A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Erik stepped into the airlock, and the door quickly closed behind him with a precise, almost silent click.

In response, some sigils flickered to life around him, bathing the small space in an ethereal glow. Erik felt the connection between his runes and his body's power being severed, a sensation like ice water trickling down his spine, while the link between his glyphs and his aetherium remained as robust as ever, a warm beacon in the cold disconnect.

"It's actually quite impressive they already have sigils that can stop a Runebound from using their power," Elora's voice sounded in Erik's head, her tone laced with a mixture of admiration and curiosity, apparently unconcerned by the sigils' effects. "I really get more and more curious about the person in charge of sigils for the Council."

Runebound didn't exist anywhere except on Earth; thus, a sigil that cut a Runebound off from the unique kind of power they utilize would have had to be created right here, much like the sigil that could power electrical devices.

"I'm sure we'll meet them one day," Erik chuckled, the sound echoing slightly off the metal walls, before he casually walked ahead. His steps echoed in the airlock, as he ignored the changes brought by the sigils, while inwardly thinking: 'I suppose they've chosen death.'

Behind him, on the other side of the door, Alistair and Eleni looked at each other with concerned and curious gazes. They had expected Erik to start pounding on the reinforced door by now, but it remained strangely quiet.

While a second-ranker without access to his skills still had his monstrous physical strength, the door had been reinforced to withstand that strength. Even so, they decided to remain cautious and wait for another few minutes as an air of anticipation hung between them.

Meanwhile, Erik had opened the inner airlock door and stepped into something akin to a small garden. No matter what else, Erik had to admit they changed this bonatical storage space into an oddly human prison for a shapeshifter.

Before he could take in more of the sights, however, a somewhat high-pitched roar erupted, and a small bundle of brown fur launched itself at his face with unexpected ferocity. Erik couldn't help but grin as he extended his arm with lightning-fast reflexes and grabbed the bundle of fur by the scruff of its neck before it could reach his face.

Dangling from his grip was a young, 130cm tall (4'11"), fiery-eyed female wereverine, her brown fur bristling with energy, icy blue eyes flashing defiantly, and destructive claws swiping through the air with a feral ferocity.

Immediately, the bundle roared once again, this time, with a young voice full of spirit. "Let me go, you bastard! Let me go! I want to introduce my claws to your face!"

She tried to swipe upwards to scratch his arm instead to force him to let her go, but she quickly realized she wasn't going to get through his armor and gave up. She wasn't deterred, however, and quickly went back to furiously swiping in the direction of his face.

A deep and rasping chuckle left Erik's transformed muzzle. 'You can't help but admire and respect that kind of tenacity,' he thought to himself, before chuckling some more. 'Even if it is pretty amusing as well.'

"You dare laugh at me?! Just for that, I'll take my time and skin you slowly! I'll make a coat from your fur, you damn mutt!" she roared back, her spirit undimmed despite the situation she was in.

Her new threat only caused Erik's terrifying grin to widen. 'Let's see how she deals with this,' Erik thought, and then opened his fang-filled muzzle wide.

ROAR

A deep, rumbling, and terrifying roar left Erik's belly, traveled up to his throat, and unleashed itself out into the room, filling it with his power.

Spittle flew into the young wereverine's face as her sensitive ears rang with the echoes of Erik's bellow. Her swiping stopped, and she blinked with clear shock and fear in her eyes.

Yet, it didn't take more than a second for the young girl to rally when she opened her own muzzle and roared back in much the same way.

Erik watched her with interest and amusement, and when she was done, she began swiping at the air again, in the direction of his face. "You think that scares me?! Why don't you be a man and face me without your armor, huh?!"

Erik chuckled again before he finally spoke with both warmth and authority. "There's no need for that, little Alice. Although I'd be happy to fulfill your wish someday. For now, though, I'm here to get you out of this place. So, are you sure you want to keep swiping at me?"

Alice stopped swiping with wide eyes form surprise. Quickly, however, her expression changed, and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Why should I believe you?"

A casual shrug from Erik caused Alice, still held up by his outstretched arm, to jiggle a little. "What do you have to lose? And what would I have to gain by lying to you? Do you really think you can lay a finger on me, even if I let you go?"

"Doesn't hurt to try," the young wereverine growled defiantly.

It remained silent for a moment as the two of them stared at each other. Finally, Alice spoke up again, "Why?"

The question she was asking was clear, and thus, Erik responded quickly and seriously. "Your father sent me."

"My father?!" Alice roared and seemed about ready to start swiping again. "That man doesn't deserve to call himself that!"

Her voice became a little softer while her swipes became a little more lackluster suddenly as small tears appeared in her eyes, "It's his fault that… that Ivar and Marta died!"

Erik frowned a little. Her earlier fierceness had impressed him, but it quickly became clear that she was still a little immature. Still, this much wasn't unexpected. The real proof of her character and maturity would be based on how fast she could set aside her preconceived notions and realize who the real culprit was.

He shook his head, "You shouldn't disrespect your father like that."

"Oh yeah?! Why not?!" Alice spat out angrily and stubbornly. She folded her arms in front of her chest while still hanging from Erik's hand by the scruff of the fur on her neck.

Originally, Erik had wanted to keep this information from her for a little while longer, but considering her attitude, perhaps now was as good a time as any.

So he said gravely, "Because your father died, so that I could be here today to get you out of the Council's hands."

That news seemed to stun her into silence. "He… He's dead…?"