The Decent
Part 1?
'Beasts all over the shop. He'll be one too, soon enough.' Thought Helena as she looked over her companion.
Killian had been a useful ally, but the infection was beginning to overcome him. He'd join the ranks of the beasts within the next few days. Maybe even the next few hours. Watching a fellow hunter turn was always a shame, but here it was doubly so.
Killian had been a good man. Courteous, kind and intelligent. He was a true gentleman in every sense. He'd always treated Helena with a level of respect that wasn't always common among hunters. Of course, all hunters considered themselves gentlemen, but not all acted like it. Killian, however, lived up to the high standards set by the legends.
Or at least he used to. Lately, he had been changing. It started small at first. He was less jovial and, at times, even short-tempered. Then his voice began to change, sounding an octave or so deeper and perpetually weary. Today, the most concerning change had happened. He'd shown up blindfolded.
Hunters always covered their eyes when the final change was nearly upon them. Curiously, they still seemed to be able to see just fine. It was as though they developed some kind of sixth sense that rendered sight obsolete. It was always eery to look such a person in the face, and know that despite the blindfold, they were still staring right back at you. Perhaps with eyes that were not of this earth. Perhaps with something altogether different from what we would call eyes.
However, in spite of all of this, Killian's change wasn't what scared her. What scared her was how the change made her feel.
She knew what she was suppose to feel. Sorrow for her soon-to-be-lost comrade. Fear of what he might do to her after beasthood took hold. Disgust for the abomination against nature he would soon be. And to be fair, she did feel all of these things. In part.
Yet all of these feelings were overshadowed by something worse. Lust. The most powerful, animalistic lust she'd ever felt in her life. She'd done everything in her power to ignore it at first, but it was only growing stronger by the minute.
In truth, Helena had always fancied him to some extent. He was a gentle soul with a scholarly mind, yet he was also a fierce warrior and an unyielding protector of innocents.
He even looked the part of a noble hero. With his lean but firm build, angular jawline, and dark yet soft eyes, he looked like he'd just stepped out of a painting.
Watching Killian change had created some kind of perfect storm. Everything good about him was being twisted more and more by the day. He was becoming more primal. A lower, baser version of himself. The gentlemanly defender was turning into an animal before Helena's eyes.
Which made her weak in the knees for him, in the sickest way. The poor man was losing his mind, and the process brought her nothing but unignorable heat between her legs. Shame filled her mind and made her stomach churn, yet it did nothing to quell the lust she felt.
"You look at me as though I were already gone." Killian's voice came out in a low growl and interrupted her thoughts.
As Killian stared out across the city skyline bathed in moonlight, Helena stood behind him. It shouldn't be a surprise that his new 'sight' allowed him to apparently see in all directions, it still caught Helena off guard that he been able to tell she was looking at him.
"You covered your eyes." She mused, not knowing what else to say.
"Moonlight's too bright." He explained. "Hurts my eyes, makes it hard to focus."
"They always cover their eyes near the end." She pointed out. She would miss him.
"It's not the end for me. Not yet."
She decided to ask the question that had been at the forefront of her mind this whole time. "How can you see with your eyes covered?"
He laughed bitterly. "We've all got eyes on the inside."
She'd expected him to elaborate but he didn't. Instead, silence hung between them for a moment.
"We can talk to Gerhman." She mused. "He can put a stop to your suffering."
He grunted. "Then I'd never dream again."
"You'd be at peace."
"Not without the dream, I wouldn't."
She stepped closer to him and spoke softly. "Killian...I hate seeing you suffer like this." She lied. Or rather, she told a half-truth.
"I'm fine." He insisted.
She moved around in front of him so she could look at his face.
"Hunters have to take care of one another." She told him. "I care for you, Killian. I always have."
"Stop talking to me like a wounded dog!" He snapped, startling her.
Upon considering his words, she realized that was exactly the tone she had been using.
"Just let me comfort you." She said, unable to stop using the sickly sweet tone of voice.
"The only comfort I need comes from knowing there's one less beast in the city."
"There'll be one more in the city soon." She remarked sadly.
"I'll have taken tens more of them before I turn."
So his mind was made up. He wanted to go down swinging. Noble to the end.
But who would take him when he turned? Hunters became some of the worst beasts. And Killian was fast and strong, even for a Hunter. He wouldn't be easy to stop when he turned.