Brutal Beginnings (Daven)

Belladonna trudged through the murky streets of this new city. Bella didn't even remember what these people had called it. All she knew was that the smells were enough to kill her. The stench of waste and rotted flesh were all encompassing. Her feline sensitivities did not mesh well with the refuse that was floating in the streets. But, here she was attempting to blend in the best she could. It was well after nightfall now. A perfect time to find some worthless soul who really didn't need that extra coin, but she and Pandora did. Her soft leather boots squished into the dark mud that was probably more dung than actual dirt as she peered out from below her leather hood.

There were a couple of fellows that seemed hell bent on merry making and didn't give a fig on who got in their way. One was a tall sallow looking gent, his stringy hair only looked more like flailing straw with the serious amount of grease and soot that had settled in it. The other was shorter and far more portly. Of course he was the loudest, most like over-compensating for his low self esteem. Bella watched them from afar, just like any predator surveying their surroundings and then focusing on their targets. She was sure they would have at least a little coin that would aid her in finding lodgings for the evening.

That brought about a whole new sort of hellish memory. Pandora and Bella sleeping in the stalls of livestock, if they were lucky high in the lofts with sweet smelling hay. More often than not huddled together behind some building hoping that the local parasite masses didn't discover their whereabouts until they were long gone. It had been far too long since either girl had hunted and the paltry excuses for meat one bought in a kitchen somewhere were a far cry from the wild game to be found beyond the Wastelands. But they could never return to those wide open spaces. Not until things changed anyway. They were little better than hunted outcasts.

It was in settlement's like these that they had their best chance of covering their scent and staying out of the Shifter's radar. The two men had just rounded a corner beside a loud tavern, of course they were following a woman of what was probably ill repute. Either way, she didn't care, she would have their coin, it was their choice if they lived to make more the next day. With all the stealth of a natural marauder Bella crossed the street and listened from the corner facing away from the dank alley. The disgusting things they were bandying back and forth did not bear any thought so she squatted low to the ground and crept around the side.

She pulled a small boot dagger from her laces and got within a few feet of where the trio even now shared a bottle of some sort of spirit and laughed as if they hadn't a care in the world. The small portly fellow was directly in front of her with his back in her direction. She watched his shoulders quake with his guffaws at the raunchy conversation they all shared. Bella wasted no more time, she leapt from the ground with all the agility of a sinewy cat. She stood a good five inches taller than he so therefore had that advantage as well. The point of the blade poked at his jugular. The quakes immediately turned into violent bodily racks as he attempted to dislodge himself from her hold, her arm was around his chest and he finally realized the prick of the blade. *NPC* "What here? Who are ye?" *NPC*

Bella simply hissed and spat in his ear. The other two 'friends' had squealed once they saw the flash of metal and had ran out the other end of the alleyway. Bella had to make this quick, she didn't know how authorities in this part of the world were and how fast they would show up. "Just shut up, if you want to join your companions, I suggest you simply give me your coin." She waited to receive the currency as she knew she would. It never failed, once a creature, whatever biology, saw their own mortality staring at them in the face they would gladly give their first born to just take one more breath. In that instant, Belladonna held that hope in the palm of her hand. That was usually a very dangerous place to be.

The calm of the night was settled in beautifully and the sky was clear as could be remembered thus far for the Demon. Lazy clouds drifted along the sky here and there and the starts were dancing in the sky in large numbers as the light of the moon illuminated the alleyways and streets more then average this evening and it was all rather perfect. Daven was on his way to collect his money from a couple of his stooges and was greeted with one of the men running down the alley and skidding to a halt in front of him. The fear in his eyes was clear as the demon cocked his head to the side wondering what it was that had him running and without his friend.

"Willy what is it that has you running so quickly from your normal haunt?" The question was direct and the man showed quickly how fearful of Daven he was as he explained it all in one breath and quickly. The demon caught each word and smirked licking his lips. Gripping the grown man by the ear Daven pulled and began to walk down the alleyway to head in the direction of the one who was bold enough to rob his men. He was well known in these parts and as it stood he was the one you went to see when you had a problem. You also paid him for that service and this person was taking money he was going to collect.

The next thing Bella and the person she had at knife point would see is the larger man sailing into a brick wall. His body would hit with such force that it actually cracked the wall in a few places and his body stuck to it for a second before hitting the ground twitching. Turning the corner Daven would come into view with a wicked grin upon his face while looking to the man at knife point and then his attacker. "Well well well...it seems to me you have come to the wrong part of town to get your rocks off robbing people. That is not a good thing for you my dear."

He locked eyes with her and undid the button on the right sleeve of his black dress shirt. Rolling it up above the elbow he would then repeat the process with his left. Pulling the shirt out from where it was tucked into his black faded jeans it would hand loosely about him. One hand ran through his hair as a wicked smirk came to his face now. "The best thing for you to do right now sweetheart is remove your knife from his neck and hand him that money to bring to me. That or I can take what is owed to me out on you and then take my money.

The threat was clear and he was making no bones about what he would do should she not do as she was told. Reaching in his pocket he pulled out a lighter and simply held it in his hand for some reason. His eyes flashed a dangerous red as he lifted his chin slightly to regard her. There was no way to tell by looking at him how dangerous he really was. As far as people around her thought when he first showed up he was simply a pretty boy who got lost. Needless to say that opinion was quickly changed when he slaughtered anyone who came to close for his liking.

"Your a pretty little thing from what I can tell my dear. I would hate to have to change that. Release him and ill let you keep the money. Provided of course that you can get away from me. You see you have caught me on a good night and this is a one time only deal. So your choices now as it stands are let him go and hand me my money or let him go and fight me for it. Ill tell you know if that knife goes any further into his neck im going to repay you that kindness ten fold and more."

Tall, skinny, and scummy went flying into a wall. The quick movement did nothing to detract her from her mission. She now had a hand full of coin that would last them for at the very least a week. A small grunt of satisfaction at seeing such a display of inhumanity escaped her lips at the sight. Then a tall slender figure approached. The moonlight swept across his shoulders and the face of what Bella imagined would be the evening star, if it could take human form, was before her. His eyes were so cold, it was as if they were two bottomless pits filled with all the misery's of the world. He may be beautiful, but her instincts told her he was also deadly.

Still, her knife never wavered from the spot with which she held it. If for nothing else insurance. He obviously didn't want her to kill his men. After all, they lined his pockets right? She gripped him tighter and thought to back away from the scene holding him hostage. But one look at the twitching figure on the ground told her he wouldn't be to aggrieved to do the same to the colleague she now held against her. The most amusing thing about the whole situation was he thought she got her jollies off on robbing, when the fact of the matter was she much preferred earning her keep.

"Joke's on you Mister. One who steals for fun is likely to run and learn a lesson, those who steal for necessity do it for survival and will not give up life easily." She held her stance as he continued his orders. As if she would simply hand over easy coin. It wasn't her fault he left his livelihood up to morons like these guys. Pushing the blade a millimeter closer she allowed one drop of blood to appear. This was not negotiable. If he wanted the guy left alive he better back off. She was starting to feel cornered and an animal was far more dangerous and a lot more likely to react rather than think once cornered.

It was then he made an offer that her black little heart couldn't walk away from. She was a prideful young woman and had never turned down a challenge. All she needed to do was defend herself, and if she somehow lucked into another schmuck who thought he was big and bad more was the better. After all, if he was their benefactor, imagine how much coin he would have on his person. Thoughts of habitable living quarters, a huge meal, and Pandora warm for at least a while were too desirable to pass up. She completely ignored his comments on how he would hate to have to ruin her looks. All she knew was that she wasn't giving up this coin and the option to garner more was a temptation of another level.

Bella pushed the fat man down to the ground and placed her boot on the back of his neck, pressing his face just inches from the mud. His nose would hover just above certain suffocation. "I accept, but don't get too angry when you lose." She grinned a little sadistically, "Nothing is more pathetic than a sore loser." She threw the dagger point down to stick in the mud next to the man's face. Then she reached into a halter strapped to her back to draw out a long straight blade. The hilt filled her hand as if it had been made for her. She had picked this up from some fool who thought to chase Pandora down.

She unlaced the leather ties holding her cloak in place. The leather dropped to the ground revealing a curvaceous young woman dressed in leather with pieces of metal armor on her shoulders. The sword held aloft she took her stance and looked down the long blade to the fallen angel's face. Belladonna was a trained warrior and was not fearful of anything, that included the eternal sleep. For all of her training one thing that her mentor hadn't beaten into her skull was to await attack. Instead, with the pride of a lion she charged at her challenger.

It had been a long time since he had to whoop the snot out of a new jack in these parts and it seemed tonight was the night to show this one her place. She shoved the fat man down onto the ground and her foot was placed upon his neck keeping him from getting away as she drew a larger blade and decided that it would be game time for the pair. He held his hand behind his back and light the lighter as she leveled her blade in his direction. The fire jumped onto his hand and began to spread as he sucked the heat from it so as not to do any harm to himself in the process. His eyes flashed black for a moment and as they did he felt a jolt run through his body. He knew that his speed and strength were now unlocked as they should be for the fight and he had to be careful to end this quickly.

The fire spread out of her view as she charge at him so recklessly and he did not budge an inch. Rather he stood there and waited until the last possible second and that was when he spun out of the way and away from the sword as well with an inhuman pace. The movement was so swift he was sure she would know that he was beyond human if she did not already. He did not move from to far away from her however because he had a surprise in store for the lovely little thief.

As he came to a stop his hand came around covered in flames and he attempted to simply bitch slap the girl with his inflamed hand. The move would most likely sting like a son of a bitch and hopefully open her up for another attack should it land. However as he brought that hand around he knew she would still be moving from her charge which he hoped would lead her into that hand. So with that he lifted his leg and brought it up to try and give her a nice boot to the ass for her effort.

He was going to toy with her at first before he got real and put her down for the trouble she was causing him. He wanted to fluster her and piss her off as much as he could. It would open her up to more attacks and she would hopefully over do it and tire quickly making her a much easier target. There was also the mind games that he was going to bring into play. Picking on her and treating this like some kind of game would belittle her and should the effect he intended settle in then she would feel helpless against him.

Backing away swiftly in the direction of the fat man she left behind he would clap his hands together and the fire would ignite upon his other hand now as well. Then those flames would circle up his arms to settle just below the elbow in coils about this slender weapons. He cocked his head to the side and smiled to himself in thought before his voice would sound out to bounce off the alley walls and voice his own twisted desires.

"You know little one if you do not try harder then this I am going to have to knock you out. Then ill drag you back to my place and peel the skin from your body and let you watch as I consume your heart and flesh. Your in the big leagues now and if your going to be here you better start bringing your A-game cupcake." The toying continued and with each word he was trying to dig into her head and screw with it just a little bit more. He would take every road that led to victory and provided him some amusement.

The fat man feeling safe began to push his body up and as he did he was greeted with a foot to the back of his head. Daven pushed him into the mud and began to drown him right then and there. "The reason I wanted him alive was so I could do this myself. I want you to take a good look here because if I am willing to do this to the people that pay me just imagine what my plans for you are." The man flailed but after a few moments he went limp and soon stopped moving all together.

Her focus was on his heart, if there was one there. A hair, just a whisper of air between the deadly blade of her sword and the soft flesh she had been aiming for was missed. The shock of the disappearance threw her off kilter long enough to take her off course. The intended target was beside her, she did not notice the flames until she stopped with her blade extended in strike position and nothing met but thin air. Her head swiveled to the side and the ball of fire was close, so close she smelled the singe of her hair waft toward her nostrils. The only thing that saved her face was her cat like reflexes which caused her to swivel back at the waist in the nick of time. When she righted herself she felt a stiff kick meet with one side of her ass and part of her rounded hip.

The thrust knocked her against the opposite wall. Her sword hit the brick with a clang of sparks, her had splayed as she caught herself before barreling in head first. Spasms of impact shook through her hand and arms. Well, he was no human. That was apparent at this point. She didn't stay in her position for long, she ducked out of pure habit in case a second volley was coming and swung with her knees into a squat where she smiled, but he wasn't even near her. Now he stood across the alley and killed the man she had held at knifepoint. The sickening gurgles of lost breath only inflamed her ire. She had been charitable, or so she had thought. But that had been for naught. She should have drew his blood herself and at the very least took comfort in it. That had been robbed of her, and he called her a thief.

He was taunting her, that had been a lesson well learned from her mentor. She had never lost an opportunity to break Belladonna down. She had been harder on her, for Bella was a cat too. So, she had expected more out of her as a pupil. The taunts did not affect her for the most part. What did mess with her psyche was that he would be the first Other that she had ever crossed violent paths with. This could prove to be quite interesting... or messy... or both. Her mind whirled with the chaotic thoughts of the possible outcomes of her current situation. Either way, she wasn't going down without taking a piece of whatever he was with her. She was no cub and she'd be damned if she appeared that way.

Bella cracked her neck slowly and took her opponent in. This was a little more serious than just some coin now. It was a life lesson, one she would take and learn from. That's all her life had been one lesson after another. He would be no different. She hissed at him in a guttural growl. Bella's own voice sounded a little feral even to her own ears. But the threat of a stronger adversary was very real now. "Kill him, don't kill him. You really can't seem to figure out which way to go." Her eyes glittered green, "Does that stand true in the case of to run or not to run?" She stalked now, her eyes never left him, she had learned two things. One, he could manipulate the flame, she would do well to stay out of its licking fingers. Two, he had speed which rivaled if not surpassed her own, so just being faster would not win this day. She would have to be cunning.

Her feet crossed each other slowly as she circled the alley to stand on the same side as him now, her eyes fixed to his corporeal form. A direct attack would do no good, he would look for that. It's what she had displayed. He only had two ways to go if she charged again, either back or to the side. He wasn't one to retreat, that was quite evident with his narcissistic behavior. He would go to the side, she was sure of it. When she charged this time, she aimed for the left hoping she would connect causing him to trip. Her idea was to get him on the ground. He should be slower if not on his feet right? Take your prey down and then destroy it from the bottom.

Taking a leaping attack she jumped from the balls of her heels but crouched low in the distance, her aim was to trip him at the very least and be on top of him before he recovered. She aimed for his legs to be moving right where her side would be as she hopped. It was a risky move taking oneself low, but with a creature like him, there was no other option she could think of at this moment.

Every move she made was taken in with those demonic piercing eyes of his and as she spoke not a single word was uttered from his mouth. She seemed to be trying to fuck with him in some kind of way but he was immune to it at this point as he set his mind to the task of ripping her apart. He was not going to kill her he had decided that already but he was going to make sure she remembered him every time she thought of robbing someone in this part of town. It was not so much the issue of her taking the money it was that she was taking his money which he was using to fund a private project.

He licked his lips as she seemed to take her time and plan the attack route out this time. He could see the wheels turning in her head as she plotted out a better course of action for this second attack. The first one she tossed at him when she charged in was both reckless and clumsy. A direct assault like that built far to much momentum that could be used against the one pulling it off and he had to figure she was simply testing him. Well played indeed.

A second charge came in and he toyed with the idea of simply tossing the fire from his hand directly into her face and kicking her there as well just to teach her a lesson. However the idea of moving seemed the better option as he wanted her to be frustrated with her failed attempts to tackle him and so he moved to the side quickly to avoid the charge much as she predicted he would and he soon found that out.

Tripping over her body a flash of anger showed on his face as his ankle cause her rib's and he began to call over her. Pushing his hands out in front of him he placed them on the ground and pulled against his palms while lifting his legs as high as he could. The result was his back hitting the ground the momentum rolling his body to stand with his back to her for a brief second. Taking off at a full sprint he headed for the wall before him.

His right foot planted on it and he lifted him self slightly then his left did the same to carry him a bit higher as he ran up the wall a good five or six feet before he kicked off once again with his right foot. This time he used that foot to push off the wall and launch him into a back flip.His arms spread wide as he sailed through the air and he could see her on the ground from the wall and his only hope as that he would catch her as he intended to.

His arms spread side as he now fell through the air and he tucked his knees up to his chest which were coming down aimed for the small of her back. At the last second he would push his legs down as hard as he could to thrust them out and add to the force of this falling stomp in the hopes of breaking her spine should she still be laying there when he came down. He decided not to kill her but then again paralyzing your victim was not death was it?

It had worked, a short but enjoyable thrust of gratification filled her chest as she felt his legs hit her side. Quickly her head turned to see her prize flat on his stomach, but he moved so fast she quickly lost her feeling of satisfactory adulation. There she lay tummy down in the much, splats of the rotten earth dotted her cheeks and nose. Her eyes widened as he literally ran up a wall. It was as if gravity were not a law that applied to him. His body moved fluidly up the side of the brick facade like a spider. Then he began to sail through the air.

She knew he was not simply going to take the landing. No, he would crush her. Or attempt to, she did not notice his foot primed for her back. It didn't matter, she knew she was in a vulnerable spot. Bella tucked her chin and rolled quickly from her belly to her back, then repeated the same get away tactic. In a split second she was up in a cat like defensive position. Her right knee bent while the left foot bent to the side and behind her in a spring setting . Her arms were splayed apart, the left held aloft for balance, and the right yielding her sword. Bella's eyes were crackling green fire at her quarry.

What was he? Humans and most others didn't climb walls as if they had sticky feet. This was changing quickly. What should have been an easy kill and a lesson learned was turning into the most dangerous lesson she had been involved in to date. This could end so badly. She was outclassed. It didn't happen often and most in her position would lay down their arms and beg for reprieve. However, Bella didn't have that in her. There wasn't a humble bone in her body and she highly doubted there ever would be. That being said, she was no naive girl and knew the best outcome of this little tussle would be the very fact she had survived. Even if she ran, he would surely give chase with his inhuman speed and even as fast as she herself was, it would be no easy feat.

It was too early to count her chicks before they hatched, this man had now been insulted. She hadn't harmed him, well not physically but to be taken out at the knees by a woman was something most men she had met couldn't tolerate. It may well come down to her death, but she would go down ripping and clawing every piece of him with her that she could. Bella suffered a moment of weakness thinking of Pandora. She would be out doing much the same right now, scraping, robbing, hopefully earning their nightly meal. Would her sister be alright if she died? The answer to that question was a resounding no. She was her sisters keeper and she would be damned if some man took her out.

She allowed the anger and fear to build within her, it provided strength. To hate was to be strong, to fear but to follow through was courageous. Her mind began to buzz with ways to destroy the man to whom she danced with. Charging him wouldn't work, bringing him to the ground was impossible, so what could she do other than... that's when it hit her. She was much stronger in animal form and faster, the surprise of her shift would shock him she hoped. It had many times before gotten her out of a rough scrap or two. Knocking someone off of their logic could sometimes be a powerful weapon in its own right. Fact was, even if it didn't she stood a better chance of making a run for it.

Her mind was still whirring but she fought hard to tamp down the sometimes obnoxious plans sprouting in her head. It took control and inward concentration to shift her body to that of the cat. Deep breaths through her nose and through her mouth she began to take in the svelte regal lines of the white tiger. The pointy ears perked and twitching with excitement or deep thought. The tail trailing behind it much like the royal robes of a king. The tigers eyes so clear and golden were rimmed with ebony lines and hair. The paws thick and sturdy, perfectly formed for thundering across an open field. She felt the change begin in her body. Her muscles started to pull taught and strain against her creamy flesh. Just a little more concentration and she would become... the cat.

Landed upon the solid ground and turned to see her having gracefully avoided his rather rough landing. The ground beneath him cracked a bit and spider webbed out from the strength of the blow that it took. His eyes managed to catch her standing and the look of anger on her face caused him to smirk slightly as he assumed he was making her rather frustrated with the whole situation. That was when he bones began to crack and a tail started to appear. At first Daven assumed she was nothing more then another were that thought itself stronger and faster in it's human form then it was but as the shift continued he found that he was mistaken.

Were-creatures were notorious for there change and he had seen it many times but what she was doing was something all together different entirely. He watched the sword he was holding clang to the ground as she shifted and he saw the perfect chance to hopefully anger her further. He ran at her while she continued to change and at the last second baseball slid across the ground with his arm outstretched for the dropped sword. His goal was to capture it in one hand and then using his free hand he would move to stand himself up and finish the slide before turning to face her.

The change she was going through was unlike anything he had ever seen and he actually stood there a few moments wondering exactly what was going to happen. Logic told him that if he had the sword he could simply sell it off and make the money she had back and she would lose a weapon in the process. But the desire to see what she would become captivated him and he was forced to watch on until her change was complete.

The fire around his arms cackled and lit up the alleyway casting lengthy shadows along the walls and ground. People on the sidewalk were starting to notice what was going on and were either looking on in shock or running to find the nearest guard to come deal with the issue. Daven had little time to deal with her now and he was not about to expose himself to the guard so his face could be posted up all around town. He would have to leave but not before his curiosity was sated as to what she was doing.

Muscles stretched taut, tendons warped into a macabre of what normal human anatomy would have, bones dislocated from their pouches of joints, cartilage popping as it melded into different shapes altogether, white hair popped from follicles racing across expanses of Bella’s chest, arms, and legs. Long coarse whiskers sprouted from her mostly human looking face, but then her jaw distended, her chin taking on a more square shape. Her ears also elongated, coming to soft points at the top. Bella dropped down onto her hands. Hunched over the rest seemed to happen in seconds. Her spine curved, her pants hit the ground as her tail and hindquarters were now those of a cat. Her top had thankfully been shirked earlier. The only remaining parts of Bella were her golden/green eyes. She pulled back her lips and bared elongated incisors and growled low in warning.

She was no completely transformed into a large white tiger replete with charcoal stripes. The tiger padded around in circles, her temperament would be completely foreign to one that didn’t understand animals. Body language was different; she backed into the wall and sunk her front paws low while bringing her back legs down into a tight spring, ready to leap in defense if necessary. Her eyes were now fixed upon her opponent. Intelligence would be seen beneath their golden depths. The feline stayed in her crouched position, but inside Bella was watching. She was still completely cognate. She just couldn’t communicate. No talking animals. Peering at Daven she locked eyes. It was usually dangerous to hold eye contact with a cat, and she was no different. She now saw the evilness, the darkness that radiated within the unknown stranger.

Seeing that he wouldn’t move, he seemed frozen to the spot she began to circle him, much like she would a type of prey. Part of her wanted to pounce then and there. Her mind clambered to claim a prize of flesh and blood, but the calculating nature won out and she merely studied him. He was tall, she hadn’t really noticed before, but he was extremely tall. Good looking as well, too good looking. He was dangerous beyond belief. He exuded a fascinating air of power. So dark that it sang to very soul. Deep within Bella was not a light being. She was born of lies and blood, reared in pain. It was fear that succored her tortured heart. There was something undeniably attuned to the madness that consumed her attracting to him. He commanded respect.

Bella didn’t want to go down this road. To pledge allegiance was to give dependence over. She would never do that. Leaving her fate in the hands of another was her deepest fear. Pandora and she had been taught to trust no one and believe in nothing but each other. They had to stick together. Usually Bella was the hardest one to get to, but when she found herself in the pure evil, she felt alive. Now she became just as curious as he seemed to be. Her fangs were no longer bared and she had quieted the growls to a deep rumble. She didn’t trust him, but she respected him. Just as she would respect anyone or anything that was kindred to her own darkness.

Pandora would know of this encounter, if there were beings such as this in the area then surely they had found a place they may stay for a little time. No shifter would dare enter some a malevolent place. The stench of evil generally turned them away as it was too much for their animalistic senses to bear. Bella and Pan were different. They were the scourge of their race. Daughters born to their feline mother, only to be known as abominations later, it was the sister’s one cat one dog, that mother’s told their daughters of to scare them from ever looking at other clans as possible mates. The girls were now legendary among the shifter race. They were the results of indiscretion, bred in the wild, and feral in nature.