Heather
Cecilia Lyanah 
Grunewald Castle

She lowered her hand away from Anya, ignoring her comment while remaining her narrowed stare towards Heath. She hated the fact Heath happened to be in her way yet was more upset with him for not allowing her to take Nickles. 

"Then give me the damn boy. You're the one with the choice, give up Nickles and there will be no bloodshed or continue hiding him and I will be forced to follow through with my promise." She had lied in regards to killing his whole family, knowing she wouldn't be able to bring herself to kill Heath or his children and wife, especially when it was Toula who had killed him originally. His siblings and the duchess beside him however, she didn't give a damn about. "Is Nickles really worth all this trouble for you? A boy who is wanted? What the hell is WRONG with you Heath?! For the first time in my damn life, I'm not killing for the pleasure of it and you just *Have* To make this difficult. Do you want me to go back to my old ways? At least this boy is guilty!" 

She felt her body begin to tremble as she spoke, feeling herself about to shift any moment whether she wanted to or not. She could barely think straight as her animalistic nature was beginning to take over due to the conflicted emotions she was experiencing.
Katherine
Anyanka Durkhan
Grunewald Castle

The boy in question had moved behind Heath, and has somehow slipped his way around the man. She hasn't noticed until she felt a pressure against her thigh, and looked down to see the child pressed against her. 

She moved to place her arm over his shoulder, keeping him in place against her. The mud and bog covered boy whimpered and her heart lurched, prepared to put herself between the woman and the child if she needed to do so. 

He may have been wanted, but he was also a kid, and deserved something more than being ripped apart in a game of tug a war between Heath and the stranger.
Robert
Sir Heath Romanov
Castle Grunewald, Taemar

"I'm not going to give him to you," Heath said, "He's a child. *Cleburn's* Child." He paused, narrowing his eyes further. "Why would Gregor ask you to do this? He was seated at the table with Nickles never voiced any ill will. By the end of the night he was too damn drunk to remember his own name," Heath said. He advanced a step in her direction, eyeing her suspiciously. 

"SHE WANTS TO DO UNTO ME WHAT SHE DID UNTO FATHER!" Nickles shrieked into Anyanka's dress. He hugged his scrawny arms around both of her legs. 

"What the hell is wrong with *You*?" He said, "My fucking family, Cecilia? After everything?" Cecilia was one of the few people in the realm for whom Heath was hesitant to draw his sword upon. His knuckles turned white against the hilt and he silently prayed that she would snap out of her lunacy. 

He loved Anyanka dearly and felt overwhelmingly guilty that she was in this situation with him. He loved her dearly and she was the mother of one of his children. He knew that if it came down to it, he would murder Cecilia to protect her. And to protect Nickles.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
Grunewald Castle

She did snap, just not out of her psychotic behaviour. She felt a fiery pain spread through her body as her bones snapped and rearranged themselves, shifting her form until she stood on all four paws in front of the three. She snarled threatening towards Heath, her upper lips curled in as she ferociously snapped her canines in his direction. 

**I warned you.** Her voice hissed in Heath's mind before immediately turning her head towards the duchess. In a blink of an eye, she lunged for the woman. Her canines latched onto Anya's shoulder and tore deeply into her flesh, narrowly missing the Duchess's neck before snapping her head to the side and releasing her maw to throw her. Instantly after, Cecilia lunged for Nickles who had been behind Anya, aiming for his thigh in hopes to incapitate him. If she was lucky, he would lose his leg.
Kathleen
Amicia de Blanc
Growing increasingly tired of talking, Vallen

The poor girl felt as though she couldn't get a word in with the boy's talkativeness. Each time he would as a question she would open her mouth to answer but would be unable to get anything out on time. Frowning, she waited for him to quieten. *How frustrating* She thought. 

"I ammm from gorg-gorg-Gorgonys," She finally managed out, looking rather annoyed with herself as the words tripped on her tongue."My arm will beeeee fine."
Lawrence
Kallophon
The Burnt Thistle, Vallen
Kallophon sighed as he absorbed their comments. Sweat still clung to his face and locks of his hair in the humid air. He reached into the neckline of his tunic, but found no handkerchief. *Oh right*, he thought to himself, *I threw it to the proverbial wind to curry favour, just as I've been doing all night*. He hoped he'd get it back, even if it was stained with blood and, quite possibly, bitter tears and snot.

The performer swished his mead around the circumference of the cup, meeting Imogen's eyes as she spoke to him. He tittered. "Bog frogs? Haven't heard of them before now, so I don't have the pleasure of knowing. And anyway, I try to keep an open mind, but it doesn't really sound like my style. As for Terresol, I'll be the first person to wax poetic about my homeland being an artist's paradise, but, even though it pained me to leave, I need to see more of the world if I'm going to be the kind of writer I want to be." Kallophon leaned towards them and pointed out the window. "You said it yourselves. Lucrezia the baby-killer? Gregor the player-dangler? Let's not forget that bastard Pirate King having, what, twenty-seven children slaughtered for their father's actions? My own queen, practically a usurper, who married a murderer? Most of them are evil. Almost *All* Of them have dark pasts. Call me crazy, but I'm here because I want to get to know these people for who they really are. The common people get most of their history through artistic expressions, so we performers need at least one of our own out there seeing the major events in person."

Kallophon relaxed back into his seat. "But you'll have to forgive me if I ramble. You said you've seen all the continent. What about North Feyshore and Astoria? They seem nice. Comparatively, at least."
Maricela
Edward Cyneward
The streets of Vallen, Taemar

The man rose from his knees and wiped the dust off of his pants. With genuine interest, the man said, "Gorgonys? I've never heard of such a place. The man slung the bindle over his right shoulder and smiled at Amicia. "I won't press you more about the arm. But if you do reconsider, I'll be at the The Steel Hammer."
Katherine
Anyanka Durkhan
Vallen, Taemar

Anya knew of shifters, but she's kind of assumed they were extinct. She's never met one personally until right now, when one was shifting and lunging at her inside the dark hall. 

She screamed, unable to have enough to react let alone get out of the way. Nickles had effectively trapped her in place with his arms wrapped around her legs, and she couldn't help but wonder if it was calculated to put her between himself and the shifter. 

That bastard. 

Teeth sunk into her shoulder and another scream ripped from her at the pain that radiated from it. The beast had cleanched it's jaw fully, and she feared it would rip flesh instead of releasing when she tried to pry it off her, frantically swatting at the creatures maw until it threw her with unnatural strength. The woman hit the opposite wall with a yelp and collapsed into a heap on the floor, clutching at the wound as warm blood poured over her fingers and down her chest.
Robert
Sir Heath Romanov
Castle Grunewald, Taemar

The wolf stared back at the knight. Heath anticipated for Cecilia to lunge at him and rip out his throat; she had torn at his veins before. Her warning rang in his head and with numb disbelief, he watched her leap onto Anyanka. A sickening tearing sound followed, piercing through Anyanka's screams.


"*Cecilia*!" Heath yelled, drawing his sword and moving to stop her. She was far too fast and he whipped around just in time to see Cecilia rip into Anyanka's flesh. Anyanka fell against the wall and sank to the floor, blood blooming on her dress and flowing thickly down from her shoulder. 

"STAY AWAY, MUTT!" Nickles screamed, kicking her multiple times in her snapping jaw. When she clamped down on his leg, he cried out in horror. He could feel her teeth tearing through his skin, causing blood to rain from his flesh, reaching the bone. His mouth dropped open when he saw his leg begin to tear; muscle fibers separated and his abnormally soft tibia was visible. "Are you taking that?" He asked woefully, feeling faint. 

"*BITCH!*" Heath bellowed. He drove his silver-tipped sword through her back, puncturing through her right lung. Her fur became blood-wet and Heath pushed his sword in deeper.

His old life was dying before him as Cecilia and Anyanka lay bleeding. The inexplicable pain in his chest was back. Placing a foot on her back, Heath pulled his sword from the Shifter. He looked away and let out a shaky breath. 

Catastrophe followed Cecilia, he knew that. He had been well aware of the devastation she was capable of causing, ever since they were young and in Old Feyshore. Bitterly, he thought, *If there were any just gods looking over them, they would wash Cecilia innocent*; lifting the matted, sanguine fur from her torso and leaving the girl whom he had cared for deeply over the years. She was his friend and yet, it was she who stained the sword clutched in his hand. There were no gods, and there was no justice; not for him, not for Anyanka, and especially not for Cecilia. 

"Anya, fuck," He cursed, dropping to his knees next to her. He tore a long piece of fabric from his shirt and wrapped it tightly around her shoulder in order to stifle the blood-flow. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Nickles whimpered on the ground, tears streaming down his painted cheeks. The corridor had been ravaged with chaos. "We have to get you to a physician," Heath said, lifting her off of the ground. Her gown unstuck from the stone floor as she was lifted, leaving an angry red stain.
Heather
Cecilia Lyanah
Grindelwald castle

As her canines dug into the boy's flesh, Cecilia began to violently whip her head from side to side while remaining her hold on Nickles as his leg began to tear. She hoped to rip his leg from his body as it would either kill or severely maim him, knowing he wouldn't be able to hide or run while bleeding to death. A small voice in the back of her mind screamed out for her to leave immediately, knowing she was putting herself in danger by remaining in the castle. Once she was certain the damage had been done, Cecilia released her maw from the boy and went about to take her leave until she felt her back begin to burn with agony. When the sword puncture her lung, Cecilia's eyes widened in disbelief mixed with shock as a pained whine escaped her maw. The pain was similar to being stabbed through the chest with a glowing red iron poker fresh from a flame's embers. 

When the sword left her body, Cecilia felt her legs collapse beneath her while she attempted to breathe, struggling as blood began to rush inside her injured lung. Once she hit the ground, Cecilia was glad Heath left to Anya's side when he could have finished the job by killing her while she was trying to recover from her injury. The shifter felt as if she was drowning when darkness slowly took over her sight, passing out so her body could focus on healing the damage done while laying in the middle of the corridor in her wolf form.
Kendall
Lord Eric Stafford
Vallen, Taemar

Eric was in his room making his bed with sheets and bedding he convinced Angelica to let him bring. He didn't trust anything King Gregor gave to his guests. Then a faint scream and incoherent shouting.

"I'll be back." Eric said to his wife before quickly exiting the bedroom and dashing down the halls following sound of shouting. Initially Eric followed the sounds of what seemed like arguing, but when he heard a significantly more painfilled scream he broke into a full sprint. Eventually he rounded a corner to find his Queen bleeding in Heath's arms, a dying wolf, and blood everywhere. The scene initially shocked him before he shook it off and moved quickly toward Heath. 

"_Holy shit_! Where can I find a physician? Do you need help carrying her? What can I do?" He asked.
Katherine
Angelica Stafford and Anyanka Durkhan
Vallen, Taemar

Angelica had been watching Eric remake the bedding in their room. While she'd questioned his choice in bringing more bedding to begin with at the time, she was certainly willing to admit it was a good idea now that she had actually seen Taemar. And though she missed him dearly, she was also willing to admit it had been wise to leave Marcus in Alsher with the Vignola's instead of bringing him here. She worried he would have come home with a rash or some terrible disease. 

"I think dinner went surprisingly well, for as bad as it could have been. I'm surprised there wasn't any bloodshed or fighting from the guests." Angelica admitted, pulling a comb through her hair as she watching him through the reflection on the vanity. It was fogged and spotty, but she could see her husband well enough in it's dirty glass. "I thought for sure you were going to rip Harmattan in half though to get a seat near me." Her voice dipped, almost to a purr of delight at the idea of him literally ripping the bastard in half because of her. Zane was an ass and deserved a headache or forty. 

Before Eric could respond, there was a scream and shouting in the halls, and she raised a brow to look in the direction of the door. Eric moved to investigate, and she stood as well, figuring it was best to follow. As if she would wait in the room while he went and potentially got hurt.

Instead, they were met with chaos. The fur was the first thing she noticed, followed by Heath Romanov crouching and then lifting what looked like Anya into his arms. "What the _fuck_ happened here?" She asked of him, her voice catching in her throat at the sight of blood that glinted in the light of the torches. Anya was bleeding, pretty badly, and her heart jumped into her throat. "Eric, Eric she's _hurt_." Angelica breathed, and watched as her husband moved when she couldn't. Anya had gone limp in the man's arms, probably from shock or blood loss, and Angelica swallowed hard, knowing that standing here in shock wasn't going to help her. 

"Downstairs, there has to be someone here who can help, Gregor isn't an idiot he wouldn't have no physician in his court." As she spoke, her eyes moved to the second victim of the wolf's attack laying slumped and whimpering on the floor. Her eyes widened as recognition flickered, and her brow furrowed deeply. Her attention moved to Eric, who had yet to take any kind of grip on Anya, and she pointed a firm hand to Nickles.

"Eric, this is a fucking _Ramsalot_. Hoist him, I don't want him out of our sight or bleeding to death either. Both of you grab a body and follow me." She instructed to Heath and Eric, moving to take the front of the odd trio they had formed to race down the hall. "We need a physician!" She called, hoping someone within the doors would open and accommodate the call for help as they headed down to the main areas of the castle.
Robert
Sir Heath Romanov
Castle Grunewald, Taemar

Lord Eric Stafford ran to them first. The shock registered on his face, followed by frantic questions about how he could help. Heath dared not look back at Cecilia. Judging by the look on Eric's face, it was a gruesome sight. His wife followed after, exclaiming that Nickles be apprehended.

 "We need silver shackles. She's a shifter and she can only be restrained in silver," Heath said, hoarsely. He shook his head at the order to lift Nickles. "The boy lost his leg. He won't go anywhere. The shifter needs to be dealt with, first. She can heal and get away if we're not careful. She said that King Gregor gave her the orders to be here." He could feel Anya's warm blood begin to soak through his shirt sleeve. She became heavier in his arms as she faded from consciousness.
Kendall
Lord Eric Stafford
Vallen, Taemar

Eric just took whatever he was told at face value and looked toward Sir Romanov, "Where would I get _silver_ shackles then?" Eric asked in hurried tone, hating standing here when he would much rather be acting. The urgency of the situation was driving him insane and he didn't have his hammer to keep the shifter down or to finish the animal off. He'd scarcely even know shifter's were a real thing, but he didn't have time for questions. Hearing his wife call for help, and no doors sounding, Eric took his turn also, hoping his voice, significantly louder, might wake up _someone_. 

"WE NEED A PHYSCIAN _NOW!_" Eric boomed, his voice likely reverberating much farther than Angelica's. Eric then moved toward Nickles' body, with a distinct lack of silver chains Eric tore off his jacket and and tightly wrapped it on the boy's gory wound to prevent more blood flow.
Katherine
Angelica Stafford
Vallen, Taemar. 

"We don't _have_ silver shackles and furthermore we don't have _time for this_." Angelica retorted to Heath's insistance that they needed to restrain the shifter first. Her mind was moving too quickly to think through any real decisions, and no doors had opened. 

Her Queen and best friend was bleeding out in a Romanov's arms, and they were debating on what to do with a damned mutt. 

"Your blades got silver, ya?" Her hand moved to the sword that had been abandoned, blood stained already from what she could only assume was an initial attack on the creature after it got to Anya. She hoisted it high over her head, and pushed it forward with a lunge. It broke skin and grazed bone as it went through the beasts slumped form once more, angled down into it's shoulder with all the might that Angelica Stafford could muster. It hit the wood panel of the wall behind it, sticking into the wall and through the shifter, pinning it's limp form in place for now. 

"That'll have to do until we deal with _Anyanka's fucking gaping hole in her shoulder_" She didn't give time for Heath to argue, starting down the hall once more, bloodied fists pounding on doors as she passed.
Kevin
Danico Felrantres
Castle Grunewald, Vallen

Danico arrived back in his room after meeting with the girl down in the tavern. Thankfully, the meeting was quick. Keeping business formal was always nice. His quarters were one of the smaller rooms at the far end of a hall- quaint, simple, just the way he liked it. All was quiet, finally. *Peace and rest would surely come soon* He thought to himself as he placed his bag down at the end of the bed he was to stay on. Though such a thought was interrupted, quite rudely he added, by people arguing some way down the hall. *It's late people. Go to bed.* Danico scolded internally, sitting on the side of the bed to take his shoes off. Finding himself listening to what he could of the argument, he noticed it certainly sounded heated. Half way through untying laces, his attention is fully stolen by the yelling- holding still half way through the second shoe. Something certainly wasn't right about what he was listening to, his gut told him to be prepared in case anything would happen. Upon the arguing briefly going silent before more yelling and the general tone of the noises turning to panic, the shoes came back on.

*"We need a physician now!"* He heard echoing through the halls.. "Shit..." Post haste, Danico throws the laces back together and checks his bag- the usual, reagents for simple remedies, cloth for bandages, a small amount of numbing ointment left over from a previous incident. He had a small pouch with a couple of ivory needles left but no string, so hopefully no one needs stitches. The ingredients he currently had in his mask, notes and note pads, quills, a small vial of sealed ink. *"Well.. Fuck."* He vocalizes as the bag is resealed and thrown over his shoulder, bashing open the door into a careful sprint, making sure the bag doesn't bounce around too much. *"You know, for a man who prides himself on being prepared for anything, you're woefully prepared."* He chastised himself out loud as he ran, head first towards the commotion. 

Turning the hall corner, the scene comes full into view. *Blood* He notes, the first thing he sees, noting the large red patch growing and draining from Anya's shoulder, hoisted by Sir Heath, followed by that creepy child limp and bleeding and.. *A wolf.. Stuck with a sword?* "What the fuck happened here?" Danico questioned, heading straight for the duchess as he removes the bag from his shoulder once more. This certainly wasn't the reacquaintance he thought he'd have with Anyanka, but he pushed the thought out of mind for the time being as he places the bag down on the ground, kneeling beside Anya and Heath. Upon whipping open the bag, Danico tears the fabric from her shoulder and pulls out the ivory needles. "Quick, tear apart a clean part of her dress pull out as long a strand of fabric as you can." Danico demanded, pushing the goggles down over his eyes in order examine the wound closer.