Beast of Kasterwood

Dame Athanasia sighed and added more wood to the fireplace. Kajira caught her eye. The vampiress nodded.

"So, where had I stopped? Oh, yes. As I said before, I spent a lot of time looking for a cure for vampirism. I studied many books and dissertation about supernatural beings, including vampires, werewolves, demons and such a creatures. I hoped I will find a way to become a human again. I became an expert in the Dark Side of the supernatural just to found out that if I really want to make the cure for my corrupted essence, I would need to spent almost all of my life just to find all the ingredients and to gather them in right moments of time. So, I preferred to stay a creature of the night instead of chasing shadows. After all, being an immortal worth it to drink a sentient being's blood time to time. And since I became an expert in supernatural, many people started hiring me as an adviser or even a monster hunter. A vampire hunting a children of the Darkness. Ironically, isn't it?" Dame Athanasia chuckled. "So, when a ferocious creature started terrorising a place named Kasterwood, the count called for me to help him to hunt and catch that monster..."

 As I arrived to the castle Helsubus, Sebastian Lannister, count of Kasterwood, brought me up to date. As he told me, a monstrous beast was terrorising villages around the town. It was coming every full moon. A wild beast, angry, relentless and almost invincible. No locks or hunting traps could stop it. The peasants and most of the guards were scared stiff by the only rumours about that beast. Beast of Kastrewood - that's how they called it. And count of Kasterwood wanted me to catch it for him. It was quite obvious that that Beast was with a high probability a werewolf. A rogue werewolf, as I supposed. Usually those beasts are living in packs and trying to stay away from any others settlements. At least - during full moon nights, when most of them are unable to control themselves. And, having a working hypothesis, I started my inquiry. It took almost half a year, since the Beast was making it's appearances only in the nights around the full moon, and I had no way to predict, where will it strike next time. Of course, count of Kasterwood and many other people in his lands already tried to systematise, where the Beast could coming from. Their mistake was that they was sure, that it was a kind of a demon in a wolfish body or just a possessed wolf, so they were looking for it in the forest thicket and uninhabited caves, ignoring old ruins. And as I knew, a lone werewolf would try to hide in a place, which will remember it about it's human nature. Or elven. Or dwarfish. Or orcish. Nevermind. The point is that count's people never tried to seek for that beast in any of those old ruins, almost forgotten in the forest. I have no doubt that if the count hadn't asked for my help, one day his people would have started searching for the Beast in these ruins anyway. But now that doesn't matter. I analysed all the facts about the Beast's attacks and then checked all the old ruins on the map for a place, where it could hide to be able to strike like it did that all those month. So I found a very old and almost forgotten Isaiah's temple. It was even uncharted on almost all modern maps. So on the next full moon I ordered to make an ambush near it after the midnight, but before the down. We were waiting for the Beast, but the only creature that appeared in the morning, was a young girl with a barely noticeable animal features. Count's men were unsure if she could be Beast of Kasterwood, but I ordered to take her and bring to the count."

Even the count did not believe me, that I caught Beast of Kasterwood. His men interrogated the girl I brought to him, and she said that her name is Livonna Grau and she was hiding from a loan shark. So the count sentenced the girl to a public birching. And that was a chance for me to prove my correctness! As you know, my dear Kajira, the werewolves often are turning in a beasts, when they are in a great pain. Luckily for me, the day was overcast, so I could stand outside without even umbrella.

A huge crowd gathered to watch the execution. Livonna was tied to a whipping horse. And after the count ordered, the executioner started the birching. The sharp blows of the birches made Livonna desperately screaming in pain and struggling in the ropes very quickly, but unfortunately for her, she was tied properly. So she could only wag her bottom slightly, unable save it from the burning, flesh-tearing strokes. Bright welts swelled on the girl's bubble butt. It didn't take much time before those welts stained with blood. Livonna screamed desperately as the pain was spreading through her body. She squeezed her eyes shut in horror and clenched her teeth. All the spankings she had to endure before were nothing compared to this one. And the very next two strokes knocked the last doubts out of her. At least that was what she told me when she was able to speak again.

An each birch stroke quickly started leaving small wounds around the immediately swelling welt, which bled enough that soon Livonna's plump butt was glistened with blood. Livonna screamed, desperately struggling and wincing in ropes, clenched and unclenched her fists, curled and spread her toes, but nothing gave her any distraction from the pain tearing her entire body apart even for a moment. The executioner knew his job. The birch landed smoothly on the buttocks, which were rapidly becoming covered with purple welts, cutting deeply into the soft flesh. Livonna's buttocks and thighs were becoming more and more covered with welts and bruises, and after each strike, her screams sounded more and more like frenzied grunts. And her body suddenly started changing.

Watching Livonna's body was squirming under the strokes of the birch, how she was screaming from unbearable pain, how her plump buttocks and even her wide back were covering with purple welts, even I began to feel uncomfortable. I won't lying - I never was very merciful with low classes and servants when it was about the punishments, but this birching was too much even by my standards. And when Livonna's wolfish features became obvious to everyone, the count ordered to birch this dark creature to death! And, unexpectedly for myself, I suddenly realised, that I I want to save this girl. I'm still not completely sure, why I decided to do that. Maybe because she was a dark creature just like me. Maybe because I wanted to save her from those dorks just because I knew, that they would torture me the same way, if they will know, who I really am.

So, when Livonna was almost passing out from the pain, almost turning into the Beast, that was scaring all the Kasterwood for almost a year, I thought that it is the time to intervene. And I said to the count, that now nobody can deny, that I caught Beast of Kasterwood for him. And since he promised me whatever I'll ask him about as the reward for catching Beast of Kasterwood, I insisted that he should not only knighting me, but also let me keep Beast of Kasterwood as my trophy. And he agreed.

So I returned to my castle having a knighthood and keeping a half-dead she-werewolf as a trophy. Livonna was in a really terrible state. All her back and buttocks were badly welted and bruised. I wasn't sure, if she will survive, but she did. I spent many days nursing her wounds. Even her natural healing power wasn't enough to make her recover quickly. And while she was weak, I decided not to waste time and started teaching her some etiquette. After all I was planning to make her my personal maid, so she should know how to behave in high class society.

Also I made her tell me everything about her. Just as I thought, she was from lower class. Her name was really Livonna Grau, and she became a werewolf after she stole a cursed pendant from a Gypsy. As she explained me, she was desperately needing any money to pay for her flat. So when I offered her to become my maid, she agreed without thinking.

But the main problem were not her lack of manners or of education. She was a werewolf and she had a big problems with controlling her wildness.

 

You'll ask me, how did I train my werewolf? Well, my dear Kajira, I analysed all the books and dissertations I had read about the werewolves, and reached a conclusion, that since the werewolves are not too different from animals, I should tame my werewolf just I would tame a wild wolf or a bad dog.

Next few month were very painful for Livonna. I was punishing her for every minor mistake. Especially, when she allowed her beast part to take over her humanity. Few times I was very close to give up and admit, that werewolves are untrainable. But after all I got the result.

I'm not sure if my punishments and cruelty worked, or Livonna just spent enough time in her new condition to finally learn how to control herself. And she became the Livonna we both know. A bit reluctant, but loyal. And the most important - able to control her beast and human parts enough to be useful for me. But since I'm still unsure, what really made her able to control herself, I decided to be strict with her forever, so she'll be afraid of me enough to never lose control of herself. Well, maybe I was wrong. Maybe I shouldn't be that cruel with my poor Livonna...

Dame Athanasia fell silent. She sighed and turned to the fireplace, looking at the cauldron.

"My poor Livonna. My poor wolf-girl. Where are you now?" she asked without addressing anyone. Kajira kept silent.

Suddenly the door opened and Wolffang broke inside. She turned to Dame Athanasia and fell on her knees, prostrating in front of her mistress.

"Milady, please, save me!" she whispered loudly "They came after me! Please, save me!" the orcess whimpered in fear.

Dame Athanasia gave her an angry look. "Are you scared enough to dared to return to me without Livonna? Who came after you? Explain yourself immediately!"