Nancy Felding

[Nancy]

NAME: Nancy Meredith Felding
NICKNAMES: Nance, Nancy Girl and Princess, usually with something else tacked on after.
RACE: Werewolf- bitten
OCCUPATION: Rogue; owns the Golden Dragon, an Oriental restaurant
GENDER: Female
SKIN COLOUR: Caucasian with a very light tan
NATIONALITY: English
AGE: 212, but looks to be in her early twenties
CLOTHING: What Nancy wears depends on where she is and what she intends to be doing. When she’s working at the Golden Dragon, she wears the black slacks, neat black shoes and white polo shirt that she has the staff wear, though her nametag has the word OWNER above her name. When she intends to go anywhere other than her restaurant, Nancy shows what a girly girl she is at heart. More often than not, she’ll wear a dress or a skirt with some sort of girly top- whether it’s a blouse, dressy tank top or sweater depends upon the weather. She’ll occasionally wear neat, well fitting jeans, but typically only when she knows that she might be doing something that a skirt or dress would be inappropriate for. Nancy’s wardrobe includes every color that she’s ever heard of and ranges from pastels to deep, rich tones. She also has several floral print pieces and numerous tops with sequins in various patterns. While she has three neat, well kept pairs of sneakers- one white, one black and one white and gold- she’s more often than not found wearing either pumps or feminine heeled sandals, the sneakers kept for when she wears her jeans which, like her top, are in every color she’s ever managed to find them in. When she’s at home and knows that she won’t be going anywhere, Nancy dresses comfortably, usually in a tee shirt and lounge pants. The colors of her tees are as varied as everything else in her wardrobe and she has several pairs of lounge pants in different colors with different patterns, though her favorites are her black ones with little gold and silver stars all over them. The only time she wears anything different from work, going out (including her jeans) or lounging, is when she’s going to be practicing karate. Then, she wears looser fitting garments to ensure that she has the range of motion she needs in order to practice with ease. If the weather calls for it, Nancy will either wear a heavy, waist length blue coat (for going to work) or a stylish, knee length black coat made of water proof material (any other time she leaves the apartment.)
HEIGHT: 5’5
WEIGHT: 122 lbs.
TATTOOS: A black dragon between her shoulder blades, which she got in honor of James opening up his training school, the Black Dragon.

PIERCINGS: One in each ear
JEWELLERY: Nancy has a lot of jewelry, some cheap and some more expensive, and while she loves all of it, some of her favorite pieces are her aquamarine and diamond earrings, her sapphire and diamond earrings, her diamond and white gold butterfly bracelet and her white gold and diamond heart necklace.

BODY MODIFICATIONS: Four long scratch marks on her back from when she was turned.

WOLF FORM.
BUILD: Large and a bit bulky, Nancy’s wolf is built for power, though she can get a good deal of speed should she need to and can be quite stealthy when the need to be comes around. She can move easily on two and four feet, though she prefers four because it’s easier to build up speed that way. Nancy is actually built a good deal like a normal wolf except for her ability to walk on two legs. When traveling in a quadruped fashion, she could be mistaken as a large, lightly colored wolf from a distance.
HEIGHT: Quadruped: 3’7 Bipedal: 6’4
WEIGHT: 258 lbs.
HAIR: Thick and fully covering, though longer around her head and neck, Nancy’s blond and white fur is excellent protection against the elements.
EYES: Light amber
DEFINING MARKS: A rather bushy tail and almost hand-like front paws.

(The one in back is Nancy)

PACK.
PACK: N/A
POSITION: N/A
TERRITORY: N/A

HAIR.
LENGTH: Just a bit past shoulder length
STYLE: For the most part, Nancy allows her straight hair to hang down freely, though when she’s practicing or working, she ties it back into a ponytail in order to keep it out of her face. On occasions, she might curl it or put it into a neat upsweep, but it depends entirely upon her mood and what she might be getting ready to do.
COLOUR: Brown

FACIAL HAIR.
LENGTH: N/A
STYLE: N/A

EYES.
COLOUR: Brown
ODDITIES: Like others of her kind, Nancy’s eyes will flash/flood their lupine color during periods of heightened emotion or when she’s teasing or trying to intimidate.

PERSONALITY: Nancy is typically a happy individual, almost always smiling or finding something to smile about. She knows that she has an extremely easy life compared to some- it’s certainly easy compared to the one she had before she and her parents ended up relocating to Canada- and that in itself is something to be happy about. She has people she cares about and who care about her in turn, not to mention a restaurant that’s doing rather well, so she personally doesn’t have anything to be unhappy about. At least, not until something happens to someone she cares about. When it does, she gets just as upset or angry as anyone. She doesn’t take it very well when those she cares about run into hardship of any kind and will do absolutely anything she can in order to help and, hopefully, give them something to smile about.

She’s a very talkative person, though she does know how to listen when someone has something they need to say to her. She adores conversations about anything, even if it’s something she doesn’t know about because it gives her the chance to learn something completely new. There’s very little that Nancy isn’t interested in, so practically any topic that might come up is perfectly fine by her.

One of Nancy’s biggest passions is cooking and, when she’s at her restaurant, she can usually be found in the kitchen, cooking something or other. She’s always trying to learn more about cooking- especially Oriental cooking so she can use it at the Golden Dragon- and loves it when she finds that there’s a new class being offered locally that she can get into. She’s very particular about the dishes that get served at her restaurant and prefers trying them out at home before deciding what to offer to customers. She isn’t obsessive about much, but the food that gets served to customers is one of them. She has to know that she can cook it perfectly before she decides whether or not to offer it to the public at large so that she’ll know exactly what she’s doing as she teaches her cooks how to do it. She doesn’t have to be perfect at anything else, but she absolutely has to be at cooking.

While she doesn’t usually hold a grudge, Nancy can and will when someone does something bad enough to warrant such at thing. She wants to be happy and friendly with everyone, but even she knows that that’s impossible. Those who said that James burned down the Black Dragon himself for the insurance money have a special place on Nancy’s ‘hate them with a passion’ list. Not many people manage to make it on that list, but those who do something like that to someone she cares about get put on it immediately and there’s no going back.

Nancy can be extremely gullible, believing almost anyone about a number of things. She does have and practice common sense, but if it seems at all likely, more often than not, she’ll believe what they’re saying. It’s something that’s caused her problems before, but none big enough to really be discussed. It does, however, make the possibility of her unknowingly going along with something that could cause some sort of trouble all the more likely.

Though she might seem to be nothing more than a bundle of energy, Nancy does know how to calm down and be serious when the time comes for it. She’s perfectly capable of sitting still and quietly, though she wouldn’t choose to do so regularly simply because there’s so much to do and say. Not to mention that being still and quiet can get extremely boring when there’s no reason to do it. Nancy would much rather be up and about, doing something, but even James would have to admit (if only to himself) that she does know when being still is necessary and that she’ll do it if she needs to.

Nancy loves trying new things, even if the thought of them terrifies her. She’s learned that the most exciting things are often terrifying during the stage of simply thinking about them, but once she tries them, she almost always enjoys herself. She’s the sort who can be talked into seemingly dangerous things, but only if someone she trusts is going to be right there with her to calm her down if she really starts to get anxious. A conversation about anything but whatever it is she might be getting ready to do often calms her enough that she can go through with it. If she just really, really doesn’t want to do something, she won’t, but more often than not, she really does want to and it’s just the fear of something going wrong that gets to her.

More than being afraid for herself, though, she gets extremely afraid that something is going to go wrong with someone else. James’ skydiving scares her to no end because while she knows that nothing has gone wrong yet, there’s always the chance that something will. After all, he’s jumping out of a plane while relying on a piece of material to keep him from slamming into the ground. She completely trusts him to know what he’s doing, but even that can’t prevent something from going wrong and there’s only so much being a werewolf can do for him when he’s jumping from such a height. She has been on the ground at the target zone for a few of his jumps in an attempt to prove to herself that nothing’s going to go wrong, but even that doesn’t seem to calm her down.

Even though she originally took up karate at James’ insistence, she really does love it. Even as a werewolf, it’s good to have that sort of training and discipline. She practices whenever she can, finding that it’s actually quite relaxing in its way and most certainly a good way to burn off a bit of excess energy. With the abundance of energy Nancy usually has, burning some off is usually a very good thing.

More than anything, James is a big brother to Nancy and, while she’ll jokingly flirt with him when they pose as a couple, she’s never serious about it. Their relationship is completely platonic and they’ve been around each other so long that Nancy often finds herself very nearly forgetting that James isn’t actually her brother. While she’d do absolutely anything in the world for him, they do, like all siblings, have their spats. They always get over their disagreements and silly arguments, but Nancy can never help but think that she’s won when she actually get James to the point of pouting or sulking. This actually amuses her a great deal, especially considering that James is usually unflappable, but she does her best to hide this.

WEAKNESSES: Aside from the extreme allergy to silver that comes with being a werewolf, Nancy’s biggest weakness is James, who is not only her best friend, but a brother to her. She would do anything in the world she could to help him and if someone was to find themselves in a position to use him against her, they would be able to get her to do anything they wanted. Nancy can’t sing to save her life and probably shouldn’t be allowed near any musical instruments lest she tries to actually play them. Nancy can be extremely gullible sometimes, which can get her into a good deal of trouble sometimes. She also can’t swim and tries her best to keep herself out of situations in which that would be a problem.

ABILITIES: As with all werewolves, Nancy has heightened senses, agility, endurance, strength, speed and healing abilities. She’s a very good cook, having taken numerous classes when she could afford them and learning from everyone she can and tends to do a great deal of the cooking at her Oriental restaurant, the Golden Dragon. Though she might not seem like it to most, Nancy is a very good business woman, something that has, needless to say, come in very useful with the restaurant. At James’ insistence, she took up karate and is a first degree black belt, so she’s quite good at defending herself should the need arise.

WEAPONS: None after her wolf’s natural weapons and her karate knowledge.

PRIZED POSSESSIONS: Gotham, the husky that she and James share. And, while he isn’t a possession, James is extremely important to her.

Gotham

HOME(S): An apartment on Rayne’s side of the city that she shares with James.

HISTORY: When Rhea was born in 1794, Ackers and Miriam Danvers were barely getting by. Acker was doing all he could in order to keep them fed and clothed with a roof over their heads, but their already strained finances could not support a baby. As much as they wanted to keep their daughter, they knew that they simply couldn’t. They never would have been able to give her what she needed, so they began looking for a family who would take her in, knowing that even being a wealthy family’s servant was better than anything they could offer.

It was during their search that they met Charles and Kara Felding, a comfortably upper middle class couple who had been trying to conceive a child for several years with no success. When Acker and Miriam told the Feldings of their situation, the couple expressed immediate interest in making the baby a part of their family, literally buying her right then and there. As Acker and Miriam walked out of their child’s life, Charles and Kara renamed the two week old baby Nancy Meredith and gave her their last name, officially making her a part of their family, even as they agreed to never tell Nancy her true origins. They never wanted her to know that they had bought her if she was some sort of commodity to be had at the right price.

Nancy was given absolutely everything she needed and almost everything she wanted, Charles and Kara often going out of their way to ensure that she was happy. As Nancy grew, they realized that she was a very friendly child, always wanting to be around people. Even as a young girl, Nancy never had to be the center of attention; so long as there were people around and she wasn’t being completely ignored, Nancy was quite happy. When she learned to talk, she would speak to anyone and everyone, even the family dog when there were no people around.

At the age of seven, Kara began to teach Nancy how to cook when not giving her lessons over other important subjects such as reading, writing, sewing and a bit of history and math. It didn’t take Kara long to discover that Nancy greatly enjoyed cooking, which she used to replace the girl’s music lessons, much to Charles’ relief. As much as he love his daughter (by this point he and his wife really did consider her theirs and no one else’s), she did not seem to be musically gifted. It was not long before Nancy wanted to cook more than absolutely anything and it became all Kara could do to get her to fully concentrate on anything else.

By the time Nancy was sixteen, she was selling breads and other goods that she had baked herself in order to save up a little money. As much as she loved her parents, friends and London, she desperately wanted to see what life was like elsewhere and was determined to experience it for herself. As it turned out, she would not have to wait long, nor would she have to pay her own way.

Just before Nancy was to turn seventeen, Charles decided that the three of them would move to Canada in search of an even better life than they had in London. Kara was uncertain about the change, but Charles was able to convince her that the move would be good for all of them. Soon after, they were packed and set out on their journey, which was uneventful. Soon after Nancy’s birthday, they reached their destination.

After two days of traveling, the Feldings arrived in the town that Charles had chosen for their relocation. It certainly wasn’t anything like London, but Nancy liked it, her excitement growing even more now that she was actually seeing the town where she would be living. More than anything, she wanted to explore, but Charles and Kara insisted that she get herself settled in her new room and help them get their new house- which had been sitting empty for several months and Charles had gotten for a very nice price- feeling more like a home. Nancy was reluctant, but did everything she could quickly, wanting nothing so much as to get everything done so she could go exploring.

It seemed to take ages, but finally Nancy was able to go exploring while her parents went to see what sort- if any- shops the town might have. Though she knew that going on her own was perhaps far from being the smartest thing she could do, especially considering that she knew nothing about the town, she was in absolutely no mood to go looking for shops. Her mother would take her time going through any that she found, wasting the day and valuable time that could be used for exploring.

She had been looking around the town, mentally noting where everything was as she went, when she spotted something that made her stop. A man was standing at the head of grave, as still as a statue. She watched for a few moments, her curiosity growing, but not to a point where she would do something so rude as to interrupt the apparent vigil. She continued on her way, leaving him to his task.

It wasn’t long before Nancy found someone to ask about the sight that she had just seen and was told that the ‘man’ was James Viridian and that it was his brother’s grave that he was at. She then found out that a few years before, James and his brother, Nicholas, had been helping contain a large fire when Nicholas had died attempting to get people out and to safety. They were local heroes and that piqued Nancy’s interest even more. She wanted to meet everyone in the new town and James was most certainly on the list, even more so now that she had a name and knew something about him. She wasn’t about to approach him at his brother’s grave, though, so meeting him would have to wait until a better time.

It was a couple of days later when Nancy found the opportunity to meet James. She was coming out of one of the shops, having been buying a few things that her mother had sent her out for, when she spotted him walking in the general direction she needed to go in order to get home. Deciding that it was as good of an opportunity as any to add to her number of people she had met already, she hurried to catch up to him, slowing down when she got close in order to make the introduction as casual as she wanted. As she had with everyone else she had met, she introduced herself rather enthusiastically and with a smile, explaining that she and her parents had just moved there from London. A few of the townspeople had given her rather odd looks and she found herself wondering if she was about to get another.

She was pleasantly surprised when James, rather than giving her a look like she might possibly be insane, introduced himself in return and seemed content enough to have a conversation with her as they walked. She learned a little about the town, asking questions and listening intently to everything James could tell her about it. Nancy managed to pay attention to their surroundings enough to notice when they reached the house, but she was much more interested in continuing with the conversation than going inside and putting things away. It was only when her mother came out and told Nancy that it was time for them to start making dinner that Nancy realized just how long her conversation with James had gone on. She introduced him quickly to her mother, who thanked him for seeing that Nancy got safely home, before she reluctantly followed her mother inside to put things away and start making dinner. As much as she enjoyed cooking, she would have much rather gotten to continue with her conversation.

Over the next two years, she and James got to know each other better, talking when they came across each other in town or seeking each other out. While she made other friends, most of them were females who felt that being just friends with a man was practically impossible and talked about nothing but who was courting who and their beaus. It was, quite honestly, boring to her and particularly annoying when they started to ask if James was courting her and never seemed to believe her when she answered that no, he wasn’t and she honestly had no interest in him ever doing so. They were friends and that was all she wanted. Best friends, actually- in her eyes, at least- but she knew that saying that would likely give the others even more reasons to think that she was hiding something that wasn’t actually happening. She had the feeling that none of them believed her, but it was the truth and if they couldn’t be bothered to believe that, then that was their problem.

Two months after Nancy turned nineteen, some friends of her parents invited the Feldings on a river outing. There was a large river boat that would be taking passengers for a two hour ride down the river and back again, something that, while none of them could swim, the Felding family found impossible to pass up. They had spent a good deal of time on a ship as they were on their way to Canada, but they had never been on a luxury boat before and it was an exciting opportunity. The three of them dressed in their finest daywear and joined the others at the river, admiring the boat even as they began to board.

Nancy had never seen a boat like it before- not up close- and she was all but bouncing in excitement. She had always loved new experiences and while it had been exciting being on a ship during the trip from England, she was greatly looking forward to seeing what the area looked like from the river. Despite the fact that she couldn’t swim and that they were going to be out in the middle of the river, she wasn’t afraid. They would be on the boat after all and the likelihood of anything going wrong was tiny. After all, they had survived being at sea, so a river was no big concern.

For nearly an hour, the lazy ride went smoothly, everyone mingling and enjoying the lovely view. The early spring day was perfect for the outing, calm and clear. Most of the people on the boat were her parents’ friends and the conversations going on around her didn’t really interest Nancy, who was more interested in watching the banks of the river or the water itself while her parents carried on various conversations about things that she really didn’t particularly care to know about. She spoke to a few people as they came to the rail where she was standing, but more often than not, she was alone.

Nancy really didn’t know what happened, but one moment she was standing at the railing, studying the water, and the next she was in the river, floundering her way to the surface where she could hear screams and splashes all around her. She was sure that she had missed something at some point, but she had no idea as to what it could have been and at that moment, there were other things to worry about. She was sinking again and knew that she wouldn’t be able to make it back to the surface. She had never been one to think about death, but at that moment, as she got farther and farther from the surface, she feared it for the first time. Nancy wasn’t ready to die and especially not by drowning.

The next thing Nancy knew, she was waking up on shore, coughing up water and completely confused. She knew that the only way she had managed to get to the shore was by getting pulled out of the water, but that wasn’t what was first and foremost on her mind. As soon as she could, she asked about her parents, not seeing them when she looked around. A nearby woman told her that she thought that James, who had pulled Nancy herself out of the river, had gone to see if he could find them- or any more survivors. She and the others watched the water, but only two more people made it out of the waters, neither of whom were her parents or James.

When she realized that no one else would be coming out of the river, Nancy began to panic. She wanted to go search for them- maybe they had somehow gotten to the bank at another point along the river- but she was stopped by several of the women and taken shivering back to town, where the couple who had invited Nancy’s family onto the boat took her back to their home. She needed to be watched in order to make sure that she didn’t go off by herself. She was a wreck, sobbing uncontrollably and clearly in shock over the events that had just transpired. They all were, but chances were that she had just lost everyone who really meant anything to her.

They got her a change of clothes and put her in their drawing room, giving her tea and trying to console her. She was still there when word came that her father’s body had been found on the bank but no others had been found yet. Finally, as night approached, Nancy convinced them to let her go home, giving her word that she would only go there and wouldn’t leave until morning. Even then, they begged her to give her word that she wouldn’t go searching, especially alone, knowing that there was a chance that she would get lost. She reluctantly gave her word again and made her way home, finding sleep elusive and sitting up, feeling drained and empty.

By the time dawn came, she was exhausted, but in no mood to sleep. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself, so she went and readied herself for the day, putting on one of her very rarely worn black dresses. Black was too dark for her liking, but she had just lost her parents and best friend, and black seemed even more appropriate than society tended to deem it. She left the house slowly, wishing more than anything that she would discover that everything that had happened at the river had been a nightmare. Nancy knew that that wouldn’t happen, but she still wished for it all the same. She had promised that she wouldn’t go searching alone, so she was setting out to find someone- anyone- who would go with her to search for her mother’s and James’ bodies. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to get any sort of closure until they were found and buried appropriately.

Several people saw her that early morning, but none approached. Nancy was in mourning and while many wanted to console her, they thought that perhaps she needed the time to come to terms with what had happened. Many were torn over what to do, but in the end, she was left alone and allowed to move through the town unbothered.

She was at a loss as to what to do and was really quite unaware of where she was going. She was simply walking now, wondering what she was going to do now that she was alone. She knew that she would ask someone to help her search before the morning got too far along, but at the moment, Nancy was so lost in her thoughts that when she looked up and saw the figure moving towards her, she didn’t recognize him at first. When she did, she yelled his name so loudly that she startled herself and ran forward, throwing her arms around him and cried again, this time tears of joys and relief. James was alive.

She wasn’t sure how long she stood there like that, scared that James might disappear if she let go, but she finally managed to get herself under control and pulled away. Unwilling to let him out of her sight, she told him, rather than offering, that she would see to it that he got home. He looked weak (and why shouldn’t he?) and she wasn’t entirely sure if he would be able to make it back on his own. It didn’t matter to her if he could or not. She was going and wouldn’t hear otherwise. She would have invited him back to the house, but he looked worse for the wear and she thought that he would probably prefer to be in a place that he was more familiar with.

As she helped James back to the inn he had been staying at for as long as she had known him- thankfully without any complaints from him over the assistance since she would have stubbornly ignored them- he asked about her parents. When he heard that they had still not found her mother’s body, he offered to help her search. She appreciated the offer greatly, but put her foot down about it. He was exhausted and she wasn’t about to let him endanger himself even more. She was beginning to see him as a brother and there was absolutely no chance that Nancy was going to let him search with her when he could barely stay on his feet.

She managed to get him inside and saw to it that he was settled comfortably before leaving him to rest. She started making plans to gather a group of people to search for her mother’s body, knowing that it would go faster that way and feeling up to a bit more now that she knew that she wasn’t completely alone.

Nancy was able to get a nice sized group of people together to help her search, but they wouldn’t have to. Someone had found her mother’s body downriver and brought her into town already in a coffin. Nancy had been able to find a little hope that maybe, just maybe, her mother had survived the same way James had, but those hopes were dashed when the news reached her ears. Now that she knew what had happened, she began to make burial arrangements, knowing that she was really the only one that could do so and that it wasn’t fair to her parents’ memory to put it off. They would have wanted to be buried as quickly as possible and she saw to it that they were, though for her ‘as soon as possible’ meant once James had healed enough to attend if he wished to.

He was there beside her as she saw her parents buried, offering her much needed support. While nearly everyone in the town offered their condolences, James was the one she felt that she could count on most. He was family- the only family she had now- and that meant more to her than anything. He told her stories about his own family and it was that act more than anything that let her know that, in some way, he trusted her and that knowledge did make her feel a bit better.

As the next three years passed, Nancy and James became even closer as life settled down again. Nancy’s routine was different than it had been before her parents’ deaths, but she had a routine again and was quite comfortable in it. There, was, however, something she had noticed that had gotten her curious. James disappeared into the mountains for three nights each month, the reason why changing each time. It was so regular that she couldn’t resist following him one month.

During the first two nights, she lost sight of him and had to return home in order to avoid becoming hopelessly lost in the mountains, but on the third, she managed to keep sight of him longer. Though she eventually lost sight of him, she pressed on, continuing in the general direction they had been going and doing everything she could in order to remember the way back to the town. Even though she had chosen to continue, the worst thing she could think of was getting lost in the mountains and having absolutely no idea as to how to make it back home.

Nancy pressed on, coming upon a cave after a bit more walking. By this time, night had truly settled in and the moon had risen, putting her on edge because she was uncertain as to what kinds of wild animals she might come upon. The cave seemed like a very good place to rest and she made her way to it, finding something at the entrance that made her forget her uncertainty in favor of her curiosity. James’ things were just inside the cave’s mouth and looked to her as if they had simply been put down for a bit.

Making the decision that she may as well search the cave while she was there, she began to make her way deeper into it, using the bright moonlight to help her navigate. She moved slowly, preferring not to injure herself. For a few moments, she saw nothing of interest. It was simply a cave. Then she found something that she had not been expecting. There was a cage and with it, a creature. It looked rather wolf-like, but despite having never seen a real wolf except at a distance, she knew that this was no wolf. It was something else and it terrified her. She began to back away, but knew that she wouldn’t be able to get away quickly enough.

When the creature threw itself against the cage, Nancy turned and ran, throwing everything she had into making it out of the cave and as far away as she could possibly get before the creature could get out. She didn’t check behind her as she made her way towards the exit, but she could hear the beast as it broke out of the cage and started after her. She had no illusions that she would be able to outrun the hunter, but she had a small head start and hoped that would give her enough time to at least figure out something that she could do. She had no idea as to what she could do against such a creature- she was trying not to name it in her mind, feeling as if she was mad to so much as think it- but Nancy wasn’t about to just turn and face down her own death. She had absolutely no qualms about dying as she tried to run away. She wasn’t interested in a brave death. She was interested in no death.

As she ran, her thoughts went to James, but only for a moment. Nancy didn’t want to think that he might have fallen to the beast. His things had been untouched, though, which brought more thoughts, none of which made any sense to her in her current frightened state. If she lived through the night, then she would consider everything else she had seen, but at that moment, she was far more worried about living to see the morning.

Just as she reached the entrance, she felt a heavy weight hit her from behind and a sharp, searing pain in her back. The impact sent her tumbling and with her, the creature. The last things Nancy remembered of the night were the pain, the fear and the ground coming towards her.

When she woke up (and she was surprised that she woke up) she was back in her home, confused as to how she how she had gotten there. She had far too many questions and absolutely no answers whatsoever. There was a fear that people might think she had lost her mind if she was to tell of what she had seen in the cave, especially since she wasn’t entirely sure that she had seen what she thought she had. It was entirely possible that she was not remembering things correctly, though since she could feel bandages, she knew that something had happened that had required medical attention. Perhaps she had just fallen and the wolf creature had been a terrible dream of some sort? That seemed like the most logical explanation and right then, logic seemed best.

It took her a moment to realize that anyone was in the room with her, but when she realized that James was there, she couldn’t help but think about the fact that she had originally gone out to follow him in her dream- or what she was managing to convince herself was a dream. That didn’t really matter to her, though. It calmed her to see him there, just as it had always been calming seeing her parents nearby when she was hurt as a child.

James left before she had the proper chance to ask him if he knew what had happened, so she asked the doctor, who was still there to ensure that she would be okay if left alone, who told her that James had found her injured on his way back to town and had seen to it that she had gotten medical attention. Though the “dream” was still fresh in her mind, she didn’t argue this and assured the doctor that she would be okay, wanting a bit of time alone in order to think over what had happened.

Once she was alone, she found herself thinking about what she remembered, including how James’ things had been right inside the entrance to the cave. That was bothering her even more than the creature was, especially since she was trying so very hard to convince herself that the creature was a dream, but the more she thought about it the harder that was actually becoming. Her back was painful and she decided that there was only one way she was going to find out whether or not there had been any creature tearing into her back or not. She got up carefully and tried to get her fingers beneath the bandages. It was painful enough trying that, but the sharp pain that came when she touched one of the deep scratches left her convinced that it was entirely possible that it hadn’t been a bad dream after all. She knew that it was unlikely that the slashes had come from her fall and she knew that she had to find James. If nothing else, he could at least answer the question as to why his things had been in the cave (if they had really been there.)

With her decision made, Nancy carefully got up and changed, heading slowly out into the town in search of him. She stopped to assure a few of those who saw her that she was quite all right before continuing on through the town. When she found James, he was at his brother’s grave. For a moment, she considered leaving him where he was undisturbed, but eventually decided to approach. She wasn’t sure how long she stood quietly next to him, but finally, the question was too much for her and she asked him about what was on her mind. The fact that she had found his things in the cave was weighing on her and she knew that the only way to get past it was to ask him why they had been there.

As James began to explain that he was a werewolf- and that the creature she had seen and had been trying so hard to convince herself was a dream and not give a name to had in fact been him- it made Nancy wonder why she hadn’t put it together. His clothes had been put aside, not ripped and left scattered. He had disappeared during the full moon. Perhaps she had been trying too hard to keep things logical, though now that she knew the truth, she supposed it in itself was logical. Werewolves could no longer be classified as a myth in her mind. They were real. Her best friend- her brother- was a werewolf and now, so, apparently, was she.

It wasn’t the sort of news that she imagined anyone had ever wondered how they would take should they ever hear it, but Nancy actually took it rather well. It was a bit of a surprise to find out that what had happened in the cave had not been a dream, but some part of her had already known and managed to accept that. When she finally managed to speak again, the first thing she asked was what it was like to be a werewolf. If nothing else, she thought she needed to know that. There were more questions- things that she knew were important for her to find out- but that was the question that had come to the forefront of her mind and therefore the one she felt she needed to ask first. Even with news that would have made almost anyone else either think James was crazy or run away from him in terror, Nancy’s curiosity got the better of her. Despite what had happened, he was still the one she trusted most and she couldn’t imagine that ever changing. He was family to her and that was that.

Nancy supposed that she deserved the initial reply to her question of what it was like to be a werewolf- he asked her what it was like to be a human. He continued on from that reply by telling her how she would stop aging, how her senses and healing ability would advance and about what would happen on the full moon. That was the part that she was worried about. The thought of not being able to control herself as the wolf scared her, but she would deal with it. It would take time- she knew that- but it looked as if she might have a good, long while to get used to being what she now was.

When she ran out of questions (for the time being, because she knew that she would probably have plenty more later on), James explained to her that he needed to leave town. He had been in the town for nearly a decade and it was getting harder and harder to hide the fact that he wasn’t aging. For a moment, Nancy thought that she was losing the last of her family, but then James did something that made her calm down- he suggested that she go with him. That, to her, was the perfect solution and she immediately agreed to go with him. They decided that James would go ahead and scout locations while Nancy took that time to get her affairs settled and to heal from her wounds.

James set off the next day and Nancy began to pack what she would need and let it be known around the town that she was moving on. There were several inquiries as to why and she found it far simpler to just say that she felt it was time to do so than to try coming up with an actual story. She didn’t want to lie to those who cared enough to ask and that was a good way to avoid it. It was time to move on, but they didn’t need to know why that was.

She managed to sell everything that she couldn’t take with her and, when the time came, she went to her parents’ graves. Knowing that she wouldn’t be back, she wanted to say farewell properly. When she left their graves, she returned to the house one last time in order to get the bag she had packed and the money from the things she had sold and started off for the meeting point she and James had settled on, leaving the town behind her.

Nancy had no idea as to what lay ahead of her, but she was ready to face it. As she covered the distance, healed and moving easily now that there was no pain, she began to wonder what sort of things she was going to experience as the years passed. She was beginning to accept- and getting excited about- the fact that she could very well live to see some very serious changes to the world. She couldn’t begin to imagine what the future might bring, but the thought that she might actually get to see it for herself was absolutely thrilling. There was no way of knowing where they might end up over the years, but that was what would keep it interesting.

She met James at the prearranged spot and he told her of the location he had found for them to use on the nights of the full moon. Nancy felt rather guilty that she hadn’t assisted with finding the location, but it had been important that she took the time to heal and get everything in order before starting off and she knew that. She just didn’t like that she hadn’t been of any help.

When they reached the new town, they introduced themselves as siblings as they needed to. For most of the month, Nancy got acquainted with the layout of the town so she would know how to get around it as she needed to. As the full moon crept closer, she began to get nervous, wondering what her first change was going to be like. She knew that it would have to be painful- changing into a wolf creature couldn’t possibly be comfortable, she was sure- and the more she thought about it, the more anxious she got. When the night of her first full moon came, James led her to the location he had found well before the moon was to rise and made sure they were both safely locked away before the moon rose.

What she remembered most about it was the agonizing pain that came with the transformation. She didn’t really remember her first time as the wolf other that vague recollections of anger, frustration and the desire to hunt. When the morning came and the wolf had receded, she decided that it was probably best she didn’t remember much about the night.

As time went on and she and James continued to move, she began to remember a bit more about her nights as the wolf as she learned karate from James. They traveled for years, seeking out places to spend the full moon when it came and otherwise making the most of their travels. Nancy enjoyed seeing all of the new areas and since it seemed that James was enjoying himself almost as much as she was, she saw no reason why she shouldn’t take everything in and take some enjoyment from their now nomadic way of life. It was so different from anything that she had known before becoming a werewolf and that made it all the more enjoyable. She got used to traveling, but there was always something new to see or experience.

Nancy eventually mastered karate to a level that would be equal to a first degree black belt and James eventually gained control over his wolf and transformation, the latter of which brought a great deal of pride to her. Her brother had mastered his other side and she saw absolutely no reason why she shouldn’t be proud of him. It had been more than long enough for her to learn what a big accomplishment such a thing was, so she understood what a milestone that was for him. It was that same month that they left Canada and entered America.

They traveled through America for a bit, stopping at each full moon so they could find and prepare a place for Nancy to transform away from any potential ‘prey’. It frustrated her that they had to stop just for her and she began working even harder to gain control, fighting to exhaustion each time the full moon rose. Finally, after far, far too much time, or so it seemed to Nancy, she managed to get control. The first night it happened, she thought it might be a fluke, but the second time, she was absolutely ecstatic. At last, she could keep the wolf at bay.

Nancy and James continued traveling, stopping occasionally to find jobs in order to get together enough money to continue on. As martial arts became more widespread and restaurants started to seemingly pop up everywhere, they both started finding jobs that had to do with their passions.

While Nancy didn’t particularly care for taking orders and waiting tables, she loved working in the kitchens, her cooking skills making it an extremely easy job for her. As she learned how to cook new dishes, she began to become a good deal more confident in her abilities in the kitchen, even taking the occasional cooking class when she had the opportunity and a bit of money saved up to do so. It was during one of these classes that she discovered her fascination with Oriental cuisine and started experimenting when she had the chance to do so, learning how to cook the various dishes and adding her own little touches here and there.

The more exposure Nancy got to working, and especially cooking, in restaurants, the more she thought that, someday, she might like to open her own. It became a dream of hers, but one that she was willing to wait on. She certainly couldn’t open a restaurant as a nomad and, when she discovered that James wanted to open up his own martial arts training school, it seemed as if they had no reason not to find a place and settle down for a while. A great deal of discussion went into it as they looked for the ideal city and worked to save up the money they would need in order to settle in and get a start on their dreams when they finally did.

As the millennium began, they found themselves in Los Angeles, the ideal city. They found themselves a place to live and continued working, saving up all the money they could in order to put it towards their dreams. After a few years, they finally had enough saved up that, if they pooled their money, they would be able to get one of their places. There was a good deal of argument that went into this, James wanting Nancy to open her restaurant and Nancy wanting James to open his training school. Nancy, much to her pleasure, won, and James went about setting up and establishing his training school, The Black Dragon.

Nancy helped when and where she could, doing what she was able to while still working and putting away money. She watched proudly as James’ school grew bit by bit and, approximately a year later, her own dream was within reach. With James helping her as she had him, Nancy opened her own Oriental restaurant, The Golden Dragon. Word of mouth got around and more and more people started to discover the restaurant.

Nancy worked alongside the cooks in the kitchen a good deal of the time, teaching them the little tricks and additions she had developed for various recipes. She didn’t feel right unless she was cooking, though on her breaks she would make her way through the dining area in order to ensure that everyone was happy and satisfied.

The Dragons, as Nancy came to call the school and restaurant when speaking about them both at the same time, did well over the next couple of years. Both became rather well known around the city and, from what Nancy could tell, everyone was happy with them. Of course there were rivalries, but there always was, no matter what sort of business was involved. Things were going well for them.

And then the call came.

It was the ringing of the phone that woke Nancy and when she went to ask James what was going on, he was hurrying to get out of bed. She didn’t even ask what was going on. She simply went back to her room, threw on some clothes and met him at the door, not willing to take any arguments about going with him. She knew that something major was going on and she wasn’t going to let him go off and deal with it alone. When they arrived at their destination, they found The Black Dragon in ruins, a fire having destroyed nearly all of it.

Nancy followed the investigation as closely as she could, running The Golden Dragon and cleaning up things that got broken around the apartment as James attempted to practice. The broken things were no big deal. They were just things and those could be replaced. She wasn’t worried about those, but she was more than worried about James. The school had been his dream and she wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to handle it being gone.

When she found out that the insurance company suspected James of burning down the school, Nancy was furious. She knew that he’d never do something like that and anyone who had half a brain would have known the same thing as far as she was concerned. Nancy had never been so angry with anyone over anything before and more than anything, she wanted to go up to the insurance investigators and shake them until they came to their senses; if it would have done any good, she really might have done exactly that.

When it was certain that the school had been a target of arson, Nancy found her anger flaring again. She knew people were capable of all kinds of horrible things- they always had been and always would be- but she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why someone would want to burn down The Black Dragon. Her anger at the insurance company subsided a little when they at last came to the (what she thought obvious) conclusion that James had had no part in it, but she was still annoyed with them. She knew that it was their job to suspect everyone, but Nancy still couldn’t get completely past her anger with them.

One day when she got in from work, there was something she had not been expecting sitting in their living room, but it was immediately recognizable and all she had been able to do was smile. There had been a wooden dragon statue in the foyer of The Black Dragon and it was now sitting in the middle of the living room, a symbol of hope, as corny as it sounded.

James was nowhere to be found in the apartment, but she could only imagine how he felt having found the dragon intact. After all, if it made her feel as good as it did, it must have meant even more to him. She couldn’t even be bothered about the fact that he had gone back to the site of the school without her; Nancy knew that James understood that she would have gone with him if he had asked and she understood that he had needed to do it alone.

As the days went on, Nancy watched as James began making plans to continue teaching his students, most of whom had decided to wait for him to find and set up a new place for them to learn rather than enroll somewhere else. While Nancy helped where and when she could, she knew when to offer suggestions and when to step back and let James do it on his own. This was his passion and only he knew what was really best for him and his school.

After a bit of work, James was able to set himself up at the California State University, something that allowed Nancy to start putting the proper amount of focus back into her restaurant, because while she most certainly had not been neglecting her duties to her own dream, she had more often than not been distracted with trying to come up with possible solutions to suggest for James’ problem.

With her full focus once again turned to her restaurant, she slowly began to put a little more money into The Golden Dragon, setting up a carry out service, which proved to be one of those things that made Nancy wonder why she hadn’t thought of it earlier.

Now, it seems as if everything is going well again, for which Nancy is grateful. She only hopes that it continues as it is for a while before something new and less than nice is thrown in their direction.