The Lovely Lady Fear (Garou x my OC)

Rainstorm

(A/n the picture above will always have a picture of Garou! And I promise he is in this chapter, it just takes a while to get to him.😅)

word count: 1455

The sky was unusually dark for mid-day. Dark clouds were rising like a wave about to crash into the world. I shuttered and tapped my foot, waiting for the cashier to hurry up with the man in front of me. The man checked out and I set my purchase up on the counter just as thunder rumbled overhead.

"Yeesh. Sounds like it's pretty nasty out there," the shopkeeper grumbled to me, "is this a bad time to offer you an umbrella?"

"Oh. Thank you. I'll take it," I said and added the umbrella to my groceries. When I left the store a light drizzle had already begun. I sighed and picked up my pace to a quick jog.
"Maybe I could get back to at least my mailing address before the rain really hit," I thought. This hope was soon dashed as about half way home the rain streamed down in torrents and I struggled to undo the umbrella clasp.

"Just my luck," I thought, "I'm soaking wet and only now does my umbrella decide to open." The streets of K City were thinning out as people ran for cover, but I continued to walk in the rain. I'd wait at my mailing address, I decided, then head home when the rain had passed. My mailing address was different than my actual home which was located deep in the forest. I would just have to make it to the outskirts of K City to change instead of walking up a whole ass mountain. I brushed a few water droplets out of my eyes and focused on not slipping.
I was lost in my own thoughts until a man brushed past me, clipping the plastic of my umbrella. Another man followed and a child after him; all screaming. Screams of alarm rose echoed from up ahead as a small crowd of people streamed past me.

"A monster! Clear the streets!" shouted a woman. A distant thud rippled the puddle at my feet.
"Where are the Heros?" someone called. A moment later the sirens began broadcasting, "Warrning: Tiger level threat in market district of K City. Please evacuate the streets."

Instead of taking cover, I moved on. If that monster happened to find me, it would make my walk far more entertaining. I didn't have to wait long. An eel monster slithered around the corner, unblinking eyes staring up at the rain. The long body was draped haphazardly over hedges and street lamps, the pungent oder of sea brine reeking from its jaws.

"Oh? What do we have here?" The blank eyes followed me as I stalked closer, "My next meal?"
I grinned. This would be fun. As I approached I felt my aura (normally kept under careful control) straining to reach out. The power to intimidate and terrify, I could trigger the fear respond in any living brain be they human or monster. Illusions flickered beneath my fingertips, their voices filling my head with ideas. Ignoring anything the monster said, I reached out with my mind and seized control. The eel jerked, abruptly recoiling from me, teeth pulling back. I released my illusions; letting them cover me, clothing me like a monstrous form. My eyes glowed and spines manifested from my arms. Two curving horn arched above my head and I let the illusions tickle in my mouth, filling it with jagged teeth.
"I am more than your next meal," my voice came out raspy, "I am your death." The eel monster threw back its head and lunged. I darted out of the way leaving illusions of pain riddling the monster's nerves. He bellowed thinking his blood was spilled out on the concrete.
Once again I reached up to his brain and into his fear response. I took the tightened muscles around his throat and squeezed them more; convincing his body to press beyond its limits. I was so close I could feel his heart beat thundering in his body, panic overriding all instincts. I stood perfectly still and waited for the thrashing to stop. Eventually the eel monster lay slain, momentarily twitching on the ground.
I retrieved my groceries and continued on my way home. The rain had mostly subsided by the time I reached my mailing address at the edge of the forest. I stepped inside only to change my clothes and check up on the house; although the term "house" was far too generous. It was little more than a shed I had repurposed as a visible location for all of my legal matters pertaining to residency and location. Aside from that and being a storage space, I rarely stayed there. My true home was located deep in the forest in a modified cave system. I'd originally had the design planned and built by Child Emperor and Bofoi as a favor for helping them with some monsters.
In return they helped me renovate a cave system into a living area complete with heat, electricity, running water, wifi, and an electric generator. As a special bonus, Bofoi has designed several sections of the cave system to assist me in combat/illusion/fear inducing environments. I had thanked them profusely and although I kept fairly close ties with Child Emperor, Bofoi and I hadn't talked in years. Despite the large expanse of the cave system, I wasn't lonely. My older brother Song lived with me along with a pet mountain lion we called Gemini.
I finished changing and gathered the groceries once again. The forest was muddy after the recent rain but I was pleased. These forests were my home. Gemini hunted everyday among these trees and I often used the diverse landscape to train. All things considered, Song and I had a good thing going. We would alternate which one of us would get groceries and Song had a job at a local movie theater, and I worked part time at a mall in A City.
I was about five minutes past the Forest's boarder when I saw Gemini bounding down the slope to greet me. He slowed just in time, only to rear up and rest two giant, muddy paws on my shoulders. Geni sniffed my face and gently bumped his furry head against my own. Our greeting. I silently pressed my forehead back on his urging a deep purr. Gemini returned to all fours eagerly sniffing the shopping bags.

"Come on. There's nothing in there for you and you know that," I yanked the plastic bag away from the mountain lion, but he kept trying to chew on the plastic.
"Gemini! No! Hey! Open your mouth," I dropped my bags to focus on the scrap of plastic in his mouth, "Don't give me that look! You're a cat for God's sake! You don't eat plastic, Ya little shit!"
If mountain lions could laugh, this one would be cackling, but he suddenly went still. I took the opportunity to grab the plastic out of his mouth, but watched his ears swivel back in fourth. His ears focused on a sound and he glanced at me. I picked up the groceries and sighed, wiping most of the mud off me, "I suppose we can check it out."
Gemini lead me over the well worn path of our trail up the mountain but veered off to the left and into a ravine.
I Gasped, a man lay bloody, and knocked out over the rocks of the ravine. A monster corpse lay next to him; clearly dead. Gemini ignored the man and pawed over to the monster.
I turned my attention to the man. He had spoken white hair and a strong build by the looks of his body. There were hastily done bandages and some were slipping, revealing older wounds still healing among the fresh blood and even older scars under those. I reached towards his neck and checked for a pulse.
Yes, he was alive, but he wouldn't be fore much longer if the cuts on his legs and arms were left alone.

"Gemini, come here." I saw him perk up his head, maw covered in purple monster blood. "I need you to take this man up to our home, then you can come back and eat all you want."
Gemini let me haul the man onto his back and we sprinted the last distance to the cave. I thanked Gemini and he left after a quick head bump. I managed to get both the man and what remained of the groceries inside and set to gathering my first aid kit and extra bandages.