The Duel, the Dance

[Kuja]

Inspired by Equilibrium, Dog Soldiers, Van Helsing, and the musical sound of a wolf howling late one night.

Special thanks to Marina and Zaia for their help with certain aspects.


The Duel, the Dance

Thunder crashed, but no rain fell. Aside from the occasional flashes of lightning, only the bone-white moonlight served to illuminate the fighting ring. Although it was nearly thirty feet wide, the two figures stood nearly face to face. Dressed almost completely in black, they looked more like specters than real people.

Jacob nearly laughed bitterly. If the fight went badly, either or both of them could end up as real specters. He looked Rochelle in the eyes and kept his face tranquil. "Last chance to back out," he said.

Her blue eyes were as hard as her voice. "I got this far. I'm not walking away now."

Jacob silently, but deliberately, reached down and touched his holstered gun. "Then you really think you're worthy?"

She nodded and rested her hand on her own pistol. The wind picked up, blowing pretty blond hair across her stern face.

The wind ceased to blow and total silence fell across the fighting ring. Both of them held as still as if they were made of stone as another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.

It was when the roar of thunder struck that all hell broke loose.

Jacob quick-drew his pistol, bringing it to bear as Rochelle duplicated his actions, only a moment behind. He aimed on instinct but even as he pulled the trigger her free hand came up and slapped his wrist, spoiling his shot. The gun went off with an ear-splitting crash that made the thunder seemed tame. A moment later, she brought her own gun to bear, but at the last moment he reached out and struck the barrel, sending her shot awry as well.

The silence and stillness of just a few seconds ago were now unheard of as the two fought tooth and nail. Rochelle tried to bring her gun to bear again, but Jacob punched the bottom of her hand as she jerked the trigger and her shot fired up into the sky, the blast nearly deafening him. He swung his gun arm up, trying for a hit to the midsection, but she slapped the barrel and he fired into the ground, the bullet ricocheting off the stone floor of the arena.

Jacob dropped back a step and spun into a roundhouse kick, but Rochelle dropped to one knee, already bringing her gun up. As his momentum carried him around, Jacob twisted his gun in his hand to bring the butt forward. He spun into a crouch as he heard the crash of Rochelle's gun and even felt the wind on his neck as the bullet screamed past. He stretched out his arm as he completed his spin, but Rochelle threw herself backwards and the gun butt struck only air.

She landed on her shoulder blades but threw her legs up and turned the move into a back roll. As he came upright again, she launched herself upwards just as Jacob fired his gun. Had she stayed on the ground, the bullet would have blown her brains out, but as it was, she felt a thrill of relief. Three shots. That meant Jacob had just exhausted his allotted ammunition. They were both out now.

That didn't stop him from wheeling the gun in his hand and tossing towards her as she landed. She blocked it with her palm, but the brief opening in her defense was enough for Jacob to step forward, grab her arm, and punch her in the gut. For a crucial moment she was winded, and he took full advantage, pulling her arm forward and pressing his fist into her midsection to flip her over his shoulder. Fortunately, she managed to regain her senses and twisted in midair so that she landed on her feet. Both of them spun, but Jacob added extra momentum to throw her off-balance. She spun on the balls of her feet, looking more like a dancer than a warrior for a moment.

She heard ringing steel and knew that Jacob had once again beaten her to the punch. She spun to her haunches as his sword sliced the air where her neck had been just a moment ago. She rose again, her hand going to her hilt and drawing her own sword as Jacob manipulated his own with almost contemptuous ease. She leaned forward to turn the drawing of her sword into a lunging attack, but he spun on his heel, turning in a complete circle and bringing his sword up to slam into her own.

She didn't try to fight the momentum of the strike but rather released the sword with her right hand and allowed it to spin back in a full circle until it was again pointing at her opponent.

Jacob kept himself light on his feet, shifting his weight back and forth to keep Rochelle unsure of his intentions. The longsword felt good in his hands, more like a piece of himself than a weapon. The silver plating on the metal blade shone in the moonlight and Jacob felt a hunger begin to rise deep inside him. He knew a smile was curling at his mouth, but he didn't care. A switch threw itself inside his mind and he stepped forward, batting aside Rochelle's blade without any effort at all and twisting his weapon to slash through her neck, but she ducked and rolled forward so that all his blade cut was air. Without bothering to turn his head he swung right and pivoted, his blade humming as it sliced through the air.

He had anticipated Rochelle perfectly and slammed his sword into her own weapon about two-thirds of the way down the blade. The shock of the strike knocked the longsword out of Rochelle's hands and sent it skittering across the rock, out of reach. Rochelle dropped back into an unarmed stance as Jacob pressed forward, forcing her back and farther away from her fallen sword. Jacob continued to press her, and she snarled in frustration.

His eyes told her to give up.

She had no intention of doing that.

In fact, it was time to stop fooling around.

The next time Jacob pressed forward, she whipped her jacket off and threw it at him. Too experienced to be caught by surprise, he twisted and knocked it aside with his blade. Still, even that momentary distraction proved enough.

The full moon filled her eyes, its beautiful light shining down on her and seeming to fill her with power. Her breathing deepened. Her pupils dilated. Her hands began to curl up into claws. When Jacob gathered himself and swung at her, her hand shot out to grasp the blade, steam immediately rising as her skin pressed against the silver.

When Rochelle looked back down at Jacob, her teeth had already begun to change to fangs and blond fur had begun to sprout.

"Goddamn," he breathed.

Rochelle pulled on the sword, ignoring the pain it caused as she balled her free hand and brought it over in a hammer punch that snapped the blade. Before Jacob could drop back out of range she backhanded him, catching him in the chest. Mimicking her earlier move, Jacob went with the momentum of the blow and rolled backwards. By the time he rose to his feet Rochelle had grown a full foot, nearly tearing out of her clothing. Her formerly slender body was now packed with muscle and covered with beautiful golden fur. She had a full muzzle and her hands were now powerful fists possessed of fingers tipped with deadly claws. Incongruously, her eyes remained a very human blue.

Rochelle was the one to advance now, and Jacob rapidly gave ground as she struck out at him. With her sudden strength, it was all he could do to parry her blows and backpedal away from her. Even so, he wasn't quite fast enough to slip away from every blow and finally, her claws closed around his outstretched wrist. Before he could twist away, she yanked fiercely, drawing him into a punishing blow that stopped his jaw's progress completely while the rest of him kept moving. Next he knew, Jacob was airborne for a moment before falling to the stone floor. He tried to rise, but Rochelle planted a foot on his chest and slammed him back down. The she-wolf towered over him, her fangs baring in a self-satisfied grin.

Jacob didn't see it.

Couldn't.

Couldn't see anything besides the moon.

With a rush of power so intense it felt like it would burn his heart out, he grabbed Rochelle's ankle and twisted. It didn't snap – that would be far too much to hope for – but the move did force Rochelle to rebalance and take her weight off his chest. Jacob rolled away from the momentarily off-balance female and brought himself to one knee. Hazel eyes now stared out from a field of brown fur. Having caught herself, Rochelle cocked her fist and arced it straight in towards his head, but without even seeming to move he caught it with a hand that was now nearly as powerful as her own. Still clutching her closed fist, Jacob slowly rose until he once again stood nearly a head higher than she did. Rochelle tried to snatch her hand back and Jacob let her, pushing her hand away and altering her balance enough that she used the motion to drop back a step and fall into an unarmed stance.

For the first time since it had begun, there was calm.

Then it dissolved again as the two lycanthropes bellowed at each other and leapt back into the fray. Rochelle led with an open-palm strike that Jacob met with one of his own, almost as though they were exchanging a high five. Moving like lightning, Jacob's hand shot forward and grasped her wrist, pulling her towards him before she could disengage. He turned as he pulled, bringing his other hand up under her armpit and heaving her into the air. She curled into a ball in midair and rolled on landing, spinning and sweeping her leg in case Jacob tried to run at her.

She'd underestimated him. Jacob launched himself over her sweeping leg and tackled her. They rolled across the stone arena snapping at each other like true rabid wolves. When their progress was finally arrested, it was with Jacob atop Rochelle. She lay on her back as he straddled her just below the swell of her breasts. He couldn't resist a leer and she reached up to swipe that arrogant look off his face. He caught her arm on its way up and forced it back down to the ground. Her other hand shot up and actually managed to wrap around his neck before he caught her wrist and pulled it off, scraping his hide in the process. She tried to jam her knee into his back, but due to her prone position she was unable to put much power into the blow. In fact, she only succeeded in worsening her situation as Jacob slammed her other arm to the ground.

For a moment, the duel seemed to pause as the two combatants stopped for breath. As he looked down at her, Jacob was struck by how beautiful Rochelle looked in the moonlight. He took a deep breath and spoke, his voice deepened by his changed physiology. "Ready to give up now?" he asked.

She snarled. "What do I look like, your dream girl?" With that, she threw her head back and brought her legs up, crossing her ankles around Jacob's neck. He let out an angry back as his muzzle was forced upwards, but hung on to her arms. Rochelle's eyes narrowed as she tightened the muscles in her thighs, forcing him back. As she pushed him, his refusal to let go of her arms brought her up. Finally, when he felt his back touch the cool stone, he realized he was being pinned and let go of her arms to pull at her ankles instead. With a triumphant grin, she brought her fists up in a traditional boxing stance. As he finally managed to free his windpipe, she gave him just enough time to realize his situation before she struck.

The blow landed right on his muzzle and snapped his head back into the stone. "One!" she barked.

Another punch, this one striking him just below the eye. "Two!"

The last blow was an uppercut that caught him on the jaw and again slammed his head into the ground. "Three strikes, you're out!"

His backhanded blow caught her by surprise and knocked her sideways. There was a momentary scramble and by the time she rose to her feet, it was to the sight of him already at full height and bouncing from foot to foot in an imitation of her boxing stance. "Don't count me out unless you've got my say-so," he said harshly, then leapt forward and delivered a one-two punch to her midsection. Rather than backing off, she leaned down and slammed her shoulder into his ribcage. He caught her by the neck and threw her to the ground. She rolled and came up just in time to fend off his next series of blows.

The exchange was fast and breathtaking. The two lycanthropes gasped for air as frenzied punches and kicks found their mark or were directed aside. Far above them, the moonlight shone down without interruption, as though Luna herself were the judge of the contest. Beneath her light, they pummeled each other. They kicked. They scratched. They even bit when the opportunity arose.

Rochelle kept her center of gravity low as she stepped in, attacked, and stepped back quickly. Jacob stayed right with her, refusing to allow her the luxury of wearing him down from afar. As she retreated from one such attack, he stepped in faster than she would have given him credit for and seized her by the throat and crotch simultaneously. Before she could think to protest or even fully understand what was happening, she was being heaved off the ground and into the air. Rather than attempt to struggle free, she concentrated on something else entirely.

As Jacob threw her, he felt her weight shift and knew what was coming. When she hit the ground, it wasn't on two feet but four solid paws. As her clothes hit the ground around her, the fully-transformed Rochelle turned and leapt at Jacob, her massive jaws yawning open.

He sidestepped the blond wolf's attack but the moment she touched the ground she spun and leapt a second time. He dropped and by the time he landed on all fours he, too, had become a huge wolf, one that shook off the clothes of a human to reveal a shining brown coat.

The two wolves circled each other, growling furiously. Jacob was the first to leap, barking and snapping at Rochelle as she swiped at him with paws strong enough to snap a human's neck. Blood came as he caught her neck and clamped down. She yelped in pain even as she tried to close her jaws around his ear. Jacob shook her viciously, trying to force her to the stone, but she held her ground, placing a paw on his shoulder and opening him up when her claws scraped on his hide. He finally released her and the two again fell apart, their breath smoking as it touched the night air.

Before Rochelle could compose herself, Jacob lowered his head and charged. The rush caught her by surprise, bending her right front leg in a direction it was not supposed to go and sending her sprawling. Jacob reared up on his hind legs and came down on her, ready to take a bite out of her midsection, but she found her legs just in time and scampered away. He chased her across the arena, barking and snarling like a wolf truly gone mad.

Without warning, Rochelle kicked her rear legs out to one side and skidded to a stop. Unable to halt, Jacob slammed into her and once again they were sent sprawling, legs entangled. This time, it was Rochelle who came out on top. She didn't hesitate, sinking her teeth into his vulnerable neck and holding it in an iron grip. He yelped and scratched at her belly furiously but she only squeezed her eyes shut to hide the pain and held on. He thrashed, his fangs nicking her ear as he fought to get free. As seconds ticked by, Jacob's struggles became more and more subdued until he finally ceased them altogether, lying on his back with only his breathing to mark that he still lived.

Rochelle wasn't quite willing to release him entirely, so she drew her lips back and spoke through a grimace. "Yield."

He took a few more breaths before replying. "I yield," he said simply.

Rochelle released him and stepped away, watching him for treachery, but he only rolled onto his side as though ready to fall asleep. With a whine almost too soft to be heard, he finally rose to his feet, though he looked unsteady. Rochelle started to turn away but her injured front right leg suddenly gave way. She prepared herself for the fall, but suddenly Jacob was there beside her, his muzzle beneath hers as he helped her remain upright. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Not a problem, Lady," he replied, his voice equally quiet. "Maybe you'd better lie down and get your strength back."

Without replying, she did as he suggested. The polished stone felt reassuringly cool and she stretched her leg out as she rested. Jacob nosed at it, then moved to gently lick at her neck where he'd bitten her. Rochelle closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation. "You'll be fine, Lady," he said a moment later.

"Don't call me that," she whined.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Jacob, please!" She looked at him imploringly. "At least wait until the others know."

He was silent.

"Are you angry?" she asked a moment later.

"That I lost?" He shook himself. "No. I'm disappointed in myself, but not angry." He stepped forward and gently licked her on the jaw. "I think you'll make a fine pack leader, Rochelle," he said as she returned the gesture of affection. "I suppose I'll just have to comfort myself with knowing I was almost good enough to make it."

She barked in sudden amusement and leapt, catching his head between her paws. The two wolves changed as they rolled over and when they stopped, they were human again. Jacob laughed and playfully tapped a finger on her cheek as he looked up at her. "It's been a hell of a night," he said.

She caught his hand and guided it somewhere she liked it better. "The night's still young," she said softly. "And if we've been through hell-" a mischievous smile blossomed on her face "-then maybe it's time for a little bit of heaven."

[Zaia]

Oooh, very good. There will be more, yes?

[Ghost Rider]

Coolness...a werewolf tale

[LadyTevar]

FANTASTIC!!!!

[Lindar]

nice, and i admit i was on the edge of my seat for a bit of it...*rolls eyes, isna sure what exactly to say* Though, I definetly liked that the boy got whomped.

[Ace Pace]

Very nice, is this a one shot, or will this continue?

[Kuja]

Very nice, is this a one shot, or will this continue?

One-shot.

[Ace Pace]

Very nice, is this a one shot, or will this continue?

One-shot.

*Hands Kuja the Best-pacing-Ever Award.*

[Zaia]

Very nice, is this a one shot, or will this continue?

One-shot.

Hey! *scowls* That's not what you said before!

[Kuja]

Very nice, is this a one shot, or will this continue?

One-shot.

Hey! *scowls* That's not what you said before!

What I said before was that if this one attracted enough attention I would do a sequel. I never said I was going to continue this particular story as such.

[Zaia]

What I said before was that if this one attracted enough attention I would do a sequel. I never said I was going to continue this particular story as such.

Huh, I thought we were talking about the storylines for more of this story, not another one.