LYCANTHROPY
YELENA CONSIDERED HERSELF TO BE A VERY MATURE 12 – SOON TO BE 13 – YEAR OLD. Of course, that didn’t mean she didn’t have her childish moments, that didn’t mean she still didn’t play outside or have childish fears, like being afraid of the dark.
It was silly, she knew! A child assassin and she was scared of the dark. Still, as she lay in her new bed, in her new room, she refused to admit that she was wrong – that Natasha’s actions were perfectly reasonable, and that she was being stubborn. However, why shouldn’t she NOT have her own opinions and feelings on the matter; it was her sister who was putting herself in danger.
Still, even as the wind howled outside and trees moved outside her windows, creating terrifying shadows, she refused to admit that she needed her sister — that she craved her warm hugs and comforting reinsurances’.
She was Yelena Belova, an ex-child assassin, and was known to be as ruthless as one could be. She did not need her sister, and she certainly wasn’t scared.
BOOM!
Scrambling up, her heart raced within her chest as she whipped her head around, searching for the source of the sound. “What?” She muttered, sliding off of her bed and making her way over to her window. Honestly, she felt like she was in a horror movie as she cautiously grabbed the curtain, pulling it away slowly. Eventually, she became annoyed with how slow and paranoid she was being, and yanked the curtain open.
Her eyes scanned the yard, looking for anything suspicious. The full moon shone down upon her, clear of any clouds in the sky. Huffing at her own ridiculous actions, the blonde shook her head in amusement, making her way back over to her bed.
CREAK!
Was that her, the blonde thought, pressing down on the hardwood floors. Nope, wasn’t her… Trailing her eyes over to the door, the blonde clenched her jaw in confusion, her gut feeling off. Faintly, she wondered if she was getting her first period — that this was why her stomach was feeling off. However, her underwear wasn’t dripping with blood, and even if she did get her period, she would feel awkward going to Sirius or Remus.
Sirius would claim that it needed a celebration, most likely popping out the alcohol, and the camera — taking pictures to remember Yelena becoming a ‘woman,’ Remus, on the other hand… she didn’t even wanna think about what he would do.
Still, the house continued to creak and make odd noises. Faintly, Yelena thought she could hear the moaning of pain and whimpers. With that, Yelena wasted no time, grabbing her weapons and strapping them to her shark onesie, her gun in her hands and ready for any danger. Slipping on her bunny slippers, the blonde readied herself for what was out there and pushed her door open.
The house seemed to stop, quiet for once. That was odd, the blonde thought. Without warning, the quiet was broken as a loud, gruesome, and painful howl was heard. “Wolves?… There are wolves here?” She whispered under her breath in confusion, her eyebrows furrowed in compilation. Really, wolves were in this area? Shaking her head, Yelena continued through the house, checking every-single room, grabbing weapons and ammo she had placed around the house.
She felt like she was in a Resident Evil game, searching and picking up items, letting them take up space in her many pockets (all of her clothes had customized pockets in them; all of her clothes needed to be useful for any situation, damnit!). Thankfully, she wasn’t in a zombie, infested police station or an infected village — she was in Clint’s house, and that shouldn’t make her nervous.
She knew this house like the back of her hand — hell, she had rigged the house without the blonde archer knowing. The sound seemed to be coming from the barn, which Yelena had been told to stay out of, because of all the equipment and ‘because I’m a hoarder, Yelena, and I don’t want you seeing all of my crap!’ Sometimes, Clint was a really shitty liar — she had never met someone who lived such a minimalist lifestyle. Hell, Natasha had more than him!
Sighing in despair, Yelena apologized to her slippers in advance, knowing damn well they wouldn’t survive the outdoors. Sure, she could put on actual shoes, but she was too lazy for that. Unlocking the door, Yelena stepped out of the farmhouse, the cold December air flushing her face, her nose beginning to run.
Her shoes crunched on the thin layer of snow, her small feet creating a trail to the farm. The noises continued to get louder and louder, the farm shaking from whatever was in there. She could hear Clint inside, however, what he was saying was lost on her. Finally, she came to a stop in front of the farm, her hand grazing the lock in front of her. Should she… should she do it? Open the door?
Come on, she was a child assassin — she could do better than that. Think, Yelena, think! With that, she was able to remember the window in the back, wood stacked in the back.
Making her way to the back of the barn, Yelena pocketed her gun to allow herself to climb up better. Giving herself a head start, she ran forward, using the momentum to push herself up onto the high, wood pile. Grunting, she winced at the splinter that made itself home in her hand. Letting a curse out from her native tongue, the blonde gritted her teeth and pulled the large splinter out, having to leave the smaller ones for later. Climbing the rest of the way up, Yelena felt like a cat as she swerved and twisted her way up, her body bending in nearly impossible positions.
Finally, she was able to see inside the dark barn. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the scene in front of her. Clint was balancing on the beams, a tranquilizer in his hands. For some odd reason, a black dog was on the floor, growling at something in front of it. Finally, her eyes trailed over to the big trouble of the room, her body freezing in shock and fear.
In front of her was a beast — a disgusting, disturbing, and fearsome beast. Its growls were loud enough to send a grown-ass man to the ground in paralyzing fear. It looked like a wolf, but a man as well. With fur covering its body sporadically, claws as sharp as glass, and a snout shorter than a typical wolf. Its teeth… Its teeth are what scared her the most. Sharp as a knife, with red staining them and dripping down its month. The dog was whimpering, struggling to get away from the beast. Clint seemed to be struggling with his tranquilizer, the thing seemingly jammed.
She didn’t know what came over her, but she felt the urge to protect — to help Clint and the poor dog. Taking in a deep breath, the girl steadied the gun with her other hand, wishing she had a rifle. Still, she made do with her handgun and waited for the right hit. She remembered what Natasha told her, to simply:
“Take a deep breath, and hope for the best that your shot takes it down.”
With that, she pulled the trigger on her gun. She felt it was in slow motion, anticipating what would happen. Finally, after what felt like ages, the bullet hit the beast in the shoulder — letting out a yowl of pain. Clint gasped in shock, his gaze snapping over to Yelena, who ducked out of the way. “Yelena?…” the blonde called, his voice quiet but still managing to carry over. “Kid… what did… What did you see?” His voice shook, his body beginning to sway on the beam. God, what the hell was she supposed to say?
The beast continued to whimper, rolling around in the hay that fell on the floor. Calming her breathing, Yelena took a moment for herself, letting her mind calm itself. It felt like her mind was going a mile a minute, several thoughts going through her mind. Still, she couldn’t deny her curiosity any longer and lifted herself up, her cracked lips open in awe as she stared at the scene. Sure, she still felt scared, but the fascination quickly outweighed that.
“What… What is that?” She asked, pointing to the wriggling creature. Clint sighed, glancing down at the dog, for some reason. “Sirius?” The deaf archer called out, locking eyes with the dog, who had the same playful, grey eyes. “Do I… Should I tell her?”
Was the… was the dog Sirius? Was the loving man, who she considered to be a father figure, a freaking dog?!? Of course, should she really be surprised? She lives with a magical family, who get into crazy situations every day. Sure, she had suspected something was up with Remus, but Sirius? She… no, wait — it made sense. Still, she shook those thoughts away and asked, “Tell me what? Sirius… are you a dog? Does Remus know?!?” For some reason, the duo glanced down at the beast, who started pushing itself off of the floor. The duo seemed to be distracted, seemingly having a conversation with their eyes. “Uh, guys…” she trailed off, trying to get their attention.
However, it didn’t seem to work; the two of them did not notice. She worried on her lip, wondering what she was supposed to do. The beast seemed to be readying itself for an attack on Sirius, who continued limping on his leg. God, what was she about to do?…
Climbing all the way into the barn, Yelena hyped herself up in her mind, mentally trying to talk herself out of the thing she was going to do. Still, her impulse won and she jumped forward with a yell, throwing the wolf back down onto the ground and tumbling around, fighting for dominance. “Сука!” She yelled, grabbing a log off the ground and sticking it in the thing’s mouth, causing it to gag around it. Using that to her advantage, Yelena rolled out from underneath and whipped out her gun, pulling the trigger once more. “Yelena—!” Clint yelled, his voice filled with panic, “Don’t!”
“Why?” She questioned, her finger on the trigger, waiting for the reason the blonde had, “Why shouldn’t I put a bullet in its brain — it’s a freaking weird, dog thing!” God, she felt like a hypocrite — for agreeing to all of the good things Sirius and Remus said about werewolves. Still, as she stood in front of the creature, all she saw was a mindless beast hurting her family.
“Because…” Clint sighed, glancing towards Sirius, who begged Clint with his eyes. However, the blonde shook his head and admitted, “Because it’s Remus, Yelena!”
She stumbled back, her eyes wide with shock and guilt. Oh God, did she just almost kill Remus? Taking a moment, she searched for any resemblance between the beast, and the sweet, lovable Remus. She found… nothing, really. Sure, it had the same placement of scars where Remus had them, but that’s the end of the similarity. “What?” She uttered in shock, her finger still on the trigger. She couldn’t help it; it was ingrained in her to be on high alert at all times with a threat, even if the threat was her family.
Her legs moved without her permission, getting closer and closer to the beast that was supposedly Remus. Sirius growled, limping over to Yelena, creating a barrier between the two. She raised an eyebrow but allowed the man (dog?) to do his thing. Her eyes narrowed, and faintly, she felt like there was power thrumming underneath her skin, begging to be released. Still, she resisted the urge and slowly pocketed her gun, her hands itching for something in it. But, she knew in order to gain their trust, she had to put away her weapon… even if she was still dangerous, without weapons.
“Why?…” she trailed off, betrayal forming in her heart, “Why didn’t you tell me? Tell Natasha?…” Sirius huffed, his eyes sad as he rubbed his head against her hand, an apology for his actions. Her eyes flickered between the two, staying longer on Remus, who continued to whimper in pain. It looked… like something was happening to him like he was transforming back to normal. Her eyes flickered to the window, where the sun was beginning to rise. Jesus, how long had she been here?
It was horrifying, watching the beast become a man once more. Claws disappeared back into him, the fur flew off of him, and the snout back into a human face once more. God, what had she done? Her eyes gazed over his body, taking in the harm she had caused the beast. “S…” The man coughed, his body bloody and beaten, “Siri, it… it hurts!” He wailed, tears dripping out of his golden eyes.
Sirius transformed as well, thankfully, with clothes, unlike Remus. “Remus!” He called out, cradling the broken man in his arms, “it’s alright, love. Clint, I need help!” Clint jumped down, rushing over to the two men, hefting up the bloody man. Sirius rushed over to the barn door, opening it up. Remus shivered, the cold air getting to him. “Shit!” Sirius cursed, waving his wand, a heat charm warning the naked man up.
Yelena… she couldn’t move, her body frozen with shock as she stared down at the bloodied hay, slowly drying. “Oh, god… what have I done?”
A few days later, the house was still filled with tension on all ends, creating an uncomfortable feeling within the barn house. Even when Clint’s girlfriend, Laura, came over, the house was still filled with tension.
Yelena stared at the fireplace, watching the fire crackle and move around. However, her peace was ruined when she heard a glass fall, startling the poor girl. Bringing a hand to her chest, the girl took a moment to calm her racing heart.
Still, she tried to shrug it off, shrugging it off as someone having butter fingers. However, the sobbing that filled the house quickly dispersed that theory. Throwing herself out of the chair, the blonde made her way to the source of the sound, her body tensed for whatever was in front of her.
Pushing open the kitchen door, Yelena’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she met the upset faces of Remus and Sirius, who had tears staining their faces. “What’s… is something wrong?”
Remus sniffled, wiping his eyes. “Yelena, sweetheart… Your sister, she was…” He shook his head, his lips shaking, “God, what did I say? Yelena, your sister was shot and was taken from her hospital room.”
She stumbled back, her eyes wide with shock.
“What?”
Still, as stone, Yelena finally admitted — she needed her sister, and she would do anything to make sure she was okay.
Anything.