Part 6

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I watched my brother and Yennefer sleep near the fire, their heads resting on their arms as they snored softly

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I watched my brother and Yennefer sleep near the fire, their heads resting on their arms as they snored softly. I could hear their blood pumping through their veins, neck vein pulsing against their skin. My mouth was on fire, my canines ripping through the surface as my entire body felt heavy, sweat beading at my forehead. The blood moon was coming as I looked up at the cloudy sky, the moon a faint pink color. It wouldn't be long now. Stripping off my armor and dropping my swords and daggers to the floor of the burned down barn we were sleeping in, I ran off into the nearby forest as I felt the beast rise.

Falling onto the soggy forest floor, my back hunched upwards as my spine snapped and reformed to fit the beast. My fingers dug into the soil I could feel the wetness between my fingers from the rain prior. Everything about this change was animalistic. Snapping my head upwards I roared so loudly it echoed off the trees, birds flying from their nest as they chirped in protest. Around me I could hear wolf howls, seeing a few grey wolves staring at me from between the trees.

...

"Get up, lass! Get up!"

I groaned when I felt another poke to my stomach, shifting in my sleep, my body being pulled down as the sickening feeling bubbled in my stomach as my heart dropped as I fell onto the floor.

"Ow." I mumbled as I dusted myself off, my eyes widening at my naked body.

"Finally, you're awake!" A man with a thick Scottish accent sighed in relief.

Looking around I noticed I was in a barn full of various animals, all of them staring at me as they shook slightly and I realized they could smell the beast on me. Dried blood was on my finger tips and underneath my nails, even feeling the dryness around my mouth and I knew I killed another last night. Shaking the straw out of my hair I turned to look at the man and offered him an apology.

"I'm sorry about the destruction I caused in your barn. I don't mind cleaning it up."

"Don't worry about it, lass. I have a different way you can repay me, you being a Witcher and all."

"What kind of monster do you want me to kill?" I stretched my limbs above my head, forgetting I was naked before glaring at the man when he looked a little too long, especially downwards.

"Do you know the Witcher Y/n?" He asked.

I nodded, "That would be me actually."

"Perfect!" He beamed, "Ciri told me you're one of the best assassins coin can buy!"

"I don't kill humans if that's what you're asking. I'm no thug for hire. Not intentionally anyway." I mumbled the last part to myself, remembering the events that happened in Redwater inn with the men.

"I can assure you this monster is no human, but a griffin. Been preying on my livestock and ruining my business. Please, Witcher, I'll pay you good money." He begged.

"Fine." I grunted, "I get half of the coin now and the rest when I kill the griffin."

"Done. Oh thank you so much!" The farmer cheered and handed me a sack of coin, "I'll get you some clothes and a sword too, one of me finest."

I nodded, waiting in the barn for him to return with the supplies as I became lost in my head. If Ciri, Princess Ciri, was here then that meant I was in the Northern Kingdom of Cintra. Which meant I was quite the ways from Geralt and Yennefer. What the hell did I do last night?

"Here you go." The farmer handed me a tunic and some trousers, along with a sharpened steel sword.

"Thank you."

Slipping the clothes on with ease I swung the steel sword around to get a feel for the blade, just to make sure that it was properly balanced.

"Now, where was the griffin last seen?"

...

It wasn't hard to track down the griffin, especially when they like to play with their food and leave a trail of animal limbs on the cobblestone pathway. I ran towards the beast, throwing my sword right into the middle of its back as it screeched, getting ready to fly away. Leaping, I grabbed onto the hilt of my sword, the blade lodging itself deeper into the muscle, blood slowly oozing out. I held on as it took off into the sky, trying to shake my off by nose diving and doing a few turns here and there. The crimson blood began coating my hands, making it a little more tricky to try and hang on to the sword hilt. Another nose dive and my body hung in the air as I held on with one hand, using the momentum and landing back on the griffins back. When it went to nose dive again, I pulled the sword out from his body and stabbed it right through his skull, the beast roaring in pain before both of us crashed to the ground. My body rolled, seemingly hitting every rock and stick before I finally came to a halt.

Groaning softly, I slowly sat up and coughed as the wind was knocked out of my lungs. The monster was dead, it's beak hanging open and its blood soaking into the soil. Pulling the steel sword from it's head, I made a few clean cuts before ripping it's head off to take back to the Kingdom of Cintra.

...

"I'll take the rest of the payment now." I licked my lips as I dropped the griffin head at the farmers feet.

"You've done it! The coin is all yours, here. And please, keep the sword." He tossed me another sack of coin. Thanking him I left the barn, tossing the coin sack up and down in my hand as I walked through the village and entered the nearest inn.

"Did you hear the howls last night? The wolf queen and her pack were practically knocking at our gate!" A peasant gasped.

"What can I get you?" The elderly inn keeper asked.

"Bottle of ale and a large bowl of soup, please." I smiled kindly at the woman and placed my coin on the bar counter.

"One of my miners went missing last night. I have no doubt it was the wolf queen." Another one butted in.

"Who's the wolf queen?" I asked the inn keeper when she set my food and drink down in front of me.

"A Werewolf. Folk say that she's got her own little pack of wolves and they go hunting, grabbing townsfolk from their chambers and eating all our animals."

I nodded, getting lost in my own head. Surely they were talking about me. I was the only werewolf I knew about. And last night, with the wolves hearing my howls and coming to me.

"Can I get a cup of beer please." A husky voice asked the inn keeper. "Heard you killed the griffin. Glad the farmer found you."

"Princess." I nodded my head at her.

"Ugh, please don't do that." Ciri groaned, "Thought Witchers didn't bow down to anyone anyway."

"I nodded my head, there's a difference."

"Mhmm." The princess chuckled. "So how long are you in Cintra for?"

"Not long. Just passing through. Lucky I did or you'd still have a griffin problem." I took a drink of my ale.

"Lucky me." Ciri smiled, her emerald eyes shining under the soft inn lights.

"Do you want to get out of here?" The princess asked abruptly, "There's a giant camp I've been meaning to put a bounty on. They're blocking the main trading routes. I'll pay you good coin."

I sighed, my shoulders sagging forward as I took a few gulps of my ale, "Sure."

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