Part 3

Vycios held the chain tightly in his grip and tugged on it to show the distressed warrior who was holding the reins.

“I know what you’re thinking Xena. “No, she can’t be the werewolf. It’s impossible.” If you don’t believe me, believe your own eyes. You saw her eyes, you saw the beastly yellow gleam in them. That is a clear mark of a werewolf or do you have another explanation for it?” Vycios said with a satisfied grin. Gabrielle’s eyes started filling with tears as she looked at her friend and didn’t want to believe what she had just seen and heard.

“No, Exl…” Gabrielle said as the first tears fell onto her cheeks. Seeing Gabrielle’s tears and the distressed gaze of Xena seemed like a pleasure to the young man.

“She was a hard one to catch, you know, she really gave us a good chase. We came so close to finding you several times, but you always managed to slip away. But I knew that sooner or later you’d make a mistake and then you would be ours”, Vycios said, pulling the chain around Exl’s neck tighter and it started to be hard for Exl to breathe.

“Stop it, leave her alone!” Xena shouted furiously and after turning to look at Xena for a moment, Vycios loosened his grip and Exl was able to take a deep breath.

“I can see how a million thoughts must be running through your mind, Xena. You’re angry at seeing your friend in this chain like an animal, but you know what you just saw. I know you want to get your hands around my throat and squeeze as hard as you can, but it won’t change the fact that I have a werewolf here in my hands. You’re wondering why you didn’t see this coming, why you didn’t see any of the signs in her. If I’m not mistaken, neither one of you went into Exl’s room around the time of midnight. If you would’ve, you might have seen everything with your own eyes. But why listen to me, let’s hear what your Guardian has to say for herself”, Vycios said, looking directly at Xena before yanking hard on the chain to get Exl closer. Exl stumbled forward but managed to keep herself from tripping. Then she lifted her gaze to look at her family and with a sigh, she began to tell her story.

“It was the day we arrived, Xena had given me the fever medicine and when night finally arrived, I was able to get some sleep. Nearly immediately after I fell asleep, I started having a terrible nightmare about a monster that kept chasing me, and after it caught me, it started to feel like there was a raging fire burning inside of me. I tried to calm myself, but it was no use. The fire spread all across my body and I started to transform into… some kind of creature, I saw how my hands and feet started turning into huge paws with sharp claws and felt how my entire body changed. I grew much taller and more powerful, I felt like I had the strength of several men. Then everything I saw turned into a different shade, a different color and it was as if the darkness had almost turned into daylight. When I looked around me, I could clearly see a tree twice as far away than what I could usually see. I panicked and just ran away. I ran and ran before I suddenly just stopped. Even though I was standing in the middle of the quiet forest, I could hear the smallest movement in the bushes and sense how every little creature moved around me. It all felt so unreal, it was like someone else had invaded my body and was controlling it completely. After walking around the forest for a while, I felt how my body started to change again and then everything went black. If something happened after that, I can’t remember anything of it.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Gabrielle asked after calming down and looking at Exl with her sad emerald eyes.

“On both the following mornings I woke up in my bed in my room at the inn and I looked and felt completely normal, so I assumed it had all been just a dream. A crazy, unbelievable dream, something I thought could never be real. And I thought that if I told you or anyone else, everyone would think I’m crazy or that I imagined it because of the fever. I didn’t want to worry you because I thought you had enough on your hands helping Vycios and his friends capture the werewolf. So I decided to keep it to myself, thinking that the dreams would go away when I’d get better.

But tonight everything was different. I stayed up because I was worried about you going after the werewolf again. All of a sudden, everything inside of me was on fire again and I knew that this was no dream. I helplessly watched as my body started to change into the beast of my nightmares. I saw my reflection in the mirror and I lost control of everything. I remember trying to grab my weapons but it was too late, I had no control over myself and once the transformation was complete, I just didn’t know what to do. I had to get out because if you would’ve found me in my room as a werewolf, you would’ve tried to kill me because you would have thought that I had killed… the human me. I tried to hide in the forest, but I knew that you’d find me, especially you Xena. I was almost about to give up when I smelled something familiar and I recognized you immediately. I thought you were alone, so I thought I’d try to approach you carefully. That maybe I could give you a sign that it was me, I mean the real me behind that beastly figure.

But then I sensed that something was wrong, I smelled three other figures close by. The last thing I remember before everything went black again was that one of them jumped me and after I gained consciousness of my surroundings, I was tied up and chained.

I’m sorry that everything happened the way they did. I know that I should have told you about my “dreams” immediately the next morning, but what good would it have done? What would’ve you done if I had just said: “You can stop looking for the werewolf. I’m the monster you’re looking for, I’m the werewolf.” You never would’ve believed it to be true, until… I would have really hurt someone”, Exl said, turning her gaze away from her family. She couldn’t bear to look at them, she just couldn’t.

“What a nice little story. Happy now Xena? You heard everything with your own ears, every last word. I’d say that qualifies as a full confession, don’t you think? All that needs to be done now is turn her over to the villagers, I’m sure they’ll be glad to get their hands on the beast which has been scaring them half to death”, Vycios smirked, staring into Xena’s eyes from afar.

“Yes Vycios, you’re right. Exl has confessed that she has been transformed into a werewolf. But you and I both know for a fact that she is NOT the one who has been frightening the villagers and killing their livestock”, Xena said confidently.

“What?” both Gabrielle and Exl said with amazement as Exl quickly turned to look at the tall warrior. The smile on Vycios’ face was wiped away as he started to realize that Xena was on to something. Xena turned to look at Gabrielle and then back at Exl, and with her usual calmness she said:

“Vycios is the werewolf, they’re all werewolves.”

Exl turned around to see the dark, soulless leer in Vycios’ eyes and the tiny smirk on his face as he looked quickly at the men holding the warrior and the bard in their tight grips. The two men were just as amazed as Vycios, but never loosened their hold of the women for a split second.

“I have to give it to you Xena, you’re just as amazing as everyone says you are. Yes, I am a werewolf by blood, so are Malicios and Crucios, my brothers. We come from a long line of werewolves, originating all the way back from the time of King Lycaon of Arcadia, our ancestor. We’ve continued his legacy and soon everything will be the way he wanted. His descendents will rule all of Greece!” Vycios said, throwing aside his role as mister nice guy.

“Yes, you and all the other power hungry warlords. So how do you plan to do it?” Xena taunted.

“You won’t believe how ingenious our plan is, Xena. Remember what we discussed about werewolves being smart. You were right, in a way, because we still have what you called “human sense” in us, we came up with the perfect plan.

            First, either Malicios or Crucios would go ahead to the next village and start scaring the people, killing some cattle and leaving prints everywhere so that people would start to fear. Then he would find a suitable victim and bite them so that their blood would be infected. And because it takes a few days for the transformation to be complete, depending on the victim, we would arrive in the village a couple days later and start “hunting”. Sometimes it can take a while to find the newly transformed werewolf somewhere near the village, but eventually we do.

We confront them and offer them a place in our pack. If they accept, we send them to the rest of our pack and then we would report to the villagers that the beast which has terrorized them, has been disposed of. However, if they don’t accept our offer, we kill them and bring their body to the villagers so they can see for themselves that the monster is dead. Our pack will grow larger and the people of the villages will feel safe again. Of course those we select to join us are the “unfortunate victims” of a hungry werewolf trying to satisfy its thirst for blood”, Vycios proudly told.

“But you’re taking fathers and mothers from their children, sons and daughters from their families. You’re destroying people’s lives!” Gabrielle accused rightfully.

“I won’t let my family become extinct if there’s something I can do to prevent it! I won’t let king Lycaon’s legacy die without a fight!” Vycios shouted and taking a few steps closer to Xena and Gabrielle. The women stared at Vycios until he turned around and returned to Exl.

“So that’s what this is all about? Your family is dying, you’re losing your numbers”, Xena said, hearing Vycios’ rage.

“You’re right once again Xena, it’s all about the numbers. Since the days of our ancestors and our forefather king Lycaon, werewolves have been hunted like common animals but we’ve always been able to keep our numbers steady. People have chased us and killed us because we’re monsters in their eyes and even though we’ve fought back, we’ve lost so many brothers and sisters. And like in most families, there comes a point when one generation starts to grow old, and fresh blood and new members are needed. That’s exactly what’s happening to our family as we speak. If we do nothing, our family will wither and cease to exist. That’s why my brothers and I decided to start “recruiting” people. We started roaming around Greece to seek potential new werewolves and for a while we thought that our mission was hopeless. But then our luck changed, we came across several suitable candidates and before we knew it, our numbers had grown with more than a dozen new wolves. Remember the four werewolves we mentioned killing? I wasn’t lying, that’s the number of those who didn’t want to join our pack and were destroyed”, Vycios explained, seeming angry and a bit sad at the same time while telling about his family.

After a moment of silence Vycios started to pace back and forth in front of Exl and continued:

“Did you know Xena, that there are three kinds of werewolves? There are those who have been cursed by the gods, just like king Lycaon. Then there are those who are born werewolves, such as my brothers and I. Our father and his father before him and all of their fathers before them have been werewolves by blood. We are what someone could call “pure” werewolves. Those who are born pure can live up to be very, very old. There is an elder in our family who is over 120 years old and many of us wish to live as long as he has.

And then, there are those who are transformed by the infection after being bitten. Some of us like to say that they are… “reborn”. Both pure and reborn werewolves are needed to ensure that our family will live on and thrive. Every new member is welcome, no matter what background they come from. Just like your little friend here, she will be a perfect addition to our pack. She has so many skills and qualities we can use to our advantage”, Vycios said, looking at Exl hungrily and tracing a line on the left side of Exl’s face very slowly.

“No, what Exl told us wasn’t a confession. It was just a dream, a nightmare. She can’t be a werewolf, she doesn’t even have a bite mark! She can’t be infected!” Gabrielle shouted with disbelief.

“No, Gabrielle, he didn’t bite her. Remember what the scribe said: even the scratch of a werewolf could be enough to infect one's blood. You said that Exl had a cut on her left collarbone she couldn’t remember, that must be it. If we had checked it later after you cleaned it, we would have noticed the change in its color. Vycios had to scratch her, if he would’ve bitten her, we would’ve noticed it and figured out everything sooner”, Xena said, unraveling the puzzle bit by bit.

Vycios grinned and tugged the collar of Exl’s shirt slightly to uncover her left collarbone and there it was, the cut in question. And to verify Xena’s and Gabrielle’s fears, the color of the wound had turned into a nearly blackish red. Satisfied with proving that the wound was the origin of the infection, Vycios let go of the shirt and went on with the satisfied explanation.

“That’s right Xena. We were truly on our way to Tyros when those idiotic fools attacked us. Of course we could’ve taken them out, but we had to see if they would be useful to us somehow. That’s when the three of you rushed in to “save us” and that’s when I saw the perfect opportunity. We had Xena, the great Warrior Princess right in front of us, you were there like on a silver platter. But we couldn’t just attack you then and there, it would’ve been suicide. No, we needed something in our advantage and then I saw your young companion. Your little friend was a perfect target, we saw the way she fought even though she was sick and very weak. Imagine all her strength and skills when she was in perfect fit and if she was on our side. Because the full moon was near and her body was already weak, the transformation would be much quicker than usual. All it needed was just a little scratch and soon we would have a new member joining our pack.”

“But when did you… you were never even near her. She hasn’t left her room since we arrived and no-one else visited her room except us and the innkeeper”, Gabrielle tried to figure out.

“Oh, it doesn’t take more than a split second. I saw my opportunity when she knocked out that large brute who tried to loot us. When her back was turned, all it took was just a quick “swoosh” and that’s it.” Vycios emphasized his point by scratching the air with his forefinger.

“That’s why Exl’s fever wouldn’t go down and why she felt much weaker as the night came closer. Because the infection in her blood was transforming her and because the full moon was so close. That’s why my fever medicine wouldn’t work like it was supposed to”, Xena said, putting more bits of the puzzle together.

“Yes, and because near the full moon werewolves have a higher body temperature. You can feel it even through our fur. You could say that it’s a sign that the beast within is ready to come out”, Vycios explained. He turned to look at Exl and continued after putting his hand on her throat:

“Can you feel the heat under your skin Exl? Can you feel how your blood is starting to heat up?” The hot feeling of Vycios’ hand was unpleasant on Exl’s throat and she was starting to boil with anger when she snarled at the man:

“Take your beastly hand off of me before I rip it off.”

“Naughty little wolf, that’s no way to talk to your future brother”, Vycios continued his taunting seeing the anger building up within Exl. He got tired of his teasing in a few moments and walked away from her as he began to approach Xena and Gabrielle.

“Xena, you must tell me, how did you figure out who we really are? No-one has ever suspected us even the slightest bit”, Vycios asked curiously.

“You claimed to be experts in werewolf hunting, but you just weren’t able to catch the werewolf even though you said that you’d outsmart it when it least expects it and how simple it is because werewolves aren’t as smart as humans. And when I tried to talk to you about the prints near the village, you were very tense and worked-up about it. That kept puzzling me but I thought it was just because you wanted to help the villagers. Also, after arriving in the village, you never once asked about Exl’s condition, but that was simply because you knew exactly what was happening to her.

However one of the biggest details which gave you away were your weapons. For experts, your weapons lacked a vital element to be effective weapons against werewolves. None of them are made of silver, and according to what the village’s old scribe told us, a silver weapon is needed to kill a werewolf. But he also mentioned that werewolves can’t bear the touch of silver, so seeing that there was nothing made of silver in your weapons made my suspicions grow stronger. After seeing your weapons I started to wonder how you’ve killed all the werewolves you claimed. That’s when I remembered something else the scribe had said: a werewolf can be killed by another werewolf. You’ve never used a single weapon to kill anyone, you’ve just used a wolf’s natural weapons,” Xena explained, remembering what she had seen and hadn’t seen when she had asked to see the men’s weapons.

“That’s right. I wondered why you were so eager to see our weapons, but I thought it wouldn’t do any harm. I’ve never cared much about weapons, killing with our bare hands, I mean, our bare paws, is more natural and much more enjoyable. Fighting another werewolf with equal strength and equal “weapons” is a rare experience, so one must take the most one can out of it”, Vycios said admiring his hands and fingernails.

Exl looked at him angrily and spat at him with a low growl in her voice:

“If I had known that you were the werewolf when you attacked me, I would’ve used everything I had in me to rip you into shreds, with or without weapons.”

“I’m sure you would’ve. That would’ve been an interesting battle, I for one would’ve given you what you deserved for making your capture so tricky.

And for foiling our attempt to ambush Xena last night. We had her surrounded and we were ready to strike. If you hadn’t showed up and caught their attention, Xena would soon be one of us”, Vycios said, pulling at the chain around Exl’s neck.

“Exl, that was you last night? The one that ran just by us in the forest?” Gabrielle asked, amazed.

“Yes, at least I think so. At the time I thought I was only dreaming, but I remember being in the forest, I had just caught a rabbit and had finished eating when I thought I heard you somewhere nearby. I had to check it out because I thought that my mind was just playing tricks on me. When I got closer, I smelled something else near you, it was a strong, almost wolf-like scent and I sensed it could only mean danger. I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t just attack whatever it was because I didn’t know who or what it was. All that kept racing in my mind was that I had to warn you somehow. So the only thing I could think of was to get your attention and try to get you to notice that there was something else in the forest. I also thought that maybe I could get whatever it was to follow me and lead it away from you. After running around for a while, I noticed that no-one was following me and I just kept hoping that you were alright”, Exl told about the events of the previous night. Xena looked at Exl with an understanding gaze and continued:

“I wondered why the werewolf didn’t attack us last night, I thought it was because it had just eaten, but it was because the one running past us was Exl, who would never harm us and that it was Vycios or his brothers who killed the sheep to simply put the blame on Exl.”

“So it wasn’t Exl who killed the sheep?” Gabrielle asked optimistically.

“No, I swear it. Both nights after my transformation and running into the forest, I got hungry and my “instincts” told me to hunt for something. I could smell the sheep and other cattle, but I kept myself from even going near any of the farms or the village. I went deeper into the forest and then let my instincts guide me. After some trial and error, I managed to catch a couple rabbits and a pheasant. After I had finished eating, I felt how my body started to change back to normal and everything went black again”, Exl told the others. Xena knew Exl was telling the truth, she never doubted her for a second.

“It would’ve made things a lot easier for us if you would’ve let your animal instincts guide you completely instead of pretending to be a nice little puppy. Just to be clear, it was actually Crucios who did the dirty work, but it was an important part of our plan. We killed two sheep every night to make it look like the werewolf was approaching the village and because we have to eat as well, don’t we. Now you know Exl what it’s like to have animal instincts and to feel the true meaning of hunting. Or do you deny that it didn’t feel amazing to chase that rabbit and catch it with nothing but your claws?” Vycios said, looking at Exl with a devilish gaze. Exl turned away because she felt ashamed that Vycios was right in a way. Hunting had felt completely different than all the other times she had ever hunted and she remembered the satisfaction she felt after she managed to catch the rabbits by surprise.

“You can’t deny it, because it’s true. The beast inside of you has grown stronger and stronger every night and so has its hunger. Do you think that you’ll be able to satisfy its hunger and thirst for blood with just a few rabbits and some fowl? No, that won’t do at all. The beast needs to be fed, and just anything won’t do. Some nights you’ll start craving a sheep or two, the next night maybe a few chickens and a goat and then one night you’ll realize that you’ve taken down a cow. The hunger can grow so strong that nothing you eat will feel satisfying, and that’s when you might find yourself near some village. You’ll sneak around the village trying to find something, anything to satisfy that hunger.

Suddenly you smell something, something that draws you closer and closer. The scent of a human. You follow that scent and finally find its source. Your mouth is watering so much it starts to drive you crazy, you can’t control yourself. Before you know it, you’ve sunken your teeth into someone’s flesh and when you taste the blood, you know that your hunger will be satisfied. If they’re lucky, they won’t realize what hit them and they’re even luckier if they don’t feel a thing right after you sink your teeth into their neck”, Vycios circled Exl and every single word he said tormented her even more and more. Exl could see the situation clearly in her mind as Vycios explained it, she saw the innocent person who had a look of fear and horror in their eyes as the last bit of life in them faded away. She could almost taste the blood in her mouth and it was a taste most foul.

“Enough!” she shouted straight at Vycios and for a split second Vycios could see her eyes turn a beastly shade of yellow.

“Well that’s something I’ve never seen before”, Vycios said, studying Exl’s eyes closely. Exl stared at him with a fiery gaze and she hoped that it would’ve burned right through him.

“Very interesting, I must say”, Vycios continued looking at Exl from head to toe.

Xena kept looking at Vycios very intensely, trying to think of what was on his mind. There had to be something about all this she could turn against him.

“When I first saw you, I had no idea that things would go the way they did. If I had, I would’ve been more careful. Nearly everything about this particular encounter with the bunch of you has been far from easy. If everything would have gone exactly as we planned, we would’ve frightened the villagers nearly to death, then bitten Exl and after her transformation, she would’ve either joined us or died for opposing us. And then Xena would have been our next target”, Vycios explained, being annoyed by the troubles they had encountered.

“But your plan nearly failed, because you weren’t able to find Exl in the forest like you were supposed to. If you would’ve caught her the first night we arrived, like you claimed to have captured so many other werewolves, you would be long gone by now instead of having to run around the forest following cold tracks”, Xena said trying to get under Vycios’ skin.

“You may be surprised, but we actually did follow the prints I told you about and they did lead away from the village. We couldn’t have that, it would seem like the werewolf would be leaving the village alone if anyone saw the prints so far away from the village. The villagers had to think that they were really in danger, so that when we would bring them the werewolf’s hide, they’d be satisfied with our services. None of the villagers would have ended up as the werewolf’s victim, but the fate of poor Exl, taken from her room in the middle of the night and killed by the beast, how sad. Her body would never be found, not even a single piece. Her sacrifice would have been invaluable to the villagers and no-one would really ever miss her, except you two”, Vycios said, looking at Xena and Gabrielle in contempt.

“But because it took you so long to find the werewolf and the attacks continued, the villagers started to get impatient and threatened to take matters into their own hands. You had to find her and dispose of her tonight, or else the villagers might see that you’re not who you claim to be. Failure was no longer the option”, Xena noted having figured out every aspect of Vycios’ plan.

“And we wouldn’t fail. While we went to get ready to go and look for the werewolf, I had Crucios and Malicios go and wait near Exl’s room to grab her if she tried to escape and to prevent her from getting away from us again. So you can understand how surprised I was when you, Gabrielle, came back running and said that she had vanished. I was sure that the boys had gotten her but then they told me that she was nowhere to be seen when they arrived by her window.

But it was a good thing that you led us straight to her, Xena, we couldn’t have done it without you”, Vycios said, giving a short nod to Xena. Xena turned quickly to look at Exl who looked back at the taller warrior with a hint of disappointment, but also understanding. How was Xena supposed to know that the paw prints she was following were Exl’s?

“But none of this chit chat matters, none of you will be telling anyone about what you’ve seen and heard here tonight. Look at the sky, isn’t it beautiful?” Vycios said, turning to look at the night sky. The moon was covered by a few clouds, but otherwise the sky was completely clear.

“Now that the moon is at its fullest, your transformation will be complete! Xena, you can say goodbye to your friends and to your life as you know it because once Exl is a finally a real werewolf, the first thing I’ll order her to do is to bite you so that you will join us”, Vycios said continuing his circling around Exl with the chain still in his grasp.

“Your time has come, warrior! Let the moon bring out the fierceness in you and join us as our new sister!” Vycios said and looked at the sky as did his werewolf brothers. Gabrielle and Xena also turned their gazes towards the sky as the clouds disappeared from in front of the moon.

As Exl stood in the clear light of the full moon, she was ready for the burn and excruciating pain within. All eyes turned to Exl and everyone held their breath as they waited for the transformation to begin, but to everyone’s surprise, nothing happened.

Vycios started shaking his head in disbelief and couldn’t believe his eyes.

“No! This can’t be. Why won’t your transformation be complete?”

Xena smiled with a satisfied smirk as she saw Vycios’ expression.

“I have a pretty good idea why. Because the medicine I gave for Exl’s fever had an ingredient which is part of the cure against the bite of a werewolf. Wolfsbane. When I gave it to her I didn’t know that what was in it was part of the cure, but now I’m glad that I gave it to her. You also never bit her, you just gave her a teensy scratch, so maybe the infection isn’t as strong as you hoped it would be. And because Exl has a strong mind and a strong heart, she’s able to control the transformation within her”, Xena explained and everyone looked at her amazed.

“It’s not possible! No-one knows the cure! No-one can control the power of the curse!” Vycios yelled, not wanting to accept defeat.

“If you don’t believe me, believe your own eyes”, Xena repeated Vycios’ words from before.

“I’m sure that Exl would be glad to give you the action you wanted. I don’t know how good of a fighter you are, but Exl here is one the absolute best I’ve ever seen. If I were you right now I’d watch my hide, because werewolf or not, if Exl gets her hands on you, she’ll rip you into pieces”, Xena tried to intimidate Vycios.

Vycios wasn’t prepared for this, he had no idea someone could control the werewolf’s curse. Their plan had backfired and all three men were clueless about what they could do. Exl used Vycios’ frozen state to her advantage, she managed to break the ropes around her wrists, then grabbed Vycios by the front of his shirt and said menacingly while looking into his eyes:

“Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Not me…” It was the first time any of them had seen fear in Vycios’ eyes. Exl could see that even though he talked the talk, he couldn’t walk the walk; all the fierceness and toughness had suddenly faded away. Exl let go of Vycios and he stumbled backwards from her as quickly as he could. He dropped the chain and Exl was able to take it off her neck. She dropped it on the ground with a loud clang and started approaching the fearful young man. Because she didn’t have her weapons, Exl would have to fight without them, with only her bare hands. But that’s what Vycios said he enjoyed, a nice one-on-one battle without any weapons.

Exl was about to attack, when suddenly she fell down on her knees and screamed in pain. Startled by the warrior’s agony, Gabrielle asked Exl what was wrong.

“The pain… the burn… they’re back!” Exl shouted as she held her aching chest. Seeing that the transformation was starting after all, even though a bit later than he had expected, the previously menacing and fierce Vycios returned in a split second and his eyes were starting to gleam the same beastly yellow as Exl’s earlier.

“Release your inner beast, young werewolf! Embrace it and let it take hold of you!” Vycios shouted, satisfied at seeing how the warrior was crippled by the infection causing her body to start transforming any moment now.

“No, I’d rather die than let that beast come out!” Exl screamed back at Vycios despite all the pain.

“Oh, but you will if you try to fight it for too much longer. No-one can fight the fire burning within, either you accept your fate or let it destroy you”, Vycios said with satisfaction.

Xena looked at her friend in pain and tried to squirm out of the grip of the man holding her, but he squeezed her tighter and the taller warrior tried to think of something to help their Guardian.

“Xena, I can’t hold it for much longer!” Exl shouted as she felt how her insides were on fire. The beast wanted to come out and it wanted to come out NOW.

That’s when Xena was hit with an idea, it would be dangerous, but desperate situations require desperate actions.

“It’s okay Exl, just let it go”, Xena said to Exl very calmly. At first Exl thought she had misheard what Xena said, was she out of her mind?

“But Xena…” she tried to warn, but Xena looked into her eyes without a shred of doubt.

“Exl, I trust you. Let it out”, Xena said with her eyes fixed into Exl’s eyes and in that look they exchanged, Exl understood Xena’s plan.

Exl stood up and turned to look at the sky and the full moon, she was ready to throw away the last strands of humanity she had in her. Instead of fighting the fire any longer, Exl closed her eyes and concentrated on the blood of the beast that was coursing throughout her entire body. Once she stopped fighting it, the pain and burning stopped and she felt a wave of warmness take hold of her. However the pain returned, but not as strong as before, now it was more of an uncomfortable tingling sensation than powerful strikes all over.

As Exl started to feel the changes her body went through, everyone else could see it and it was a sight no-one would ever believe if they didn’t see it for themselves. Exl grew nearly 2 feet taller and her hands and feet changed into large paws with sharp claws. Her body and clothes were soon covered with brown and grey fur. Her head and face turned into a more canine shape, her nose and mouth turned into a muzzle and she grew large, sharp teeth.

The transformation wasn’t a pretty sight and to Gabrielle and Xena it looked like it had to be very painful. Finally, when Exl’s human figure had vanished and in its place stood a tall, powerful looking wolf-like beast, and Vycios was cheering because after all the trouble they had had, they had once again successfully infected someone and transformed them into one of their kind.

“Yes! Now, my friend, have your first taste of human blood and turn Xena into one of us!” Vycios ordered Exl, who slowly opened her eyes. They were yellow and every bit of humanity in them was gone. Exl turned around very slowly to look at the figures behind her. She saw two larger characters holding two others and the sensation she got from the captives was very familiar and soothing. She could hear how Gabrielle’s heart was beating very fast but Xena’s pulse was fairly calm and steady. Exl could still hear Vycios’ command in her ears, and she took a step closer to the women. Gabrielle was frightened to see their Guardian in this intimidating form, but Xena just stared at her friend with a calm look in her eyes.

Suddenly Exl stopped and focused on something. She was looking at the women’s eyes and it was something she saw in them which made the young werewolf remember something. The beautiful emerald green of Gabrielle’s eyes was much brighter and the azure blue of Xena’s was even deeper than usual. Vycios wondered why the werewolf had stopped dead in her tracks and just stared at the women.

“Didn’t you hear me? Bite her, make her one of us!” Vycios shouted furiously. With one calm movement Exl turned back around to face the young man who looked at her with his fiery gaze. Exl snarled and showed Vycios her teeth, before she said something Vycios was amazed to hear.

“No…” was the only word Exl growled with a low, unrecognizable growl.

Without warning, Exl leaped forward and knocked Vycios down on the ground. The man hit the ground hard, but didn’t stay down for more than a second. He jumped up and before Exl could attack him again, Vycios’ eyes turned bright yellow and after a transformation which was much, much faster than Exl’s moments ago, a larger dark grey werewolf jumped towards the slightly smaller one.

Finally, after keeping their grips tight since they had grabbed the women, Crucios and Malicios let go of Xena and Gabrielle as Exl’s attack took them by surprise. They were ready to help their brother, but didn’t have a chance to intervene. Gabrielle had her staff ready and Xena picked up her weapons faster than the eye could see. Xena gave Malicios a knock to the chin with her elbow and Gabrielle knocked Crucios off of his feet. The two brothers took several blows from the women, they hadn’t expected such resistance from the couple.

Vycios and Exl were wrestling with all their might, for a moment one of them had the upper hand and then the tables had turned in an instant. Vycios hadn’t seen any of this as a possible outcome, he had been sure that Exl would’ve done exactly as they planned. After Exl had pinned Vycios down on the ground for a moment, he turned to look at how his brothers were doing, and after he saw them at a disadvantage, he was very frustrated. He threw Exl off of him and got up with a quick jump.

“Bite them! Kill them! Do something!” Vycios ordered his brothers in a howl which only the werewolves could understand. Malicios and Crucios got up, quickly glanced at each other before transforming into their werewolf forms. Gabrielle and Xena looked at them with great surprise, if they had managed to fight off the men just moments before, now they were in great trouble. Vycios planned on helping out his brothers, but didn’t get far when he was side tackled by his opponent. Exl wasn’t going to let any of them, especially Vycios, touch her friends, not if she could help it.

Xena was fighting Malicios and even though the greyish black werewolf was in many ways more powerful than her, this wasn’t her first battle. Gabrielle had used her staff to ward off the reddish brown furred Crucios’ advance towards her, but her fear was getting hold of her and she was very nervous. She tried to give Crucios an uppercut strike with her staff, but this time Crucios was faster. He grabbed the staff and threw it further away. Immediately Gabrielle knew she had to think of another weapon or some way to get her staff, but looking at the approaching beast made her reverse away from it.

Xena managed to grab the chain used on Exl and wrap it around Malicios’ hindlegs. Malicios tried to struggle but couldn't get the chain off or break it, and Xena had him right where she wanted him, his throat under her boot. Malicios stopped struggling, as if the beast had understood that this warrior wouldn’t be beaten.

Vycios had torn at werewolf Exl’s fur and skin with his sharp claws, but the warrior didn’t care about her possible injuries, because she had also managed to do some damage to Vycios, for example tear his other ear and leave large gashes on his upper chest. It started to be apparent that the one who made a mistake, would lose this fight.

Gabrielle was cornered, she had backed into a tree and there was nowhere to go with Crucios approaching with a sinister gleam in his eyes. Xena saw this, stepped away from Malicios, grabbed her chakram and just before throwing it, shouted:

“Gabrielle, get down!” Gabrielle ducked as fast as she could and when Crucios turned towards Xena’s voice, the last thing he saw was the chakram flying towards him at high speed. It hit him right in his heart and the dead werewolf slumped to the ground. Malicios was frozen by this, he had seen his brother being killed right in front of him and he was truly scared. This made him turn back to his human form, and all he could do was lie there as if paralyzed.

Vycios had seen Xena’s chakram hit Crucios and some instinct made him momentarily forget about the fight he was in and turn his back to his opponent in order to make his way to his deceased brother.

That’s when Exl realized this was her chance to strike. She pounced and tripped Vycios onto his knees and grabbed his neck from behind to a tight headlock. Vycios realized too late what had happened, but wasn’t about to give in. Confidently he “spoke” in his werewolf growls to the young werewolf behind him:

“You won’t do it. I am your brother now and you don’t have the vicious animal instinct to do it.”

Exl tightened her grip and growled right back into Vycios’ ear:

“Are you willing to bet your life on that? I am a beast now, a mindless, bloodthirsty creature, remember?”

Vycios couldn’t believe the situation he was in, but everything would be over sooner than he knew it. The newly transformed werewolf which had a tight hold of his head wrang his neck until it broke and then accompanied with a blood curdling howl, ripped the darker werewolf’s head off and dropped it beside his body.

Xena had run to Gabrielle as soon as her chakram had killed Crucios, and neither of them saw exactly what had just happened, but they were startled by Exl’s howl. They saw Malicios looking at Exl’s direction and when they turned to look at what he had just seen, they saw Vycios dead on the ground.

Malicios knew he was next, so he started unwrapping the chain around his legs and then tried to make a break for it. He was just about to get up, when he felt the cold touch of metal near his neck. It was Xena with her sword and she said very menacingly:

“You attacked my family. I hate it when someone tries to hurt my family.”

Malicios started begging for his life:

“Please, I beg you, spare me. I never wanted to join my brothers in this quest to increase our numbers. I only did what Vycios told me to do. He might be my brother, but I know that if I had disobeyed, he would have made my life hell.” Xena lowered her sword, but grabbed the front of Malicios’ shirt and snarled while looking him straight in the eye:

“Run. Run for your miserable life. If I ever see you again, you can be sure that you’ll meet your brothers in Tartaros faster than the blink of an eye.”

Malicios didn’t think twice, he got up on his feet and ran away as fast as he could.

Xena and Gabrielle felt relieved that everything was over, at least so they thought. They heard a snarl and turned to the direction of the menacing sound. They could see how Exl was still in her werewolf form and the look she had in her eyes was still filled with rage and ferocity. Exl started walking towards them slowly, but her Couple had no idea of her intentions.

“Exl, it’s us. Everything’s okay”, Xena tried to say calmly, but it didn’t seem to have any effect. That’s when Gabrielle took a few steps forward before Xena could stop her, but Xena did manage to tell her not to move.

“Xena, I know she’s under there, I have to try this”, Gabrielle replied, trying to appear as if she wasn’t afraid. She walked to the werewolf, which stopped in its tracks after noticing that one of the figures started approaching. Gabrielle slowly lifted her hand and touched the warm fur of the werewolf’s cheek, and lifted her gaze to look into the creature’s eyes.

“Exl, it’s me, Gabrielle. Please, I know you can hear me. We need you back. We need our faithful Guardian. Please, this beast, it isn’t you”, Gabrielle tried pleading with the tall creature in front of her. Xena walked slowly right behind Gabrielle and continued:

“Exl, my friend. I know you have the strength to fight this. Don’t let the beast consume all the goodness in you. Listen to your heart.”

Exl took turns looking at both women, the brightness of their eyes was so soothing and behind those eyes were people who had so much love and care towards her. She lifted her other paw towards Xena, and without hesitation, Xena grabbed the paw and gave it a firm, but gentle squeeze. Gabrielle hadn’t taken her eyes off Exl’s bright yellow eyes and then noticed how the color started to fade. Slowly, the yellow had turned back to an amazing blue and green Gabrielle and Xena both knew so well.

Then, Exl started to transform once again. Slowly everything changed back to normal: her fur was gone, her paws changed back to hands and feet, but this time the transformation didn’t seem to hurt. Moments later, the werewolf was completely gone and in its place stood a young Guardian, exactly as she had been before this whole ordeal, minus the wounds and injuries she had received from Vycios.

“Xena, Gabrielle…” Exl managed to whisper after realizing she was no longer a dangerous beast. She grabbed her family into a tight embrace and felt the tears of relief rolling down her face. Her Couple was extremely relieved to have their Loyal back.

“Exl, thank the gods you’re back. I was so afraid, I…” Gabrielle tried to say, but was at a loss for words. Xena ruffled Exl’s hair just like so many times before and gave a kiss on the top of Exl’s head. When Exl finally let go of her friends, she was barely able to stand, because she was absolutely drained. Both Xena and Gabrielle grabbed hold of her and said that they should head back to the village, it had really been an eventful night.

--------------------------------------------

In the morning, all three of them went to see the village leader to report about the previous night. They told that two werewolves had killed the sheep and that’s why capturing them had been so difficult. Eventually one of the werewolves had killed the other and that they had taken care of the other one. They told where the bodies were, so the villagers could see them for themselves if they so pleased. Xena reassured the leader by telling that the threat of the werewolf would no longer linger over their village and that they were safe now.

After the villagers had heard the good news, the trio decided that this was their time to get back on the road. Exl’s cold was gone and she was fit to travel, which was a relief for all of them.

            As they were heading towards Melodia, Exl noted chagrined:

“Xena, remember what you said when we arrived? You said that after a few day’s rest and drinking that potion you gave me, I’d feel like a brand new person. You were almost right, I do feel different, but not like a brand new person. I feel like a brand new… monster.”

“You’re not a monster. Vycios’ plan failed, they didn’t manage to turn you into one of them”, Xena responded reassuringly.

“Maybe not entirely, but deep inside me, there’s a beast waiting for the chance to come out. We don’t know when and I don’t know if I can control it the next time”, Exl continued with shame and worry.

“We’ll find a way to break the curse and cure you. Xena already managed to do something with her fever medicine, right Xena?” Gabrielle tried to encourage her friend.

“Yes, you’re proof that there is a way to control the transformation and the scribe said there is some kind of potion that is the cure, we just have to find it”, Xena replied.

“But what if people start hearing rumors that a werewolf is loose? What if they find out I’m one of them?” Exl asked, to which Gabrielle replied:

“No-one else knows about this except us. Vycios and Crucios are dead, they won’t tell anyone.”

“But Malicios got away, what’s stopping him from telling everyone that the young companion of the Warrior Princess is actually a werewolf?” Exl continued doubtfully.

“I don’t think he’ll try anything like that. Remember, we know his secret as well. If he tries to dispose of you, we can prove that he’s a werewolf as well”, Xena reminded.

Suddenly Exl stopped and her Couple wondered what was wrong. Exl looked at her hands and said:

“I’m really afraid. I killed someone in cold blood with my bare… paws.” Xena walked back to her young companion and enclosed Exl’s other hand in her own.

“It wasn’t you. Not the caring friend and Guardian I know. The creature in you did it because it was a matter of life or death. It was either him or you”, the taller warrior remarked looking into Exl’s fearful eyes.

“Deep down I know that, but… what I’m really afraid of is that what if I…” Exl tried to explain, but it was so hard to say what she was thinking of aloud. Gabrielle had walked to Exl’s side and placed her hand on Exl’s shoulder, trying to comfort her.

“What if I hurt you? What if I lose complete control and try to attack you? Or worse?” Exl couldn’t even finish her sentence, because she didn’t want to think of the worst case scenario, but Xena and Gabrielle knew what she meant.

“Exl, nothing’s going to happen. We have plenty of time before the next full moon and we’ll do everything to help you”, Xena said, squeezing Exl’s hand.

“We’ll try meditation, mental image exercises, anything. If we can strengthen your mind and willpower, maybe you’ll be in better control of the transformation”, Gabrielle suggested. Exl wiped her eyes and tried to smile, even slightly.

“Thank you, I couldn’t do this without you”, Exl said, taking turns looking at her friends.

The family continued their journey, but Exl was still feeling uneasy. She feared the beast within her and wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to fight it. But she was certain of one thing: she would never let that beast hurt her family, ever.

                                                End of ”The Howling Moon”

                        The series will continue in ”When Hearts Collide”

A note from the writer:

Thank you for reading the latest story of ”The Guardian”-series, I never imagined it would take me so long to finish it, but I'm glad I did.