Mari Miniatt

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 21

2012-03-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Bilge came back with Albrecht. Albrecht carried a large bag. Bilge looked around, as they came inside, Steopa almost left. Teodor stopped him.

“It's alright,” he said. “They have no issue with you.”

Steopa stay in the shadows, but he did not leave.

Bilge took out a cigar. “My god, look at the mess she made of them.”

Albrecht nodded. “That is why I do not mess with revenants, they get sick of doing your bidding.”

“Can you help him?” Amanda asked. She pointed to TJ.

Albrecht put the bag down. “I have clothes in there,” he said. Then he got down on one knee and examined TJ.

“He'll live. I'll get him to the hospital,” Albrecht said

Bilge walked over to Peter's corpse. “I've never seen this. And we ran into some very nasty spirits.”

“Looks like she mummified him,” Teodor said.

Bilge touched Peter's face. “No, tanned him. Like leather.”

Amanda handed Teodor a pair of pants. “I'm glad she gone.”

“Trucker will be happy,” Teodor said. “By the way, you could have told us about iron.”

Bilge looked up. “What do you mean?”

“She did not like my sword,” Steopa said.

Both Bilge and Albrecht started. Steopa stepped out of the shadows. Bilge craned his neck. Albrecht stood up.

“So you are not a myth,” Albrecht said.

Steopa tilted his head.

“About three years ago, I started hearing stories of a giant vampire."

Steopa bowed. Teodor smirked.

“Can you take him to a hospital?” Amanda said.

Albrecht nodded. “Yes, help me pick him up."

Bilge walked over to Steopa. He studied him, while smoking the cigar. “That's a nice coat.”

“We should go,” Teodor said. “The boys are probably waiting for us.”

“You still have to hide out,” Bilge said. “Or change your look.”

“The police are still after me.” Teodor rubbed his chin, he could feel the rough start of a beard.

Steopa scoffed.

“Steopa, I am trying to blend in, remember.”

Bilge patted Teodor on his shoulder. “I'll wait outside.”

Amanda walked over to Teodor. “I'm going with Bilge, if you don't come out, I'll see you tomorrow.”

“Give a hug to Trucker for me,” Teodor said.

He kissed Amanda. She hugged him and left. Steopa raised his eyebrow.

“What?” Teodor asked.

“I see why you want to now.” Steopa flung his hair behind him.

“Good.”

“She is a good woman,” Steopa said. “Who is Trucker?”

Teodor and him walked out of the cider warehouse. “One of the street kids. He has this tough act, but is really a sweet kid.”

“Does he understand what you and Amanda are?” Steopa asked.

Teodor nodded. “He saw us.”

Steopa opened the outside door. “And he was not scared?”

“Not with us.”

They left the building, just as the rear lights on Bilge's car disappeared around a corner.

“So you don't mind me bunking with you until the cops stop looking for me?” Teodor asked.

“You are always welcomed,” Steopa said.

Teodor looked back at the cider warehouse. “I'm glad it's over.”

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 20 Part 3

2012-02-29T07:30:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Peter snapped the whip, it cut across TJ's back ripping flesh off. He hit TJ with two more lashes. Robert took the lid off a metal bowl, sitting next to the table. Inside were smouldering yellow coals. Robert placed the knife blade on top of them.

A movement caught Teodor's eye. Steopa had found a way in and stalked his way past the old crates. He drew his sword.

Peter snapped the whip. Each lash came down, TJ screamed. Robert lifted the knife out of the coals. It's blade glowed red.

Teodor waited until Robert turned his back to the door. Teodor opened it, pushing the door a little at a time, so he would not make a sound. Steopa caught Teodor's eye, he lifted his sword. Teodor bared his teeth.

The string of Lithuanian swear words that Steopa yelled, made Peter turn around in surprise. Robert raised his knife. Teodor ran across the floor and tackled Peter, knocking the knife out of his hand.

Peter used the whip on Steopa. Steopa grabbed the barbed end of the whip with his free hand and wrapped it around his wrist pulling Peter closer. Robert punched Teodor. Teodor clamped his jaw around Robert's shoulder, near his neck.

The rusted chain fell to the concrete floor with a loud crash and clanking noise. Teodor rolled Robert over. He saw Amanda bound over to TJ, who laid on the floor next to chain. Peter screamed. Most of Steopa's sword stuck through his back. Steopa twisted it and drew it back out.

Robert grabbed Teodor's mouth. One hand on his upper muzzle, his other on his lower. Teodor tried to shake him off. Robert dug his fingernails into the soft part of his mouth.

“Just like a rabid dog,” Robert said.

Teodor hit Robert across his nose. He let go of Teodor's upper muzzle. Teodor closed his moth, burying his teeth into Robert's other hand. Robert grunted. His mouth clamped shut. Peter's body crumpled to the floor. Steopa stepped over his body and rushed over to Teodor. He raised his sword and swung it.

Robert turned, taking Teodor with him. The sword cut through Teodor's upper arm. Steopa grabbed Robert by the back of his head and brought the point of the sword to his neck.

“You think you are a mage?” Steopa asked.

Robert coughed, because of the sword point. “'course I am. I should have had some steaks.”

Steopa growled.

“You're too late,” Robert said. “She's coming. I'm the only one that can put her back.”

“The Hag?” Teodor asked.

“She's beautiful isn't she?”

Amanda ran over to him. She clawed at Robert. Teodor had to pull her back.

“Why?” She screamed. “She's killing children.”

“Like I am going to tell you,” Robert said. He chuckled. “There she is.”

Amanda turned her head and raised the corners of her mouth, growling. Steopa threw Robert behind him. Teodor turned.

The shadows darkened along the far wall. They pulled together and started to take a shape of a woman in a black dress. The woman stood taller than Steopa. The Hag opened her mouth and screamed. The sound hurt Teodor's ears.

“I think you have to worry about her now,” Robert said.

Peter rolled over and stood up. His wounds healed. Peter grinned. “She is one mad woman.”

The Hag flew. She screamed and reached for Steopa. He raised his sword up to block her attack. The Hag stopped and changed the direction of her attack. Amanda ran back over to TJ, who had not moved. The Hag swiped her claws at Steopa. He blocked her attack with the sword. Sparks flew off her nails.

Peter walked over to Robert. Teodor watched them, when he could take his eyes of the Hag.

Amanda ran back with the chain in her hands. She swung end around like a flail. She struck the Hag with the end of the chain. The Hag dispersed and reappeared behind Teodor.

She clawed at him. The tips of her fingers ripped his back. Teodor leaped. He landed closer to Peter and Robert. The Hag flew across the concrete.

“There is no child here!” The Hag screamed.

She flowed over Teodor sending a chill down his back. The Hag stood in front of Peter and Robert. “I want my child!”

“After you kill those three,” Peter said.

The Hag glanced over her shoulder. She did not have eyes, but Teodor could feel her studied him. Steopa rushed over.

Teodor stopped him. “Something's up.”

The Hag turned her attention back to Peter and Robert. “They are not my problem. They are yours.”

“You have to do it,” Robert said. “They hunt children too.”

“That's a lie!” Amanda yelled.

The Hag glanced over to Amanda. Her orb-less eyes glanced at TJ's body then Amanda.

“We never hunt children,” Steopa said. “Those two torture them to bring you here, did you know that?”

The Hag hissed.

“Yeah, typical men,” Teodor said.

Amanda shot him a strange look. The Hag screamed. She flung her nails out, they lengthened until they reminded Teodor of sickles. She raised her hand.

Peter dove. Robert did not move fast enough, she split him into four pieces.

Steopa stepped aside to let Peter run pass him. The Hag flew. She caught him and enveloped him in her shadows. The shadows ebbed and flowed. Peter's hand thrust out of them, then he was swallowed again.

The Hag disappeared. Peter's body laid on the floor. His skin turned dark and leathery, like a mummy.

Amanda dropped the chain. “It's over.”

“I hope so,” Steopa said.

“Is TJ...?” Teodor asked.

“He was breathing,” Amanda said.

Steopa closed his eyes. “Very faint heartbeat.”

Amanda changed back to her human form. “Go call someone, I'll try to help.”

Teodor turned to leave. Steopa caught up with him. “The police?”

“No, they are looking for me,” Teodor said. “I'll call Bilge.”

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 20 Part 2

2012-02-22T07:30:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

A young girl had been trussed up inside the wall. She was barely alive. Her arms stretched out, her mouth bound, and she had been stripped of any clothes. She could not have been older than twelve.

Steopa turned his head. Teodor reached up to the girl's wrist. She had been bound up with barbed wire. Amanda stifled a cry behind him.

“She is very close to death,” Steopa said in a very low voice.

The girl's eyes were vacant. She did not even know they were there.

“Amanda, check the outer door,” Teodor said.

“Teodor?”

“Just do it.”

Amanda walked away. Teodor nodded. Steopa slit the girl's throat with his claws.

“Can you do anything for her?” Amanda asked, across the room.

“She's gone,” Teodor said.

He glanced at Steopa. Steopa wiped the blood off his fingers before Amanda saw.

“They harm children.” Steopa said, his eyes turned red.

Teodor nodded.

“Death will come fast for them.”

Teodor heard Amanda take in a shuddering breath. He turned around. “It had to be done.”

Amanda nodded.

“They know we are here,” Steopa said.

“No need to sneak in,” Teodor said.

Amanda howled. She ran out the door. Teodor caught up with her on the street. Amanda had her nose down on the street, following a scent.

Teodor caught the scent as well, TJ's scent. The scent was old, but strong enough to follow. The path went straight to the old cider warehouse. Shadows darkened along the sides of the street. Teodor glanced up, Steopa had not gone to the roof. Teodor glanced around and saw Steopa between two buildings.

Amanda nipped Teodor's back leg. He spun around. Amanda nudged him. Teodor saw the shadows creep over the ground and come closer to them. Teodor yipped and ran. Amanda took off with him. She pressed on ahead. The icy chill of the shadows hit the back of Teodor's leg. Teodor ran forward. He shook off the shadow's grip. Amanda yipped again. The shadows flowed over her.

Steopa appeared in the shadows, he roared. He flung his arms around. The shadows moved away.

“Go!” he shouted.

Teodor ran. Amanda stumbled and righted herself. The cider warehouse loomed a few yards ahead. Teodor jumped. He hit a wall.

He could not see the wall. Teodor skidded on the street and picked himself up. Amanda stopped herself in time. She was sniffed the ground. Hitting the invisible barrier with her shoulders. Steopa came up to the barrier. He slammed his fist against it.

“Cowards!” he yelled.

Teodor looked around, there were no trees around. “What could we throw?”

The shadows bubbled up behind them. Amanda turned around and growled. Steopa felt along the invisible wall, glancing over his shoulder at the shadows. Teodor growled. The shadows were becoming solid.

He saw a concrete formed garbage can along the street. He ran up to it and tried to lifted it on his shoulder. Steopa grabbed it out of Teodor's hand and threw it into the barrier. The can sailed through. Steopa jumped after it. Amanda bounded inside. Teodor jumped and hit the barrier. It hadn't closed all the way. He had to scramble through the closing hole. The tip of his foot got caught. Steopa yanked him into the barrier.

The shadows hit the barrier and could not enter. Teodor smiled. “Let's find them.”

He heard breathing and heartbeats on the inside of the cider warehouse. Amanda sniffed around the ground, as the shadows pressed themselves against the barrier and flowed upwards.

TJ's scent became stronger and sharper. Fear. Teodor followed the scent until he found a door.

Steopa joined him. “I might not be able to enter,” he said.

“I'll make someone invite you in,” Teodor said.

Steopa struck the door. It broke the door frame and crashed inwards. Steopa stepped inside and nodded to Teodor. Amanda followed a few feet behind.

“They got the hammer,” the voice belonged to the man that had attacked them by the blood store.

“Hurry! They got through that other barrier,” another man said. This voice had a slight southern twang to it.

Amanda patted off down a side hallway. Steopa motioned to Teodor to take another. Teodor sniffed the floor.

They were in the office part of the warehouse. Down the main hall, would be the entrance to the cider floor. The place reeked of apples and vinegar. Teodor sniffed, keeping his ear trained to he conversation.

“TJ,” the southerner said. “You should have kept your mouth shut.”

“That vampire killed my girl in front of me!” TJ screamed. “I was scared.”

“You weren't scared. You will be.”

Teodor found a window at the top of a doorway. In his hybrid form it wasn't hard for him to look through the broken glass. The scene on the main store floor, could have chilled Teodor, but he had seen his brothers 'playing' the same way.

TJ had been bound in the center of the room. His hand tied to a hook that hung from the ceiling on a rusted chain. His naked body already shown signs of some torture. Fresh burn marks on his chest. The skin on his back had been lacerated by a whip.

A slender man, not much larger than Teodor when he was in his human form, uncoiled a whip. The barbs were tinged with blood. “I seem to remember, Bobby, that we told his one not to speak to anyone,” the slender man said. He had the southern accent.

Peter? Teodor thought.

The large dark haired man, the same one that had attacked them in the other building, grinned and laid down a large ornate knife on a table. “I remember that too.”

“You told them,” Peter said. “You get to stop them.”

TJ gasped, then cried out. “How?”

Peter chuckled and snapped the whip. “A little more blood from you, boy, and we can call her here.”

“NO!” TJ screamed.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 20 Part 1

2012-02-15T07:30:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

After the sun went down, they left the base. Amanda stopped at a small corner store and bought all the salt she could find. Steopa raised his eyebrow when he saw the bag.

“Salt?” he asked.

“It seems to be the only thing that works,” Amanda said.

Steopa shrugged.

The only lead they had was the old Vaness Cider warehouse. The cider warehouse was one of the larger buildings in the dock area. Half of the building sat over the river. That part was falling into the river.

As they turned onto the street that lead straight to the warehouse, Steopa paused.

“Something is strange here,” Steopa said.

Teodor sniffed. He couldn't smell anything unusual. Steopa has never been wrong before, he thought.

“What?” Teodor asked.

“We are being watched,” Steopa said. He faded into the shadows.

Teodor glanced at Amanda. She changed into the hybrid. Teodor did the same. The people they were looking for knew what they were, there was no reason to hide now.

Steopa took off and on to the top of the nearby buildings. Teodor stayed in the middle of the street, but Amanda stayed along the side. He could feel it now. There was the feeling of being watched. Teodor glanced around, nothing could be seen.

He sniffed the air. There were people nearby. Teodor could not tell how many. The human smells were strong, stronger than they were in the city. That was strange.

The snow blew along the street in swirling eddies. The smell of the crisp, clean snow wiped the smell of the humans from Teodor's nose for a moment. When the wind died down, the human smell came back.

There was blood, sweat, urine, shit, vomit, and sex, all mixed up. Teodor's stomach turned. Hospitals did not smell this bad. Amanda whined.

Teodor turned his head to look. She scratched at a door. Teodor joined her. The smell was the strongest here. He glanced up at the roofs. Steopa was still above them, a faint silhouette in the dark night. Teodor motioned with his head, that he was going in. Steopa nodded.

This building was not the cider warehouse. That was still looming down at the end of the street. This looked like a nondescript storage warehouse. The windows were boarded up. The boards heldt in place with shiny screws. These buildings had been abandoned for years, but the wood on the windows was new.

Teodor hooked his claw on the door handle and twisted it. The door creaked open. The smell hit him like a wall. The room on the other side of the door was empty, but the stench was strong. A human could smell this, Teodor thought.

The room was large. There were winches and pulleys, that ran along tracks, on the ceiling. One of the ropes hung down near the door, a large hook was attached to the end of it. The hook was stained, a rusty brown color, but it was not rust. Teodor ran his claw along the hook.

Steopa landed in front of them, his feet hit the ground without a sound. He pointed to a room that was off to the side. Teodor walked over to it. The smell of blood made him drool. Steopa opened the door.

It was a storage room, full of old metal milk pails. The tall ones that the farmers had used to send their milk to the diary, ages ago. Steopa opened one and grimaced. Teodor could smell it. Blood, very old blood, almost rancid.

“Who needs this much?” Steopa asked.

Amanda stood at the entrance of the room, not coming any closer. “It's human, right?” She asked.

Both Steopa and Teodor nodded.

“Mainly human,” Teodor said, “But I smell dog and cat as well.”

“This is a waste,” Steopa said.

Amanda glared at him.

“Bilge said they were dark mages,” Teodor said.

“Human sacrifice?” Steopa asked.

“Then they must have a place they do the killing,” Navaroo said.

Amanda shook. “I don't think I can go on.”

Steopa scoffed. Teodor turned to her. “Think about Trucker, do you want him to end up here?”

“You are a real bitch,” Steopa said.

Amanda growled.

“He's right,” Teodor said.

Amanda shook her head and turned around. She yelped.

Teodor spun around. Amanda laid on the ground, trying to get back up. A large man was standing over her. He had a silver hammer in his hand. Teodor and Steopa both took a step towards him.

“Don't you dare,” the man said, “I'll hit her again.”

Steopa moved forward. Teodor held his arm out to stop Steopa. The large man smiled. His shaggy black hair covered most of his face. “That was too easy."

Steopa nodded. “You are correct.”

Teodor dropped his hand. Steopa blurred and stood behind the man, before the large man could turn his head. Steopa struck the man in the back of the head. It should have crushed the man's skull. It should have killed the man instantly. But the man's head jerked forward from the impact, but he did not fall.

Amanda bit the man's leg. She pulled her mouth away and howled. The man raised the hammer again. Steopa grabbed the hammer out of the man's hand and struck the man with it.

What the hell? Teodor thought. This man is not going down. Teodor ran and tackled the man. When he wrapped his arms around the man, he could feel why. The man was not really there. Teodor fell through the man, and knocked Steopa over.

The man disappeared.

Teodor jumped up. “I am sick of these ghosts!”

Amanda rolled over, blood flowed down the back of her head. The wound from the silver hammer healed, but not as fast as a wound should. She growled. “I am too.”

“They are cowards,” Steopa said.

Teodor nodded.

“Is that why they need the blood?” Amanda asked, now sitting back on her haunches.

One of the milk pails fell to the floor and bounced. A small amount of blood remained inside it. A few moments before it had been full. Teodor ran back to the door.

“Their using the blood, storing it,” Teodor said. “Like batteries?”

Amanda shook her head, “No, they need the emotions, for their magic, remember?”

“Then why the blood?” Teodor asked.

“Rancid,” Steopa said.

“Rancid blood,” Teodor shook his head. He reached down and helped Amanda up.

“Necromancy,” Steopa said.

Magic that uses the dead, Teodor thought. Dead like a woman that died tragically, or horribly. The kind that would come back and become a story that was told to scare bad kids?

“Then you should be careful,” Teodor said.

Steopa was not listening. He turned his head and stared across the floor. Teodor turned his ears to the room. There was faint breathing inside. The breathing was labored and shallow. Teodor fallowed Steopa across the floor.

There were no doors here. Just a wall. Teodor sniffed the wall. He could smell them now. Someone was on the other side. Steopa slammed himself against the wall. The old wood cracked. Steopa and Teodor pulled the wood away. Amanda drew in a breath.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 19 Part 1

2012-02-08T07:45:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

The next morning. Teodor woke up later than usual. In the next room he could hear Amanda and Trucker talking. Teodor rolled over and groped for his pants. After dressing, he walking into the kitchen. Amanda had a box opened from a bakery.

“Hey,” She said, flashing Teodor a large smile, “I got donuts and coffee.”

“You must of slaved over the stove all morning,” Teodor said. He kissed Amanda on the cheek.

Trucker giggled.

“What's so funny?” Teodor asked.

Trucker tore into another donut.

“Teodor! Amanda!” Bilge yelled from the other side of the door.

Amanda opened it.

Bilge hurried inside, “Do you two have a place you can go to? Right now.”

“What's going on?” Teodor asked.

“I just saw the news.” Bilge said, “The police are looking for someone, the sketch sort of looked like you.”

Teodor stood up, “Are you sure?”

Bilge nodded.

“Who saw you?” Amanda asked.

“This hooker and her john,” Teodor said, “And TJ.”

“This is about the workhouse,” Bilge said.

“No one saw me at the workhouse,” Teodor said, “I was in my wolf form most of the time.”

“Except when you left with Steopa to get help,” Amanda said.

“Yeah, but I was with Steopa,” Teodor said. “His picture should be up there too.”

“Nah, just yours,” Bilge said.

“What the hell?” Teodor asked.

“Is there anywhere you can stay?” Bilge asked again.

Teodor nodded.

“Then get your butts there,” Bilge said.

“The cops would have already been here,” Amanda said.

“It's not the cops.” Bilge said. “Albrecht called me, he had one of his dreams, you don't ignore.”

Amanda hugged Trucker. “Take care of him.” She told Bilge.

“Don't worry about it,” Bilge said. “Just lay low for a couple of hours.”

“When are we going to know the coast is clear?” Teodor asked.

“I'll get you,” Trucker said.

“What?” Amanda asked, “No, Trucker, it's too dangerous.”

“Don't worry,” Trucker said. “I think I know where you are going. It's my favorite place to get scrap metal.”

Teodor ruffled Trucker's hair. He was a smart kid. “You're right.”

“Come on, run,” Bilge said.

Teodor finished dressing. He grabbed Amanda's hand and ran for the door. They got to the hallway and stopped. Teodor could smell something was not right. He glanced at Amanda, the hair on the back of her neck was starting to rise. The shadows were wrong in the hallway. They were too dark, for this time of day. Amanda released his hand. She started to sniff the air. Teodor saw one of the shadows creep along the floor. It was spreading out over the carpet towards them.

Teodor stepped back. Another shadow moved down the walls towards them. The one on the floor crept up to Teodor's foot. It touched the tip of his shoes. His foot felt like ice. He pulled his foot back.

Amanda whimpered. She grabbed Teodor's shoulder. The shadows flowed into each other. They turned darker and rose up off the floor. It was like watching water well up in a geyser.

“Bilge!” Amanda screamed.

The shadow quickly formed into a long, thick, arm and reached for them. Teodor pushed Amanda further down the hall. The shadow slammed into Teodor. It felt like he had been struck by a sheet of ice.

Bilge opened their door, “Shit,” He said, slamming the door shut.

The shadow moved through Teodor. He tried to grab it, but his hands went through the icy grayness. Amanda screamed.

Teodor turned, twisting the shadows with him. A shadow had Amanda as well. The one that grabbed her had taken on a more solid shape. It looked human. Amanda growled and barked. Her hair was longer and covering more of her body.

Bilge opened the door again, he threw a handful of white powder into the shadow that had Amanda. The shadow let her go. It screamed. The shadow's scream sounded like a rabbit, when it was being killed.

Amanda ran towards Teodor. Bilge threw another handful towards the shadow that was surrounding and in Teodor. The shadow screamed the high pitched wail. Teodor grabbed his ears and fell to his knees. The shadows were retreating down the hallway.

“You guys okay?” Bilge asked.

Teodor nodded. Amanda shook herself. She pulled up her ripped shirt up and tied it off over the shoulder.

“What the hell were those?” Teodor asked.

“Scouts,” Bilge said. “Compliments of Bob and Peter. You two better get out of here.”

“What did you throw at them?” Amanda asked.

“Salt,” Bilge said. “It works wonders.”

“Those things will come back here,” Teodor said.

“Yeah, but if they can't find you, they will leave,” Bilge said.

Bilge motioned with his hands for them to leave. Teodor took Amanda's hand again, and they left.

It was the middle of the day, but Teodor knew that vampires could still hear everything around them. Teodor banged on the vault door.

“Steopa,” Teodor yelled.

He banged on the door again. Amanda sighed.

“Do you think he can hear us through all that steel?” She asked.

Teodor shrugged. He banged his fist against the vault door. The handle turned. The door opened. Steopa stood on the other side of the door, only in his pants. His long hair snaked around his shoulders.

“This better be good,” he said, his voice slurred.

“Turns out we pissed off some mages,” Teodor said. “This is the safest place I know.”

Steopa grunted and stood aside. Teodor wrapped his arm around Amanda and then went inside.

“Mages?” Steopa asked.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 18

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

“I cannot believe you went out and that!” Amanda's face turned red. She threw her right arm out, pointing in the direction of the slaughter.

“I didn't kill anyone,” Teodor said.

“You could have stopped Steopa,” Amanda said.

Teodor laughed. “Have you seen him?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I had to find out how TJ knew I was a werewolf,” Teodor said.

“Why!”

“Because, it means someone knows about us,” Teodor said.

Glasses clinked nearby. Teodor glanced over to the bar. Bilge washed the dishes, acting as if he was not hearing the argument.

Teodor sighed. “I wanted to protect you.”

Bilge coughed. Teodor turned.

“Was it worth it?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Teodor said, “I found out who the River Rats work for.”

“Yeah?”

“Robert Braid and Peter, something.”

Bilge dropped the glass he was holding. “Are you sure?”

Teodor nodded.

Bilge pulled up a bar stool and sat down on it. “You just stirred up a hornets nest.”

“See!” Amanda said.

“Amanda,” Bilge said, holding up his hand. “This is far worst than what you think.”

“What?” Amanda asked.

“Peter Gephart and Robert used to be friends of mine,” Bilge said, “They were part of our ghost hunting group. After the explosion, things got tense.” Bilge lit a cigar. “Bob and Peter stopped being satisfied with just exploring, they wanted more power. Bob was jealous of Albrecht, for instance. Peter left first, after an argument with me. Then Bob did. Rumors about them dabbling in dark magic.”

“Were they?” Teodor asked.

Bilge nodded, “Yeah, Albrecht and me checked them out one time. Nasty stuff they were doing. Albrecht does not shy away from the nastier spells, but what Bob and Peter were doing was beyond that.”

“What sort of things?” Teodor asked.

“It's hard to describe.” Bilge said, pausing to puff on his cigar. “The main thing is that they gathered power by hurting others.”

“What do you mean? Hurting others?” Amanda asked.

“They used to harm themselves. Every time they would hurt themselves, power would build. But they could only do so much, so they started to harm others.”

“Killing?” Teodor asked.

“Not at first. You can't get much power off a corpse,” Bilge said. “Control, fear, and pain, that is what they need.”

Teodor felt Amanda place her hand on his shoulder. “Sounds horrible,” she said.

Bilge nodded. “It's like a drug, they always want more.”

“You said Albrecht dabbles,” Teodor said.

“No, he knows that there always has to be a balance,” Bilge said, “Bob and Peter don't care.”

“So I take it they are going to be after me now,” Teodor said.

Bilge nodded.

Teodor spun around on the seat. “I am sorry Amanda,” he said.

“No, you were right, you had to find out who knew,” Amanda said.

“Yeah, but now we got two nuts on our tails, and we are no closer to getting rid of the Hag.”

Bilge put out his cigar. “Tell you what, you two worry about the Hag. Albrecht and I can watch out for Bob and Peter.”

“Alright,” Teodor said.

Amanda gave Teodor a hug, “Trucker is staying in our apartment right now,” she said.

“Where?” Teodor asked, “We are sleeping on the floor.”

Bilge shrugged, “I got you two a couch.”

“Thanks again,” Teodor said.

Amanda and Teodor went up the stairs to their apartment. In the bare living room, Trucker snored softly on the only piece of furniture. They went to their sparse bedroom and tried to get some sleep.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 17

2012-01-25T08:25:00.000-05:00

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 17Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

That night, Teodor told Bilge he couldn't work. Amanda gave Teodor an odd look as he walked out of the bar. Teodor pulled his collar up as he walked down the street. Steopa had suggested that they go hunting, tonight was a good night.

Teodor caught a cab and took it to the center of Konakove, the large square in front of the church. The cab drove off, leaving Teodor alone in the middle of the square. A shadow moved next to the large church.

Steopa stepped into the light green glow of the street lamp. “Teodor,” he said, “What brings you here?”

“I need to hunt,” he said, “But a certain person.”

“Who?” Steopa asked.

“A young kid, he stabbed me a couple nights ago,” Teodor said.

Steopa raised an eyebrow.

“With a silver hollow tipped dagger, filled with silver filings.”

“Tell me everything you know,” Steopa said.

Teodor did.

They went to the Chinese take out place first. Steopa tried the door, it was locked. He jerked the door open, breaking the lock off. Teodor went ahead. He glanced over his shoulder. If this was a private residence, Steopa would not be able to enter. Steopa walked inside. He closed the door behind him.

Teodor sniffed the air. TJ's scent was still strong. Steopa stayed alongside Teodor as he bounded up the stairs. A door opened at the first landing. A small man, in a rumpled suit stepped into the hallway. He saw Teodor and Steopa, and pressed his back against the door. A woman, wearing only her bra and panties had come to the open door. She jumped behind the man and hid her face.

Teodor smiled at them. His teeth were longer than a humans. Steopa grunted and pushed past the hooker and her client. Teodor sniffed the air. TJ was still in the building.

“How fast do you want him to die?” Steopa asked.

“After I get some information,” Teodor said.

“Good. I am hungry.”

At the top of the stairs, the scent was the strongest. There were three doors in the hallway. One had a small peeling sign on it that read; Robert Braid Investigation. Through the door, Teodor could hear rock music playing and laughter.

Teodor sniffed around the door. Underneath the smell of drugs and alcohol was the smell of TJ, he was inside. Steopa placed his hand against the door.

“I can enter,” he said.

Teodor stepped back, and gestured to the door. Steopa forced his claws in between the door and the door frame. He yanked on the door. The door hinges snapped off the wooden frame. Steopa tossed the door down the stairs.

It was an old office, that had been converted into a makeshift living area. Mattresses lined the walls, couches and chairs were scattered throughout middle part of the room. The rock music was coming from a large stereo system. The young kids that were inside, stared at the door.

“Which one?” Steopa asked.

Teodor scanned the room. TJ was not in the main room. “I'll go find him, make sure they don't leave.”One of the braver young partiers stood up. He was an average height black man, but had a large muscular frame.

“What the fuck?” he said.

Teodor walked up to the black man. “You know TJ?”

The black man, pulled out a gun and pointed it at Teodor's head. “I don't have to tell you, shit.”

Teodor grabbed the gun out of the black man's hand and stuck him across the neck.

The black man, stumbled back. Teodor grabbed the black man's arm and shoved the gun into his face.

“You are going to tell me everything, or my giant friend here is going to start painting the walls with your guts,” Teodor said.

He glanced around the room. Most of the partiers had backed up as far as they could. Another young man, reached into his jacket. Teodor growled.

“Try that, he dies and you have to answer my questions,” Teodor said, turning back to the man in his grip. “Now you, what do they call you?”

“J, J, Jay.”

“Alright, Jay,” Teodor said, “Where's TJ?”

“He aint here.”

“Liar! I can smell him.”

“What the-”

Teodor heard a grunt, then a scream. A body flew into the main room and skidded on the floor. Jay's eyes went wide. The way Jay's eyes traveled upward, Teodor knew that had been the work of Steopa.

“You hungry?” Teodor asked Steopa. “Take one of those.”

Steopa grabbed the hair of the nearest partier. A black haired woman, older than the rest. She tried to kick at Steopa yanked on her hair, forcing her down on her knees.

“Where is TJ?” Teodor asked.

Jay pointed to another room. Teodor kicked Jay away. He hit one of the windows, cracking the glass.

Teodor threw open the door. TJ was in bed with a woman. Before TJ could roll off her, Teodor had TJ by the back of the neck. He pulled TJ off the bed.

“Remember me?” Teodor asked. He snorted in TJ's ear.

“You's supposed to be dead,” TJ said.

“Stick around and make sure next time,” Teodor said.

The woman had pulled the blankets up to her neck and screamed. More screams came from the main room. The woman in the bed covered her head with the blanket.

Teodor threw TJ across the room. TJ hit a lamp, breaking it. The glass cut his upper thigh and lower abdomen. He hit the floor, and tried to scoot away from Teodor. His blood was leaving a trail behind him.

“Who told you what I am?” Teodor asked.

“He'll kill me,” TJ said, raising his hand to cover his face.

“Funny, I'm going to do the same thing,” Teodor said.

More screams and two thuds. The woman in the bed screamed and cried. Teodor could smell the urine that was soaking the bed now.

“Look, he's crazy,” TJ said.

“Not that crazy,” Teodor said, “He sent you out to follow me with a silver knife, didn't you think that was odd?”

“He does things like that,” TJ said, he had pushed himself up against the wall, “I was gonna sell the knife, didn't think I would use it.”

“Where's he get it?”

“Oh, I can't tell you,” TJ said.

Teodor growled and raked TJ across the chest. TJ cried out.

“They work together,” TJ said, “They make sure we are taken care of, we just have to do their odd jobs.”

Now sound came from the main room. The woman in the bed lowered the blanket, then screamed again. Steopa slammed his hand against her mouth. He had not wiped the blood off his face. Teodor took a deep breath and could smell the blood. He drooled.

“Tell me their names,” Teodor said, raising his claws.

“What's he? What's he?” TJ said, pointing to the bed.

Teodor glanced over to the bed. Steopa fed off the young woman. TJ coughed and vomited.

When he had finished. “Their names are Robert and Peter.”

“Where are they?”

“The old dock area,” TJ said. “Vaness Cider warehouse.”

Teodor backed away. Steopa stood up and wiped his face. “Should I dispatch him?” Steopa asked.

Teodor shook his head, “No, he told me what I wanted to hear, let him live.”

“What!”

“You rather have us kill you?” Teodor asked.

Steopa chuckled and left the room. Teodor snapped at TJ and followed Steopa. He could hear police sirens. It was hard to tell if they were heading towards this place, but Steopa and him knew better than to stick around.

Steopa broke a window that connected to a fire escape. He climbed outside, then jumped to the nearest building. Teodor followed.

On the roof across the alley way, they stood in the shadows and waited. Teodor watched two police officers enter the room. One got on the radio while the other covered the room.

“In here!” TJ shouted.

The police entered. TJ was still naked and covered in blood. The police pointed their guns on TJ. He raised his hands, his shoulders shaking.

Steopa patted Teodor shoulder. “It was good to hunt with you again.”

Teodor rubbed his beard. “Yeah, too bad we can't take care of the Hag so easily.”

Steopa nodded. He walked to the other side of the building, staying in the deep shadow. Teodor joined him.

“I have been thinking about the Hag,” Steopa said.

“Yeah?”

“She said Baba Yaga was her sister,” Steopa said, “Baba Yaga did have sisters, they all had the same name. The Hag was lying.”

“I figured that,” Teodor said. “Do you want to go to the docks now?”

Steopa nodded. Teodor started to walk away. Steopa stopped him and pointed. Amanda ran down the street in her wolf form.“I think you are in trouble, no?” Steopa asked.

Teodor sagged, “Yeah, big trouble.”

You Can Tell a Lot About a Person, By Their Refrigerator.

2012-01-24T19:32:00.000-05:00

On our refrigerator at home there is a white board. The type you write on with dry erase markers. It is supposed to be for communications between family members. Little notes for reminders, grocery lists, etc. But being my family there are notes on it like a strange drawing of a cat wit the word "Sodium, Sodium, Sodium, Sodium, CATMAN" next to it. An old note that started with "Can anyone help with..", now ends with "the tinfoil hats." Another little drawing of an odd man that someone wrote "WINNINNNNNNG!" next to.

You now have a good idea into the mindset of my family.

When writers come up with characters, it is easy to end with the person. Once you come up with how they look, throw a few idiosyncrasies, you might think that you are done with the character. Not thinking how that person's environment can expand their personality. Do they live in an apartment? A house? Do they spend more time in their car? Do they have a car? What is in their purse? Their wallet?

Something as simple as a favorite item can give you great insight into the mind of the character. What does their favorite shirt say about them? Is it a threadbare T-shirt with a heavy metal band's logo on it? Is it a tailored shirt they think is lucky? A sweatshirt they only wear at home when they are relaxing?

An object or a person's home can tell you more about them then a paragraph explaining their personality.

Terry Pratchett did this wonderfully in Unseen Academicals. He spends a few pages describing the beds of the main characters. Not only does it give you an idea about their personalities, he gives you a few tidbits that seem to contradict themselves. As you get further into the story, the contradictions are what makes those characters interesting.

Going back the the white board on my fridge. Could you tell we have artists in the house? We have geek level of humor.* And that we don't organize every level of our life. That what the board was bought for, but never used that way. That one object let you find out more about my family, than me writing about each of our personalities.Remember your characters interact with a world, one that they cannot help but to shape. Let your readers have those little glimpses, they round out a character.

*Sodium, Sodium, Sodium, Sodium, CATMAN can be written as Na, Na, Na, Na, Catman! Hopefully you get it now.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 16

2012-01-18T08:24:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Amanda found a table in the library that was away from the other patrons. Teodor read a book on local ghost stories. Amanda had piles of books in front of her; copies of old newspapers. Gunner sat on the other side of the table with Trucker. He had a large picture book open. Trucker sounded out the words.

Teodor glanced at the boys, then at Amanda. She smiled at him.

“Have you heard this one?” Teodor asked. “There was this woman that made soap to support herself after her husband died. But she could not get enough fat from the slaughter houses. So she started to kidnap children, to get their fat.”

Amanda grimaced. “That's horrible.”

“It gets better. She dies and people figure out what she had done. But the kids still disappear and she is still seen.”

“Another Hag?” Amanda asked.

Teodor nodded. “They are everywhere.”

Amanda flipped another page. “There were a lot of murders in this town.” She rested her head on her hand. “I never knew.”

“Was that before or after the base exploded?” Teodor asked.

“Ha, ha,” Amanda said.

Teodor returned to his book. He read a few more stories. Then got Amanda's attention again. “How about this one? There was a young woman, whose husband was away, and their baby, living in a cabin way out in the woods. She heard that there was a raiding Indian party coming towards her cabin. She hid the baby underneath some bushes, then ran back to her home. She heard a noise. Thinking it was the raiding party, she killed herself. The noise was her husband.”

“Stupid girl,” Amanda said.

“She supposed to haunt the area around the cabin,” Teodor said, “But no one knows were the cabin is, at least they can't agree on where it is.”

Amanda shook her head. She closed the large book. “My eyes are starting to hurt,” She said, rubbing her forehead.

Gunner took Trucker by the hand and then wandered into the children's section. Amanda reached over the table and took Teodor's hand. “What do think of the boys?”

“Nice kids,” Teodor said, not looking up from another ghost story.

“I really like Trucker,” Amanda said, “Too bad we can't take him in.”

“Why not?” Teodor asked.

Amanda dropped his hand, “We aren't exactly set up to take in kids.”

Teodor looked up. “We will be.”

Amanda smiled. “Are you serious?”

“Well, we are living together already,” Teodor said.

“I would kiss you,” Amanda said, she nodded to a nearby table. “But that guy is staring at us.”

Teodor glanced over to the old man. “Too bad.”

Amanda opened up another large book. Teodor returned to his book on ghost stories. A few moments later, Amanda tapped on Teodor's hand.

“Ohh, this is good,” Amanda said, “Elizabeth Hannah Swift was found dead. Having taken her own life in a fit of melancholy.” She flipped the page. “Then there is this; E.H.S was visited by R.L.T and told her that he would not take her to Europe.”

Teodor shrugged. “So?”

“I know this one,” Amanda said. “This Elizabeth, was Thorson's mistress.”

Teodor shook his head, “Who?”

“Thorson, one of the guys that built this town,” Amanda waved her hands around, “This is Thorson's public library.”

“He was a big shot?” Teodor asked.

“One of the biggest,” Amanda said, “This woman went crazy. She killed her baby.”

“Was it his?”

“Some say it was, some say it wasn't,” Amanda said.

“Is she supposed to be a ghost?” Teodor asked.

“I never heard of her being a ghost,” Amanda said, “But she sounds like the perfect candidate for a Hag.”

Teodor nodded. “Yeah, she does.”

Gunner and Trucker came back to the table. Trucker opened up another book for Gunner to read. Teodor continued his reading. The old man that had been watching them walked over to their table.

“I over heard what you were talking about,” he said, “Sorry, but are you looking up local ghost legends?”

Teodor glanced at Amanda, she nodded.

“I got a good one for you,” he said, “My dad swore it was true.”

Teodor motioned to an empty seat. The old man sat down. “When my dad was younger he had to stay at the old workhouse.”

Amanda glanced at Teodor.

“It was in the last few years it was open,” the old man continued. “But he said that there was a woman only the children would see. She would walk the hallways at night, tapping on the doors of the dormitory.”

“Was it a ghost?” Amanda asked.

The old man nodded, “A nun or something like that, she had hung herself after she killed a kid there.”

“That's creepy,” Amanda said.

“My dad said one night she was tapping on his dorm's door. An older boy, who didn't believe the stories opened the door. He was pulled into the hallway and was never seen again.”

The old man got up from the table, “I never liked going to the place, after my dad told me that story.”

“Did you ever find out who she was?” Teodor asked.

The old man shook his head. After he had left, Amanda flipped through the old newspapers.

“Here it is,” She said. “This article is about a school teacher, not a nun, who was found guilty murder. Her name was Clara Williams. She killed four children while she taught at the workhouse.”

“Why did she do that?” Teodor asked.

Amanda read the article, “It doesn't say. I doubt it would have anyway. They didn't report things like that in the early 1900's.”

Trucker came over to Teodor. “When do we get our ice cream?” He asked.

“I could do for a break,” Amanda said.

“Okay, clean up and we will go,” Teodor said, ruffling Trucker's hair.

The ice cream place was only a few blocks away from the library. The chrome counter snaked through the place. There were a couple of tables, but most people sat on the stools at the counter. Trucker climbed up on on the stools and started to spin around. Teodor put his hand on Trucker's shoulder to stop his spinning.

Teodor and Amanda ordered plain vanilla cones. The boys shared a banana split. The waitress was very talkative. Since they were the only ones at the shop, they were a captive audience.

After the boys had finished two bananas splits, they left. Heading back to the Pit. It was late afternoon, the sun had warmed up the air a little. People were still bundled in their winter jackets, but the fronts were opened. Hats and gloves were off. Some of the snow melted. There was too much snow for the little thaw, most of it was going to stay on the ground.

Dogs barked in the distance. Teodor paused. The dog gossipers were busy. They had sighted the silver knife carrying young man. He was coming towards them. Teodor spun around looking for the young man.

He walked toward them on the opposite side of the street. The young man had not seen them. Teodor growled. Gunner and Amanda turned to look.

“Shit,” Gunner said, “That's TJ.”

“You know him?” Teodor asked.

Gunner nodded.

“He's the one that stabbed me,” Teodor said.

Gunner grabbed Teodor's arm. “Then don't let him see you.”

They ducked into the nearest shop, an electronics store. Teodor stood by the window display watching TJ walk by. The clerk walked up to Amanda.

“How can I help you good folks today?” He asked.

“Radios,” Amanda said. “I want to get these two boys here their own radios.”

“Come this way,” the Salesman said.

Teodor stayed by the window display until TJ walked past. TJ walked down the street. He stopped in front of a door next to a business and went inside. Teodor turned around.

Amanda had picked out two small transistor radios for Trucker and Gunner. After the clerk made the sale, they left the store.

“Where's he go?” Amanda asked.

“Just ahead,” Teodor said.

He crossed the street. Amanda grabbed Trucker's hand and ran to keep up with Teodor. Gunner followed close. The door that TJ used was next to a Chinese take out restaurant. The letters on the door were faded and peeling off; ROB RT BRA D INVES IGAT ON.

Teodor tried the door. It was locked.

“Lets go before he sees you again,” Amanda said, in Teodor's ear.

Teodor lowered his shoulders. “You're right.”

Amanda put her arm around Teodor. “We'll get him.”

Teodor shook off her arm. He started to walk down the street.

“What is it?” Amanda asked.

Teodor took some deep breaths. He picked up his pace.

Gunner caught up with him. “Hey.”

“I hate this,” Teodor said.

“That TJ stabbed you?” Gunner asked.

Teodor spun around and jabbed his finger in the air. “That I cannot just go in there and knock some heads together and get answers.”

Amanda caught up with Teodor. “Teodor, Not here!”

Teodor growled. Gunner stepped back.

“Teodor,” Amanda said. “You are scaring Trucker.”

Teodor looked down at Trucker. He stared at Teodor with wide eyes. Teodor closed his eyes and sighed. “Let's go back to the Pit.”

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 15 Part 2

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

They went back to the Pit. Teodor's legs shook as he left the cab. Amanda helped him up the stairs. She opened the door to Bilge's apartment. Gunner sprawled out in one of the easy chairs, reading. Trucker played with a toy truck on the living room floor.

Teodor sat down on the couch. Trucker climbed up on the couch and sat next to him. He handed Teodor the truck. “Amanda said you were hurt."

“I was,” Teodor said.

“You okay?” Trucker asked.

“I will be,” Teodor said.

Gunner looked up from his book, “What happened?”

“Some jerk stabbed me in the back,” Teodor said.

“Those hurt like a bitch,” Gunner said.

Teodor stared at Gunner. Gunner sighed and lifted up his shirt. There were three scars on his chest and abdomen. “Fun times."

“What happened?” Teodor asked.

Gunner smooth out his shirt, “My mom's boyfriend and I had a little argument.”

“He stabbed you?” Teodor asked.

Gunner nodded, “Yeah, but I got the ass good too. Cops came, Mom sided with the jerk. I took off as soon as I was stitched up.”

“Well, I can honestly say, I know what it's like."

“You're mom have a crazy boyfriend?” Gunner asked.

Teodor shook his head, “No, I was the runt of the family. You see werewolves don't have families, they have packs. And if you are not strong enough or fast enough to be of use, they will push you out. I was the smallest one. My mother told me that my father wanted to kill me when I was a year old. She stopped him.”

“So you mom was alright?” Trucker asked.

“No. She was just as bad.” Teodor leaned back. “I'm fast and smart, so I was able to stay one step ahead of the rest of the pack. But there were some close calls.”

“Did you take off too?” Trucker asked.

“I couldn't,” Teodor said, “But I did get out.”

“How?”

“The villagers told some soldiers where my family lived, I was warned.” Teodor chuckled. “They were massacred.”

Gunner stared at Teodor.

Teodor waved his hand, “I can laugh now, I warned the idiots. My father did not think the soldiers would harm them.”

“Where was this?” Gunner asked.

“Spain,” Teodor said. “A long time ago.”

Trucker curled his feet up on the couch. “Did you bring something to eat?”

“Amanda is bringing something up later,” Teodor said.

Gunner sighed, “What about that Woman?” He asked.

“The Hag?”

Gunner nodded, “Yeah, Can you kill her?”

Teodor looked at his feet, “I am not sure, she's more like a ghost, than something like me.”

“There has to be a way.”

“There's always a way,” Teodor said, “Tomorrow, Amanda and I are going to the library to do some research.”

“On the Hag?” Gunner asked.

“Yeah, it's been suggested that she was a real person,” Teodor said.

“She's a witch,” Trucker said, “She's collects the skins of the kids so she can make a dress.”

Teodor patted Trucker's shoulder. “What else have you heard?”

“I heard that she was a beautiful woman once,” Gunner said, “She was attacked by a gang of kids, that scarred her.”

Teodor had heard these stories before. The story of the dress had been in the news, years ago. Some crazy in Wisconsin had dug up some dead women and made things out of their skins. The other story Teodor had heard in a few other cities. Thats all Teodor heard, was stories.

“Maybe you two should come down to the library tomorrow, too,” Teodor said.

Gunner shrugged. Trucker nodded. Teodor slapped his thigh. “Alright, afterwards maybe ice cream.”

Trucker threw himself on Teodor and hugged him. Gunner laughed.

Strong Young Female Characters

2012-01-04T21:14:00.000-05:00

It can be tempting write a strong female lead to the point that she becomes a unfeeling robot. Like a 1980's macho action hero with breasts. Especially now, when we are faced with images of reality show stars that are famous due to their looks, female movie leads that follow their man around like lost puppies.

But, there are good examples of recent female leads, that are strong, can match the men blow by blow, and yet remain vulnerable and driven. And who's life is not revolving around "some boy".

Hit Girl, Hanna, and Ree Dolly.*

Let's start with Hit Girl, the killer little girl in Kick-Ass. Her childhood was designed to make her a killing machine. Her father (wonderfully played by Nicholas Cage), had been set up by a drug dealer and did time in prison, which is not a good place for a cop to be. While he was there his wife dies, leaving behind their daughter, Hit Girl. He raises her to be a killer, to take revenge on the drug dealer that took her mother's life and ruined their lives. They do it as masked crime fighters.

She is a pint sized vigilante. She is an expert in many forms of weapons and fighting styles. But still is a little kid. In the scene where her and Kick Ass meet. She starts to show off, teasing the small time drug dealers, while brutally killing them in front of Kick Ass.

You would think a childhood like that would make her a psychopath. But a psychopath is defined as a personality disorder characterized by lack of empathy and remorse, and shallow emotions. She is empathic, she wants to reach out and meet Kick Ass, seeing that he needs help. Lack of remorse? Hardly, when she fails to rescue her father, she is very remorseful. But turns that remorse into the anger she needs to finish the job. Shallow emotions? She keeps her emotions in check, but she does cry, when she needs to.

Is she vulnerable? She's eleven. Part of her is still a little girl.

Hanna, from the movie Hanna, like Hit Girl, was raised to be a killer. In her case, her father had to hide her from the CIA, because she is last survivor of a project. He had to raise her to protect herself from the people that would show up eventually to "erase" the evidence. You see her hunting with a bow and arrow above the arctic circle in Finland. Whereas Hit Girl was trained to be a John Woo type of superhero. Hanna is taught how to survive with barely any weapons.

She can hunt, butcher animals, kill with a knife and a bow. She is kept away from society because they are in hiding. But her father (he raised her, not her biological father) knows she will have to face her past. That is why he teaches her to be so self reliant.

The problem is, she has no idea what the real world is like. When she has to leave her hut in the woods of Finland. She travels to Germany. Along the way she meets a family on vacation, that sort of take her in. They treat her like a the teenager she should be. Their daughter sneaks out with Hanna one night to meet some boys. Hanna has no clue on how to react. The boy kisses her, she almost kills him. Yet, her new friend doesn't abandoned her.

Unlike Hit Girl, who is normal, except for her upbringing, Hanna finds out she had been genetically altered. This should make her even less human. But as she starts to experience what the real world is like, she develops empathy. Thanking her new friend for being a friend, and tries to keep the family out of danger. If she was truly the emotionless killing machine she was supposed to be, she wouldn't have cared about the family.

Hit Girl and Hanna may seem to made to be heroes. So we turn to Ree Dolly from the movie Winter's Bone. Like the other girls, she is young (seventeen), self reliant (hunts so there is food on the table), and her mother is non existent (in this case due to catatonia). Unlike the other girls, her father is missing, she has not grown up to be a killing machine. She is a normal girl, growing up in a poor, meth riddled area of the country. She has to raise her younger brother and sister, because of the lack of parental figures in the house.

The plot of Winter's Bone deals with Ree finding her father. She is warned that if her father does not show up for this court hearing, he will be skipping his bail, which means they will lose the one possession the family owes, the house. She starts her journey to find her father. Her father had been caught producing and selling meth. This means Ree has to start with people involved with the drug. Most are in her family. Along the way she is lied to and threatened, but she will not give up. They are going to lose their home.

When she figures out her father was killed, she doesn't want revenge, she only wants proof. She confronts the head dealer in the county. This leads her to be beaten by the women in his group. In one of the most powerful scenes, she tells the group of adults that have just beaten her, that she doesn't care who killed her father. She needs proof to save her home, because she has to take care of her family and she can't do that with out a home.

The end of the movie, she is taken to where her father's body had been hidden. Without giving a major spoiler away. She gets her proof.

Ree keeps going, she is willing to put herself on the line to keep her family home. She knows the risk, but keeps going. If she had been Hit Girl, she would have faced the drug dealers with guns. She doesn't. She goes alone and unarmed. Of the three, she is the most vulnerable, but she is the strongest. She may have been pushed into the role of the care giver in the story, but she knows what is expected.

For those of you that think strong young females have not existed since Buffy ended, don't worry. They are out there. Hopefully, we will see more of them. I hope more in the vein of Ree. A strong, realistic, female is far more powerful. Even if you are writing or watching a fantasy, having a character anchored in reality, makes their strengths and vulnerabilities more accessible and believable.

* Disclaimer: I am only comparing the characters as they were portrayed in the movies, to be fair, since Hanna only appeared in film form.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 15 Part 1

2012-01-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

The voice drifted into Teodor's ears.

“I did all I could,”

“You did fine,” that was Bilge.

“But I am not a vet, that's who you should have taken him too.” The voice was familiar. It was an older man's, a voice that was forced. As if every word was painful to say.

“You did fine, Mr. Sansard,” Bilge said.

“Yes, thank you,” Amanda said.

Teodor started to see faint shapes around him. There were three people standing around him. He could almost see Amanda's blond hair. He tried to speak.

Amanda's head turned. “Teodor?”

“What happened?” Teodor said, sounding out each word.

“That kid that stabbed you, had a trick knife.” Bilge said.

“The knife was silver, with a hollow tip,” Amanda said, “The tip broke, it was full of silver filings.”

“You're lucky,” Mr. Sansard said.

Teodor could now make out where he was by the smells. Teodor could smelt the stale beer and vinegary wine. The strong sweet smell of garbage was overpowering any other smells. It was the alcohol and food warehouse that Bilge had taken him too.

Bilge lit of of his thin cigars. “Why'd you go after that young man?”

Teodor adjusted himself on the concrete floor. The small of his back felt tender, but the burning pain was gone. “He was lurking outside the Pit.”

“How'd he know about your friend?” Mr. Sansard asked.

“That's a good question,” Bilge said. He puffed on his cigar. “He's kinda young to be a werewolf hunter.”

“Guys,” Amanda said, “He needs his rest.”

“Can you move?” Bilge asked.

Teodor nodded. Amanda bent down and helped Teodor up. He winced as he stood up straight.

“The dogs followed the young man,” Amanda said. “He's at one of the buildings near the river where the River Rats hang out.”

Bilge pulled the cigar out of his mouth. “What are River Rats doing with silver knives?”

“Who?” Mr. Sansard asked.

“A bunch of bad kids,” Bilge said.

“Near the river?”

Bilge nodded.

Amanda sighed. “Can I take him home?”

“Sorry,” Bilge said. "Yeah, lets get him home."

Amanda helped Teodor to Bilge's truck. Teodor felt stronger as he walked towards the truck.

“Those kids shouldn't be by the river,” Mr. Sansard said.

“Why?” Bilge asked as he opened the passenger side door.

“It's haunted,” Mr. Sansard said, “The ghosts are vicious.”

“How do you know this?” Amanda said, as she helped Teodor into the cab of the truck.

“My friend was attacked,” Mr. Sansard said, “Right after we came to this country.”

Amanda climbed into the cab, alongside Teodor. Bilge walked around to the driver's side.

“Thank you, again, Mr. Sansard,” Bilge said, as he got into the cab.

“What? Alright, take care.”

Bilge started up his truck. They pulled out of the loading dock. Bilge put out his cigar.

“Sorry about that, he was the only one I could think of,” Bilge said.

“What did he do?” Teodor asked.

“He had been a doctor,” Amanda said, “But he did something else to you.”

“Psychic healer,” Bilge said, “or if you prefer faith healer.”

Teodor glanced at Bilge. “I have to ask you. Are all your friends a little on the odd side?”

“Yeah, what is it with you, Bilge?” Amanda asked.

Bilge shifted the truck, “I know a group of people, with special skills,” he said, “Albrecht, Mr. Sansard, Myself, and a couple more.”

Teodor waited for the explanation, it did not come. “And?” he asked.

“When we were younger, we liked to hunt in the darkness.” Bilge said, “Ghosts mainly, but we found other things as well.”

“Do you still do it?” Amanda asked.

Bilge shook his head, “No, not worth the danger. When that factory exploded years ago, that was the last time,”

Teodor and Amanda exchanged a glance, “We remember,” Amanda said.

“Too much energy,” Bilge said. “It nearly fried Mr. Sansard. It did fry me, unfortunately.”

“What do you mean?” Teodor asked.

“When it went up,” Bilge said. “I suddenly got a nasty headache, and then it was gone.”

“What?” Amanda asked.

“My talent,” Bilge said, “You didn't think I could only serve beer.”

Bilge slowed down and stopped for a red light. “I could sense ghosts, talk to them, sometimes.”

“A psychic?” Amanda asked.

“Yeah, but when that factory blew,” He shook his head, “There was something strange going on there. We had heard stories about a lab...”

“We know,” Amanda said.

Bilge glanced at her. “I thought you did, but I don't want to know about it.”

“What about Trucker and Gunner?” Teodor asked.

“They are still at my place,” Bilge said. “If that guy was a River Rat, then Gunner will want to go after him.”

“So is Mr. Sansard correct? The river is haunted?” Amanda asked.

Bilge nodded. “Yeah, but not just ghosts.”

Teodor rubbed his beard. “You know what is odd. That a kid would know what to carry if he wanted to hurt a werewolf, but then hang out in a haunted area.”

“I think it is more interesting to find out where he got that knife,” Bilge said. “You can't just buy one of those at the store.”

Teodor nodded.

Bilge turned down a street. “Let's just take it easy tonight. I got a band setting up in about an hour. Teodor, I want you to stay away from the bar.”

“Why?”

“I don't know how fast you heal, but I don't want to take any chances,” Bilge said.

“You could watch the boys,” Amanda said.

Teodor put his arm around Amanda. “Sure, I will play Dad, tonight."

Amanda smiled a small smile. “I'll bring up some sandwiches later.”

Teodor nodded. “Sounds good.”

I'm doing #WIP500

2012-01-01T09:21:00.001-05:00

I'm doing #WIP500 with a bit more added. If you want to follow my madness, read on.

What is this?

A challenge to get my writing in gear again. An average of 500 words a day for one year. Inspired by #WIP500 on Google+.

#WIP500?
Cara Michaels wonderful idea to keep us motivated. It doesn’t matter what we write, as long as we write. http://www.caramichaels.com/defiantlyliterate/wip500/

What will you be writing?
Anything. I have a story idea in mind. Since 500 words a day equals 182,500 words, it would have to be a meaty story to take up all those words. So anything I write will be put up. Exception: Responses to blogs, posts on G+, any social media.
2012 is a leap year, so this year’s challenge works out to 183,000 words.

Sounds like a lot, how can you keep it straight?
Everything will be under my 500 a day collection on google docs. The story idea(s) will be separated from short stories, poems, rewrites, etc. So if you want to follow one, you can pick which one to follow.

Why share it?
I consider myself a pantser writer. A pantser is someone that writes by the seat of their pants. They don’t outline a story before they write it. Some just write, others (like me) have a general idea of the concept of the story and a few characters.
We let the story develop as we go. Which I think allows for more flow of ideas. But a lot of what you write is crap. I hope people will get a kick out of watching the ideas percolate.

What about someone stealing your stuff?
It’s a risk no matter what you share.
I am only sharing this with people that want to see the process.
Remember this is the crap stuff. I won’t put it out “Offically” until most of the damage control is done. If they steal it and put it up as is, they are stealing junk, it’s going to look bad to them, not me.

How do I stay up to date:
If you are on G+ message me, I will add you to my 500 a day circle, you will get a link every day.
If not, send me your email via my G+ profile https://plus.google.com/u/0/107629114013544384077 . I’ll add you to my share list.

This document will be kept at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17W2t2lP55fheyhdDQgzcDw4nyi5jyYwa_bp3EPvdni0 If you want the updated version check it out.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 14 Part 3

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

He walked across the street, not waiting for the traffic. Teodor kept his eyes on the youth. A car honked at Teodor as he weaved his way in and out the vehicles. The youth had not moved. Teodor jumped over a snow bank and on to the same sidewalk as the youth.

The youth turned and walked down the street. Teodor stayed behind him, just far enough to see where he was heading. The young man picked up his pace. Teodor caught the young man's scent. He slowed down. He could smell the young man now, he didn't need to stay within eyesight.

The traffic on the street was heavy, but the sidewalks did not have as much traffic. Not every sidewalk had been cleared off. The ones that had were easy enough to walk over, but then Teodor would hit a section covered in snow. The foot traffic had compressed most of the snow by now. Making the walk slick.

Teodor could smell that the young man had changed direction again. He had turned into an empty lot. The snow in the lot had been compressed so much by other walkers, that it would be hard to find the young man's foot prints. Yet, his scent was fresh enough so Teodor could sort it away from the others.

The young man's path lead him between two buildings too small to be an alley, it was full of bikes, garbage cans, and new shovels. Teodor slowed down. The young man's scent became stronger here, but Teodor could not see him.

Teodor entered the walkway. Someone struck from the side. Teodor hit the wall and bounced off. He shouldered the young man into the other wall. The young man threw a wild punch. The fist hit Teodor in the throat. He lost his breath. The young man forced Teodor's head down on his raised knee. Teodor grabbed the young man's lower leg and lifted. The young man and him fell backwards onto the walkway.

A pain hit Teodor's lower back. It burned and stung like only one thing would. Silver. The burning took over his entire lower back. Teodor couldn't move. He tried to roll over, but he could not get his body to respond. The young man scrambled away, kicking Teodor in the face as he got away. Teodor forced his arm behind his back. Every movement sent a shot of pain through his whole body. He couldn't feel were the silver had entered him. He pulled his hand out and saw the blood. He wouldn't heal, not with silver in the wound.

Using his hand, Teodor pushed himself over on his side. Breathing in the cold moist air. He tried to change, to force the silver out of his body. Nothing worked.

Numbness traveled up his spine. Teodor reached out with his hand and found a handhold on the ground. He pulled himself towards the entrance of the walkway. Where's Amanda? He thought.

Teodor reached out again and pulled himself a little further along the walkway. Then a familiar smell came closer. Teodor lifted his head. Brutus ambled down the alley, sniffing at the ground.

The newspaper seller's dog lifted his head and whined when he saw Teodor. Teodor whined back. Brutus padded over and kissed Teodor's face.

“Hey Brutus,” Teodor said, “Can you get me some help?”

Brutus barked.

“Now."

Brutus licked Teodor's face, and ran off. Teodor heard the barking and howling start up. Even if the other dogs could not do anything to help, the message would get to Amanda.

Teodor laid on his side. He breathed deeply. The pain radiated from the wound to his chest. Teodor coughed. He could feel the silver moving through his body.

Who the hell was that? He thought.

Snow fell again. Teodor looked up. The skies were blue. The snow was being blown off the roofs of the surrounding buildings. Teodor shook, from the silver. The cold did not bother him as much as the searing pain. A few people walked past the entrance of the walkway, but no one glanced into the empty space. Teodor felt the burning pain start to travel up his spine. He tried to move his arm, but it laid along his side.

“Teodor!”

Amanda ran to his side. She covered his wound, then pulled her hand away quickly.

“It's silver,” Teodor said.

Amanda dug a glove out of her jacket and put it on. She tugged at his wound. She swore under her breath. Teodor felt the pressure disappear. Amanda threw the bloody knife blade into the snow. The pain traveled though Teodor's body. Amanda pulled her glove off, then pressed it against his back.

“Can you move?” Amanda asked.

“No,” Teodor said. His neck felt like it was on fire.

Brutus waddled back into the walkway. He laid down next to Teodor and whined.

“I need to get help,” Amanda said.

Brutus whined and growled.

“Alright, you stay with him,” Amanda said to Brutus.

Amanda ran out of the walkway. Brutus licked Teodor's forehead.

“Can you still smell the guy that did this?” Teodor asked.

Brutus barked.

“I have to find him,”

Brutus howled. The other dogs in the neighborhood picked up the howl. Teodor listened to their conversation. The young man had been seen, walking to the south. The pain pressed against his head. Teodor's eyes felt dry. He tried blinking them, he could not move his eyelids.

The snow swirled around Teodor again. He saw nothing, but white.

WOOOT I just figured out how to post my G...

2011-12-25T08:18:00.001-05:00

Mari Miniatt shared a post with you on Google+. Google+ makes sharing on the web more like sharing in real life. Learn more.

Join Google+

WOOOT I just figured out how to post my G+ to my blogger account!!!!

1. Go to blogger settings.
2, Go to mobile and email.
3. Set up your posting by email (enter your secret word)
4. Pick either Publish email immediately or Save emails as draft post
5. Go back to G+
6. Enter what you want to post.
7. Add your email with the secret word to the share area.

The item will be posted to your blog. Unless you pick save to draft, then you have to go back to blogger and post it manually.

I don't know if this works for video or pictures, but it does for texts posts

View or comment on Mari Miniatt's post »

You received this message because Mari Miniatt shared it with mariminiatt.posted@blogger.com. Unsubscribe from these emails.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 14 Part 2

2011-12-21T04:00:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

“But she's just a game,” Amanda said.

“What are you talking about?” Teodor asked.

“When you are kids you scare each other with stories of Bloody Mary. You stand in front of a mirror and say her name three times. She supposed to appear in the mirror.”

“She is also a Hag,” Albrecht said, “If you were to say her name in the right location she will appear.”

“So she would reach through the mirror and kill you?” Amanda asked.

“If you were at the right place,” Albrecht said.

“How do you know this?” Teodor asked.

Albrecht crossed his arms. “Because I am a Mage,” He said, waving his fingers, “But anyone that was curious could figure this out.”

Teodor sighed. “A real Mage?”

“I see,” Albrecht said, “Have you met a real Mage before?”

Teodor nodded, “One was with the villagers that went after my pack. But there are people that claim they know magic-” He stopped talking. He knew one more mage, but Albrecht did not need to know.

Albrecht held his hand out, palm up. His hand filled with fire. He shook his hand and the fire turned to snow that fell to the floor. Teodor sat down at the chair. The danger came from Albrecht. Amanda stared at the melting snow on the floor.

“What just happened?” Amanda asked.

Teodor leaned forward, “Mages harness power. A good Mage can call up any power they want at any time.”

Albrecht nodded.

Amanda glanced at Teodor and then Albrecht. She shook her head, then ran her fingers through her hair. “So what you are saying is that this Hag is around here?”

“A little more than that,” Albrecht said, “At one time she lived around here.”

“Steopa asked her, her name,” Teodor said, “But she would not say what it was.”

“That is important, if she doesn't want us to know her name, that is a big clue to who she is.”

“And we could figure out how to destroy her?” Teodor asked.

Albrecht nodded, “What else did she say?”

“She said Baba Yaga was her sister,” Amanda said.

Albrecht looked at his feet for a moment. “In a way, In a way, but Baba Yaga has moved beyond being just a Hag.”

“It has been suggested that she wants an audience,” Teodor said.

Albrecht looked up, staring at Teodor underneath his eyebrows, “That is a very astute assessment. Because her power comes from belief.”

Teodor glanced at Amanda, she shrugged.

Albrecht went behind his desk. “When you did Blood Mary, did you really believe that she would appear?”

Amanda tilted her head, “Once or twice. My friend swore one time she saw Bloody Mary. I saw something in the mirror, but it could have been just a reflection.”

“It was her,” Albrecht said. “But either you did not have enough belief, or the pull to bring her to you was not strong enough.”

“So if no one believes in her, she will go away?” Teodor asked.

“It is not that simple.” Albrecht opened a thick leather volume. “A Hag only exists if people believe in her, but she is aware enough to make sure people remember her.”

“So stories of Bloody Mary, Black Annis, and La Llorona, help keep those Hags around,” Amanda said.

Albrecht nodded. “But usually that is enough, the stories, the little parlor games, but this Hag is manifesting. She is desperate to be remembered.” He flipped through the book, “Or she was awakened?”

“What?” Teodor asked.

“Sometimes things like Hags sleep,” Albrecht said, “If they are forgotten, they fade away. But she is fighting it. She might have been awakened.”

“So she's pissed,” Amanda said.

Albrecht nodded. He smoothed out the page in the book. “Here. A localized revenger spirit will haunt an area where the locals still remember them. They will only be active as long as the belief is still strong. Some rely on objects to focus their powers.”

He closed the book, “She might have some object or place she is really attracted too.”

“She has been terrorizing the kids at the old workhouse,” Amanda said.

“That is a good place to start. It had been owned by Thorson's years ago,” Albrecht said.

“Thorson?” Teodor asked.

“He was one of the founding fathers of this town,” Amanda said. “He owned half of it at one time.”

“And the workhouse?”

“It was his public good work project,” Albrecht said, “Basically he would put take homeless and destitute and give them a place to live. Force the fear of God into them. And work them like slaves.”

“The kids were homeless,” Teodor said. “Could this be related to Thorson?”

Albrecht shrugged, “Possibly, There are a lot of tales about Thorson. The gentle public image and the nastier side too. The tales would be a good place to start.”

“I wouldn't mind going to the library,” Amanda said.

“Historical society would be a better source,” Albrecht said. He put down the book. “Has anything worked against the Hag?”

“Rock salt,” Teodor said.

“That works against any spirits. Anything else?”

“No,” Amanda said. “Look, how could she kept us out last night?“

“How did she do what?” Albrecht asked.

“We couldn't get into the workhouse. Like Steopa-”

Teodor kicked Amanda under the table.

“What! You already mentioned him?” Amanda said.

“Steopa?” Albrecht asked. “That is an odd name.”

“He is a friend of mine,” Teodor said. Steopa will kill him if he shows up with a stake, but... “He is a vampire.”

Albrecht did not look surprised, “There are a few in this town.”

“You're not going to hunt them down are you?” Teodor asked.

Albrecht shook his head. “Everything deserves a place to live. Vampires are just predators for humans.”

Teodor stared at Albrecht. Was this guy for real? He thought. Most Mages in Europe would jump at a chance to kill a vampire. “Alright, it was like what keeps a vampire out of private places. Steopa threw a stump through the window and we were able to get in.”

Albrecht lowered his head again, “That one I will have to do some research on. I have a few theories, but nothing that I want to say at this point.”

“Are the kids from the workhouse safe, now?” Amanda asked. “Most of them ended up at foster homes.”

Albrecht shrugged. “If they find a good home, yes. But some might go back on the street.”

“I have been wondering,” Teodor said. “Why are there so many children on the street now. I didn't see this many kids on the street in Stalingrad.”

Albrecht looked up. “I have noticed that too. Two years ago, there were a few, but lately there are more kids than adults on the streets.”

The noise of someone knocking on the front door made Albrecht turn around. “Oh,” he said, “I forgot my delivery was coming. Excuse me.”

Albrecht left them in the office. Teodor turned to Amanda, “What do you think?”

“He's strange.”

“I know.”

“How's does Bilge know this guy?”

“I don't know,” Teodor said. “But he could have hurt or killed us by now.”

“He doesn't seem that dangerous,” Amanda said, blowing a strand of hair out of her face.

“Depends how powerful he is,” Teodor said, “A real Mage can do amazing things.”

Amanda shook her head. “I don't believe any of that, age of Aquarius type shit.”

Teodor shook his head. “Amanda, you are a werewolf, we have been fighting a Hag, and you are having trouble accepting that Albrecht is a Mage?”

Amanda shrugged. “Magic always seemed to be full of charlatans.”

Albrecht came back into the room with a cardboard box under his arm. “So what do you want to do now?”

“I want to find that Hag,” Teodor said.

“Then you have to find out who she was. When you do, come back here.”

“Aren't you going to do anything?” Amanda asked.

Albrecht placed the box on the desk. “I have my own issues to deal with. But I will assist when I can.”

Teodor stood up. “Well, thanks for your time."

“Say hello to Bilge for me,” Albrecht said.

Amanda stood up, “Is there anything we can do to protect the kids that we know?”

“Be there for them. The Hag wants the kids alone. Don't let them be.”

Amanda nodded. Teodor put his arm around her and the left the shop. Outside Teodor and her walked down the street. The plows had been out, leaving the street and sidewalk separated by tall snow banks. Teodor glanced across the street. The young man that had been hanging outside of the Pit stood at a street corner. The collar of his coat pulled up around his face. His knitted hat pulled down past his ears. All Teodor could see was the youth's eyes. A soft growl escaped his throat. Amanda glanced at him.

“What is it?” she asked.

“That kid,” Teodor said.

“What about him?”

“He's been hanging around the Pit.”

“So?”

Teodor dropped his arm, “I think I am going to talk to him.”

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 14 Part 1

2011-12-14T06:04:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

It was late when Amanda and Teodor returned to the Pit. Bilge met them downstairs. They told him what had happened.

Bilge nodded. “I saw, the news was all over it, the boys saw it too.”

Teodor sat down on a bar stool and let his shoulders fall. “We couldn't reach them.”

Amanda laid her head on Teodor's shoulder. “We tried.”

“That Hag was going to skin them all.”

Bilge reached for a bottle of whiskey.

“What happened to the kids?” Teodor asked

Bilge lined up three shot glasses. “According to the news. They are all going to the hospital tonight, then foster homes.”

“At least they will be safe,” Amanda said.

Bilge poured the whiskey out. He slid a glass to Amanda and one to Teodor. Teodor looked at the amber liquid. “What is that supposed to do?”

“You need it,” Bilge said.

Teodor picked up his shot glass and sniffed the whiskey. He had been around alcohol enough. Steopa would drink vodka, even though it did nothing to a vampire. Teodor could never figure out why, it had no smell or taste. The whiskey had a stronger smell, but it wasn't unpleasant. Teodor sipped.

Bilge chuckled, “One go,” he said and downed his shot.

Teodor threw his head back. The whiskey burned as he swallowed and hit his empty stomach. Teodor coughed. Amanda slapped him on the back.

“It's okay,” she said. Amanda drank her shot. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve.

“What happened?” Bilge asked.

Teodor picked up the shot glass and studied the light bouncing off the inside of the cup. “We failed.”

“We couldn't get in,” Amanda said.

“What do you mean?” Bilge asked.

“We couldn't get in,” Teodor said, “Something was keeping us out.”

“The Hag?”

Teodor shrugged.

Bilge poured out another shot for himself. He tilted the bottle towards Teodor. Teodor shook his head.

“Tell you what you two are going to do,” Bilge said. “I am gonna send you over to a friend of mine's shop, tomorrow. He will know what you are, but since I am sending you, there won't be any problems. You tell him everything.”

“Why?” Teodor asked.

“Because the Hag tried to keep you away from the children. I think she is frightened of you.” Bilge drank his shot.

“Frightened of us?” Teodor asked.

Bilge nodded. “You are a flipping werewolf.”

Teodor sighed. “It did nothing tonight.”

Amanda nodded. “Come on, Teodor. Let's get some sleep, okay.”

Teodor patted her hand. “Yeah, I guess.”

They went to their new apartment. Bilge left them a couple of sleeping bags on the floor. Amanda undressed. Teodor stood in the middle of the room, looking at the floor.

“Teodor, lay down,” she said.

“Maybe my dad was right,” he said. “Being the runt means I can't do shit.”

Amanda kicked her pants away. “You're father was an asshole.”

“He would have killed the Hag by now."

Amanda took off her bra. “And then what?”

Teodor looked up. Amanda looked beautiful. But he sighed. “He would have eaten the kids.”

“You are better than him, remember that.”

Amanda came over to him and ran her fingers through his short beard. Teodor wrapped his arm around her. He kissed her neck. Amanda stroked his chest.

“We should do what Bilge said,” Amanda said.

Teodor nodded, not taking his lips off her neck.

“Perhaps we need to find out more,” she said.

Teodor lifted his head. “Stop talking.”

Amanda smiled. She pulled away from him and slid into the sleeping bag. Teodor stripped and joined her.

They didn't leave the Pit until the afternoon. The address that Bilge gave them sat in the shopping area near the University. They passed by the store twice before Teodor saw the door.

The bookstore did not have any large signs outside. It didn't look open. The windows covered and filled with old junk, just a small sign in the corner of one of the windows read open. They walked in. Books were everywhere. In the bookcases, piled on the bookcases, piled on the floor, and strewn over the tables. The place smelled of old paper and leather. In the front of the shop had a small rack of new best sellers, near a counter. Teodor looked up. There was an upper balcony that carried on the jumbled mess upstairs.

A man coughed. Teodor looked. Walking towards them was a tall, thin, gray haired man. His hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail. He looked as young as Teodor did, but his eyes looked far older. Teodor felt the hair on his neck rise. There was danger here, but Teodor could not sense where.

The man stood behind the counter. “Can I help you?”

“Albert? Bilge sent us,” Teodor said.

The man glanced around the store. Then he walked to the main door and locked it. “Follow me. My name is Albrecht, not Albert.”

“You don't sound German,” Amanda said.

“My mother loved Albrecht Durer's artwork."

They followed him to the back of the store. Albrecht unlocked a door and held it open for both of them. Inside the little office, was the usual desk and files, but along one wall were two chairs. They sat on either side of a small round table, covered in a red velvet cloth.

“Are we going to have trouble or do I have to get my silver cane?” Albrecht asked.

“Bilge said you weren't going to give us any trouble,” Teodor said.

“I'm not as trusting as he is.”

“No problems,” Amanda said.

Albrecht motioned with his hand to the two chairs. Amanda sat down, but Teodor did not. He pulled the chair out and stood behind the chair.

“So you are hunting the Hag?” Albrecht asked. He leaned up against his desk, but did not take his eyes off Teodor.

“Yes,” Teodor said.

“Hags are tough. Basically, they are ghosts, but they have more power than your regular spirit.”

“She's a ghost?” Amanda asked.

“Yes, a ghost haunts one small area, but a Hag can go anywhere in a larger area. As long as that area mets certain requirements. A ghost will not harm you, a Hag will kill.”

“What makes them so different?” Amanda asked.

Albrecht rubbed his hands together. “Because they become famous.”

“What?” Teodor asked.

“Are you familiar with Bloody Mary?” Albrecht asked.

Teodor shook his head.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 13

2011-12-07T04:48:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Teodor did not care how cold it had gotten. He went back to his human form as he approached Steopa.

“What the hell was that?” He asked, shaking more with anger than the cold.

“What?” Steopa asked.

“Why couldn't we get in?”

“I was not invited inside,” Steopa said.

“But Amanda and I had been in there before.”

“I do not know.” Steopa said.

Teodor kicked the snow. “Fuck!”

He stood in the cold snow for a moment, breathing in the icy air. He raised his hands behind his head and took a deep breath. This was not the time to get angry. That time had passed.

Steopa took off his overcoat and handed it to Teodor.

“Thanks,” he said. He pointed to Steopa's throat. “How's the neck?”

“Healed.”

Teodor wrapped the coat around him. “I have to call the police.”

"What will you say to them?" Steopa asked.

"I heard screaming." Teodor walked toward the road. He sunk in the snow drifts. The snow came up to his upper thighs. It would be easier to travel on the snow like a wolf, but he wanted to feel the icy wetness.

Steopa walked on top of the fresh powder. He caught up with Teodor. “Does she skin all of them?”

Teodor paused in the snow. “I think so."

“What does she do with the bodies?”

“Does it matter?”

"Yes, she left them.”

The cold made his body quake. Teodor changed into his hybrid form. “She hasn't before.”

Steopa glanced back at the workhouse, his brow wrinkled. “And it is only children she attacks?”

“What are you doing?” Teodor asked. “There are kids killed in there and you are asking twenty questions.”

Steopa tilted his head and stared at Teodor. “You are right, call he police, let the humans handle this.”

“I am going to."

“After the police come, then what?”

“They will take the kids from here. They will be safer somewhere else.”

“And the Hag?”

“To hell with her."

Steopa crossed his arms. “You are giving up?”

Teodor's shoulder's fell. “I couldn't protect them, I tried, but she killed them. She doesn't care who sees her kill.”

“Then she is not afraid of being found out,” Steopa said. “I have to hunt carefully. I have to make sure that my kills looked like accidental deaths. But the Hag is not that cautious.”

“What are you implying?”

“She wants an audience.”

Teodor glanced back at the workhouse. “Why?”

“I think to frighten the children. You remember the tales of Baba Yaga and Muma Padurii. I had nightmares when I was little.”

Teodor scoffed, it was hard to imagine Steopa as a little child.

“But those stories had their purpose,” Steopa said.

“I know. They kept me inline. That and my dad would beat the crap out of me.”

Steopa rubbed his chin. “Yes, call the police. If she wants attention, we should give her some.”

“Go back and tell Amanda."

He raced down the snow drifts towards the road. In the distance he could see the lighted sign of a gas station.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 12

2011-11-30T04:42:00.001-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

The snow buried the old workhouse. A faint light came from the windows in the old cafeteria. Teodor and Amanda hurried over the snow. Teodor kept his nose down. The snow covered most of the smells. He didn't smell anything new. But he wouldn't be able to smell the Hag anyway.

As they got closer to the old workhouse, he caught a whiff of vodka. Teodor lifted his head. Steopa stood in a grove just below the building.

Teodor approached Steopa. Steopa glanced at Teodor. “She is here.” he said in a low voice.

Amanda changed into the hybrid. “Where?” she growled.

Steopa nodded in a direction Teodor sat on his hunches and looked in the direction that Steopa pointed out. Across the snow, in the trees, shadows moved. A human would not have been able to see the subtle differences from the shadows from the trees, to the ones the Hag casted. To a werewolf, she was a slightly darker shade of gray. She had the same aura that Steopa had, but hers was lighter.

Amanda whined. Teodor shook his head. Steopa moved a little closer to the Hag. The Hag stopped. The shadows flowed around her like a long dress. She stared at Teodor, Steopa, and Amanda.

“What are you?” she asked. Her voice sounded as if the wind sucked it away.

Amanda stepped forward. “Stay away from those children.”

The Hag floated closer. “They have been thrown away. They are mine.”

Amanda growled.

“You are not Baba Yaga,” Steopa said.

The Hag stared at Steopa. She had no eyes, only black holes. “That is my sister.” She hissed, “How do you know her?”

“I do not know you."

“My name is my own." The Hag floated closer. Teodor realized that she tried to move between them and the workhouse. Teodor padded over to the side, blocking her advance.

“Smart dog,” the Hag said.

Teodor tilted his head. Does she not know what I am? He thought.

The Hag glided closer to Amanda. “Do you claim those children as yours?” she asked.

Amanda growled. “I will not let you harm them.”

The Hag laughed, a high screeching laugh, snow fell from the trees as she laughed. “You cannot protect them all.”

“What do you want with them?”

“All lost children are mine, or my sisters,” she said. “It has always been that way.”

Amanda growled and jumped. The Hag disappeared. Amanda hit the snow and rolled. Teodor saw the Hag reappear on the other side of Steopa. He jumped. Teodor felt the Hag's rags in his mouth. He could taste leather and acid. He closed his jaws as he landed. The Hag screamed. He pulled. The Hag screamed again.

Steopa ran over and tackled the Hag. She clawed at him, dragging deep furrows in his flesh. She brought her hand back, and shoved her claws though Steopa's neck. He hissed. With one of his hands he shoved her claws away from him.

Amanda raked the Hag. She fell on Teodor as her claws went through air. The Hag's fingernails tore into Teodor's hide, yet he could not see her. He yelped dropping the leather.

Steopa fell to his knees, holding his neck. Amanda howled and ran towards the workhouse. Teodor whined, jumping between Steopa and Amanda.

“Go!” Steopa choked.

Teodor bolted toward the workhouse.

Amanda yanked on the door handle.“I can't get in!” She screamed.

Teodor ran up to the door. He bounced off something that he could not see or smell. The children inside screamed. He knew that scream. A scream of pure terror. Teodor howled in frustration and ran to the large windows.

Through the window he saw the Hag. One skinned body laid at her feet as she picked up another child. Teodor threw his weight against the window. He bounced off it as if he had hit a wall. Steopa caught up with Teodor. Teodor changed to his hybrid form. He tried again.

“We can't get in!” He shouted to Steopa.

One of the children's bodies hit the window. It left a bloody trail as it slid down the glass. Steopa ran up to the windows. He bounced off the same invisible barrier. Steopa ran back to the forest.

The Hag picked up another child and sliced her skin open. Steopa yelled something, that Teodor could not make out. He spun around in time to duck. Over his head, flew a tree stump. Steopa skidded to a stop. The tree stump hit the window and broke the glass. Teodor covered his head and rolled out of the way. He hit the wall with his shoulder. The barrier was gone.

The Hag screamed. Teodor jumped, changing into his wolf form as he entered the workhouse. The Hag spun around and hissed at Teodor. Teodor rushed her; growling, snarling, and barking. The Hag dissipated. The children that were still alive crowded together at the old stage. The stump laid against the other side of the room.

There were five skinned bodies laying on the floor of the workhouse. Teodor whined. Tasche patted his thigh. “Come here, boy."

Teodor padded over to Tasche. He hugged Teodor. “It's okay boy, you tried to scare her away.”

Amanda pushed the door open with her muzzle. She howled when she saw the bodies. Teodor tried to come over to her side, but Tasche would not let him go. His body shook as he cried. Teodor glanced out the window. Steopa stepped back into the darkness outside.

Teodor wiggled away from Tasche. He padded over to Amanda. He glanced over his shoulder. Tasche had turned to the rest of the children and made them move on to the stage. Some of the youngest ones screamed and cried.

Amanda padded over to the window. She placed her paw on the broken windowsill and howled.

Teodor came up to her and whined, “Stay here.”

Amanda licked his face then went over to the children. Teodor climbed out of the building. He could see the shadow of Steopa at the tree line.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 11

2011-11-23T04:40:00.001-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

A few hours later, Bilge gave Teodor some money, and he braved the now weakening storm to get some pizzas from a nearby pizza parlor. As Teodor walked back to the bar, he saw an older youth standing in the alley across the street. Teodor felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. There was something wrong about that young man. Teodor sniffed the air, all he could smell was snow, the faint odor of gas, and an unwashed human.

The young man pulled his coat closer to his body. Teodor studied the young man. He reminded Teodor of one of his brothers; a tall, thin youth, with a strong build. His youngest brother had the same frame, he liked to scout for the family.

Teodor turned down the alley and took the back way into the bar. The wind died down. As he turned into the alley, Teodor could not feel any wind. Teodor opened the back door. As he walked inside, he glanced down to the street. The young man walked by. Teodor ducked inside the building.

The boy on the couch hadn't moved. Amanda redressed his wounds, as Teodor entered. Trucker sat in front of the old TV. His face and hair were clean. He rocked back and forth on the floor. Gunner moved to the old armchair in the living room, and snored, still wrapped up in the blankets.

Teodor brought the pizzas over to the table. Trucker bounced up and ran to the kitchen. Bilge shook his head. “Settle down there."

Gunner opened his eyes, “Smells good,” He said.

Bilge handed out the pizza slices. Trucker took his full plate back to the living room and ate, while watching a program with puppets.

Teodor opened the last box for Amanda and him, sausage, pepperoni, hamburger, and ham pizza with no cheese. Amanda sniffed at her slice, then tore off a large chunk of it.

The boy on the couch groaned. Amanda took her slice with her as she walked over to the boy.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

Teodor grabbed a plate and sat down at the table, next to Bilge, “So do you think-”

A plate crashed to the floor. Teodor looked up. Amanda's plate laid at her feet in four pieces. She held her hand to her side. Her shoulders rising and falling with each breath. The boy stood up, a bloodied knife in his hand.

Teodor left the table, his chair flying out behind him. Trucker had scrambled across the living room floor and pressed himself against the wall. Teodor grabbed the boy, knocking the knife out of his hand.

Amanda raised her head, her eyes were yellow. She had controlled herself and stopped the changing. She pulled her hand away from her side, the wound healed.

Teodor twisted the boy around. “What the hell?”

“Let me go!” the boy shouted. He tried kicking Teodor.

Bilge ran up to Teodor and wrapped his arms around him. “Calm down, son,” he said. “They saved your life.”

“Fuck them!” the boy shouted.

Teodor raised his hand to strike the boy. Bilge shook his head. “Alright, We will just let you go out into the street as is. It's freezing. And you probably haven't eaten anything.”

“Fuck you!” The boy struggled to get out of Bilge's hands.

Gunner walked over, standing between the boy and Trucker. “I know you,” Gunner said. “You're the one that always is the lookout for the dealers.”

“What about it?”

“How many times has the Woman chased you?”

The boy stopped struggling. The boy glanced down at Amanda, then back at Gunner. “You've seen Her?”

“She tried to kill me last night,” Gunner said.

The boy's eyes went wide, “No one survives her.”

“Well, we have two here that are living proof that you can,” Bilge said.

“I saw her a few nights ago,” the boy said.

Amanda glanced up, her eyes had changed back to their crystal blue. “Why did you stab me?”

The boy didn't answer.

“Because when you run with the River Rats,” Gunner said, “An adult over you means trouble.”

“Yeah,” the boy said.

“What's your name?” Bilge asked.

“T-Boy,” the boy said.

Teodor glanced at Amanda. How come everyone they had met lately had nicknames? Teodor thought.

“T-Boy,” Amanda said. “You had a nasty knock to the head, you should rest for awhile.”

“I have to get back.” T-Boy said, “They are gonna come looking for me.”

“Who?” Teodor asked.

“The River Rats,” Gunner said.

Bilge let T-Boy go. “Then you better leave.”

Amanda stood up, “I don't think so.”

Bilge shook his head. “Let him go, Amanda.”

T-boy picked up his knife and ran towards the door. He slammed the door behind him.

“Good riddance,” Gunner said.

“Are they really that bad?” Amanda asked.

Gunner and Bilge nodded.

“I had them trash my place just after I opened,” Bilge said. “Because I wouldn't let them drink here.”

Trucker tugged on Gunner's blanket. “Do you think they found the others?”

Gunner shrugged, “I don't know.”

Amanda turned her head to Teodor, “We should go and see.”

Teodor nodded. “Yeah.”

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 10 Part 4

2011-11-16T04:33:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Teodor looked up and down the street. He didn't see anyone. Teodor changed his hand into the hybrid form, the part wolf and part human. He spanned his fingers across the furrows. He could not cover the hag's span.

He heard the clinking of glass behind the building. Teodor pulled his jacket around him tighter and walked to the alley way. He peeked around the side, the wind scraped across his cheeks.

A young boy pulled the empty bottles out of the garbage and threw them in a gunny sack. At first Teodor thought it was Trucker, but this boy had red hair. He wore a stained and torn army surplus jacket.

“What are you doing?” Teodor asked.

The boy looked up. He grabbed his sack and turned to run. Teodor stepped into the alley, just as the boy slipped on the ice and fell backwards. The sack crashed on the blacktop. The boy's head hit the pavement. He didn't move. Teodor ran over to him.

A pool of blood formed on the ice underneath the boy's head. Teodor cradled the boy's head and lifted him off the ice. He took the boy inside.

Bilge blew into an empty shotgun shell at the bar. He looked up. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, another one?”

Teodor nodded, “He slipped on the ice out there, banged his head.”

Bilge shrugged, “Take him upstairs, I should start a day care.”

Teodor carried the unconscious boy upstairs. As he brought the boy inside Blige's apartment, he glanced at Trucker and Gunner. Both of them looked at the boy in Teodor's arms and then at each other. Gunner looked like he could kill the boy with his eyes.

“What's he doing here?” Gunner asked.

Amanda ran over with a dish towel. “What happened?”

“Slipped on the ice outside,” Teodor said.

“Lay him down,” she said.

Teodor placed the boy on the couch, then turned to Trucker and Gunner. “You guys know him?”

“Yeah, he's a River Rat,” Gunner said.

“They aint supposed to be in this part of town,” Trucker said.

“They don't care about that,” Gunner said to Trucker, then he turned to Teodor. “Call the cops, he's gonna steal anything not nailed down.”

“Can you get me another towel?” Amanda asked.

“He's not doing much now,” Teodor said, grabbing a dish towel off the counter.

“Those kids are into some really bad stuff,” Gunner said.

Teodor handed Amanda the dish towel. “They can't be that bad.”

Gunner stood up, wrapping his blankets around him. “Maybe not, but they work for some of the gangs, and others.”

“They're always trying to get us to join them,” Trucker said. “If we don't, they beat us.”

“Do you think these are the kids that stabbed Jazz?” Amanda asked.

Gunner's face went white. “You know what happened to Jazz?”

Amanda glanced at Teodor, with a panicked look. Teodor braced himself. Gunner's stance changed. He tensed. He squared his shoulders and stared at Amanda. Gunner let the blankets fall open, “What happened?”

“We found him begging," Teodor said. "Someone had stabbed him in the side. But the hag killed him.”

“And you couldn't stop her?” Gunner asked.

“She's quicker than us.”

“But you scared her away,” Trucker said.

“Maybe they didn't,” Gunner said. “They didn't tell us about Jazz, either.”

“How would we have explained it?” Teodor asked, returning Gunner's stare.

“Did you even try to help Jazz?” Gunner stepped closer to Teodor.

Teodor placed his hands on his hips. “We did, he didn't want our help.”

“Gunner, they saved your life last night.” Trucker said, his voice sounding quiet and far away.

“Maybe they are saving us for the Woman.”

“What?” Amanda threw down one of the bloody rags.

“What the hell?” Teodor asked.

“You two appear at the same time the Hag comes to our place,” Gunner said.

“We were looking for Trucker,” Amanda said.

“Why?”

“We wanted to make sure he was okay.”

“Bullshit,” Gunner said.

“Hey,” Teodor said. “Believe it or not, some adults don't want to hurt you.”

“Oh, so we are your charity cases now?"

“No. Look, you may not believe me, but I had a bad family too. I can relate.”

“Bullshit.”

“I'm a werewolf, we're not supposed to be nice,” Teodor said.

“How many times did you dad beat the crap out of you?” Gunner asked.

“He wouldn't beat me, he's send one of my brothers to teach me a lesson,” Teodor said.

“Big fucking deal."

“Yours used his fists, or maybe a belt? Mine used claws, teeth, fists, and knives. So stop playing hurt little boy.”

“Teodor!” Amanda stood up.

“I watch out for the rest of the kids, asshole,” Gunner said.

“And the Hag is hunting you down like small animals, and you're scared.”

Gunner clamped his mouth shut, his body shook either from his temperature, or his anger. He glanced over his shoulder at Trucker. “Yeah, I'm scared."

“I'm sorry about Jazz,” Teodor said, “I am sorry you are getting hunted, but Amanda and I will help you.”

Gunner wrapped the blankets around him. “What about that one?” He asked, motioning with his head towards the couch.

“I couldn't let him freeze to death out there. Maybe they are being hunted, too?”

“They have adults watching them."

“Yeah, but you made it clear, they don't care about the kids.”

Gunner nodded, he turned around and sat back down at the kitchen table. “Yeah, if they aren't bringing enough money in from begging or stealing. They are turned over to some other people.”

“What sort of people?” Amanda asked.

“Bad. Trucker escaped from them.”

Trucker nodded, his face turned ashen. “They wanted to sell me to this guy, who...” he said. His eyes start to water.

“How old are you?” Amanda asked.

Trucker bit his lip and swallowed, “Eleven.”

Amanda covered her mouth. “Horrible.” She whispered.

Teodor put his arm around Amanda.

Bilge walked into the apartment. He paused. “Did I miss something?”

Gunner pointed to the boy on the couch, “That's a River Rat.”

Bilge looked at the kid, “One of those, he's not going to be trouble in the state he is in now.” He walked into the kitchen. “Trucker, go take a bath, I got some clean clothes for you.”

Trucker slid off the kitchen chair and left the room.

Bilge sat down at the table. “Guns are loaded,” he said, pulling out a pack of his thin cigars, “If she comes back, I'll shoot her again.”

Gunner reached for one of the cigars. Bilge slapped his hand away.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 10 Part 3

2011-11-09T04:29:00.000-05:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Teodor picked up Trucker. He snored in Teodor's ear, as he carried him upstairs. Trucker seemed so light for a child his age. Amanda went up the stairs ahead of them to Bilge's apartment.

This apartment had never seen a woman's touch. A small pile of dirty dishes sat in the sink. The kitchen wrapped around the edge of the room. A bare table, except for salt and pepper shakers made out of beer bottles, sat next to the kitchen counter. The living room had a couch, a TV, and a small bookshelf.

“Gunner's sleeping in Bilge's bed,” Amanda said.

Teodor put Trucker down on the couch. Trucker rolled over and curled up. Amanda covered him with an afgan from the back of the couch.

“He tries to be tough,” Amanda whispered.

Teodor put his arm around her, “All of them try to be,” he said. “Living on the streets does that to you.”

“Does he even have a family?” she asked.

Teodor shrugged. “Not anymore.”

Bilge came into the apartment, he put his keys down on his small table. “I got some more blankets and such.”

Amanda took Teodor's hand, “We could stay at our new place.”

Bilge shook his head, “I want us all together, I don't think that bitch is done with us.”

“Um, could you not use that word,” she said.

“Why?”

“Because I am really one.”

Bilge lit one of his slim cigars, “Yeah, I don't want to offend you.” He grinned.

Teodor walked over the window and looked out, the snow covered the street. The wind would blow the snow around in small little whirlpools. Teodor ran his fingernails down the glass. That Hag is out there, he thought. The next time I see her, I am gonna bite her.

"You coming to bed?" Amanda asked.

Teodor turned around. "Yeah."

"You got the guest suite," Bilge said.

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Its a closet, but nicer than our bed at Chaser's."

Teodor took her hand. "See you in the morning, Bilge."

He woke up with his arm around Amanda. She had curled her body around his as they laid on the blankets on the floor. He smelt coffee brewing, and pancakes cooking. His stomach growled. He smiled. Sometimes its nice to be able to eat human food, he thought.

“I could make a smiley face if you want?” Bilge's voice drifted from the kitchen.

“Make a mean face,” Trucker said.

“What about yours?”

“Just plain,” Gunner said.

Teodor sat up and shook his head. His black hair fell into his eyes, he flung it back. Amanda rolled over. Teodor tucked the blankets around her and walked into the small kitchen.

Gunner sat at the table, wrapped in a blanket. Trucker drank a large glass of milk. Bilge stood at the stove, flipping pancakes with an expert flip of his wrist.

“Smells good,” Teodor said. He sat down and nodded at Gunner, “You feeling okay?”

“Hungry and cold,” Gunner said.

“You sure you want some pancakes?” Bilge asked Teodor.

“After the kids eat,” Teodor said.

Gunner reached over for a cup of coffee, his hands shook. He took the mug in both hands and lifted to his lips. Bilge flipped the pancakes on to a plate and handed it to Trucker. Gunner put the cup down, he looked at Teodor.

“Did you guys get her?” He asked.

Bilge paused in flipping his pancakes. Teodor shook his head, “Just scared her off.”

“What ever you did, thank you,” Gunner said.

Bilge put a plate down in front of Gunner. “Looks like we are snow bound today, schools, work, everything is shut down.”

“I have to go soon,” Gunner said.

“Not in your state,” Bilge said.

“He's right,” Amanda said.

Teodor looked over his shoulder. Amanda brushed her hair out with her fingers. “Look, you had mild hypothermia, you are still recovering. You stay where it is warm and dry.”

Bilge motioned to the window with his hand, “Look out there, it's not fit for man or beast.” He winked at Teodor.

Amanda sat down at the table, “Who was that woman?”

Trucker shoveled more pancakes in his mouth and shrugged.

Gunner put his fork down. “I don't know. All I know is she is killing more and more of my friends. And no one will help us.”

Amanda reached over and patted his hand. “You just needed to find the right people.”

Trucker looked directly at Teodor. “Or other things.” he put down his glass of milk. “Don't you recognize them?”

Gunner shook his head.

“Trucker I don't think-” Amanda said.

“They're the wolves,” Trucker said.

Gunner studied Teodor's face, “I thought I dreamed that.”

“You're not freaked out?” Teodor asked.

Gunner shook his head, “I've seen freakier shit.”

“I find that hard to believe."

“Live on the streets for a while, you'll see.”

“How long have you?” Amanda asked.

He thought, “Four years now.”

“What about your parents?”

Gunner shook his head, “Just my mom, and she's the one that threw me out, so you tell me.”

“Sorry,” Amanda said.

“Teodor,” Bilge said, wiping his hands on a rag. “Can I talk to you?”

Teodor agreed. They walked to the other end of the living room. Bilge lit a thin cigar. “Do you think she will be back?”

"Yeah, I do."

“Well it's gonna be hard for her to come in here.” Bilge smiled. “We have to salt the sidewalks.”

Teodor chucked. “That's a good idea,”

Bilge grinned, with the cigar between his teeth, “While you go do that, I am gonna make sure my gun is loaded.”

“Okay.”

Teodor found his jacket on the floor and put it on. Bilge followed him down stairs. The rock salt next to the back exit. Teodor opened the door, a blast of wind pushed the door and out of Teodor hands. He grabbed the door and forced it close.

He shook out the salt on to the snowy sidewalk. The wind blew most of the snow away from the front door, but left an icy patch right in front of the bar. Teodor pulled his collar around his neck. He glanced at the windows around the door. Four deep furrows, where the hag had dragged her fingers across the window. Teodor reached up and ran his fingers along one of the depressions. His finger sunk down to his first knuckle.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 10 Part 2

2011-11-02T04:23:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Teodor jumped and aimed for the Hag's neck with his teeth. But she was gone, dispersed by the wind as it roared by the bar. Teodor howled in disappointment. He heard stray dogs take up his howl. Good, he thought, they can look for her too.

He turned back around, kicking the door shut with his back paw. His clothing was in shreds, but he didn't care. That damn Hag showed up here and tried to kill the children. That bitch, he thought.

Teodor turned back to his human. Bilge came up to the door, holding the shot gun in the crook of his arm.

“You alright?” He asked Teodor.

Teodor nodded.

“You're a bit naked."

Teodor looked down. He pulled up what remained of his pants. “Sorry.”

He glanced at Amanda, she had turned her attention back to Gunner. Trucker bit his fingernails, hiding behind Amanda.

Teodor held out his other hand to Bilge. “Thanks for not shooting me.”

“It wouldn't have worked anyway.” Bilge said, taking Teodor's hand. “I don't have any silver.”

Teodor chuckled. They shook. Bilge looked out the window. “I thought it was her, but I wasn't certain.”

“You knew about the Hag?”

Bilge nodded. “It would have been an insult to my family if I didn't.”

Amanda looked up. “Can I move him somewhere warmer?”

“Yeah,” Bilge nodded. “Let's get that boy into my apartment. I got an electric blanket.”

Amanda nodded. “That would be good.”

She picked up Gunner. Teodor watched Bilge's face. Normally a woman the size and build of Amanda would not have been able to pick up a nearly full grown teenager. But Amanda had been strong before she became a werewolf. Teodor grinned at the look of slight shock on Bilge's face.

“Are all of you that strong?” he asked.

Teodor laughed. “Actually, Amanda here is a Midwestern farmer's daughter. She's used to throwing hay bales around.”

Bilge chuckled. “I have heard stories about farmer's daughters, but...”

“Guys, please.” Amanda said, sharply.

Bilge chuckled and ran to the back of the bar. Amanda followed, leaving Teodor and Trucker alone.

Trucker looked up at Teodor. “That was so cool.”

Teodor raised an eyebrow. “That was?”

“Yeah, you looked so mean."

Teodor chuckled. “Look, I have to find some pants.”

“I don't think Amanda minds."

“Yeah, but I am freezing my ass off.” He walked by Trucker and tossed Trucker's hair.

Trucker laughed.

Teodor went to the back of the bar. Bilge ran down the stairs. He threw a pair of sweat pants at Teodor.

“Just don't rip them out.” He said.

Teodor changed behind the bar. Bilge put the shotgun back in its compartment next to the wine bottles.

“I have to ask you,” Teodor said, as he tied the cord on the pants. “How did you know about the Hag?”

Bilge leaned on one of his knees, opening small locked cabinet behind the bar. “I saw her when I was a child. As soon as all the same things started to happen around here. I knew she was back.”

He opened the cabinet. Inside there were shotgun shells, a few trimmed twigs, a couple of small bags, and baggies of herbs and seeds. Bilge threw the empty shot gun shells in the cabinet and locked it up.

“I have always been prepared,” he said.

“What was all that?” Teodor asked.

“Trinkets. Weapons,” Bilge said getting up. “Stuff to fight off the real nasties.”

“But not werewolves?”

“Why? I have never had an issue with your kind.”

“Then you haven't met many of us.”

Bilge shrugged. “Perhaps. You are the first.”

“Then you lucked out.”

Trucker climbed on a stool. “Is Gunner gonna be okay?” He asked.

Teodor nodded. “Yeah, Amanda is amazing.”

“Is she a nurse?” Bilge asked.

“Was.”

Bilge opened a can of soda for Trucker. “Here you go,” He said to Trucker. Then to Teodor. “So what are we going to do?”

“About what?”

“About you and your girlfriend,” Bilge said. “I'm not going to have issues during full moons, am I?”

“It doesn't work that way.”

“Too bad, I thought the next full moon we could hunt down that bitch hag.”

“What is she?”

Trucker looked up. “Yeah.”

Bilge poured himself an orange juice. “My dad would have called her Black Annis, but Black Annis does not leave Leicestershire. Over the years I have found out she doesn't have just one name.” Bilge leaned against the bar. “I was six or seven, when I saw her. A friend of mine ran away from home. I found him by the old Strake's Canal. As we were talking, she came.”

Bilge took a long drink. “She ripped his skin off in front of me.”

Teodor glanced at Trucker. Trucker's face was one of the best poker faces Teodor had ever seen. He concentrated on drinking his soda, acting as if he had not heard anything.

“She came after me,” Bilge said. “But my dad showed up. That scared her.”

The wind hit the building harder now. The creeks and noises started to sound like the Hag came back. Teodor shivered, but not from the cold.

“She wants children that are alone,” Teodor said.

Bilge nodded. “Easier to get.”

Trucker put down his soda. “Your Dad chased her away?”

Bilge shrugged. “The shells were filled with rock salt. The only thing that seems to hurt her.”

Teodor tilted his head. “Really?”

Bilge nodded.

Amanda walked into the bar. “He's asleep and his temperature is rising,” She said as she sat down next to Trucker. “And those scratches aren't deep.”

She pointed to Bilge. “And you frightened me.”

“Sorry about that,” Bilge said. “You really thought I was going to shoot some of my favorite employees.”

Teodor reached over and took Amanda's hand. “Most of the time when guns are pointed towards us, we get shot.”

“Same here,” Bilge joked.

Trucker yawned.

Bilge nodded. “Yeah looks like we are going to have a sleep over tonight.”

Trucker laid his head down on the bar. Teodor smiled. “One big sleep over.”

Bilge finished his orange juice. “I'll lock up, you take him upstairs.”

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 10 Part 1

2011-10-26T04:16:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Winter came to stay, a few days later, announcing it's presence with a storm. The wind came first. The type of wind that buildings shook. The sleet and ice came next, covering the roads with a thin enough layer of ice to make walking more like skating.

Amanda and Teodor were safely inside The Pit. Trucker had also sought shelter there. Bilge kept the place open, but did not expect anyone to come. Instead, he sat at one of the tables watching the TV above the bar. Amanda cooked a frozen pizza in the small pizza oven. Teodor was teaching Trucker how to play cribbage.

“Okay, you have to count your points,” Teodor said, pointing at Trucker's cards.

“Hey Trucker,” Bilge said from his table. “Don't let him skunk you.”

“Skunk?” Trucker asked.

“Don't worry about it,” Teodor said.

Amanda brought over the hot pizza, she placed it on the table with a few paper plates. She sat down next to Trucker. “Eat.”

He grabbed a piece of pizza. “You guys not eating?” he asked, stuffing his mouth full.

Amanda shook her head. Teodor moved his peg on the board. The picture on TV above the bar, began to fade out, then went snowy. Bilge got up and moved the antenna around, before giving up.

“Damn weather,” he said. “You got a place to stay tonight, Trucker?”

Trucker shook his head.

Teodor glanced out the window. The bar's windows were high up and very small, but even these were getting covered with snow. “We are almost ready to move into our apartment. We may have to stay there tonight, you could join us.”

Trucker stuffed another piece of pizza in his mouth. “Sure.”

The station on the TV started to come back in. Bilge grabbed an orange juice from the bar and went back to his table. “That would be a good idea,” he said sitting down.

The door flew opened, pushed open by the wind. On the other side stood Gunner. He was not dressed for the weather, just a T-shirt and his pants on. He looked around the room wildly.

“Help me!” His cry, almost drowned out by the wind.

Trucker sat frozen, pizza slice halfway to his mouth. Bilge jumped over the bar and slammed the door shut behind Gunner. “Kid, you okay?”

Amanda ran to his side. She felt Gunner's face. “Bilge get me some thick blankets, now.” She used her nurse voice. The command surprised Bilge. He jumped and ran to the back of the bar.

Teodor grabbed his jacket off the chair and wrapped it around Gunner's shoulders. Amanda checked Gunner's fingers.

“Gun... Can you touch your nose?”

Gunner looked at her oddly. But when he tried, his finger missed his nose and hit his cheek.

Amanda glanced up at Teodor. “His lips and fingers are blue, he's got hypothermia.”

Trucker walked over to Teodor. “What's that?” he asked pointing to Gunner's side.

Teodor looked down. Gunner's shirt, on his left side, had been stained with blood. Amanda lifted the shirt up. There were four long cuts on his side. Just the size that the Hag would have left.

“Trucker, get me some towels from behind the bar," Amanda said.

Trucker ran. Teodor went to one of the windows. He craned his head to look out. The snow blew so hard Teodor could not make out the cars parked next to the bar, let alone the other side of the street.

“I hope these are enough,” Bilge said behind Teodor.

Teodor pressed his face against the window pane. A small crack along the edge of the glass let a small breeze come through. He sniffed the air, all he could smell was the snow. He glanced back at Amanda, she used the towels to stop the bleeding. He turned his head back to the window. The Hag's face was in the window. She laughed.

“What the hell is that?” Bilge shouted.

Trucker screamed.

The Hag smiled, her black teeth glisten in the neon light coming from the window. Teodor growled. He slammed his hand against wall next to the window. He could feel himself change and he didn't want to stop. Teodor felt his teeth and face lengthen. His claw dug deep furrows as he clawed at the wall.

“Teodor!” Amanda yelled.

Teodor spun around. Trucker hid behind Amanda. Bilge's face was white. Teodor did not have time to worry about their reactions. He spun back around and snarled at the Hag.

She grinned at him, with her sharp, black teeth. The Hag raised her hand and clawed at the window. The high screeching noise her black fingernails made across the glass, made Teodor howl. He heard Amanda scream behind him, but he didn't turn around to see why.

“Open the door,” Bilge yelled.

Teodor tilted his head. He caught a glimpse of the shot gun in Bilge's hand.

“Don't shoot him!” Trucker yelled.

“Not him.” Bilge yelled. “Her.”

Teodor yanked the door open. The Hag screamed and billowed in on the wind. Teodor rolled to the side. The explosion of the both shotgun shells rang in his ears. The Hag looked down at her torso in surprise. She screamed something in a guttural sounding language. To Teodor's surprise Bilge answered her, in Scottish. Teodor heard the click of the shotgun and another round fired into the Hag.

The Hag screamed. Teodor growled at her. He noticed a strange belt around her waist. It looked like a collection of tanned leather hides. Then he realized it was skins, the skins of the children she had killed.

Interview with Sasha.

2011-10-20T20:04:00.000-04:00

I do not have any information on this picture. But it could be a picture of Sasha.

Welcome can you tell us about yourself?
My name is Sasha. I am a vampire.

You look young. How old were you when you died?
Seventeen.

How did it happen?
It is not a nice story. I got my first job on a whaling vessel. We left port. A day later one of the other sailors attacked me. I was stabbed. they buried me at sea.

I don't understand. How did that make you a vampire?
The attack didn't, except to kill me. You see, I had seen my mother die when she was thrown from a horse. That night, she sat up. So when I died, I opened my eyes underwater and knew what happened.

You were a vampire?
Yes, I had to get the tarp off. It wasn't until I hit the surface I realized I had become a vampire in water. It has given me certain advantages.

Like what?
The folklore that we cannot cross running water? I live in the water. I like to hang around busy harbors. It is easy to find victims, drunks are my favorite.

You are Steopa's grandson, correct?
One of them.

Why are you in the novel?
I felt my grandfather became injured. I had to see what happened.

Do other vampires know about you?
No, I try to keep myself a secret. Outside of my family, very few vampires view me with trust.

There must not be a lot of food in the water?
That is why I stay around the coasts and in the rivers. When I do have to come out of the water. I like the larger cities. I have no trouble finding food then. Women like me, that helps.

What do you think of the events of the book?
It was nice to see Grandfather again. I like Rebecka too. But those hunters, and those legions. I hated them.

Anything else you want people to know?
I have heard about the deaths in La Crosse, WI along the river. That was not me. I have not traveled the Mississippi.

A theme song for Sasha.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 9 Part 2

2011-10-19T04:10:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Trucker's eyes went wide, then he bolted. Teodor rant after him. “Hey!” He grabbed Trucker by his shoulder.

Trucker tried to shake his way out of Teodor's grip. Teodor would not let go.

“Trucker. Stop running.”

Trucker did stop, he pulled at Teodor's hand. “I knew it was you two. I saw you.”

“What did you see?” Teodor asked.

“You two are werewolves,” Trucker said.

Teodor let Trucker go. The boy did not sound frightened. “How do you know?”

“I saw you guys change. In the woods, the day after you chased me for the records. I was there.”

“You saw us?” Teodor asked. Amanda and him had done more that night than change into their human forms.

“Yeah, I stay there when it's not too cold. And you two come in followed by those dogs...” his voice trailed off.

Amanda walked up to Teodor. She looked at Trucker. “Aren't you frightened?”

Trucker shook his head. “No.”

“That's very brave of you.”

Trucker scoffed. “I've seen The Woman, two werewolves aren't as scary as she is”

“So why'd you run now?” Teodor asked.

“I didn't know what you would do."

“Fair enough."

Amanda lowered herself to Trucker's eye level. “Can you keep a secret?”

Trucker tilted his head. “Depends."

Amanda glanced back at Teodor. “Are you going to tell the other kids about us?”

Trucker shook his head. “They won't believe me.”

“Good, because we don't want the kids any more frightened than they are."

“You seem like you are nice werewolves.”

Teodor nodded. If it had been Teodor's family that Trucker had seen, Trucker would be a meal now. “Nicer than most."

Trucker glanced in the direction of the old work house. “I gotta get back.” He turned to run, but stopped and came back. “Do you guys get fleas?”

Amanda giggled. Teodor nodded. “Yeah, we can get fleas.”

Trucker laughed then turned around and ran off. Amanda glanced at Teodor. She smiled. “There is a great kid under all the tough guy act."

“You're falling in love with him aren't you?” Teodor asked.

“Well, he is a good kid. What type of parents would let a kid like him run away?”

Teodor took her hand. “There are some people in the world that should not be parents. Take mine for example.”

She thought for a moment, biting her bottom lip. “But you never ran away.”

“Oh, I would have,” he said. “But Father also paid the werewolf hunters well. I would have been on the next list, if I would have left.”

“He would have killed you?”

“Hell, he tried himself three times.”

She looked shocked. Teodor tried to giver her a small reassuring smile. “Some of us are lucky enough to have parents that love and care for us. Some of us have to deal with real horrible people. Unfortunately, that means kids like Trucker feel safer on the streets.”

Amanda shook her head. “If I find out they hurt him-”

“No, hurting them won't do anything. Best thing for Trucker now is for us to help him.”

“Which means we have to find The Woman.”

Teodor nodded. “Yeah, we have to figure out how to kill a hag.”

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 9 Part 1

2011-10-12T04:30:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Even before the chldren came to the door. Teodor could sense something was wrong. He pawed at the door. A moment later the door opened. One of the older girls petted Amanda's head as they passed.

Teodor smelled fear. It wasn't the same fear that he had smelt the night the old woman had attacked. He shook his head. Old woman was not a good description, hag fit her better.

As Amanda and him entered the old cafeteria, he noticed that the younger children had made their beds in the middle of the room. The older children were off to one side, huddled in a circle. Teodor padded over to Gunner. He laid down beside him. It gave him a great view of the conversation.

“Are you sure none of you saw Jazz today?” Gunner asked.

A girl in a pink shirt and snarled ponytails bit her nails. “I did.”

“Where?” Gunner asked.

“Over by the river,” she said. “Talking to those other kids.”

“The River Rats?"

The girl nodded. “I asked him later why'd he go over there. He said they had some jobs for him.”

Teodor watched Gunner's face. His face went still as he clenched his jaw. “We have nothing to do with those kids. If Jazz comes back, he will have to apologize.”

“What if they do have jobs for us?” The girl asked.

Tache took in a sharp breath. “They work for some nasty people.”

Gunner stared at the girl. “The last girl that went over to them for a job, ended up in a movie. Not a movie you would want to show your friends.”

A black haired girl nodded. “She killed herself afterwards.”

The blond girl suddenly found her feet interesting. Gunner reached over and scratched behind Teodor's ears.

“Anyone seen the Woman?” he whispered.

All of the children in the circle shook their heads. Gunner looked at Teodor. “I think the dogs help,” he said. “But if they are really wolves. We can't tame them.”

The black haired girl spoke. “I heard that she took a boy in Konakove, two nights ago. Reached right in to where he was staying and pulled him out.”

“For real?” Tashe asked.

She nodded. “They only found some blood.”

Gunner stopped scratching Teodor's head and reached behind him to pull out the baseball bat. “We need to find more weapons. In case she comes back.”

“I told you I could get a gun,” A red headed boy said.

“No guns,” Gunner said. “The River Rat's use those and we are better then them.”

“Besides,” Tashe said. “The only one of us that got away from her was Trucker. And he knocked a table into her.”

Gunner whistled. “Trucker, come here!”

Trucker had been playing with Amanda. He stood up and walked over to the circle. Gunner patted the floor beside him. Trucker sat down, giving Teodor a strange look as he did so.

“What happened that night the Woman chased you?” Gunner asked.

“She ripped my jacket,” Trucker said. “I ran through an outdoor cafe. Knocked over a table as I ran. She screamed and stopped chasing me.”

“What was on the table?” Gunner asked.

Trucker shrugged. “I'm not sure, Ketchup bottle, mustard, salt and pepper shakers.”

“Maybe she doesn't like mustard,” the red headed boy said.

“Wooden bats do shit,” Gunner said. He tapped his metal bat in his other hand a few times. “Joe had a wooden bat.”

Trucker shrugged. “The table was metal.”

Gunner thought for a long time. He stood up. “Alright, tomorrow we find as many weapons we can get our hands on that are metal.”

“A gun's metal,” The red head said.

“Shut up.”

Teodor padded over to Amanda. She let some of the younger girls brush her hair. Teodor nudged her flank. Amanda rolled on to her feet. She stood up and shook out her fur. The girls moaned.

Trucker ran over to them with the can of dog food. Teodor tried not to gag. Amanda ate it without an issue. Teodor sniffed the food. When I left my family and had to pretend to be a dog those years, I got so sick of this, he thought.

Teodor lifted his head. Trucker sat on the floor watching them. He gave Teodor a smile. Teodor padded over to him and laid on the floor. Trucker petted Teodor.

Amanda lifted her head, licking her lips. Teodor whined and they went outside. They stayed in their wolf forms until they made it back to where they kept their clothing. A light snow fell. Amanda changed quickly, she shivered as she dressed.

Teodor took his time. He heard sounds in the woods that were not normal. Amanda sat on a log and watched him slowly dress.

“What is it?” She asked.

“Just some noises.” Teodor whispered.

Amanda nodded. “I heard them too.” Her eyes went wide. “Do you think it that woman?”

Teodor shook his head. “No, you can feel that hag in your bones, and I don't.”

He put his shirt back on. Now Teodor recognized the sounds. Someone was trying to stand still, but couldn't. Teodor sniffed the air. All he could smell were the children.

Teodor finished dressing. He stood up and glanced back at the old building. He saw a shadow move. It was the size of one of the children. Teodor moved his head, to try to get a better look. He saw Trucker.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 8

2011-10-05T04:14:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Teodor found Steopa working in one of the old loading docks.

“We saw that thing,” he said.

Steopa threwt down the section of conveyor belt. “Where?”

“Not far from here.”

Steopa started to walk toward the door. Teodor stopped him. “I think it was Baba Yaga.”

“What?”

“It was an old woman, she skinned the boy alive.”

Amanda joined them. She nodded.

“You saw it, too?” Steopa asked.

Amanda nodded, again.

“That noise. At the work farm had to have been her fingers,” Teodor said.

“It cannot be Baba Yaga.” Steopa said.

“Then who was she?” Teodor asked.

“Not Baba Yaga.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because she is a myth.”

“So are vampires,” Teodor said.

Steopa stared at Teodor.

Teodor sighed. “Fine, it was Muma Padurii, her name is not important.”

“But it was a woman?” Steopa asked.

Amanda nodded. “An old woman, she walked by us before we ran into Jazz.”

“Then she changed,” Teodor said. “Her eyes were white. Her teeth were black.”

Steopa looked off into the distance for a moment, then shook his head. “Where did she go?”

“She just disappeared, there was no smell. I couldn't even follow Jazz's blood.”

Steopa raised an eyebrow. “That is interesting.”

“Oh, this is enough.” Amanda said. “I have to see if the rest of those children.”

“Amanda-”

“I have to see if they are alright.

“I want to know what that woman is."

“It's obvious you guys don't know, I'm going to the work farm.”

She spun on her heels and walked away.

Teodor turned to stop her, then turned back to Steopa. “I...,” he said.

“Go,” Steopa said. “She is being foolish.”

“She's not foolish.”

“If you find that chicken leg cabin, you tell me.”

Teodor ignored Steopa. He caught up with Amanda. Her face was red, her lips were pressed together and now were white. She growled.

“Amanda,” He said as he came closer.

“You decided to come.”

“Of course.”

“He thought we were being stupid.”

“No,” Teodor said, taking her arm. “Because I jumped to conclusions and said it was Baba Yaga.”

“Who is that?” Amanda asked.

“She is a witch. She travels through the countryside, looking for children to eat.”

“Like a bogyman?” Amanda asked.

“She was more powerful. She could fly through the air, using her mortar and pestle. And her house moved too, it was on chicken legs.”

Amanda giggled. “That sounds silly.”

Teodor shook his head. “When she did find a place that her house would stay. The path to it was lined with the spines and the skulls of people she had killed. There were a few that approached her and got help. But more than likely she would kill you.”

“Could she be real?"

“I hope not.”

Amanda stopped walking after a few moments. “When I was younger, my family moved to Texas. One of my friends was this Hispanic girl. She told me about this woman that would drowned children. You could see her walking along the roads, looking for children. I think she was called La Llorona.”

“Did she eat them?”

“We are not sure she ate Jazz,” she said. “That woman would drown the children, because she thought they could stay with her. She lived in water.” She waved her hands in the air. “All we saw, was her taking Jazz's skin. What if she is killing the kids for their skins?”

“That is still horrible."

“I know, but maybe there is another mythical woman that collected skins.” Her shoulders sank. “Like it's going to help.”

Teodor pulled her close. “It might. The people that were able to walk away from Baba Yaga had to be prepared.”

Amanda nodded. “Let's see how the kids are doing.”

Teodor agreed. They left the old base and hurried to the old work farm.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 7

2011-09-28T04:11:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

When Teodor told Steopa that they would have a new place in a few weeks, Steopa's expression did not change. "If that's what you need to do."

Over the next few weeks they got their new apartment ready. Bilge paid for all the fixtures, but they still had to pay for the paint and carpets. Teodor and Amanda were having fun. At night, they would go to the work farm. Nothing happened for weeks. The kids enjoyed having them around. Teodor and Amanda did the loyal dog routine for them.

The kids would play with them, and rough up their hair. But Teodor didn't mind and he could tell Amanda loved it. Gunner always had food for them. That was the only thing Teodor didn't like, the kids would give up some of their food to feed the “Wolfy-dogs”.

Their new place wasn't quite livable, yet. so they would still have to sleep at the base. They walked back to Steopa's, taking the back alleys.

"Do you think we will have the place ready by Thanksgiving?" Amanda asked.

"When's that?"

"Two weeks."

"Maybe. Why?"

"I would love to cook a real Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, stuffing, and potatoes, and everything."

Teodor chuckled. "That sounds like too much for us."

"Well, for us and Bilge, and Trucker."

Teodor shrugged. He tried to listen for any dogs. But he wasn't hearing the normal communications about who bested who, what new dogs there were, and other such nonsense. He wasn't hearing anything.

The wind picked up, blowing hard as they crossed a street to an alley on the other side. An old woman walked down the road. She held on to her hat with one hand. The other grasped around the collar of her jacket. She swayed with the wind.

Teodor and Amanda ducked into the alleyway. The old woman continued down the street.

“Was she drunk?” Amanda asked.

Teodor shook his head. “I didn't smell any on her,” he said. "I didn't smell anything."

"You're right-"

“You guys got any change.” Said a shivering voice, behind them.

Teodor turned. One of the boys from the work farm sat by the garbage cans. The one called Jazz. He hadn't even lifted his head when he asked for the money.

Amanda dug in her purse. She pulled out a dollar and bent down to hand it to Jazz. Jazz looked up for a moment. Both of his eyes were black and blue.

“What happened?” Amanda asked.

Jazz's bottom lip bled from the cut.

“I fell down,” He said.

Amanda shook her head, “It looks like someone beat you up, Ja..”

Teodor hit her foot with his.

“Ja...junior,” she said. “We could take you to the hospital.”

Jazz chuckled. “No, thank you. This aint the worst.”

He stood up, pocketing the dollar. “Thanks lady, but I can take care of myself.”

He zipped up his jacket. Teodor smelled blood on him. There was a dark, moist, patch along his side. Jazz began to walk to the mouth of the alley.

“Hey wait up” Teodor called after Jazz. “Who stabbed you?”

Jazz glanced back, but ran a way with a limp. He held onto the side of his body with the wound with his hand. Teodor ran after him.

The old woman walked toward Jazz. Teodor picked up speed. Jazz zigged around the old woman, she reached out.

Her hand stretched, her fingers curling over Jazz's shoulder. Her fingernails dug into his flesh. She threw Jazz to the ground. Teodor skidded to stop. He felt it, every part of him that was a wolf wanted to attack. She grinned. Her teeth looked like multiple daggers. She jumped on Jazz, growling. Her skin turned dark blue as her eyes turned white.

Amanda ran past Teodor. She ripped her clothes off, throwing her shirt to the ground. She howled. The old woman turned. She raised her hand. Her black and pointed fingernails elongated. The woman struck Amanda as she jumped. The blow sent Amanda backwards. She yelped in pain.

Teodor got between Amanda and the woman. She brought her hand back and struck Teodor. The blow felt as if he had been struck by a truck. He hit a set of concrete steps. He yelped in pain and landed over on his back. He rolled and crawled until he could stand.

The old women picked up Jazz. She ran her long black fingernails down his chest. Jazz screamed. She sliced his skin open, then flipped him over.

Amanda turned into the hybrid form and jumped over a car, howling. The old woman de-gloved Jazz in one pull. She picked up his corpse with one hand and threw it over her back. Then she smiled at Teodor and disappeared. Teodor ran over to the spot were Jazz had been killed. Blood covered the ground. No smell, except for Jazz's blood. He heard Amanda cry. He padded over to her.

“Why?” Amanda asked.

Teodor changed back, stretching as he did. “She's hunting those children.”

“What was it?”

“I am not sure,” He said. When I was young, there was a name, a name I havn't heard since I was a child. “It can't be.”

“Tell me.”

“I have to speak to Steopa.”

She threw on her shirt. “Why?”

“Just trust me.”

“She looked like a normal old lady.”

“We look like normal humans, too.” Teodor said.

Amanda shook her head. “But we don't hunt humans.”

Teodor sighed. “We could. It's only because we have decided not to, that we don't hunt humans. But meat is meat.”

“That is horrid,” she said.

“But it's the truth.” He put his arm around Amanda.

She sighed and put her head on his shoulder. “Alright, lets talk to Steopa.”

#SampleSunday Chapter 17 - Patriarch

2011-09-25T05:50:00.000-04:00

Again, only the first 300 or so words

Teodor unlocked the bike lock they had used to secure the basement door. The hunter had been tied to the wall in the darkest part of the basement. Steopa ducked as he went down the stairs. The hunter looked up, his mouth covered with duct tape. He opened his eyes wide, then lowered his head.

Silva sat on a table, studying the hunter. On the table next to her were bungee cords and duct tape. She looked over her shoulder as Steopa approached.

“He's talkative tonight,” she said. “And speaking English too.”

He walked up to the hunter and ripped the duct tape off the man's face. “Who told you about me?”

The hunter lowered his eyes. “If I tell you, I'm dead.”

“You are dead already. Who is Simon?” Steopa asked.

The old hunter chuckled, but shook his head. “Trouble. That's what he is. We should have staked him, not worked for him. Half my crew has died.”

“He is another vampire,” Steopa said.

Silva cleaned her fingernails. “He was cursing that name earlier.”

“Simon claims you killed his sister,” the hunter said. “I think he is lying. He has another reason.”

“I know.” Steopa thought for a moment. “Did he say when or how I killed his sister?”

The hunter nodded. “You found her in Berlin.”

Steopa growled. He motioned to Silva to leave the basement. She ran up the stairs. Steopa walked over to the hunter. He placed each of his hands on a side of the old man's head. His hands were large enough to cover the old man's face. Steopa leaned close.

“He is a liar. His sister disappeared last year. He has only been a vampire for a few weeks. Do you want to know the truth about me? I was attacked on my way home to see my wife. I had been fighting Napoleon's troops. I killed that blond blydischa after she tried to feed off me. Because of her I am a vampire.”

Big Announcement

2011-09-22T04:00:00.002-04:00

I AM DOING MY FIRST CONVENTION!!!

That's right folks, I have been invited to be a special guest at EmpireCon! I will be on a panel about self publishing, holding a book signing, and also do a couple of readings. A chapter from Fledgling and Killer. Maybe, if you are good. I will read the first chapter of Patriarch too.

EmpireCon is taking place in Sycacuse, NY on October 8-9, 2011 at the Crowne Plaza.
Here is what they say:

Central New York's new Sci-Fi & Fantasy convention debuts with a full weekend of events featuring:

Special Guests
Panels & Workshops
Video & Table Gaming - including Magic the Gathering Standard Constructed Tournament DCI sanctioned, Prizes pool based on attendance
Masquerade & Cosplay
Live Performances
Live Fighting/Weapons Demos
Live Action & Animation Screening Rooms (including Anime Pajama Party & Up All Night Horror)
Dealer’s Room (FREE & open to the public)
LARP
ConSuite

Saturday 10:00am - 10:00pm (select events to remain open after hours)
Sunday 10:00am - 5:00pm
General Admission: $20 Sat / $10 Sun / $25 Weekend
Magic Tournament Entry: $25 Sun / $40 Weekend (includes con pass)
For more information contact EmpireCon@ymail.com or 315-491-0430

Full website at EmpireCon

Did you see the price there? Cheap for a con!

Its appropriate that I will be a special guest for the first time at a first time event. We will get through this together!

I hope to see you there.

Heck if I wasn't a guest, I would be going for the LARPing.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 6 Part 2

2011-09-21T04:15:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Carol stopped the forklift. “Just put it in the office, Dad.” She called out. “Bilge, you want to drive your truck up?”

Bilge nodded. He got up, “Wait for me.”

Teodor sat back on the chair. Mr. Sansard came out of the office. “Your left hand.”

Teodor glanced down. “What about it?”

“You have a claw.”

Teodor glanced down again. Mr. Sansard had very good eyes. It was a family trait. His left thumb nail was thicker and longer than the rest of his nails. Even when he was changed, that claw was always slightly bigger.

“So?” Teodor said.

“I know what you are,” Mr. Sansard said. He made the sign of the cross as he spoke. “You stay away from my family.”

Teodor sighed. “I have no intention of harming your family.”

Mr. Sansard made another sign of the cross. But he was thinking, Teodor could tell as the old man started to chew the inside of his cheek. “Do you only change at night?”

Teodor shook his head. Mr. Sansard did know his lore. The werewolves you had to really watch out for were the ones that could only change at night. They were the ones that could not control their hunger.

Mr. Sansard relaxed. “My Grandfather ran into one of those kind.”

“I am not that kind.” Teodor said. “But you will tell anyone?”

Mr. Sansard shook his head. “They won't believe me.”

Bilge walked back into the warehouse. He waved Teodor over. Bilge lowered the gate to the back of his truck. When Teodor came closer, Bilge asked, “What did Mr. Sansard have to talk to you about?”

Teodor shook his head. “It was nothing.”

“His mind has been going ever since his little stay in the hospital. So take what he says with a grain of salt, ya know what I mean?”

Teodor nodded, but he was certain that Mr. Sansard was in his right mind when he figured out what Teodor was. Not many people knew what to look for when they saw a werewolf in their human form. Teodor was both impressed and a bit frightened at the same time.

Bilge loaded the truck. Teodor jumped in the back of the bed and arranged the cases that Bilge handed him. It took them about a half an hour to load up the beer. Teodor jumped down. Bilge walked over to the office and paid. When he came back he was shaking his head.

“We should go,” he said. “Carol is about to lose her mind.”

Teodor wondered if that had to do with her father telling her that a werewolf was in the warehouse.

When they returned to the Pit, Amanda stood behind the bar, serving the two customers. Trucker sat at the bar as well, in front of him a coloring book and a large soda.

“Where'd you get that?” Bilge asked Trucker, as they brought in the first load.

“I got it for him.” One of the customers said. He hair had been shaved on the sides of his head, leaving one long strip of hair.

Amanda smiled. “Trucker was bored.”

The customer raised his beer mug. “And he looks like my brother, so what the hell.”

Teodor shook his head and placed a case of beer behind the bar

After they unloaded the truck, Teodor sat down at a table with Amanda to take a break. “I ran into an old guy that recognized what I am.”

She looked panicked. “Should we worry?”

“No, he's old,” he said. “And he didn't seem too frightened of me. But Trucker followed us to the factory.”

Amanda nodded. “I thought so, he's a sneaky little bastard.”

Teodor chuckled. Bilge came over to the table.

“I have to show you both something,” he said, leaning on his knuckles on the table.

They followed Bilge to the outside. He unlocked a side door that lead to a set of stairs going up. Bilge walked ahead. They made it to the first landing and he turned to continue upstairs. At the second landing, Bilge unlocked the door.

The door opened to an open wide space. Nothing inside but support columns. Except for a small room with a toliet, and a counter with a sink and range. The place was bare.

“If you want, you could fix this up,” Bilge said. “I'll rent it to you for seventy-five a month.”

Amanda stepped into the room. “Would you knock it off what we spend to fix it up, off the rent?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Bilge said.

“What about utilities?” Amanda asked.

“I'll throw them in.” Bilge said.

Amanda gave Teodor the look that told him, he better not say no.

“Well it's the best thing that came our way, yet.” Teodor said.

“Of course it means I will take full advantage of you living up here.” Bilge said. “You might not get many days off.”

Amanda took Teodor's hand, “This is nicer than where we are staying.” She whispered.

Teodor nodded.

A few hours later the bar was busy, but not full like it had been the night before. Teodor spent most of his time, cleaning up after the customers. When the late news came on, Amanda reached up and turned up the volume on the TV.

A reporter stood in front of an abandoned apartment building. “This is Laurie Johnston with a special report.”

Teodor filled up the mop bucket to clean the men's room. He has only half listening to the report, until he heard Amanda gasp.

The reporter talked to a middle aged woman. “This is becoming a problem, not just because we are talking about children that should be at home, but because winter is coming.” The middle aged woman said into the microphone. “It is very hard for an adult to survive the winter, let alone a young child.”

Teodor turned the water off and listened.

“How many children do you estimate are living on the streets?” The reporter asked.

“It is a few hundred.” The middle aged woman said. “But that amount is triple what it was last year.”

“Any reason for that?”

“There could be many. But we think the main reason is last year the census was taken using only the information that the police could give us. This year we sent student social workers to the places were the children live.”

“It's really heart breaking,” The reporter said.

“Yes, Laurie it is.”

Amanda glanced over at Teodor. She had tears welling in her eyes.

#SampleSunday Chapter 16 - Patriarch

2011-09-18T06:10:00.003-04:00

Only a tease, the first 300 or so words.

Another memory. Steopa rolled over on the bed as it formed in his mind. He never dreamed. Only memories would fill the daytime.

“What should I do with you?” Pavel, Steopa's father said. He sat down at the table opposite of Steopa. He poured two glasses of vodka. “I should take you outside and beat your butt.”

“Sorry, Father,” Steopa said.

“Sorry. You are lucky Jurgis did not castrate you.”

Steopa slumped down in the chair. This memory, he thought. Why this one?

“Father, we had too much to drink at the dance and we-”

“Jurgis and I have been hoping that you and Anna would like each other, but we did not expect to find both of you at the hunting cabin this morning. And not what you were doing, either.”

“Father, I-”

Pavel pushed the glass over to him. “Drink.”

Steopa curled his fingers around the glass. Pavel downed his shot.

“We have plans for you. You have to go to university. You have to come back here and take over for me. Do you want to ruin it by getting Anna pregnant?” Pavel pointed to the glass. “Drink.”

Steopa sipped the vodka. He coughed. Pavel chuckled. “We are in a precarious position here. My father came here to help build the church and stayed. To the villagers, we have always been the outsiders. And now that Lithuania is no longer and we are Russians, there are people here who view us with distrust. If the others find out what you and Anna were doing in the cabin, the rumors will be devastating.”

“That was not my intention.”

“It does not matter what your intention was, that is not what the villagers are going to think. Especially if that new priest hears about this. I forbid you to tell him about you and Anna in confession.”

Envy

2011-09-15T06:34:00.000-04:00

I originally was going to post this a year ago, but hid it.

I was sitting in a coffee shop the other day. Amazing when you start to write a lot, coffee shops seem to become your second home.

But in walks a woman that I do not like. The feeling is mutual. I will not go into why we do not like each other, let's just leave it at we are very cold to each other.

I'm sitting alone with my netbook. She comes in with her boyfriend. First, she flaunts him. Personally, do not care. I'm married. They take the table right behind me, in the nearly empty shop. Then she starts talking about her job. That is part of the mutual coldness. She worked for another place, prior to us working together. She never let anyone forget how we did not match her "old workers."

She really is bragging it up. I am trying to ignore her. I have this really intense scene I have to get done. So I put on my headphones. She talks louder. At this point I want to leave, I don't want to deal with the child like behavior, but the writing is spurring me on. I stay. She goes to the bathroom.

Another friend comes in, I have not seen her in awhile. I tell her about my writing. The first one comes back, and talks up her job again. My other friend turns to me and asks me AGAIN about my novels.

I know she knows. But I realize she is asking me so that miss cold can hear about it. Miss Cold stands there for a moment.

"You write?" she asks.

Hadn't I been sitting at a table writing? "Yes, two books out now."

Miss Cold's face falls. She goes over to her boyfriend. "We have to go!"

They leave. My other friend says. "Someone is jealous."

Really? Jealous of me? What?

But I have been guilty of envy too.

Sometimes when I hear about a writer getting a #1 selling ebook on Amazon, or when I hear one that quits their job to write full time, because they are making enough in sales. Sometimes when one is becomes a media darling and everyone talks about him or her. Sometimes, I get jealous and I get mad.

I try not to, but it's human nature. So what do I do? I ask myself why can't I be happy for them. Because for that moment they are doing something that seems out of my reach.

Despite the good reviews, my books don't sell. That should be enough to make most people quit, but I don't. Because there is more than money to writing. A point I have to remind myself when I start to feel that green eyed monster appear.

I have a dedicated, small fan base. I have had fan art done for me. I have met so many interesting people that I never would have both online and in real life. I have had fan letters. I have wrote and published two books.

Someone read that paragraph now and is getting mad.

Remember writing is not a competition (unless you are entering a contest). It is a way we express ourselves. I didn't write the Coiree Series to become famous. Sure that would be a great perk. But I wrote it because I had to. I shared it with the world because I knew others would like it. Not to become a media darling.

Go back to the real reason you are creating. Because you have to. And when you feel that little monster start to rise, remind yourself what makes you unique as a creator. Work on that, success will come.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 6 Part 1

2011-09-14T04:05:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

The next day, while Steopa laid in his stupor, Teodor took some of the money that Amanda and him had been saving. They left the base, very careful that they were not seen, and went shopping.

As they walked down the line of shops, Teodor noticed for the first time, the amount of children on the street. Just like the bums that begged for change, it was easy to ignore the children as well. As Teodor and Amanda went into a clothing store, he saw Gunner across the street.

Gunner sat on a bench, slightly bend over. Another younger child from the night before, sat next to Gunner. Gunner straightened up and replaced a shoe on the younger one's feet.

Teodor turned his head away. This was not right, he could feel that. Not the fact there were kids on the street, but fact there were so many of them. Even when Leningrad was being bombed, there were not that many children on the street. Or perhaps, this is the first time I really see them, Teodor thought.

They bought some clothes and changed in a public bathroom at the bus station. At the station, Teodor noticed at least two more children. These two begged for money. Teodor walked by them and dropped a dollar in the one kid's hand.

Afterwards, they stopped at a butcher shop and bought couple of steaks. The hard part was finding a place to eat them, without anyone seeing them. They ate behind a movie theater.

They found The Pit. Inside, Bilge put a pitcher of milk on a table. Trucker shoveled cereal into his mouth. Trucker's head snapped towards Teodor and Amanda as they entered. Trucker jumped off his chair and ran towards Amanda. He put his arms around her and gave her a tight hug.

“What's that for?” Amanda asked, smiling.

Trucker didn't answer, he held on to Amanda.

Bilge chuckled. “Trucker, you should let her breath.”

Teodor ruffled Trucker's hair and walked over to the bar. “Are you glad to see us?”

“Surprised,” Bilge said. “Most people that come in here for a night's work, don't come back.”

“That sucks,” Teodor said.

Bilge smiled. “Not really. Most of them I wouldn't want back.”

“What do you want us to do?” Teodor asked.

Amanda sat down with Trucker. Trucker looked his age, right now. The tough kid act dropping as fast as the regular kid came into focus. Teodor smiled.

“I need to do some shopping for the bar,” Bilge said. “I could use some help.”

“Sure, whatever you need.”

Bilge looked over Teodor's shoulder. “Amanda,” he said. “Can you stay here with Trucker? Watch the place?”

Amanda laughed at something Trucker had said, she nodded her head. “Sure.”

“Great. We are going to go get some supplies,” Bilge said. He motioned Teodor to follow.

They left out the back way. Teodor climbed in the passenger seat. The small cab held two bucket seats. Bilge got into the driver's seat. The truck smelt new. Yet, the wear and the tear on the inside, made it look like it had been used quite a lot.

“That band last night almost wiped out my beer supply,” Bilge said as he started up the truck. “And my distributor can't come by for two more days. So we are going to his competitors.”

Bilge pulled carefully out of the parking area. “Where are you and Amanda staying?” he asked.

“We have a place,” Teodor said.

Bilge watched the road intently for a moment. “Trucker followed you two last night. He told me that you went into an old factory.”

Teodor did not answer.

“You two are on the streets, correct?”

“Sort of.”

“Winter's coming, that place is gonna be colder than a witches tit in a steel bra. When we get back, I have something that will help you out.”

“What?” Teodor asked.

“I do own the entire building,” Bilge said.

Bilge drove down to an old area of warehouses along the river. He pulled in front of one. On the side of the building was the sign “Gwendoline Spirits.” Bilge got out of the truck.

“Come on,” he said. “I need another strong back.”

The door to the warehouse opened. An old man walked out. He nodded to Bilge.

“How you doing today, Mr. Sansard?” Bilge yelled.

“Okay,” Mr. Sansard said. His voice hushed and forced, as if he had a stroke.

“Your daughter in?” Bilge yelled.

“Yeah, yeah, Carol's in the back.” Mr. Sansard stared at Teodor.

“This is one of my helpers.” Bilge yelled. “Teodor Navarro.”

“Navajo?”

“Navarro,” Teodor said. “But you can call me Teodor.”

“Teodor?”

“Teodor.”

“Teodor.” Mr. Sansard said, with a sharp nod. He still had not taken his eyes off Teodor.

“We are going to see Carol, now.” Bilge said. He opened the door.

When they got inside, and closed the door behind them, Teodor recognized Mr. Sansard from the photo at the Pit. He looked much older than he did in the photograph. Teodor shook his head. “Who was that?”

“He used to run this place,” Bilge said. “Now, his daughter does.”

They walked along a concrete floor, with two white stripes painted on the floor, marking the walkway. Pallets of liquor bottles lined one side. A walk in cooler hummed. The whole place smelt of stale hops, old alcohol, and gasoline.

Bilge walked ahead to the office in the back. It looked as if it had been built as an after thought. A middle aged woman sat inside, her head in one of her hands, as she worked an adding machine with the other hand.

“Carol?” Bilge called, as they got closer.

Carol looked up. Her gray streaked black hair fell over her face for a moment. She reached up and quickly did it up in a bun, securing it with a couple of pencils on her desk.

“Bilge!” She said, pushing the last pencil in. “What can I do you for, today.”

“I need beer,” he said.

Carol nodded and left the office. She wore stained jeans, and blue T-shirt. “You have a helper today.”

“This is Teodor. His girlfriend and him are working at the Pit, now.”

“You guys can do better,” Carol said, winking at Bilge. “Give me your list, I'll see what I have.”

Bilge handed her a piece of paper. “Where is everyone?” He asked.

Carol took the paper. “Most are out on deliveries. There's no trucks coming for a few hours. Take a seat by the office.”

“You sure you don't want help?” Teodor asked.

“No, honey.” Carol said. “My insurance company is quite certain about that. Besides you are too cute to be running a forklift.”

Bilge chuckled.

There were folding chairs by the office. Bilge took a seat, stretching his legs out in front of him. Teodor sat down on the next one. Carol started up the forklift.

“I wish I could use this place more often,” Bilge said. “The Sansard family have had this place even during prohibition.”

Teodor only half listened. Mr. Sansard came back into the warehouse, carrying a white bag from a take out place. He stopped for a moment when he saw Teodor. But then continued on. The old man started to get on Teodor's nerves.

#SampleSunday Chapter 15 - Patriarch

2011-09-11T07:01:00.000-04:00

Again, only the first 300 words or so.

Sasha greeted his brother with a long embrace on the steps of Teodor's house. They went inside with Jimmy and a couple of Teodor's sons.
“Misha?” Teodor asked as he sat down on the steps of his porch. “He never leaves his home.”
“That is why I am concerned,” Steopa said. He reached over and took the bottle of vodka out of Teodor's hand.
“Yeah.” Teodor leaned back on his elbows. “I can tell. What is going on?”
“I cannot put my finger on it. We have a vampire, Adelind, that uses magic. She made a drudge out of a local football player, and he is the one sending the hunters after me. And now the coiree...”
“What's that?”
“I never told you about it.”
The screen door opened behind him. The twins, Jamie and Chuck, walked out, followed by Jimmy. Jamie pointed to the old factory.
“We're going across the street,” he said.
“Why?” Teodor asked.
“We want to show Jimmy around.”
“Yeah, they are going to show me some werewolf things,” Jimmy said.
“Really?” Teodor shook his head. “I don't know, are you sure this is a good idea?”
Chuck shrugged. “Nothing is going on in there, except Rebecka and Trucker being computer geeks. And the other two vampires are talking in Russian, ignoring us.”
“Still, be careful.”
They left. Steopa opened the vodka. “Thank you for letting us come here tonight.”
“No problem. It's crowded, but then it's always crowded here.”
A small car pulled into the driveway and its motor shut off. Andi got out of the passenger seat, while Silvia got out of the driver's side. Andi ran over to Chuck and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Then she pulled her handbag's strap over her shoulder and walked up to the porch.

Trollhunter

2011-09-08T08:15:00.000-04:00

Have you heard about this movie? If you have, you must keep up with horror and movie blogs. If you have not, you are missing out on a very interesting film.

The hunter and the film makers.

Trollhunter is about a group of student film makers that are investigating poached bears. A few leads point them to a man named Hans. They think he is the poacher. They find out he is a hunter, not of bears.

A lot of comparisons are made of this film and Blair Witch Project. The biggest similarity is the hand held, found footage setting of the film. But unlike the motion sickness and claustrophobic style of Blair Witch. Trollhunter takes in the scenery. The characters are more professional in their filming style. If you watch this film you won't need motion sickness medicine.

It is labeled horror film. After watching it, I felt as if I had watched a fantasy wildlife documentary. The reason is because Hans is not hunting the trolls because he is looking for glory. He is hunting the trolls because it is his job. A dirty, smelly, ungrateful job.

Hans, the troll hunting civil servant.

As you follow the students and Hans on his nightly hunts, you find out about the trolls. The movie treats them as large (in the case of one, large hill sized) mammals. Hans hunts them, but he also respects them too. In one scene, he retells a story that shows a dark chapter in his life. He agreed to let the students film him because he wants his job to end and the public to know the truth.

Why doesn't the public know? Because the government is keeping trolls a secret. No reasons are given to why. You can assume public safety, or protecting an endangered species, but you never know the real reason. Han's boss, Finn, is a bureaucrat. Not evil, but willing to do anything to make sure the public never finds out about the trolls.

Is it a horror film? There are some scary parts. A few horrible deaths, mainly goats. You can watch this film with the lights off, you will not have to worry about nightmares.

The middle head is the only real one, the others grow in later.

There are a few funny bits. My favorite was the Polish "painting" service that is hired to help cover up the truth about the trolls. They are the only people that speak English in the film. The short scene they are in is one of the funniest. Especially if you have ever been in a situation where you had to rely on incompetent people to help you with a job.

I do recommend this movie. If you are a fan of fantasy, or large monsters, or just want to see some amazing shots of the scenery in Norway, buy this movie. It is well worth it.

The climax of the movie and also it's poster .

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 5 Part 4

2011-09-07T04:07:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

A loud thud shook the wall in front of Teodor. Amanda yipped. Something scraped the wall outside, like a rake drawn across concrete. Teodor barked and howled. Amanda joined him. She started to salivate, her hackles raised.

The scrapping stopped. A soft voice, probably too soft for the children to hear, but Teodor could make it out with his wolf ears, began to sing. He did not recognize the language. It seemed guttural, more feeling than words. A feeling that would have made a weaker wolf piss themselves. A song about fear. Children cried and hugged each other.

A long scrape across the windows, leaving four long scratches in the non broken windows. Teodor followed the scratches, barking and growling as he went.

Outside Teodor saw Steopa move. Steopa ran up the outside wall and tackled something. His arms moving in a wide arch, as if he only had a general idea where his target was. Steopa did get his arms around something, briefly. His coat became pressed to his body. But then he was thrown back. Steopa swore. A long, loud curse in Lithuanian.

Some of the children screamed. Amanda howled. Teodor sniffed the air. He could feel the presence move away. Amanda stopped howling. Teodor barke and yip at the window. He could follow it, if he was outside.

Gunner stepped away from the huddled group. “Is it gone?” He asked.

Teodor tilted his head. When ever humans spoke to him like he was a dog, he had to stop himself from answering. He whined at the window. Gunner pulled a lever to the side. The window opened outward. Just big enough for Teodor to climb through. He scratched at the wall as he scrambled out. Amanda followed closely behind. The window slammed shut behind them. Steopa stood up, still covered by shadows. He glanced back at Amanda and Teodor then ran.

It headed back to the city. Steopa took the lead. Vampires could always outrun a werewolf. Teodor had to stop, he could no longer feel what ever it was that had come to the work farm building. Amanda ran ahead, but then she turned back and whined. Teodor shook his head. Amanda changed back to her human form.

“Nothing?” She asked.

Teodor changed. “Yeah, nothing.”

Amanda stamped her foot on the ground. “What the hell was that thing?”

Teodor shook his head. He put his arm around Amanda and pulled her close. “I wish I could tell you.” he said, kissing her cheek.

“It was after those children.” Amanda growled.

“I know.”

“Why?”

“Because they're children with no adults around. Easy prey.”

“That's horrible.”

Teodor nodded. “Horrible, but true. There are some that would prey on the children only because of that.”

“Would you?” Amanda asked. “Have you?”

Teodor shook his head. “Why do you think I was cast out of my pack? They didn't care. I did.”

“Sorry.” Amanda said, she lowered her eyes. “It's just those kids, are on their own, they have no one.”

“But themselves.”

“Yes,” Amanda said. She shivered. “Let's go back to our clothes.

They did. As Teodor pulled on the boots. Steopa stepped out of the shadows. His face unreadable.

“I had it,” he said.

“I saw,” Teodor said, finishing lacing his boot. “Could you tell what it was?”

Steopa shook his head. He opened his overcoat. Across his chest were four deep furrows. They were now pink and healing. “It raked me.”

Teodor studied the marks. The space between them was much larger than a span of a normal hand.

“It felt like iron,” Steopa said.

“We saw nothing,” Amanda said. “I didn't smell any iron.”

“But that doesn't mean anything,” Teodor said. “We couldn't smell anything, but those children.”

Steopa looked over the large field. “It did have arms, and a head. I would say it was like a human.”

Teodor felt somewhat relieved about that. Amanda stared at Steopa for a moment.

“You don't think it was from the base, do you?” she asked.

Steopa shook his head. “There is nothing there, but me.”

“Iron? Iron fingers, perhaps?” Teodor asked.

“Possibly.”

“That sounds so familiar.”

Amanda rubbed her head. “I think I need to lay down.”

Steopa buttoned his overcoat up. “Yes, we all should rest.”

As they began to walk back to the old base. Teodor caught Amanda taking one last look at the work farm building where the children were staying. Teodor gave her a small hug, using one arm.

“It will be alright,” he said.

He caught Steopa giving him an odd look. Teodor shrugged. He knew that he was only saying that to reassure Amanda. But part of him also wanted those children safe as well.

#SampleSunday Chapter 14

2011-09-04T09:16:00.001-04:00

Only the first 300 words or so.

Something made him edgy; his fangs grew. The hair on the back of his neck rose. The sun had not set, yet Steopa shook the stupor off him. He moved his hand. The dirt rolled off him and Rebecka. In the back of his mind he could feel another of his descendants coming closer to the city, but that would not set off his fangs.

Rebecka jerked awake. “The coiree!”

An image of the coiree forced itself into Steopa's mind. He could smell burning stone. He heard a high-pitched drilling noise. Rebecka grabbed his hand. Her eyes tinged red. He felt a pain, as if a drill bored into his head.

“Someone is trying to get to the coiree,” he said.

He jumped up, pulling Rebecka as he did. The red and orange sunlight drifted down the stairs. He shielded his eyes as he ran up to the ground floor. Through the large broken window, he could see the clouds had turned red due to the sunset.

Steopa shook the dirt off his coat. “The sun is setting. We should be safe.”

Rebecka made a strange noise behind him. He turned. She held her hand up, shielding her eyes from the sun. The top of her hand looked as if it had a bruise. Steopa moved to block the sun. She lowered her hand. The bruising disappeared.

“Does that happen to you?” she asked.

“No. Are you-”

“I'm fine. It felt strange.”

She moved. A small beam of sunlight hit her face. It seemed to bruise where it shone on her cheek. He reached over and touched the area.

“It doesn't hurt,” she said.

Steopa studied the mark. It was not a bruise. She had tanned, but only where the sun had touched her. “You still surprise me,” he said.

Perun

2011-09-01T08:10:00.000-04:00

WARNING RUDE LANGUAGE AHEAD!

While I am on the last legs of getting Patriarch ready for publication. I thought I would whet your whistle by introducing you to some minor characters.

The first is Perun.

I have talked about my wildman before. If you are reading my werewolf story, you have read a bit about him. But who is he? What is he?

Perun is a leshy. Or at least that is what he tells you. Wildman, greenman, are similar types of characters. So what is he doing in a vampire story. He is a friend of Steopa's and they could not be more opposite.

Perun = Life. Steopa = Death. But they get along. Perun says the most inappropriate thing at the appropriate time. Steopa is careful with what words he choses. Steopa might get tired of Perun's uncouth behavior. Perun gets annoyed with Steopa, because he will not relax. They understand each other and respect each other.

That is enough from me: Here is Perun.

What is your age?

(laughs and smiles) I have no f---ing idea.

What is a leshy?

Mak calls me a Lord of the Forest, that is close. I protect the woods I live in. Some think we are demons. Really! How could a demon want to protect the living beings? If you are lucky you can find one of us in any forest.

Some humans think we control the wild. Actually, the woods want us to keep humans out. The humans that want to harm the forest. Unfortunately, we can be harmed, by the same crap the woods can be. So there aren't many of us left.

Family?

(smile disappears) Many, but most are gone. My last wife died in 1943.

Wife? You marry?

Of course. I love women. But once in awhile, I find one woman that is extra special. Its a marriage, but nothing like the humans do. A simple little ceremony with me, her, and the woods. And then the children of course. I've been lucky to have a few.

Do you keep in touch with your family?

Most are dead.

Favorite music?

Anything I can dance to! I play a drum and sing. But it has to be the music that hits your heart, you know. The Native Americans have their drum songs. The Sami have yoiking. That is the music I can get into. Music is magic.

What do you like to drink?

What do you got! (giggles) Steopa brings me good vodka. I get beers from the college kids when they party in the woods. I love drinking. But never get drunk. Steopa says I am already. (laughs) In the past, it was common for a woodsman, or a hunter to leave me a little something. No one does anymore. And they wonder why the woods don't feel comfortable. Serves them right.

What do you do for fun?

I like to F---. I love women! And if we can spend some time alone. Best time in the world. I like to drink. I like to dance.

What kind of people do you dislike?

Any ass that thinks they can rape this land and not make amends. They are killing their mother. Ungrateful f---ers.

What do you think of Steopa? Of Rebecka?

Steopa. He's a good guy. When we first met, he was annoyed with me. But we see eye to eye on many things. I wish he would enjoy himself more. I am glad he found Rebecka, everyone needs a mate they can be with. She is perfect for him. Nice tits too.

How do you feel about the events in the novel?

Not enough of me! About time for some of this bullshit to come to the surface.

And his "theme song"

Example of yoiking, by Jonne Järvelä from Korpiklaani.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 5 Part 3

2011-08-31T04:11:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Steopa walked to the building and entered through an open door. Teodor and Amanda both paused. She glanced at him. Teodor sighed.

“Yeah, we better.” He whispered.

This time, they undressed, placing their clothes under a large rock in some overgrown bushes. They changed. Not stopping at the hybrid wolf and man form. Teodor and Amanda changed to wolves.

Amanda's light fur shined in the moonlight. She padded into the entrance. Teodor followed close behind. Inside Steopa waited for them. Teodor heard the children. Steopa pointed down the hall. Amanda put her nose to the ground and sniffed. Teodor followed.

The sound of a radio became louder as they came closer to the double doors. Along with the general chatter and smell of stale food, the smell of drugs. Teodor's heart sank. These were kids, what were they doing with drugs? He thought. Amanda whined.

Teodor approached the open door. On one side of the large room, kitchen equipment sat rusting. Opposite of the kitchen, the kids gathered around a stage. Some of the kids on the stage slept.

Teodor realized, even though he was calling them children, the ages seemed to be from around six to some that were young adults. The older ones passed a joint to each other. Two were off to one side, preparing a needle for use.

A largest group of children sat around the radio, listening to the music. A young girl laid on her stomach drawing on a piece of paper with piece of burnt wood. The girl next to her looked up and grinned.

“Doggies!”

All heads, that weren't asleep or in some sort of chemical high, turned to look.

Amanda tentatively took another step into the room. One of the older boys stood up, grabbing a baseball bat as he did. “They look like wolves,” he said.

A girl about ten or eleven took a step towards Teodor and Amanda. An older girl grabbed her. The younger one shook her off. “My parents raised dogs,” she said. “They aren't growling.”

Teodor wagged his tail. A wolf would never do that, but he wanted to put the children at ease. Amanda sat down and looked around the group of children.

The brave young girl walked to Amanda, holding out her hand, palm out. Amanda leaned forward and sniffed it. The girl slowly moved her hand and pet Amanda's fur. She smiled.

“It's okay,” she said, “They're tame.”

The kids rushed over. Teodor had many hands reach out to pet him and ruffle his fur. Some of the older ones came over and joined in. The one that held the bat walked over and stood to the side. Teodor watched him.

If that boy had been a wolf, he would have been the alpha male. He had the stance of a leader. But there was more to it. He also was looking out for the rest of the children. The boy stood back for a reason. Teodor moved away from the groping hands and walked up to the leader. The boy with the bat regarded Teodor for a moment, then reached down and gave him a quick pat on the head.

“Tache,” The boy with the bat said over his shoulder. “Open that can of stew.”

“Wait, what?” A skinny, black haired boy asked.

“Just do it.”

Tache went to the back of the room and came back with an open can of beef stew. He handed it to the boy with the bat. The boy placed it on the ground in front of Teodor.

Teodor sniffed it. Even in his human form he would not eat this. The meat was over cooked, there were more potatoes than anything else, and the chemicals almost made his nose burn. But he wanted to put the kids at ease, so he stuck is muzzle in and ate a few large bites.

Amanda joined him. She glanced around with her eyes at the kids as they did so. The boy with the bat, laid his bat down and ruffled Amanda's fur.

“They seem tame,” he said. “If they come back tomorrow, we should have some meat for them.”

“Why Gunner?” an older girl asked.

The leader, Gunner, stood up. “Because having them around would be a good idea. They could warn us.”

The girl bit her lip, but nodded.

Most of the children had their turn petting Teodor and Amanda, the crowd dispersed around them. Teodor sat back and scratched his ears, he looked around at the same time. He found Trucker. Trucker slept on a large coat by the stage. He looked like the little kid he was, not the tough acting punk that had led them to The Pit.

Then he felt it. Something approached. His fur rose, unconsciously. Some of the children moved away from the windows, he could smell the fear on them, like a large stick of cinnamon. Teodor padded over to the broken window and sniffed the air.

What ever it was, had no smell. He whined. Amanda came over to him. She clawed at the windows. Behind them, Teodor could sense the children were becoming more frightened.

“Tashe, Jazz,” He heard Gunner order, “Make sure the doors are locked.

The other two boys ran out of the room. Teodor made out the shape of Steopa moving along the yard outside. By his slow, almost cat like movements, Teodor could tell Steopa was looking for what ever this thing was.

Gunner had picked up his bat. There was a scuffling of feet behind him. Some of the older children were rousting the ones that were asleep. Trucker woke up protesting. Teodor glanced behind him. All of the kids were now in a large huddle in the middle of the room.

“Stay away from the door and windows,” Gunner said.

Tashe and Jazz ran back in the room, slamming the doors behind them.

It was still out there. Teodor could feel it, but he couldn't see it, or smell it. The growl formed without him realizing it. It was the only sound in the room, other than the shallow breathing of the children behind him and Amanda. Steopa had even paused on the lawn. The world went still.

Maundbury - A nice little town.

2011-08-25T04:52:00.001-04:00

I was sitting at my computer when a post on G+ rolled by. "Anyone want to make a horror setting?"

I was intrigued. A few moments of quick conversation, and then this address appeared. http://maundbury.wikia.com/wiki/Maundbury_Wiki

A little place to make into a horror setting.

What is Maundbury? Behind the scenes is a community created horror setting. Some rules were laid out: From the wikia:

"Maundbury is an experiment in shared worlds fiction: an open-source, crowd sourced Gothic Horror setting for use in fiction and gaming. Maundbury is a small New England town. The current year is 1968. Anything written or created for the Maundbury setting must be set in this year or before. Feel free to create histories, small settings (mansions, graveyards, churches, etc.) town personages past and present, etc. Try, when possible, to incorporate the work of other authors, but feel free to deviate as needed. Any original written content at the Maundbury Wiki is free to use in whole or in part, provided credit is given to Maundbury Wiki."

So that means, anyone can come and add an entry, or a picture to the town. With the understanding that anything they share, could be used by other people. Which is the point. We are creating this place so others can be inspired. Either to add to the town's strangeness or maybe make up a story that fits the town.

To the readers: This place is getting creepy. We have a haunted forest, strange faceless beings, lawmen that rule with iron fists, a couple of cults, ghosts, eccentrics, and a top notch beauty salon. And it is growing.

Right now it is in its infancy. But if you would like to check it out, please do.
To get you started here are some of my favorite entries:

Shelly Chrisfield-Tanner
Telemark Forest
Greyhaven Port Hunting Party of 1944
Jacqueline Stoddard

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 5 Part 2

2011-08-24T04:18:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Teodor looked around with his mouth opened. Steopa had not been just hanging out in the old base. He had spent his time, making the place comfortable.

“It is better than the cemeteries,” Steopa said.

Teodor nodded. Along the walls, bookcases filled with books. A curio cabinet sat in one corner with a Nazi helmet inside. Teodor smiled. Steopa had held on to a couple of things when they escaped Russia, that was one of them.

Amanda sat down on the wood and velvet couch. She looked calm. “This is really nice.”

Steopa nodded, he snapped his fingers and the candles in the room lit. Teodor and Amanda could see in the dark, just not as good as Steopa could. The low light warmed up the room. Teodor sat down next to Amanda.

“What happened?” Steopa asked.

Teodor told him, including changing in front of the humans.

Steopa laughed. “I know you are trying to live among the humans, but are you sure you can?”

“It's not that hard,” Teodor said.

Steopa didn't look convinced. Teodor brushed his hand over Amanda's hair. “How are you adjusting?” He asked.

“The hunting is good here. To the north, the neighborhood is full of people with the shroud. There are many people from the old country here. They know what to expect with a vampire.”

“Sounds like you are doing well,” Amanda said.

Steopa didn't say anything for a few moments “But there is something else on the streets. I do not know what it is, but it feels like it is trying to move into my territory.”

“Another vampire?” Teodor asked.

Steopa shook his head. “And not a werewolf either.” He pushed a long strand of his black hair away from his face. “I have felt it before, I just cannot remember where?”

Amanda stiffened. “Something from here?”

“No,” Steopa said. “Feels like something older. I have been hunting for it, but so far nothing.”

“What could it be?” Teodor asked. “We ran into Perun, he said the same thing. I hope it's not any of my famly.”

“Not a werewolf. If it hunts like we do...? I have not found a trail yet.”

Teodor remembered the newspaper article he read earlier. “It's not hunting children, is it?”

“What children?” Steopa asked.

“There has been a rash of missing children. Mostly street kids.”

“It better not be a vampire.” Steopa growled.

Teodor nodded, “Or a werewolf.”

“What could it be?” Amanda asked. “Think about poor Trucker.”

Teodor turned his head to look at Amanda. “I am sure Trucker will be fine."

“Who is he?” Steopa asked.

Teodor explained. Steopa's face was unreadable as Teodor related the story. Steopa draped his arm across the back of his chair. “There are a lot of children like him around, lately."

“Really?” Amanda asked.

Steopa nodded. “When I am hunting, I see them.”

Amanda's face suddenly went dark. “And?”

Steopa tilted his head, a strange look crossed his face. “What do you mean?”

“What happens when you see them?”

Steopa sat back. “I leave them be. They are only children.”

“Come on, Amanda,” Teodor said, shaking his head. “You know Steopa and I do not hunt children.”

Amanda's shoulders fell, she took a deep breath. “It's just the thought of all those kids...”

Steopa glanced at Teodor. Then he said, “You could come with me tonight and see them.”

Teodor took Amanda's hand. “Maybe we could find Trucker and see if he is okay.”

Amanda nodded.

Steopa stood up and grabbed his long military coat off a hook on the wall. “Good, Follow me.”

They left the old base. Steopa lead the way, walking almost too fast for Teodor and Amanda. Teodor had to run to keep up.

“Steopa, what's the hurry?” he asked.

Steopa didn't answer. Teodor threw his hands in the air. They left the old base, by an entrance that had been covered up by a parking garage. Teodor chuckled. The last time he had seen this part of the city the ground had collapsed into a large hole.

Teodor recognized where they were heading. Steopa took them to the old work farm buildings. They came to the end of the street, that turned into the long drive to the old work farm. The gate that was across the road, laid on the ground. Teodor sniffed the air, there were a lot of humans around. Most of them had not had a bath in a while.

Steopa turned and walked along the ridge of the trees. Amanda took Teodor's hand, she leaned close to him. “One of my relatives is buried here,” she said. “But no one has ever found the cemetery.”

Steopa shushed her. Amanda glared at him for a moment, her eyes glowed yellow. Teodor squeezed her hand.

They moved quickly and quietly along the trees. Teodor had to shake his head in wonder watching Steopa. Steopa was so large, that he gave the impression that he would be clumsy, or walk with a heavy gate. Yet, he moved like a ballet dancer. Quiet, quickly, very light steps. The layer of fallen leaves made no sound as he walked over them.

Teodor and Amanda also made no sound. But it was not like Steopa, who seemed to find his own footing, without disturbing the ground beneath. They used a dance-like step, allowing them make the least amount of sound. A human would not make out the subtle changes in how they landed their feet on the ground. But sometimes it was with the ball of the foot, sometimes with the toes, or the sides. Which ever way made the least contact.

Steopa stopped. One of the dormitories loomed in front of them. This one had the least amount of damage to it. Teodor sniffed the air. They were close. Steopa faded into shadow.

Teodor could still see him. It wasn't with his eyes. All vampires had a unique smell to them. It was not the smell of the dead. It was the smell that places get when they are not used for a long time. The staleness of the air, the smell of slow decay. Teodor also associated a slight vodka smell with Steopa. When they had met that had been the only other liquid Steopa would drink.

That mix of smells, appeared in Teodor's mind as the outline of Steopa. He could see the shadow, but Teodor's mind filled in the details, and he could see Steopa as if he was standing in full light.

#SampleSunday Chapter 13 - Patriarch

2011-08-21T08:02:00.000-04:00

The first 300 or so words.

“Who is Mak?” Steopa asked as they ran over the bridge to Greenwoods.

“Makkapitew,” Perun said. “He lets Jeremiah and I live in Greenwoods. You saw him.”

“The Native American?”

Perun nodded. He jumped off the bridge and down to the bank of the river. Steopa took Rebecka's hand and they jumped. Perun bounded up the bank and into the woods.

Steopa caught up with Perun. “Who attacked you? Was it a light-haired vampire?”

Perun shook his head. “No, bald and as big as you. I doubt you ran into this one before.”

He ran up a wooded hill, jumping over the Native American vampire as he rolled down. Perun twisted in midair and landed next to the vampire.

“Mak.” Perun rolled Mak over to his back.

Mak shook his head. His brown eyes glowed red. “It is a monster.”

Steopa ran up the hill. Rebecka gasped when she got to the top. “He's right.”

“Da.”

The vampire in the hollow below them stood as tall as Steopa. His head and face had no hair, including no eyebrows. His muscles were unnaturally large, like they had been inflated. The beast roared.

“What type of vampire is that?” Rebecka asked.

Steopa shook his head. “I have never seen one-”

Jeremiah dodged the fist of the monster vampire. For being a heavy-set vampire, Jeremiah moved fast. He rolled and jumped to the side. The beast turned. It looked like a mountain of flesh rotating. It roared again. The noise made Steopa's fangs grow. Rebecka dropped her backpack. She growled.

Perun helped Mak up the hill. Mak fingered the open wound on his chest. “He sounds like a bear.”

Perun nodded. He turned to Steopa. “He found the village. Don't ask me how.”

Creepy Sexy

2011-08-18T04:44:00.000-04:00

Inspiration for this post came while watching Vincent Cassel in Brotherhood of the Wolf.

You should recognize him from Black Swan. In both films he does creepy-sexy very well. In Brotherhood of the Wolf his character comes off as a tragic figure at first. Lost of an arm in an hunting accident, and his sulking in the background, might make some watchers of the movie, wonder who this is. When it's revealed. SPOIlER: When he rapes and tries to kill his sister. He crosses the line completely into creepy.

Vampires (you knew I would come back to them) are the perfect mix of Creepy Sexy. My first brush with that was in the film Fright Night.

Why is there a connection between the two?

Biology.

You get the same physical reactions to arousal as you do with fear. All due to a lovely little hormone call Epinephrine or you might know as adrenaline. That hormone knows we have to get our bodies ready. In the case of fear to "fight or flight" or in the other case, to make it more pleasurable. It increases our heart rates, makes out pupils bigger, makes the blood vessels larger, and weakens the immune system for a bit.

Vampires are one of the few monsters that can mix the creepy with the sexy very well. The other maybe werewolves. Although they are corpses, many of the old tales did remark on how well they looked. Yet, they are a predator, feeding on humans.

Let's say you find one coming toward you on the street. You're body knows, probably before you do, that this is trouble. The Epinephrine kicks in, getting you ready to flee or stay and fight. But you notice at the same time that person is pretty good looking. You are going to misinterpret your body's signals. You think you are attracted and the whole time your body is telling you to run.

It's that mix up of the signals that makes vampires so titillating. You should be repulsed and yet drawn to them. Because if you are not, they are just some creepy guy that likes blood.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 5 Part 1

2011-08-17T04:16:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Trucker disappeared a few hours later. Bilge didn't look worried. He assured Amanda that Trucker often took off like that. Teodor and Amanda spent most of the day cleaning the bar. Bilge worked just as hard. Customers started to come in, slowly. Teodor noticed most of the people coming in were young. It was a welcome change from all the aging hippies that hung out at Chasers.

Teodor liked the work. He didn't mind hard work. His family never understood why he did. But then his family had bullied and frightened the local populace so badly, that if his mother ordered a woman to kill her baby; she would have.

There was a knock on the back door, Bilge went to answer it. When he came back, he tapped Teodor on the shoulder. “Go help the band move their stuff in.”

A set of double door had been propped open with beer cases. A blue van pulled up to the open doors. From the back stepped down a young man with shaggy brown hair, wearing a plain black t-shirt and jeans. He turned around and lifted up his sunglasses.

“Hey, you here to help?” He asked.

“Yeah, name's Teodor, by the way.” Teodor said, holding out his hand.

“Great, I'm Jim.” Jim said taking Teodor's hand. He shook it firmly. “Well, grab a case and start lugging.”

Teodor helped the band unload. They let him run a few of the wires, but for the most part the band took care of their own instruments. Teodor would sneak glances over and catch Amanda's eye. She seemed to be taking to the bar quick enough.

Bilge came over to Teodor early in the evening. “I got some Chinese, you want some?” he asked.

Teodor nodded, grateful for the break.

Behind the bar, Bilge laid out the take out. Teodor nibbled on the boneless ribs. Bilge leaned against the wall, shoveling vegetables and noodles into his mouth, sucking the noddles up between bites. Amanda pushed the mushrooms to the side of her foam container and ate the pieces of chicken.

Teodor noticed a photograph of five men, sitting around a table. One was Bilge. On the table in front of the men, were piles of radio and television equipment.

“So tell me,” Bilge said, after slurping. “What do you think of this hole?”

Amanda shrugged.

Teodor turned away from the photo and looked over the crowd. “Kinda of a young crowd.”

“I have alienated the people from my generation,” Bilge said. “I never cared for that peace and love crap.”

“How'd you get this place?” Amanda asked.

“It was my dad's, he died right after I got out of the navy. The only thing he left me.” Bilge looked at his watch. “Get ready, the crowd will be picking up any time now.”

They hadn't even got all the empty boxes into the garbage when the crowd started to come in. At eight, Bilge jumped up on the small stage and announced the band.

The band played. Teodor could not believe the noise that was coming from the stage. He glanced at Amanda, she had a wide smile on her face. The crowd did not act like any crowd Teodor had seen at a show before. They were pounding their feet, some started to shove the other people around them. Teodor watched amazed. This was wild. This was awesome.

After the concert, they cleaned up. Amanda and Teodor stayed until Bilge told them they were done. He called them over to the register and gave them their pay.

“Come back around six, tomorrow, if you want another job,” he said.

“Thanks,” Teodor said, pocketing the money.

They left the bar, Bilge locking up behind them. The temperature had dropped considerably. Even if they let their fur grow, it would still be cold. Teodor put his arm around Amanda.

“Back to Greenwoods?” he asked.

Amanda's lip trembled. “I don't think I could make it. I will try the base.”

Teodor pulled her closer. One of the hidden entrances to the base was near by. When the base had been occupied the entrance had looked like a small factory. Now it was an empty shell. Standing in the empty building felt warmer than the outide.

Teodor checked out the back door, that lead to the entrance. He walked back to Amanda, who was rubbing her arms.

“Do you think he will mind?” She asked.

Teodor shook his head. “I think the big guy is lonely, to tell you the truth.”

They went inside. Amanda grabbed on to Teodor's hand and clenched it so hard his fingers began to lose feeling. As they walked she loosens her grip. The place laid empty. Teodor heard Amanda sigh.

“See it's not to bad.” Teodor reassure her.

Amanda nodded, but her face had lost it's color. They continued down a long hallway, until they heard the moving of large pieces of metal. Teodor picked up his pace. A few years ago, this had been a gym for the people stationed on the base. Steopa pushed a large slab of metal, into the center of the room.

“Steopa!” Teodor shouted.

Steopa paused, he looked over his shoulder. “Good, you came,” he said. “Hello, Amanda.”

Amanda nodded. She let go of Teodor's hand.

“What are you going to do with all of this junk?” Teodor asked.

Steopa shrugged. “I plan to fill up the lower levels. I think that would be for the best.”

“Have you seen anything?” Amanda asked.

Steopa shook his head. “No, Everything is gone.”

“Well, we need a place to stay tonight,” Teodor said.

Steopa nodded. “Follow me.”

They followed Steopa to the other side of the base.

“Why are we heading towards the quarantine area?” Amanda asked.

“Because that is where I stay” Steopa said, ducking under a couple of air ducts. “It is the safest place.”

Steopa came to a large metal door, with a round wheel in the middle of it. He turned the wheel. The door lock slowly opened. He opened the door and stood aside to let them pass.

#SampleSunday Chapter 12 - Patriarch

2011-08-14T07:59:00.000-04:00

Only the first 300 or so words

Steopa left the club through the back door. He weaved around the small groups of people outside of the club. The line in front of the club had thinned. Some people milled around the doors of the two businesses that were open. A crowd stood outside Third Eye Curio's door, blocking anyone from entering. Steopa walked up to them. They moved aside as he walked past them.

Cassie looked up from the counter. She motioned with her head to the back room. The customer at the counter glanced at Steopa, then returned to looking at the crystal necklaces in the glass case. Cassie held up her hand.

“I want to talk to you,” Cassie said.

“About what?” Steopa asked.

“Later, when we aren't so busy.”

Steopa glanced around the shop. There were no empty stools at the coffee counter. A group of loud teenagers sat around the table in the back of the store. He walked around two people talking near the tarot cards. One woman looked in his direction. She stepped back and made the sign of the cross.

He stopped. She tugged on the other woman's sleeve. Her face turned white. She said a little prayer in Ukrainian. Steopa bowed his head and continued to the back room. He smiled. That has not happened for a long time; she knew what I am, he thought.

He opened the door. Rebecka looked up from her laptop. The hunter's laptop sat on the desk, its lid open and the screen saver running. A cord ran from her laptop to the satellite phone.

“Why are you smiling?” she asked.

“A woman recognized that I was a vampire.”

“And that made you smile?”

“It has not happened since Russia.” Steopa sat down next to Rebecka. “What have you found out?

Why Not a Red Neck Vampire?

2011-08-11T05:04:00.001-04:00

We all know the stereo-type vampire. Rich, a bit Euro-trash, suave, the outsider. But are they the most interesting types of vampires?

I think the upper-class vampire has it's place. In my own stories, Ogden fills that role quite well. But I do not think he, or other vampires of that social rank, are any more interesting.

In the early folklore, it was the plain everyday folk that became a vampire, your mother, sister, brother, father, child, all had the possibility of becoming a vampire. They were a problem for the poor. (Actually it did matter what social level you lived in, but most of the earliest folklore do not deal with the rich.)

One of my favorite "lower class" vampires is the vampire family from Night Watch (Nochnoy dozor). The Saushkin's seem like a quiet family. They live near Anton (a member of the Day Watch). In the novels and the movies, the vampires are Dark Others. Their actions have to cleared and okay-ed by the Day Watch. But was interesting is that vampires were considered to be the lowest form of the Others.

In the books. The son* becomes a strong vampire. But yet, wants to find a cure for his vampirism. In the movies he was used by Anton to get blood, when Anton was chasing a rouge vampire. And he had a short romance with one of the stronger magic users.

She loves him, even with his horrible hat.

They were vampires, but looked down. They couldn't do magic. Almost all vampires were label as Dark Others automatically. This was due to their need for human blood. Even though they can drink other things as well.

Another great example of a "lower-class' vampire, are the vampires of Near Dark. The group of vampires traveled through out the south and the west, hunting and causing mayhem. They behave like a dysfunctional family, even though they are not. They even travel in a RV! Sounds funny, but works like a portable tomb.

Yup, exactly the type of people I want to have a drink with.

I know the rich, noble type vampires have there place. But I like my blue collar ones too.

* They have children the normal way. The father had to turn his son because his son was about to die as an infant. the children grow normally, after they become adult, they can start to hunt.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 4 Part 2

2011-08-10T04:13:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

The door opened a few minutes later by a middle aged man. His short hair had been tossled as if he had just gotten out of bed. Between his lips a thin cigar smoked. He eyed up Teodor, but spoke to Trucker.

“Who's this?” he asked.

“It's okay Bilge,” Trucker said. “They just looking for some cash, that's all.”

Bilge took a drag on his cigar. “You are a little to old to be run-a-ways.”

“We had to leave our housing situation in a hurry last night,” Teodor said.

Bilge studied Teodor. He had interesting eyes. They were blue, with flakes of green and brown. The mix of colors gave the illusion of his eyes sparkled. He turned his head to look at Trucker who tugged at Bilge's sleeve.

Trucker stood on his tip toes and whispered something in Bilge's ear. He cupped his hand around Bilge's cheek. Teodor could not make out any of the whisper. Teodor felt Amanda stiffen. But Teodor did not sense any trouble from Bilge. Instead, Bilge listened intently to Trucker, but looking at Teodor and Amanda with a strange look on his face.

Bilge stood up. “Any of you worked at a bar before?”

Both Teodor and Amanda shook their heads.

“Can you open a bottle?” Bilge asked.

“Yeah.” Teodor said.

“Come in.” Bilge stood aside.

It was a bar, there was nothing more to say about it. The cheap gray metal tables surrounded by metal chairs. A stage at the far end, and a bar that ran along one third of the wall on one side. The bathrooms were labeled; hens and cocks. The walls were paneled with cork board. Most of the cork board had pieces of broken bottles in it.

Bilge held out both of his arms, “Welcome to the Pit,” he said. “The most unappealing place in town.”

Trucker climbed up on one of the barstools. Bilge walked over to the bar and opened a soda for Trucker. “Trucker tells me that you caught him yesterday,” he said.

“Yeah, he tried to take our albums,” Teodor said.

“I'm impressed, I haven't seen anyone catch him. Here's the deal, I need help at night. This place looks like a piece of shit, but it gets full. The crowd is rough, and likes their booze. As long as I keep them in here, the cops don't bother me.”

“What do you want us to do?” Amanda asked.

Bilge pointed at Amanda, “You should stay behind the bar, safer.” Then he studied Teodor, rubbing his chin. “Too small for a bouncer. Can you just be a gofer.”

Teodor could not resist. “I could be a chipmunk if that helped.”

Bilge laughed, an economical laugh, as if he didn't want to waste much time laughing. “Alright, cash only. You have to start tonight.”

Teodor and Amanda agreed. Trucker spun around on his stool. Bilge reached over the bar and stopped Trucker. He nodded. “But if you want to start early, I open soon.”

Amanda looked down at her clothing. “I need to find something else to wear first.”

Bilge shrugged, “Believe me, the people that come here won't care.”

“Do you do this often?” Teodor asked. “Give perfect strangers jobs?”

“No, but then Trucker doesn't like too many people,” Bilge said. He tapped Trucker on the shoulder. “I have to speak to these guys, alone.”

Trucker shrugged and slid off his stool. After he had wandered to the back of the bar. Bilge leaned over the bar. “So what is your story?”

Teodor and Amanda shared a glance. Finally, Amanda spoke. “We ran into some trouble a few years back. We have been trying to get on our feet, but stupid shit happens.”

Teodor nodded, “Last night, we had a disagreement with our former room mates, we had to leave almost everything there.”

Bilge tapped his fingers on the bar. “Are these room mates gonna come looking for you?”

Amanda scoffed. “Only if they stop smoking pot long enough.”

Bilge tapped out a tune on the bar. “I think I understand,” he said. “I'll try you guys out. We'll talk more after your first night.”

Amanda glanced over to where Trucker had wandered. “What is the story with Trucker?”

Bilge opened a bottle of orange juice. “He's safer now, then before. His parents should have never had kids. He acts all tough, but he is still a kid. I can't watch him like I should, but I try.”

He poured a glass of juice. “He's still a good kid.”

Teodor looked around the bar again. “So you want us to start now?”

Bilge chuckled. “Sure, You can put your things in my office.”

#SampleSunday Chapter 11 - Patriarch

2011-08-07T07:11:00.000-04:00

The first 300 words or so.

Rebecka got off his lap. Steopa opened his eyes and listened to the tunnel outside the vault. He heard the street above them, and the sounds of the cars leaving the parking garage. Nothing sounded unusual.

“Rebecka,” he said, “I need you to find Verina.”

Rebecka nodded. She walked into the bedroom and shut the door.

Sasha blinked his eyes. His inner eyelids disappeared. “What now?”

“We need to get rid of the bodies,” Steopa said.

Sasha rubbed his chin. “I wonder if they have someone watching this place. Where could we go?”

“There is an alcove that leads to the city's sewers, down the tunnel. We will take them there,”

“Much easier in the water,” Sasha motioned with his hands. “I just let them float away.”

“I was wondering,” Jimmy said. “How did you get here?”

“I swam.”

“All the way? Where did you come from?”

“I was hunting along Cape Cod this year. Tourist season is always good for a quick meal.”

Jimmy looked confused. “But we are so far inland, how did you get here?”

“There are ships that travel from your Eastern seaboard into the Great Lakes. I hitched a ride on one of those, and swam the rest.”

“All the way?”

Sasha chuckled. “Except for the part where I hitchhiked. She was nice too, tasted like apples.”

Rebecka came out, dressed. She stopped at her desk to pack up her laptop. “Baldman wants me to get in touch with him, too. I would like him to do his magic on the hunter's laptop. If he can break into the CIA's mainframe, he can help us with this.”

“He did?” Steopa asked.

Changes in my personal life.

2011-08-04T04:58:00.000-04:00

I give notice today where I work.

I wish I could say its because I can write full time. No, I am leaving to work at a store closer to home (walking distance). The money is the same, but the hours are better. The hours away from home, I should say.

I hope this helps my writing. Granted at the old job I had 90 minutes of writing time while I waited for the bus. But I could do that at home!, or walk down to the coffee shop and do it there.

And yesterday when the bus that usually picks me up, had smoke billowing out of the back and never made it out of the parking lot of the previous stop, gave me another reason why this new job will be less stressful. I do not have to rely on the bus. The bus service in town is good, but I have missed too much work due to it's schedule and drivers that don't care if I get downtown to make my connection.

As a writer, this new job should give me ample ideas for characters. Because of where its located, I should see more colorful people. Heck when I shop there, I already have.

So here's to a new chapter of my life.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 4 Part 1

2011-08-03T04:11:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

They walked out of Greenwoods, it was still early. Only the people that had to be to work before the rest of the working world were up. They walked past a hot dog vendor setting up his cart. The radio blasted the news.

Teodor kept one ear on the news as they passed. The hot dog vendor gave them a strange look. Teodor looked down, neither him or Amanda were wearing shoes.

“Left in a hurry, this morning?” The vendor asked.

Teodor smiled. “Something like that.”

Amanda leaned close to Teodor and whispered. “Should we ask the dogs to find us some shoes?”

Teodor turned to the hot dog vendor. “Is there a pawn shop near by?”

The vendor gave them vague directions. Teodor thanked him. He took Amanda's hand and they walked to the pawn shop. Teodor breathed a sigh of relief finding it open. The man behind the counter, wore a bandanna and a denim jacket with marine patches on it. He glanced at Teodor and Amanda, but their appearance didn't seem to surprise him.

Amanda put the albums on the counter. Teodor gave the man a large smile. “We have some records to sell.”

“Lets see them,” he said. He rolled his seat closer to the counter and pick up the first album with a sigh.

About ten minutes later, they had sold all of Chaser's albums, walked out with fifteen dollars, and a two pairs of shoes. Teodor and her walked to the library. It seemed that everyone there was in the same boat they were. No place to go, and all day to do nothing.

Amanda looked through the fiction racks as Teodor picked through the newspapers. He wondered if the police had even been called to the party the night before. A small news article did catch his eye, about another missing child. He read the article. The young girl that had been a runaway. She disappeared outside the shelter she had stayed at. The staff insisted that the young girl had not run away again, because a couple of the other residents at the shelter saw the young girl walk away with a person.

The reporter mentioned two other missing children. The other ones had also been run aways. If he had been back at his home village, he would have thought one of his brothers was having fun. Teodor took the paper back to the table, where Amanda had a small pile of books in front of her.

He looked over the want ads and the apartment listings. Nothing jumped out at him. Amanda heard his sigh and took his hand. “If nothing else turns up, I will try to visit Steopa,” she said.

Teodor squeezed her hand. That was progress. He looked up the clock. “Lets take a walk.”

Amanda agreed. They wandered around the small shopping area on the other side of the university. Teodor knew the shops here, he had gone with Chaser a couple of time to go shopping in the head shops on this street.

Teodor spied a familiar face just ahead. It was the album stealing kid from the day before. The kid looked up, for a moment a flash of recognition, but then he went back to what ever it was he was doing.

Amanda clutched her makeshift bag closer. Teodor smirked. The kid lived on the streets, and he seemed to not care that Teodor and Amanda had found him.

Teodor got closer. “Aren't you in school?”

The kid didn't look up. He dug through the bag he had in front of him. Teodor could smell the yeast and baked goods. Stale baked goods.. It looked like it was garbage from one of the area bakeries.

“You okay, kid?” Teodor asked.

“Screw you,” The kid said. “I gave you, your stupid albums back.”

Amanda leaned close to Teodor. “He's eating garbage.”

Teodor nodded. He had seen worse. During the siege, eating garbage would have been a blessing. Teodor squatted down. “Do you want something better?”

“I don't need your charity,” The kid said.

“We don't have much to give, right now."

The kid looked up, disgusted by his search. He studied Teodor's face. Teodor didn't know what to make of the intense studying the kid gave him. Finally, the kid tilted his head. “Pizza would be awesome.”

“Okay, I'll get you a slice.”

“Two slices.”

“Two slices, but, I need you to help us out.”

The kid jumped up. “Hell no! You said pizza, nothing about helping you.”

An old lady walked slowly up the street. She stopped at a bench not far from where Teodor and the kid were talking. The kid glanced at the old lady and suddenly gave Teodor a smile. It would a been a beautiful smile, except for the filthy face it belonged to.

“Okay what ever, let's go to Mario's,” The kid said, suddenly taking Teodor's hand. “They just got their first pies out.”

They went to Mario's and bought the kid three pieces. Teodor put the plate in front of the kid. He seemed to eat the first piece in just a few bites.

“I'm Teodor and this is Amanda,” Teodor said. “What's your name?”

“Trucker,” Trucker said, with a mouth full of sausage and pepperoni.

“Cool name. Look, Trucker, you live on the street, right.”

“Damn right. I don't have any parents pushing me around anymore.”

“You must miss your parents,” Amanda said.

“Not mine,” Trucker said, starting on his second slice.

“Have you heard of any place that will hire anyone, no questions asked?” Teodor asked. There was a good chance that Trucker would not care about working. But kids like Trucker didn't survive on the streets without learning to use their ears.

“Yeah, there's a place,” Trucker said. “The owner lets me take the bottles in for money. You two in trouble?”

“We just lost our place to live,” Amanda said.

Trucker polished off the last piece. “I'll take you there.” He jumped off his seat. “And if you need a place to sleep, I know a few.”

“If you show us, I will buy you lunch every chance I get,” Teodor said.

Teodor could tell that Trucker didn't believe him, but probably because yesterday, Teodor didn't lay a hand on him, and didn't call the police. Trucker seemed to want to help them. Teodor and Amanda followed Trucker down a couple of alleys.

He stopped in front of a black building. The windows had been blacked out, and the door had a large sign, “No one under 19.” There was the lingering smell of beer and smoke. Trucker knocked on the door.

#SampleSunday Chapter 10 - Patriarch

2011-07-31T07:47:00.000-04:00

Only the first 300 or so words.

A smell made Steopa force himself out of the stupor. He sniffed. A strange chemical odor filled the room. He sat up, careful that he did not wake Rebecka. She rolled over and wrinkled her nose. He sniffed again. His eyes watered. He shut his sense of smell down. Steopa pulled on his pants, then opened the door to the other vault room.

Sasha sprang from the couch and stared at the entrance door. Steopa's eyes watered. Even though he could no longer smell it, the fumes affected him. Jimmy coughed. He sat up and covered his mouth. Sasha pulled his shirt above his nose. Along the bottom of the outer vault door a small puff of smoke rose, followed by a longer tendril.

Steopa grabbed one of his swords off the wall. He reached out and touched the vault door. He pulled his hand back. The tips of his fingers blistered from the heat, but healed.

Sasha lowered his shirt. His nose flattened against his face, leaving two slits instead of nostrils. He opened his eyes. Another set of eyelids blinked over his solid white eyes. Sasha smiled, showing his rows of fangs. He pulled another sword off the wall. He nodded to Steopa.

Jimmy reached for another weapon. Steopa swatted his hand away. He pointed to the other room. Jimmy's shoulders sagged. He didn't move. Steopa motioned with his head and grunted. Jimmy shook his head and went into the room. Rebecka patted him on the shoulder as he slouched by her.

Steopa grasped the round handle and turned it. He paused. On the other side of the door, he heard a voice. He did not recognized the words, but he recognized it as a European dialect. The talking stopped. Steopa turned the wheel a few inches, then he heard the sound of metal scraping, like something being etched. He glanced at Sasha.

An Invitation to do #WerewolfWeds

2011-07-28T04:15:00.000-04:00

I have been putting up my werewolf serial The Hag for a few weeks now. Now I want to extend the invitation to other werewolf fans out there.

Simple enough. Every Wednesday* put a blog post up about werewolf. It could be a short story, a serial story, a movie or book review, or your thoughts on the werewolf myth. Then post a link on Twitter, Facebook, and/or G+, making sure to use the hashtag #WerewolfWeds.

If you don't want to be stuck with just werewolves, use the tag #WereWeds. Then any shapeshifter could be used.

I hope this will bring the werewolf fans together. And if you are like me, sometimes you run out of things to blog about, so this is a way to help out my fellow bloggers with "blogging block".

If you do this, drop me a line and I will put up a list of blogs that do #WerewolfWeds. I ask that you do the same.

Anyone else want to join in?

* Or at least once a month.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag - Chapter 3

2011-07-27T04:09:00.001-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

In the morning, Teodor woke up when the sun shone in his eyes. up. He could see his breath, but he didn't feel the cold. He rubbed his arms. His fur had grown while he has slept. Amanda rolled over in her sleep, her blond fur had came in thicker over the night.

Teodor sat up, carefully so he would not wake Amanda. A mixed-breed hound dog laid a few feet away. A pile of clothes supported it's chin. Teodor chuckled. He crawled over to the dog and took the clothes. Some of them still had clothes pins on them.

The dogs would not understand what a human needed to wear. But they had done a good job in getting a wide selection. Teodor picked through the clothes and found a shirt and pants that weren't too large. Amanda rolled over and sighed. Teodor brought some of the clothing over to her.

She looked through the pile, and found a dress that was too big for her. “I wonder what happened after we left?” She asked.

Teodor shrugged. “Who cares?”

“We're back to square one.”

“It looks that way.”

“And I am hungry.”

Teodor stood up. “I'll go see what I can find.”

He ran off into the woods. As he crossed the man made trails, he found himself in the abandoned village. On the steps of a house, with faded siding, sat a familiar face.

“Morning Teodor.”

Teodor laughed. “Perun?”

Perun laughed. His sandy brown hair hung around his shoulders. He wore a leather vest and pants. Perun would have fitted into one of Chaser's parties. Except Teodor knew that Perun would have drank all of them under the table.

“I saw you arrive last night,” Perun said.

Teodor blushed. He covered his genitals.

Perun laughed. “Don't worry, I gave you privacy.” His eyes twinkled. “You can uncover yourself, I don't care you are nude.”

“What are you doing here?” Teodor asked.

“I live here. Going to sleep soon.” Perun stood up. His feet were the only part of his body that gave away that he was not human. He stood on his toes, with his ankle high behind. They looked almost like Teodor's feet when he was in his wolf form.

“Sleep?”

“Winter's coming,” Perun said.

“Like hibernate?”

“Close.” Perun came over to Teodor. “What have you been doing lately?”

“Trying to survive. I need to find some food.”

Perun nodded. He made a strange noise. Three rabbits hopped out into the clearing. “How about those?”

Teodor smiled. “Perfect. Let me get Amanda.”

Perun nodded. “I miss her. You were lucky to end up with her. I never had a chance.”

“If I remember right, if they are female, you want them.”

Perun waved his hand. “But she is your's. You don't have to worry about me.”

“What about when we met?”

“I could tell she was going to be your's, even then.”

The rabbits sat nibbling the grass. Teodor pointed to them. “Skin them, I'll be back.”

Teodor ran back to Amanda. She opened her mouth in surprise at the news Perun was in the woods. “I haven't seen him since that night. I'm surprised he stayed.”

“Me too, but then Greenwoods has everything he would want.”

“Wait, do you think he is the guy?”

“What guy?”

“The guy the co-eds try to find in the woods.”

Teodor shook his head. “What are you talking about?”

“One of Chaser's girlfriends told me that there is a guy that lives in Greenwoods, that some women have sex with.”

Teodor laughed. “I wouldn't put it pass him.”

He took Amanda's hand and walked back to the house. Perun had two of the rabbits skinned and gutted, laying on the porch, the other cooked on a spit over a small fire.

“Being a lycanthrope suits you, Amanda,” Perun said as they approached. “Your tits are perkier.”

To Teodor's surprise she did not get angry, instead she went over to Perun and kissed his hairy cheek. “Always the charmer,” she said.

Perun threw Teodor a rabbit. “Dig in.”

He handed Amanda her rabbit. She ripped a long strip of flesh off it's hind leg. “I am so used to the meat already butchered,” she said.

“This ain't so bad,” Teodor said. "I would never expected that this place existed."

“It's a nice place,” Perun said. "I keep it hidden."

“I'm surprised you didn't go back to Europe,” Teodor said.

“Why didn't you?”

“Touche.”

Amanda wiped the rabbit blood off her face with her arm. “Did you ever want to go into the base again?” she asked.

Perun's face turned dark. Teodor thought he heard thunder. “Maybe to piss on it,” Perun said.

“Steopa's living there,” Teodor said.

“Has he lost all reason?” Perun said. He turned the rabbit on the spit. “Besides I can't go, something is wrong. I don't know what. But it's an old fear. Stalking in these woods.”

“What are you talking about?” Teodor asked.

“Something moved into the woods, I can't find it. But it's old and angry. I looked for it all summer, but now that fall is here. I have to sleep and it will still be out there.”

“What do you think it is?” Amanda asked.

“Something bad, something I haven't felt in a long time.” Perun threw some herbs on the rabbit. “Not since my homeland. Another hunter, but a sport hunter.”

Teodor noted the vile in Perun's voice.

“Where are you going now?” Perun asked.

“Not sure,” Teodor said.

“Too many in the woods now.” Perun sat back from the flames. “I would love to have you stay here, but the others would have to agree.”

Amanda glanced around at the old homes. She sighed. “Most of these places look unsafe.”

“They are, it keeps the curious away.”

“We have to find another place to stay. Winter is coming. These places don't look warm. And don't suggest the old base.”

“Well, we could go back to town.” Teodor suggested. “See what we can find.”

“Are you sure?” Perun asked. “There is plenty of room.”

Amanda gave Perun a sorry look. “I would like to have a TV, stupid I know.”

Perun shook his head, then patted Amanda's knee. “It will always be here for you.”

“Thank you.”

They finished their meals. Teodor had to admit that one rabbit tasted better than all the steaks he had eaten in the last few years. There was something about meat in which the blood had not cooled yet. It seemed to have more flavor.

Amanda made a bag out of one of the larger shirts that the dogs had brought them. She started to put her albums in the makeshift bag then she laughed.

“What is it?” Teodor asked.

“I grabbed some of Chaser's too,” she said.

“Which ones?” Teodor asked.

“Does it matter?”

#SampleSunday Chapter 9 of Patriarch

2011-07-24T09:47:00.002-04:00

I am only posting the first 300 or so words of each chapter.

Memories could be more vivid than reality. The wind whipped around Steopa. He looked over the familiar view of his farm. At least the farm as it had been when he had come back for the last time. Across the sky dark clouds rolled. In the distance, the clouds flashed on and off with lightning. A light mist hung in the air, but Steopa did not feel wet.

Rebecka took his hand. “Where are we?”

Steopa pointed down the hill. “This was my farm. I owned most of the land that you can see here. My father gave me half of my inheritance when I married.”

“This is Lithuania?” Rebecka asked.

Steopa nodded. “Officially, Lithuania did not exist at this time.

“When?”

Steopa looked over the familiar landscape. He had been thinking of this night. He gripped Rebecka's hand harder. “The night I had to rescue my daughter.”

He pointed to the farm. Two horses, tied to a post, stood in front of the house. Even with the wind whipping around them, he could hear raised voices. “Ana, my wife, had not recovered from my death. Then she had Nastenka,” he said. “The village accused her of sleeping with the devil. I had heard rumors where I hunted. But I do not know why I came back this night, but there I am.”

His self from the memory walked across the garden. He paused outside the house.

Steopa turned to Rebecka. “If I had known, I would have came back sooner.”

“You said you had to rescue her?” she asked.

Steopa nodded. “We will move closer.”

He took Rebecka's hand and climbed down the hill. They walked up to the house. Arguing voices became louder as they came closer to his home.

AN AQUATIC VAMPIRE! HOW DARE YOU!

2011-07-21T04:16:00.000-04:00

What am I talking about? Read my #SundaySample post. Okay, done?

What do you think of Sasha? A vampire that can live in water. How could I come up with him?

As Steopa explains, "He died at sea."

That's all? Basically, yes.

He died at sea, he was buried at sea. That should have destroyed the vampire. But in Sasha's case it did not. He could have been destroyed. He had been stuck in a sack and dumped off the ship. But he got out of the sack and swam. Because he changed underwater, he developed skills for surviving in water.

Think about the problems he would have. He is not the biggest predator out there. He has to other creatures that will look at him like a meal. He has to stay close to land or good tourist spots. He can leave the water. He doesn't need to stay there, but he does.

Because of the problems. He has unique abilities. One is the ability is camouflage. He can created patterns and reflective skin cells. Sparkles? No, more like a cuttlefish.

Is this still too much to take? I don't think so.

Sasha is an example of one of the rules I put down for my vampires. They are specialized predators. Most have adjusted to live and hunt in the urban centers. But I went a step further. What if they changed to fit the environment in which they found themselves at the time of death? Sasha died at sea, he changed in the water. Therefore, he can survive water.

He looks a lot better out of the water, but what if you saw this swimming toward you?

I did have a hard time finding anything remotely like him in any folklore. Until you looked past "vampire". Then there is a treasure trove of creatures that live in the water for the sole purpose of bringing humans down with them. Sometimes to kill outright. Sometimes they don't understand humans will die.

Rusalka: a female ghost of a young woman who had died in or near a lake.
Vodianoi: a male water spirit. He is malevolent, drowning swimmers. He looks like a naked man, bloated and hairy, covered in slime, covered in scales.
Grindylow: They grab little children with their long sinewy arms and drown them.
Draugr: An undead creature from Norse mythology. There are sea-draugs and land-draugs.
Bloody Bones: A boogeyman. He lives near ponds.

So I think Sasha will fit right in. There are plenty of examples of undead and other creatures that are like him. I don't think he is that odd. But I understand if some people think he is.

What do you think?

Cuttlefish videos.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag Chapter 2 part 2

2011-07-20T04:22:00.000-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

The man pulled away from her. Amanda slapped him across the face. The brown haired one grabbed both of her arms. She struggled, swearing at them. The blond grabbed her face. She spit in his.

Teodor pushed himself between two of the men. The blond laughed at him and shoved him back. Jerry shouted something at the three. But it was too late, Teodor could not stop it the change. When he lifted his head, he was not human anymore.

Jerry bolted out of the room. Teodor stood up, as his body changed. His face elongated, his arms lengthened to match the length of his legs. Black hair sprouted all over his body. He didn't growl or howl. It wasn't painful, it was like breathing, it just happened. His clothing fell to the floor, too ripped up to be worn again.

He growled. This cause one of the three to turn his head. He jumped and swore, hitting his head on the upper cupboard. Amanda watched Teodor for a moment. Then she lowered her head.

Teodor spun the blond around. He pushed his muzzle into the man's face and growled. The blond pissed himself. Teodor heard another growl. He looked over the blond's terrified head.

Amanda lifted her head. She let the wolf come out. Her body covered with shimmering blond hair. She turned her head, snapping at the one behind her. The man that held her, stepped back. She howled. Teodor joined her. To hell with pretending to be human, he thought.

The one that hit his head, reached behind his back and pulled out a handgun. Teodor almost saw it too late. The man opened fire. Teodor stiffened, expecting the burn of silver bullets. But these were normal bullets. They hurt when they tore through his flesh, but his body healed right behind the burrowing wound.

Amanda bit the hand that held the handgun. Teodor heard the screams from the other room. Teodor howled again, this time to tell Amanda to run. To his surprise she turned and ran into the living room. Teodor followed. Amanda grabbed her records.

The party goers crowded at the other side of the living room. None of them stopped her from flipping through the albums. Teodor barked. She shoved the stereo over and ran to the kitchen. Jerry opened the door. He stood back as they rushed through.

The neighborhood dogs barking traveled from one end of the street to the other. Teodor listened. Amanda barked, telling the dogs to watch for the police. Or as they understood it, the metal boxes, with the spinning wheels, that shine many lights. Some of the dogs ran and joined them as they hurried out of the city.

At first, Teodor wanted to goto the old base, but Amanda would never go back. Outside of the city, there was another safe place. Teodor picked up speed, Amanda kept up with him. They ran to Greenwoods.

Most of the dogs left them at the bridge that crossed the river at the university. They jumped over the road block at the entrance of Greenwoods. Teodor plowed through the underbrush and let out a couple of yips of happiness.

Amanda slowed her run down to a jog. She looked down at the albums and gave Teodor a sorry look. “I should have left them.”

Teodor stopped. He shook himself and returned to his human form. He didn't bother to cover his naked body. “I should have grabbed our clothes,” He laughed.

Amanda shook off her wolf hybrid form. “Me too.”

One of the dogs that followed them, barked and jumped. Teodor knelled down. “Hey, good job.” He told the poodle mix. “Can you get us some clothes?”

Amanda laughed as the poodle ran away. “You really think she will find us any?”

“It's worth a shot,” he said, sitting down on a patch of moss. “I've had them bring me food before.”

Amanda set the albums on a stump, then sat down beside Teodor. “What now?”

“Steopa is still living in the base.”

She stiffened.

“Now, just wait. He's cleaning it up, and offered us a safe place there.”

“But that place...” She shivered.

“It would only be the upper levels.” Teodor paused, he thought he had heard something in the distance, like the breathing of someone that did not want to be discovered. He sniffed the air. Too many people had been here, for him to pick out any fresh trails. But on the edge, a familiar smell. Someone he had known.

“What is it?” Amanda asked.

“I thought I heard something.” He said.

She shook her head. “It was a squirrel or something, unless... unless he's still here."

"I thought he would have gone back to Europe."

"Like you?"

Teodor chuckled. He put his arm around her. “Do you want to take Steopa up on his offer?”

Amanda shook her head. Her blond hair looked almost white in the moonlight. “I'm not ready to go back there, yet."

“So you'd rather sit in the woods, naked?”

“Yeah, I rather sit in the woods naked.”

He kissed her cheek, then traveled to her lips.

“We could do something else.”

She stroked his back. "Yeah, we could."

#SampleSunday Chapter 8 - Patriarch

2011-07-17T08:19:00.000-04:00

THIS HAS A MAJOR SPOILER!

The first 300 or so words.

A set of stairs traveled from the look-out to the bank of the river. The recent rain storms fed the river, swelling it close to flooding. The water flowed by the board walk, sloshing up on the wooden planks.

Jimmy stopped on the stairs. “It's running water.”

“Scared?” Steopa asked.

“Isn't running water suppose to harm us?” Jimmy asked.

“No.”

Jimmy looked relieved, he took one step forward. The water churned along the board walk. He jumped back up the set of stairs. Under the water a humanoid shape could be seen, multiple colors flowed across it's skin. A pale green hand rose out of the water.

Steopa stifled a laugh. Rebecka gripped his arm.

Her eyes went wide. “Is that Sasha?”

Water sprayed from the river. The cascade of water stopped like a sudden rain shower. Sasha stood on the board walk. His long black hair flowed over his thin body in wet strands. His solid green eyes looked like fish eyes. He blinked. His eyes looked human. He flung his hair off his face with a webbed hand. He smiled. Instead of the small set of fangs. He had an entire row.

Rebecka slipped behind Steopa. Jimmy stared.

“Hello,” Sasha said. He spoke with a thicker accent than Steopa.

“Welcome,” Steopa said. He introduced Jimmy and Rebecka.

Sasha wrung his hair, spraying droplets of water over the wooden walkway. “By the looks on your faces, Grandfather did not explain about me.”

He wiped the water off his body. As he did, the green glow disappeared. The more water that dripped off him, the more he looked like the young man he had been when he died. The scar, from the harpoon, on his chest stood out against his pale skin.

Online Beta Reader Group

2011-07-14T16:53:00.003-04:00

How to run one with Google+

Actually when I asked for beta readers, I had no idea I would be using Google+ for it. But I am, and it has made things a lot simpler.

To set up an online beta reader group, you have to find people. Post on twitter, Facebook, on your blog, and now on G+. Have all of them contact you on the email address you use for Google+ (in my case my "official email").

When you gathered enough addresses. Save them in your email contacts under the same group. Then go to G+ and set up a circle for just the beta readers.

Whoa let me back up. I realize not all of you are on G+ and that's okay. So what is a circle? Facebook and Twitter use lists. You can add people to a list, then watch only that feed. G+ goes beyond that. A circle allows you to watch a certain group of friends and anything you share with them, should (in theory) stay within that circle. So baby pics from your sister, should stay only in your family circle.

You set up a beta reader circle. Add the address of your volunteers WHETHER THEY ARE ON G+ OR NOT! When you write a post, the ones that are not on G+ receive an email. As of right now, you still need your gmail to send out the files, but there is talk that will change.

When they respond to you, you will get an email from the people not on G+. The ones that are, can respond like with a Facebook post. Think of it as a combination of a forum and email list.

This has made my end of the beta reading so much easier. If they do fully integrate the gmail, it will be even easier. I know you could send out a mass email, using a group in the email program. So why is this easier.

I don't keep my email open. I keep my hootsuite and G+ open. So if I think of something, I can run a quick message out ASAP.
If they are on G+, they see the post in their stream. As soon as it is written. They will get a notification, so they will know it is there.
Allows you and them to share other items. Lets say your beta readers have no idea about some of the items you are talking about. Because you don't have time to rewrite the passage now, you can put pictures in the post and let them see. Or maybe they want to share something with you that will help you see where they are coming from.

The more I mess around with G+, the more I like what I am seeing. When it goes public, I insist my writer friends check it out. It might be just what you are looking for, a combination of networking, and idea sharing.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag Chapter 2 part 1

2011-07-13T08:28:00.001-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

Teodor picked his way through the debris. As much as Amanda hated staying at Chaser's house, she hated coming back to the base more. She refused to join him. It would be easier if he was on all fours, but he was carrying the money.

He could smell the fire that had raged in here years ago. Teodor stopped. Someone cleaned the place. Someone that could lift support columns that weighed tons. Teodor shook his head. The one place he did not want to come back to and Steopa made it his home.

Teodor heard noises ahead of him. He climbed over more debris to see. Steopa had his back toward him, in the next room. He lifted a couch that had been bolted to the floor. The rusty bolts snapped and popped. Steopa shoved the couch to the side of the room.

Steopa the giant. He stood seven feet tall, slender for his height. But at his size made him wider than most men. Tonight, he wore his long black hair, braided back. He kicked a piece of moldy foam out of his way.

“Why are you still here?” Teodor asked.

Steopa shoved an old iron lung machine to the other side of the room. “I could be in a graveyard,” He said, turning around. “But this place is drier.”

Teodor chuckled. “I have a favor to ask. That money you have been giving us. I need to keep it somewhere safe. Someone tried to take it today.”

“Your room mates?” Steopa asked.

“Or their friends.”

“You could stay here.”

Teodor shook his head. “Amanda will not step foot in here again.”

Steopa leaned against an old x-ray machine. “None of us should.”

“Then why are you staying here?” Teodor asked.

“Because I want to make sure nothing is disturbed,” Steopa said. “Besides the hunting is good in this area. Many of the people here are from the old country, they know what it is like to have a vampire among them.”

“I'm actually enjoying not hunting,” Teodor said. “It is easier to get my meat from the grocery store. It's not warm, but I don't have to worry about getting shot.”

Steopa gave Teodor a small smile. “How is Amanda?”

“She's adjusting well, but we are living with some real jerks, you know. When they run low on money they will sell anything to get money. Even our stuff.”

“I am surprise you let them.”

“I'm trying to not change in front of anyone,” Teodor said. He blushed. “I want to keep it a secret.”

Steopa shook his head. “You are a werewolf, you do not need to hide.”

Teodor opened his mouth to argue. It took a lot of guts for Steopa to say that. Teodor and Steopa had always seemed to get along, but lately Teodor could see why vampires and werewolves sometimes didn't like to be around each other.

“Then what are you doing here?” Teodor asked. “Don't give me that you are making sure no one disturbs anything. No one knows it's here. And most of the ones that do know are dead.”

Steopa stood up. He glared at Teodor. “What are you saying?” He asked, a slight growl accenting his voice.

“I am saying that you should be outside,” Teodor said, trying not to yell. “I have been watching the news, there is nothing on it. Are you even hunting?”

Steopa took a step forward. “I am careful.” he said, each word spoken with weight.

Teodor shook his head. “Sorry, that was rude of me.”

There was a long pause. “Perhaps it is because we have not hunted together,” Steopa said.

“Those were some good times.”

Steopa walked over to another pile of debris. “I will keep the money here for you,” he said. Steopa moved another large piece of medical equipment. “Are you really enjoying pretending to be human?”

Teodor had to think. “There are days I missed being able to walk down the street and get respect as soon as people saw me,” he said. “But that was in the old country, where Dad still hunted the farmers for fun. I can't do that here.”

Steopa nodded. “It is very different.” he chuckled. “Have you gone to the movie theater, yet?”

Teodor nodded. “Yeah, Amanda and I go a lot.”

“Humans have strange ideas about vampires,” Steopa said.

Teodor had to agree. He glanced at his watch. Amanda didn't want him gone too long. Chaser was having another party tonight. Teodor apologized and said his goodbyes. He hurried home.

Chaser's drive way was full of cars. Teodor's stomach sank. It wasn't going to be the regular get together tonight. This one looked like it was a full blow hedonistic orgy. Teodor went around the back. Amanda was siting on the back steps. Jimi Hendrix was blasting from the stereo.

Amanda smiled relief when Teodor came around the corner. “Glad your back, babe,” she said.

Teodor sat down beside her. “How many people are in there?”

“God knows,” Amanda said. She had a glass of water in her hands. “But there are some real slimes in there.”

The screen door opened. Jerry came out. He looked down at Teodor and Amanda and sighed. “You too?” He asked. “I'm never gonna get some sleep tonight.”

“I went down to the lumberyard,” Teodor said. “Setting up an interview, this week.”

Jerry smiled. “Good. You two need to get out of here.”

“What about you?” Amanda asked.

“I would, but if my ex even smells I have my own place she will want more support,” Jerry sighed.

Amanda finished her water. “I'll be back,” she said, jumping up and going back inside.

The screen door slammed behind her. Teodor looked up at the stars. He hated how the city muted them. When he would run in the woods, the stars were his only guides. Jerry lit a cigarette. The smell almost made Teodor retch.

“Amanda told me what happened earlier,” Jerry said, taking a long drag. “If it's any consolation. I got some stuff taken too.”

Teodor shrugged. “They didn't get anything important.”

He heard a loud laugh coming from the kitchen. Teodor moved down the stairs, to avoid the cigarette smoke. There was another loud laugh. Teodor turned his head to look.

He could almost see Amanda, most of her was blocked by the door frame. There were two men standing on each side of her. By the looks of it, there was at least one more. Teodor turned around. Jerry glanced over.

The men were large, not a big as Steopa, but were much larger than Teodor. Teodor had a thin frame and build, which most people assumed made him weak. He always like to surprise them. One of the three reached over and tried to grab Amanda's head. She shoved them away.

Teodor stood up. Jerry quickly put out his cigarette. “Shit,” Jerry said under his breath.

The brown haired man, pushed Amanda against the counter. “Come on sweety, we only want some fun.” he said, in a deep voice.

The look Amanda gave him would have told anyone in their right mind to stop what they were doing. But these three had liquid courage running through their veins. Teodor opened the door. He could tell Amanda was holding back. She wanted to let the wolf out.

They had promised each other, they would not do that in front of other people. There were times it was hard. This was one of them.

Teodor walked over to the men. “Excuse me,” he said. “Amanda and I have to go.”

The blond man gave Teodor a small glance. He already filed Teodor in the part of his brain that said, not a threat. He turned to Amanda. “What do you want that shrimp for?” He asked.

Then he made his mistake. He locked his lips on Amanda's. The growl was in Teodor's throat before he could stop it. But that did not stop the assault on Amanda. He felt his teeth changed. He couldn't do it, not now, not with so many people here.

#SampleSunday Chapter 7 - Patriarch

2011-07-10T08:16:00.000-04:00

I am posting the first 300 words. Just a tease.

The next night, Steopa woke up to see Rebecka sitting on the edge of the bed. She flipped her hair back and looked over her shoulder. He sat up. She leaned back and kissed his cheek. Steopa heard muffled singing on the other side of the door.

“Jimmy's got a good voice. He woke me up,” she said.

“Did you sleep well otherwise?” he asked, kissing her forehead.

Rebecka nodded. Steopa stood up and went to his wardrobe. As he pulled out his clothes for the night, he could feel one more of his descendants coming. Sasha? How could have he gotten here so fast, he thought. He hung his head for a moment. Rebecka noticed, she curled her arms around his waist.

“What is it?”

“More family is coming. We will be running out of room. I should speak to Teodor.”

“He already has a full house. What about here? You said it was a base.”

“Most of it has been destroyed.”

“Any other ideas?”

Steopa turned. “I might talk to Perun.”

“Again, you should ask Vincent.”

“Where would they stay? In the basement?”

She winced. “I see your point. I don't think the rest of the apartments have been worked on. And that basement would not be comfortable. We'll figure it out. It will be okay.” She opened the door and left Steopa.

Steopa sat on the bed, holding his clothes. The hunters had come at night, without all the protection they needed. And they had been asking questions. Scouts? Not real hunters? Steopa wondered.

Who hired them? In the past it would have been a town or the church. Today? No one believed in vampires. Steopa rubbed his back, feeling his scars. He remembered the hunters he had run into at Saint Petersburg.

How to be a Panster.

2011-07-07T04:25:00.001-04:00

Pantser: A writer that writes by the seat of their pants, no pre planning.

How can some of us writers sit down and knock out a story in a short while, without any planing? Truth is, at least for me. There is planning, but not a lot of it.

I don't sit down and make reams of notes on my ideas. I don't use a time line (I will while I am writing). What I do is think about the idea a lot. And the building blocks for the idea are already in my mind.

A great example was with my Minstrels story. The spark started when I was playing the game Brutal Legend. In the game you can set up your radio to play songs you find over the course of your adventure. For Motorhead, the tune is We Are the Road Crew. That was and is my favorite tune for cruising around the landscape. Here is the first verse if you are not familiar.

Another town another place,
Another girl, another face,
Another truce, another race,
I'm eating junk, feeling bad,
Another night, I'm going mad,
My woman's leaving, I feel sad,
But I just love the life I lead,
Another beer is what I need,
Another gig my ears bleed,
We Are The Road Crew

I had that tune bouncing in my head for a few weeks.

At the same time, my husband and I have to dig out our old D & D stuff for our oldest to use in his game. We look over the maps and notes with nostalgia. All the fond memories are now jumping around in my head.

That song and those memories must have mixed up or something in my head. I woke up one morning and started to write. I pushed out over 3000 words. In that time I had the 4 principal characters, an idea of the major plot, and a goal for the ending.

The four main characters were never in my role-playing. They were new ideas. This is what I had at the end of the first day of writing.

Characters:

Grail: Oldest, former military, piper, knows everyone of importance, unlikely ladies man.
Rand: He says "former thief", string player, charmer and fast talker too.
Drake: drummer, red hair, pyromaniac.
Carey: newest member, former priest (I ended up using the term seith), singer, something tragic just happened to him.

Main plot: They are going to a music competition. But something from Carey's past may stop them. Road trip/ buddy story.

Goal for the end: Have to pull together to stop the "baddie", not necessarily by playing music.

I did use our old world from role playing for the background. But I used an area we never did anything with, except name it.

Instead of plotting it all out before I wrote again. I let my inspiration guide me through my first draft. If it helps think of it as a long, detailed, outline. I have found out, that if I stop and plot out, think about it, make notes, before I write. It never gets written. OR in the case of the Coiree Guardians, waits TEN YEARS before it comes out.

I have to write when the idea is fresh in my mind. I make notes as I go along, I make a timeline, I do research on the fly. When I am done with the first draft. I put it away. I don't look at it or the notes for at least a month. Then I read through it again. This is where I clean up the false starts, work on the characters. My first edit is like some writers first draft.

The draw back to being a panster writer, a lot of editing. I go through at least four rounds before I am happy with sending it to an editor, or even a beta reader. But I would rather re-edit a story many times, then work on it for a longer time before I write it.

Being a pantser writer allows me to get the ideas out of my mind faster. I know what I first produce is not good. But I don't mind working with it, to bring out the real gem underneath.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag Chapter 1 part 3

2011-07-06T04:11:00.001-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

They paid and left the store. The temperature fell, but this November had been warmer than expected. Teodor put his arm around Amanda's waist. They walked down the street. He smiled.

As they passed a side street. A kid came out of the alleyway and ran into both Amanda and Teodor. Teodor spun around and shouted at the kid.

Amanda yelled. “He got my records!”

Teodor ran after the kid. The kid was fast for his size. He skidded under a scaffolding. Teodor caught up with him at the building site. The kid hid underneath the metal bars. He scurried to one side. Teodor blocked him from escaping. The kid tried another route; Teodor blocked him again.

“Just give me back my albums!” Teodor said, reaching for the albums.

“Screw you!” The kid extended his middle finger.

A small crowd formed. Teodor reached into the scaffolding and grabbed the kid by his coat. The kid's hazel eyes flickered fear for just a second. His brown hair looked as if it hadn't been brushed in a few days, and Teodor could smell that he had not taken a bath for that long as well.

“My albums now!” Teodor yelled.

The kid shoved them into Teodor's chest. “Take 'em, jerk!”

He slid under the bars and ran down the street.

Teodor checked the albums. A woman dressed in a pants suit sneered. “Kids today have no respect.”

Amanda pushed her way through the crowd. She hugged Teodor. “Thanks, babe,” she said.

The crowd dispersed. Teodor and Amanda went home. When they got to Chaser's house they could hear Jefferson Airplane being blasted from the stereo. Amanda opened the door.

Chaser sat on the couch, sorting his weed on a dinner plate. The passed out bodies were gone. Teodor sat down next to Chaser. Amanda went to their bedroom. Chaser turned to look at Teodor with his eyes perpetual blood shot stare.

“You guys went out?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Teodor said.

Chaser went back to separating the stems and seeds. Amanda came back into the room, her face was red with anger.

“Who the hell broke the lock on our bedroom?” She shouted.

Chaser shrugged. “I don't know, I just woke up.”

“You slept through that?” Amanda shook with rage.

Teodor jumped up to check the room. The lock had been forced out of the door frame, breaking the wood in the process. Their boxes had been overturned and items strewn through the room. Amanda came back into the room.

“Everything here?” She asked, her lips trembling.

Teodor did a quick mental inventory. “Some of my clothes are missing,” he said.

“What about...” Amanda started to say, then she mouthed “our money.”

Teodor picked up the mattress. The seam that Teodor had stitched, had not been disturbed. He pulled it open, the bills were still pressed against the foam.

Amanda slid down the wall to the floor. “Teodor, I can't stay here much longer.” She put her head in her hands and whimpered.

Teodor came over and put his arm around her. “We leave soon, babe. We will.”

Amanda glanced towards the door. “If I find out Chaser did this,” she said, her voice on the edge of the growl. “I will take out a chunk of his leg.”

“Babe, you know what I told you about that.”

“I wasn't going to eat him,” she said. “Besides, he probably tastes like hash and bourbon.”

Teodor crawled back to the mattress and pulled out the money. “I'm gonna move this tonight,” he said. “Someplace none of the lay-a-bouts will find it.”

Amanda sighed. “This day sucks.”

“It's not the worst day.”

Amanda gave him a small smile. “No, it's not.”

#SampleSunday Chapter 6 - Patriarch

2011-07-03T08:12:00.000-04:00

The first 300 words.

The sign for the Burgundy Rathskeller hung over the ramp to the basement entrance. Above the sign on the side of the building the faded words “Meat Processing” could be read. As they walked down the sidewalk toward the ramp, Steopa could smell blood coming from Saber Ink, the tattoo parlor. Next to it the store, Third Eye Curios, had its doors open. The smell of charcoal and mint mixed with the blood.

At the bottom of the ramp, Swen stood up behind the counter in the bouncer cage. He crossed his arms and stared at Jimmy and Jeremiah. The short sleeved shirt showed off his muscles and tattooed arms. Because of his nature of being a berserk, when Steopa saw him, Swen looked as if he could not keep his shape. He would see Swen the man, morph into the bear form and back again. Tonight, Swen looked more like a bear.

He sucked in air through his teeth and made a noise. “Vincent said you were coming, might be better if you go through the back,” he said. His eyes fixed on Jeremiah. “No guns.” He pointed to a large wall safe in the back of the cage. “Check them in, and I'll let you in.”

Jeremiah shrugged and handed over his shotgun and handgun. Swen picked up the handgun. He spun it, flicked out the clip, checked the clip, slid it back in, flipped the gun again, pulled back on the barrel, and put on the safety. He opened the chamber on the shotgun, then put it against his leg and checked the magazine. He nodded. He locked both guns inside the safe. When he returned, he eyed Jimmy. “And what is this kid's story?”

“They are with me,” Rebecka said, giving Swen a strange look. “I just want to talk to John.”

I Don't Want to Be a Hero

2011-06-30T04:37:00.003-04:00

There was a time when you needed a hero, in an epic fantasy, you made a perfect specimen. One that was good looking, knew how to fight, and always got the ladies. It sounds funny now.

I have been thinking about fantasy heroes lately. And I am glad we moved away from that. Because I like heroes that become one, even if they to against their better judgment.

A good, but obscure example (for Americans) is a movie from Russia called Wolfhound. The movie starts out like Conan. A young boy witnesses the slaughter of his family by a warlord, including his blacksmith father. The boy is sent away to be a slave. That is the only part of this movie that feels rehashed. Because when you see Wolfhound (he takes the name of his tribe) as a man, he's not Conan.

Early on, he takes revenge against the ones that killed his family and enslaved him. He misses one person on his list, which he can recognize by a wolf tattoo on the back of the murderer's hand. While doing so, he rescues a slave girl and a blind man. The slave girl had found a strange piece of pottery. The old man says it will open the "Celestial Gates" So they want to go. Wolfhound doesn't, but doesn't want those two to travel alone.

And right there is the essence of his character. The only thing he did to satisfy himself was to take revenge. The rest of the movie he is motivated to help people because they are in a worst place than he is. He is hired to accompany a princess (who has a crush on him, but doesn't fawn all over him either, she is another interesting character in the movie). Every time he helps someone the situation becomes larger, and without him trying he finds himself stopping some crazed cultists from awakening a death goddess. I also like the fact, he is not so full of himself that he doesn't fight the goddess alone. He wins, but you have to see how.

Okay a hint.

What makes him interesting? Taking the early example.

Perfect specimen? No. He is scarred, branded and whipped. Built like a body builder? No. Wolfhound had been a slave, forced to mine from a young age. His body looks like it, sinewy, slightly malnourished. He's not out of shape, but he doesn't look like someone that spends hours in a gym. Its the type of body you get when you do physical work every day.

Knows how to fight? Yes, but is not an expert. There are people he takes on that are much better than him. What gives him the advantage, is that he watches and accesses the situation before acting. He always watches. He thinks more than he acts.

Always gets the woman? Nope. The slave girl doesn't seem interested in him, except as her rescuer. The princess wants him, he turns her down (long story on why, but he had a good reason). Does he get any woman? Nope.

All heroes have friends, he is no exception. In the cool pet department, he has a bat. It looks like a fruit bat, and will not leave his side. The slave girl, the blind man, and scribe that was a slave, all become his friends. Except for the bat, they separate and go on their own paths. They meet up at the end.

Being a hero in a fantasy story means he has to face magic, demons, and in his case a god and two goddesses. He faces all of that the same way he faces his fighting. Thinking about it before reacting. I will not say he is fearless, more like he rather not let his fear get in the way of what he wants to do.

And there is the irony in the character. Except for the beginning, he never gets to do what he wants to do! He's not like Rincewind, who gets thrown into the situation and always looks for a way to escape. He finds himself in a situation, he looks out for his friends first, then himself.

He gets manipulated (by the princess but her reasons are good ones), he makes mistakes, even though he acts like he doesn't care, he does, maybe too much.

For a straight forward, a bit complicated plot, but otherwise typically fantasy movie. The characters are what drives the film. Which goes to prove, you could have the most rehashed plot in the world, but if you make your characters have depth, and realism, you can drive the story and make it seem new.

#WerewolfWeds The Hag: Chapter 1 part 2

2011-06-29T04:46:00.002-04:00

Please check my #WerewolfWeds page for an overview of this. Thanks.

It didn't take long for Teodor to get dressed. He locked up his bedroom, double checking the thick padlock and the two dead bolts. Even though they didn't have much. Some of the transients that came through the house, would steal anything. As they left the house, Chaser started to moan from the couch. He woke early today.

They walked down the street, getting stares from some of the older people in the neighborhood. Teodor was used to it now. They did not like the “hippies” living in the neighborhood. Jerry always got upset when people called him that. “Do you see me dancing around with flowers in my hair.” He would say.

The older neighbors were the problem. In this neighborhood a lot of younger people had moved in over the last few years. Some were frightened of the strange kids, other were concerned. The couple residents that had tried to find out about the strange people at Chaser's house, didn't bother Teodor or Amanda too much.

Jerry stopped at the news stand to get the morning paper. The news stand operator's dog started to wag it's tail as they approached.

“Hey!” The operator said as they approached. “It's my favorite freaky people.”

“Morning Telly,” Amanda said.

Teodor got on his knee to rough house with the mutt that Telly owned. “Brutus,” Teodor said. “Who's glad to see me?”

Brutus barked. Teodor played with him. Telly shook his head, while Jerry paid for his paper.

“You are the only other guy Brutus likes, and he doesn't like me that much,” Telly said.

Brutus gave Teodor a sloppy kiss. Teodor wiped his face off and stood up. “I'm just a dog person,” he said, petting Brutus.

Amanda giggled. She took Teodor's arm. “Should I be jealous?”

“First off, Brutus is a male dog,” Teodor said.

Amanda laughed. Teodor wiped his face again. Brutus wasn't just happy to see him, he had passed on some information. Dogs talked to each other, humans didn't fully understand that they did. Teodor had asked Brutus to watch out for anything strange.

Brutus did a good job. So far he reported nothing. There were two things that Teodor wanted to know about; His family and any military looking for them. Some nights, when the dogs in the neighborhood would start their howling and barking. Teodor would join them. People at the house thought it was a joke. Only Amanda knew why Teodor did it.

The cafe sat on the corner of a building that had been a bank. In the shop space next to it, a record shop had opened a few months before. A poster for Black Sabbath's new album clinged to the window, along side another album called “Horses”. Amanda paused for a moment to look at the posters, but caught up with Teodor and Jerry as they went into the cafe.

The younger crowd hung out in the cafe. This early in the morning, it was hard to tell who had just gotten up, and who needed to sleep. Teodor's favorite waitress was at the register.

He nodded to her. She was called “grandma” by everyone that came in here. Grandma wore her silver hair up in a bun, and had a full, honest face. She looked like the grandmother that would bake cookies for anyone. But she had a mouth on her. It was fun to watch the faces of people that heard her swear for the first time.

They took seats at the counter. Grandma came over and poured the coffee. Teodor and Amanda would drink just a little to be polite, but Teodor hated the taste of it.

Grandma looked at Teodor “Just a ham steak?”

“Yeah.”

“Sausage and eggs,” Amanda said.

Grandma nodded. She didn't bother writing it down, they always ordered the same. She poked Jerry in the shoulder. “And what about you, sweetass?”

Jerry didn't even bat an eye. “Short stack.”

They had an uneventful breakfast. A few of the people they knew, stopped by and talked to them. Teodor reached under the counter and held Amanda's hand. She looked pretty today. Her blue eyes sparkle when she laughed. Jerry hurried through his stack of pancakes. He glanced up at the clock.

“Damn guys, I gotta go,” He said. He stood up, fishing out his wallet at the same time. He handed Teodor a ten dollar bill. “Pay Grandma, will ya?”

They finished their meal, paid the bill with Jerry's ten, and left. The record shop had just opened. Amanda pulled Teodor went into the store. As they looked through the albums, Teodor pulled the money that Steopa had left them out of his pocket.

“Steopa came over last night,” Teodor said, showing Amanda the cash.

Her eyes went wide for a moment. “How much is that?” She whispered.

“I didn't count it,” he said. “But we almost have enough for that house.”

Amanda smiled.

“Jerry told me to come down the lumberyard today,” Teodor said, picking up Aerosmith's latest album. “There might be a job there.”

Amanda smile widened. “I was thinking of applying at that home health place too. Good, maybe we can finally get out of Chaser's house.”

Teodor nodded. He leaned close and whispered. “It's been four years, You'd think that if we were going to be picked up they would have done it by now.”

“I think they are too busy,” she said. “I mean, we just got out of Vietnam.”

Teodor shrugged. He had spent two decades in one lab or another. Most of the outside world's troubles meant nothing to him. Amanda made her selections; the album by Patti Smith and Queens A Night at the Opera. They had to save up their money, but the albums made Amanda happy, Teodor didn't mind.