emplore you to stay for as long as you please. You are a guest in our home, and you will be treated as such. We have spare rooms all over the place, so you're welcome to pick any one to stay in. And, in time, if you choose, you can come and live with us permanently; help us to rebuild our family - a family that has seen too much sorrow recently. If you choose to, you may relocate your belongings here. We do not look unkindly towards human objects, so you can bring everything that you have if it is your desire to do so."

After his short speech, Xavier cleared his throat, then heard his stomach rumble quietly.

"Now, then. Who's hungry?"

[Mikayla (back <3)]

Mikayla hugged her knees to her chest, confidence shattered to pieces. Even the fire so apparant in her eyes had dimmed, defiance no longer a part of her. Sure, the Lycan said she could stay, and he seemed incredibly kind and all, but he was the girl's grandfather, and, if the girl continued expressing her hatred, he would have to kick her out, wouldn't he? She sighed, gaze on the fire as he spoke, expressing that she would be accepted with open arms and what-not. For as long as the child's hatred seems no more than defensive, Mika thought dryly to herself. She had played this game before, having been the strange child in her den. Which child among them hit puberty at the age of nine? Had a gaze that could sear holes through the hardest of hearts? Had a body to die for by her fifteenth birthday? It was of no importance in this place, however. If she was rejected again she would return to human society where she was welcomed and embraced without a second thought by at least some people.

A soft grumble gently pushed Mikayla from her brooding, and she looked at Xavier in time for the question which would never be declined by any living lycan. Hunger. It gnawed at them, a living, breathing entity that pulled at their beast on the quietest of days. Hunger. It could control or be controlled, depending on the lycan's submissiveness or dominance. Hunger. It was what propelled Mikayla to smile at Xavier, nothing of the brilliant smiles of before, but a start, blue eyes having a hint of a smile in their solemn gaze. The girl's anger scraped at her though, so that, where she would have politely answered before, she stay silent lest she throw them into a rage. The most she said, in barely audible tones was, "Thank you about the being able to stay, I appreciate it and declare myself indebted to you, Xavier of the tunnels, and your granddaughter, Cealla of the tunnels. I may not have ultimate power backing me, or even a pack by my side, but I keep my debts whether to pain or death they drag me."

[Paige]

Death. It was so common these days, way too common. Death of old and young, and those in between. It plagued the tunnels and it's inhabitants, haunting them, taking more and more from their lives. Their numbers already diminished, and yet death had chosen to take more lives, those of innocent pups.

She'd known what had happened in the tunnels that horrible day, she knew what had happened recently in the forest, and she suspected what would soon happen between the Lycans and Vampires. War between the two kinds were inevitable, their shared hatred of each other to grand.

For weeks on end now she'd spent her time locked in her chamber, only venturing out when she was sure there wasn't a soul creeping about. She might have been able to help save the pups, but having been secluded in a chamber located at the furthest end of the tunnels the smell of lycan blood hadn't reached her until it was too late. So she hadn't bothered to come out at all, after all she doubted she could offer much solace to those who had lost their family.

But now she did choose to leave her chambers, she couldn't keep reliving the horrible months of her past. She couldn't hide from the world. She was a lycan, powerful not weak, and it was about time she started acting like it again. So with a furtive glance around her haven, she eased open the door to the rest of the world.

Gliding down the winding halls, she made her way to the den of the tunnels. Voices and scents, both familiar and unfamiliar, reached her causing her to pause momentarily. She was venturing out, yes; but was she ready to socialize again? Forcing her bare feet to keep moving, she approached the threesome, an uncertain smile curling her lips and lighting her golden eyes.

"Hello." she greeted simply, pulling the sleeves of her nightgown down to cover the skin of her arms.


ooc: If you'd rather my post not be here, just say the word..

[† Cealla †]

As the new girl asked the question of her age, she was left for a moment to think- how many months had it been since her birth? It had seemed like such a long, long time ago, when in actuality it had probably only been a few months. Maybe no more than three or four. But she wasn't sure exactly how lycans aged- after all, a human child wouldn't be doing more than drooling and babbling by the age of five months. So was she different?

"I'm around four or five months." She replied, raising her head up from gazing at the puddles to make frosty contact with the girl's blue eyes. She then lowered it back down, listening carefully to Xavier's voice as it entered her mind.

'I'll try, but I'm not making any promises.' She replied, not too eager to make friends. The only lycans she really felt comfortable around as of late were Sean and Alissa, mostly because they knew exactly how she felt. They had felt the loss of Kayla and Jagger just as sharply as she had.

At the mention of food, her stomach shifted and growled slightly. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten, and was craving a nice piece of that venison that Xavier had killed a night or so ago. Or maybe he'd gone out and caught a rabbit or something for her- that would be nice as well.

"I'm hungry." She piped up, moving her body so that she was facing her grandfather. As soon as she did so, she noticed that Paige had entered the room. Turning her head to one side, she wondered why she hadn't seen the lycaness as of late. What had she been up to lately?

[Xavier]

OOC: No, Paige. It's fine. I don't mind.

And just a warning: this post won't be very good...lacking muse lately.

BIC:

Xavier's head nodded pleasantly at Mikayla's statement of gratitude. He smiled and gazed into the fire for a moment before focusing back onto Mikayla.

"It's not a problem, m'dear. Trust me. Any peace-seeking Lycan is welcome in our home at any time."

God, she was to die for! Xavier wondered secretly how such a beautiful woman could have such a sad existence in this world. He would have expected men to be crooning over her night and day. There was something about her eyes that caused Xavier to shiver deep down inside. He felt warm, strangely warm. As he looked her up and down subtly, he noticed how mature she looked for her age.

"If I may inquire, Mikayla. You seem to possess beauty rivaling that of Aphrodite herself. Why are you so alone in this world? Shouldn't you be happy among many friends, enjoying life to the fullest with perhaps a loving opposite?"

As Xavier continued conversing with the newcomer, a long-gone but familiar scent reached him. Looking up, Xavier found himself staring into a pair of golden eyes.

"Paige! What a pleasant surprise! I thought you had left us. Where have you been all this time?"

At Cealla's message, Xavier looked at his granddaughter, seeming to say "Please?" to her through his expression. Xavier sensed promise within Mikayla, and Cealla had been very anti-social as of late. He wasn't surprised. The loss of so many lives during the Vampire's attack hurt him, too. But Cealla had lost relatives closer to her than to him. He shook his head sadly, painfully remembering that night. A tear fell out of one eye before Xavier shook his head and wiped it away. Then Xavier laughed as Cealla's expression changed at his mention of food. He smiled and got up from his seat.

"Okay. Give me five minutes and I'll be back."

Xavier gently closed his eyes and tilted his head up towards the ceiling, giving out a low howl before he began to change from human to Lycan. His clothes melted away, briefly exposing him to the eyes of the three females before he went on all fours, sprouting a sheen coat of silver fur marked with patches of brown and black on his head, feet, and tail. His face changed to the elongated snout of the wolf, and his blazing orange eyes increased slightly in size as his ears shrank away and two pointed, silver ears protruded from his head. Looking at the females briefly, a glint crossed Xavier's eye as he took off, bounding out of the Tunnel in search for an adequate meal for the group.

[Mikayla (back <3)]

Mikayla relaxed slightly from her twisted postition, silently thinking that maybe, in this last thank you there was amusement. That usually meant she wouldn't get cast out for at least a day. Her eyes, however, still retained only a spark of her-until Xavier spoke to her again and they flared into life, both a grin and a slight blush creeping over her features. Where Xavier had subtly looked at her, Mikayla raked one long look over his body from the green hair to the burnt orange eyes to the well muscled body and almost felt herself grin. "You're not too bad looking yourself, sugar," she responded, eyes glittering with the sheer humor of the situation.

The smell of the newcomer hit Mika moments after everyone else, as she was farthest from the doorway, and, trying hard to ignore Xavier as he changed, Mikayla looked up at the new lycan. "Hello, I'm Mikayla, a slytherin up at MH," she said. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Paige." It was a gamble, laying her eyes on the stranger, giving her name out. What if the new one liked her even less than the child, and then where would she be? On the way back home is where, before Xavier ever came back. She would owe him an explanation, but she wouldn't give it surrounded by people who didn't like her. She had dignity these days.

Dignity...that took Mika back to what Xavier had said and asked. Why are you alone in this world? he had asked. Well, it was quite simple, she couldn't mask what who and what she was. Back at home they had all been blonde, possibly light blue eyed, but she had raging blue eyes and honey brown hair. Different from the start. Then when she moved, she realized that humans were unnerved by the waves of dominance that flowed off her. Most guys liked to be the ones in charge, and Mika wouldn't protest against that, but some of them had wanted her to become a submissive, and that she would not do. By fate or by choice, the ridiculously beautiful Mikayla then wandered, alone, a silent challenge to any who approached her. In fact, she'd been trying hard to be submissive in the tunnels so that they wouldn't throw her out, but sooner or later she'd have to show that in situations she could submit, but not as a whole.

As Mika heard the distant sounds of a battle raging under a torrent of rain she was once more aware of, she decided what she would tell Xavier. The truth of course, but how much of it was what was important. Staring out the tunnels mouth at the falling rain, Mikayla felt herself wondering at how strange life was. She had dealt with being alone for so long that it didn't bother her, instead, now it bothered others. She sighed and looked back at the two females, wondering if she was going to have to run.

[† Cealla †]

The young lycan was forced to roll her eyes as Xavier compared Mikalya to Aprhrodite- Sealla was hardly even cold in the grave! What did he think he was doing? Sometimes she wondered if he was even sensitive to the fact that Sean was wandering around and would probably be rather uncomfortable with seeing his father acting quite odd around another woman. Then again, she felt like gagging just from watching them. It was absolutely pitiful.

His facial expression only made her sigh; it became obvious he wanted her to behave better. Well... she was only doing what was right. Snorting with annoyance, she got to her feet and moved from the floor up to a small chair a few feet back from the fire, but still close enough to feel the warmth.

After Xavier left, she found that she really had absolutely nothing to say- not to Paige or Mikayla. Sighing, she allowed her blue eyes to carefully drift around the room while she eagerly awaited Xavier's return.