Forgotten Realms Fan Fiction ❯ The Fateful Coin ❯ Chapter 6: Part 2 Dreams ( Chapter 7 )

 

Author's Note:

Dream Sequences are in Italics but without quotes. Dialogue will now be in Blue with Italics. Also WARNING part of this chapter has a major gross out factor. Consume food at your own risk.

Chapter 6:

Part 2

Dreams

Thalen ran though the forest, trying to put as much distance between him and the small village behind him. Night was coming, and it was coming soon. Tonight was the full moon, tonight he would change into a slavering beast again. His heart filled with despair as he watched the sun stink into the horizon; the last tendrils of sunlight faded and the sky began to darken. Thalen ran even faster, his blood pounding in his ears; he had to get away. Away, far, far, away, far from the sleeping villagers. Far away from the angel faced little girl, Gwyndi the innkeeper's two year old daughter. He felt his heart lurch, the hair on his body stood on end. “No!” The moon had begun to creep into the darkening sky. He was not going to make it. Thalen felt his nails lengthen into sharp lethal claws, his second pair of poisonous fangs spouted painfully, his jawbone snapped, grew, and shifted into a snout. He keeled over onto the forest floor, pine needles poked him though his clothing. He was in pain, no, pure unadulterated agony; it ran in waves from his brain, down his spine to the tips of his toes. “No! Not AGAIN! Never AGAIN!” Fur erupted on his neck; it spread and grew like a living thing. Thalen let an out a blood-curdling scream as his knees shifted directions with a sickening “POP.” He struggled against the beast that rose inside of him, calling loudly for blood and slaughter. “Gods, NO! You bastards!” He cursed himself and the creatures that had done this to him. Thalen's last conscious thought was that he wanted to die....

 

The creature stood up, it was no longer Thalen. It was not even human. The werewolf sniffed the air, turned and ran back the way Thalen had come. It ran toward the sent of prey....

 

 

Thalen moaned and rolled over. He smelled hay, horses, and dung. His eyes snapped open; hay... horses... dung... His heart sank. He was inside a barn. Thalen looked down at his hands; they were covered in drying blood. He looked around and saw what he had failed to notice because of his pounding headache... Bodies... People... Animals... Horses, cows, chickens; dead. Everything was dead. It hit him like a ton of bricks... he had done this... He had killed them. He had killed them all. Thalen felt sick, and emptied the contents of his stomach right then and there. He retched, until nothing would come up. He looked down, a big mistake. To his horror saw a human finger in the vomit, parts of milk white bone shone though the skin. Thalen vomited again the acid burning his throat and he savored the pain. He deserved to die for what he had done. Thalen heard a sound, and shakily rose to find the source. It was Gwyndi she was alive! He stumbled over to where she lay; she was lying by her mother's side in a pool of her mother's blood. Gwyndi looked up at him, and said, “Master Nightshift, you are ok. A monster came and now mommy will not wake up. It bit me, and now I do not feel so good. Please, help my mommy Master Nightshift. Help her...” Thalen looked at Gwyndi, she was now dead. He had killed her too. He could not take it anymore, he wanted to run and hide. But most of all he wanted to die. Thalen screamed, “Why? Why? No! ” Tears ran down his bloody face....

 

 

Thalen knew he was dreaming, as he watched his past unfold and haunt him. Wait, he was not alone, there was someone there. He dimly felt a hand on his chest. Assassins! Partly conscious, half-asleep, he drew Silence and Whisper and drove them deep in to the bowels of his attacker. It was that Elven woman, Anashra. Cyric's USED Shorts ¹! Thalen swore to himself, he could do nothing but look at her in a horrified manner. His hands were wet, warm, and sticky with her blood. Anashra gasped a soft “OH.” He watched in complete shock as she passed out. Thalen mind raced, he had to do something and fast. He shook himself free of his makeshift bedding and ran the ten feet to where Anashra's pack lay. He ripped it open and poured the contents out onto her bedding; Thalen snapped up a healing potion and raced back to her side. He was half-glad she was unconscious because he still had to remove his daggers from her body. That done, he held her nose and forced the healing potion down her throat. Thalen could see the effects of the potion immediately. Her wounds began to close, until they scabbed over. He winced that might leave a scar. Thalen silently cursed his luck, the day had not even started, and it looked like it was headed into the chamber pot. Ugh, his hands were still covered in blood; he looked around for something to clean then on. There was not anything to do the job with swearing profusely, he got up and ran all the way to the stream, washed his hands and ran all the way back to Anashra's camp. Thalen went over to her and knelt down by her side. Anashra began to stir; He breathed a sigh of intense relief. Her eyes fluttered open; she sat up and quickly backed away from him. Anashra yelled at him, “You... You stabbed me! Why? Ugh! You are such a colossal jerk!” Her face was filled with shock, hurt and anger. Thalen just blinked at her, then said; “You can speak common pretty well now; why didn't do that last night? It would have saved you a great deal of trouble.” Anashra looked at him with disgust and began to yell at him some more, “You are a complete Orc-brained imbecile! I spent the entire night reviewing my lessons in common so I could speak to you!” Thalen had lost his fragile grip on his temper, “I'm the one who's Orc -brained? What kind of daft woman sneaks up on a sleeping stranger? By the gods woman! I thought you were trying to kill me! NEVER do that again!” She looked at him, blue sapphire eyes sparkling, “I am sorry, you were screaming in your sleep; and I was just trying to help.” Thalen looked at her with desolate eyes, “You cannot help me, and only one person can help me now; that is if I can find him.” Anashra spoke, “Who is it you seek? Maybe I know him; maybe I can point you in the right direction.” Thalen shrugged what the heck, it could not hurt and it was worth a shot anyhow. “Theman I seek is a druid, His name is Lei'tai; Lei'taiThrade.” He saw a flash of recognition in Anashra's eyes, then the tears that she held back. “What is it? Do you know him?! Tell me! I must know.” She looked down then spoke in nearly a whisper, “Yes, I know him... Lei'tai, my father.... I heard the stars shine upon his house nigh a moon ago.” When Thalen looked blankly at her she explained, “It is an Elven expression; it means that he passed on almost a month ago.” Thalen began to swear. Anashra interrupted him, “Why did you seek my father? How could he possibly help you?” Thalen replied, “I am cursed. Lei'taicould have helped me live with my curse. You see, I am a werewolf.” Her eyes widened in surprise, “I am sorry for you then, for I knowof no one else who could help you. I am traveling to reach my new home;Lei'taiwas owed a life debt by a good friend of his, Therin Skyhammer. The life debt will be fulfilled when Therin adopts me as his daughter. You are welcome to join me on my journey.” Thalen thought for a minute about all of this, and then realized he did not have anything better to do anyway; and it would be a hell of a lot more fun than wandering around in the wilderness for the rest of his life. He replied, “Verywell, I shall accompany you.” Anashra smiled, “Good. One thing, though what are you feelings on Drow? ” Puzzled, Thalen didn't know how to respond to a question like that. “ Drow? I do not have any opinions on the Drow, as I have never met one. I mean, they have never done me any wrong. I do not hate the Drow, since I have no reason too. Why do you ask? ” He looked at her curiously, and her grin widened, “Excellent, because Thalen; you have just met your first Drow.”....

 

 

Que dramatic music: Dun, dun, dun! Another Cliffhanger! My evil-ness grows! *Maniacal Laughter* *MuuHAhahaaha! *

1. Cyric is an evil god of death, murder, the abyss, and many other terrible things.