The boy who cried wolf.....(open)

[Xazor Elessar]

Suddenly there was a fuss at the door to Master Yoghurt's Bar and Grill. The guards were moving about and surrounding the area as if a walking bomb had entered. A deep growl could be heard and then they all stepped aside.....to let a large beast through. The creature was about the size of a speeder...or a small car. It's eyes held a menacing glare, but were gentle in some way...despite their deep blackness. The creature was a wolf....a big wolf. Large sharp claws clicked on the ground as it walked across the bar, and long canines gleamed in the light as it looked around. Little did anyone know...but it was a Jedi Knight in her shapeshifted form. It was Xazor Dawnstrider....and she was stuck. She had never experienced a "change" before....and now it had finally happened, by sheer accident. The creature walked to a dark corner in the bar and sat beside a table.....being too large to even fit in a booth. Her eyes searched the room....hoping someone could help her....

[Marcus Telcontar]

Okay, now THIS was a eyebrow raiser if he ever saw one. Xazor's presence in the Force.... but definantly not Xazor's pysical form.

This he would have to look into. He got up from his own dark corner and strolled over to where the wolf was trying to sit - or hide.

"Hmmm.... oh I understand. You have changed form. I had forgotten Garou are so large in their wolf form"

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor looked up at Marcus and sighed....but the sound came out as a growl. She had not intended it to be that way...but it was. Looking down at the ground, the wolf raised her head and let her eyes meet the Jedi Master's.

I wasn't supposed to be this way....it was an accident, and now I'm stuck....

She could not speak with a regular voice, so she had to resort to speaking in his mind as if they were his own thoughts. Her tail wrapped around her feet as she sat there. As a wolf, she was just as beautiful as her human form....but she felt awkward and out of place. She felt like an outsider once again...

[Marcus Telcontar]

Somehow, the wolf had a pathetic and woebegone look on it's face and just with Xazor explaination she was stuck and it was an accident, Marcus was beginning to have a lot of trouble containing his amusement.

"Okay then, how did this happen and what do you mean by accident?"

[Xazor Elessar]

Sighing once again.....well, growling in a frightening sort of way, she explained.

I have never told anyone this before, and I was going to tell you....well, see, it's.....

This was not going to be easy. She had so much to explain and tie together...he would definatly have to sit down.

I think you ought to sit....

She said in his mind, turning her head to look at the table. Her head towered over the table, so she had no problem seeing him anyway. Looking down at the ground, she moved her ears back and let her eyes meet his once again.

A while ago, before I knew you....I helped someone in this very bar. A Succubi...a soul eater, tried to take the life of a patron in here. So with the help of a dear friend of mine, Sia-Lan Darkheart....we created a shadow figure and I gave the demoness half of my soul. I did not understand the ramifications at that point...but it is even more binding then a Life Bond....

She paused a moment and sighed....growled....once again before continuing on. She hoped in her heart that he would not be upset with her.

We were friends....but then she joined the Sith Order. I was still her friend...but she turned on me and we batteled. Adrenaline flowed throughout my viens...so much so...that I began to change. I have always changed a bit during battle, but not this much. And then it happened....right before I did, I accidentally discovered the ability that my father holds and that he passed to me.....the Dawnstrider Light. It was terribly blinding to the other woman...and then I just changed into, well, this. She was forced to change into her demoness form because I changed.....now I'm stuck...I have never done it before...it was an accident...

A tear fell from the wolf's eye....and got stuck in the hair on her face. It was an annoying ticklish feeling....and she suddenly sneezed a terrible sneeze. The whole bar was hushed....and all eyes were on her. She growled deeply and everyone turned back to what they were doing and began talking once again. She turned with seeking eyes to the Jedi Master.....her greatest friend...

[Marcus Telcontar]

?!?!?

"Xazor, you have to know something first - no one can take any part of your soul. At all. To think so otherwise is s Dark Side lie. Your soul is your own and that can not be changed - ever. The demoness (if there is such a thing) can have no part of you and no claim over you if you so wish"

So it looked like Xazor had discovered the Shapeshifting Garou were capable of, but had no control over it. Marcus had a quick rake through his thoughts about what he knew of the Garou, which was a fiar bit, as he had been stranded on their planet years ago and had gotten to know them well

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor growled deeply, feeling hatred for the woman who called herself a friend once....but then she got it under control right away.

She forced a Life Bond on me then! That's the only way! She knows where I am....she has to change when I do.....she knows my thoughts and feelings. It isn't fair!

She exclaimed in his mind.....hoping that he would help her soon so she could find Cherice.....

[Marcus Telcontar]

"If there was another Life Bond, I would be able to sense it. A life bond is strictly voluntary and there is only one person you can do that to. I would more say this is some very odd Dark Side spell I have no real experience in. And if that is the case, the first step is a Yalsimri. The Garou change is not a Force thing and if there is a spell or power on you, then the Yalsimi will block it's effect, allowing you to change back to your human form"

[SAURRON]

Marcus feels cold and emptiness as it enters the establishment...


Isn't it now?

Saurron's eyes flashed with his query to Marcus's statement of Xazor's shifting not being of the Force. Yet Xazor felt the sting of its dual sided meaning as a response to her declaring of what was fair and what was not.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

He'd been getting a drink in the bar when he'd heard the fuss. Looking up, a deep growl formed in his throat - which quickly became a loud laugh. Xazor was so ill-trained in the Garuo ways that she had become stuck in her feral form? What a laugh!

"Oh dear oh dear," he said getting up, striding towards Xazor.

"It's a terrible shame there isn't another Garou here to help you out, eh?"

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor listened as Marcus spoke. Nodding slightly she looked down at the floor.

Why has she claimed all of these things then? I don't understand...

Stopping, the wolf's ears perked up and she looked around....seeing Saurron coming toward them with sharp words. She growled and then was greeted by another...Vega.

It is a shame, Vega...surly you are too vial to have the honor of being called Garou...

She spoke in his mind. Turning back to Marcus, she attempted to ignore the others.

I'll do anything you ask! Please help me...

The Knight's eyes pleaded with him...she needed someone to help her and right now he was the only one who could...

[Marcus Telcontar]

She claims all of this as a lie. Remeber, the Dark Side is deception, lies. Anything to gain a power over you. Realise the truth that the Dark Side is nothing but a faint shadow, one that only seeks to bring your death to Light. Always remember that and know it has no power over you unless you want it to

Now where had he seen this one before..? Ahhh yes, on Xazor's home planet. That meant he lied - he was a Garou as well. Now if he had the name right from Xazor's thoughts... "I am certain that your skills in shapeshifting would be most appreciated Master Vega, but I sense the presence of fleas from your last transformation lingering on your person. I would much prefer if you had a parasite bath before offering your assistance. It is after all polite not to spread disease"

Sometimes he just couldn't resist. Much as he had put the bite of Tohmahawk behind him, sometimes the insults came all too easy.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"My, don't you have a sharp wit,"

Vega canted his head somewhat, crouching down to look into the eyes of the wolf Xazor. He smiled somewhat and shook his head.

"Unless your father is lurking in the shadows here, I imagine you will be stuck like this for days, if not weeks, without help..."

He rose up to his feet and looked to Marcus. Gesturing one hand out down towards the Jedi Knight, he shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"You're not going to take my offer of helping the girl then, hmm?"

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor laughed...but it came out as another growl. She looked up at Marcus and winked.

I suppose you're right Vega...you wouldn't help me anyway. It is nice to have you confront the fact that my Father is a better man than you...and actually, Marcus is a better man than you...you're nothing! You're not a man...you're a beast...and not even worthy of calling yourself Garou or Lupine!

She spoke sternly in his mind. Turning away from the scum before her....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Vega shrugged again.

"I was only going to offer a little help. You know, it'd be no fun to fight you when you were a little puppy like this ... I much prefer your human form,"

He turned and looked down at his hand, shaping his fore finger and thumb into claws as he yawned somewhat.

[Xazor Elessar]

Puppy? Look who's talking! I think you're head has gotten to big for you to realize how stupid you sound.....

She spoke once again in his mind, growling audibly as she dug her claws into the floor of the bar.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

He turned his head sharply and looked down at her.

"Look, right ... I couldn't give a rats -DO-NOT-SWEAR--DO-NOT-SWEAR--DO-NOT-SWEAR--DO-NOT-SWEAR- what you think, Jedi. If you want to stay looking like a deranged mutt forever, fine by me."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor knew that she was just digging herself a deeper hole. Despite the fact that he was Sith, and her worst enemy....she put it aside.

I'm....sorry.....I just hate being this way! Please.....I need your help.....I'll give you whatever you wish....

She looked up at him with puppy dog eyes (ooc: no pun intended :lol) and a canine smile. She was truly sorry for what she had said to him...he was just being a gentleman despite his nature....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

He snorted and looked up, closing his eyes for a moment. The want to slay her right here and now had grown high for a moment, but it subsided quickly.

"I don't want anything from you except for you to be a worthy opponent, which you are not in your current state."

Vega turned on his heel so that he was looking at the wolf again. A sigh passed his lips.

"This will only have happened because you experienced a great surge of emotion; pain, anger, whatever it was. The best way to rid yourself of it is just to relax..."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor did not even wish to talk about the emotions she had felt....for fear that Marcus would be upset with her. Sighing....well, growling...she looked up at Vega.

I was angry....and I was just so with you and I am sorry....I'll relax.....

The Knight spoke softly in his mind. She did as he told her to and relaxed. She closed her eyes and fell into the Force....but nothing was happening. She did not understand so she tried it again.

Why isn't anything happening?

She questioned as she began to worry. Xazor did not wish to be stuck like this forever....there had to be some way to get out of this form!

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"It doesn't happen automatically."

The Sith strode across to the table where Xazor had been sat by and leant back against the table top.

"If this is the first time you've changed I'm very suprised you can actually communicate... I couldn't even control what I was doing."

Inside, Vega sighed, memories of his 'becoming' in his mind. It had been a traumatic experience at the time, and the vivid pictures of his family on that evening haunted the Sith Lord still.

"Just try to calm down,"

Without noticing it, he patted the Garou on the head.

"Don't think about anything. Let your mind clear."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor took his words in and nodded. Closing her eyes once again, the wolf smiled inside, glad that she could communicate. He was being so kind to her, even though she did not deserve it by any means. Taking in deep breaths, she began to calm down.....thinking about nothing. Suddenly she got a funny feeling.....it was the same one she had gotten before she had changed into her wolf form. In a great moment a huge flash of light surrounded the room and then from it appeared the figure of the young woman. Obviously her fur had covered the terrible cuts and wounds she had acquired during the fight. She was covered in blood and was breathing terribly. The flash.....she thought a moment. Once again it was by accident that the Dawnstrider Light appeared. She would have to figure all of this out in time. Siging, she collapsed down on the seat near Vega. Her heart was beating rapidly and she couldn't say anything....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

He smiled somewhat - she looked normal again, albeit a bit worse for wear. Though he didn't like to admit it to himself he did sympathize with the other Garou, and especially with Xazor. He felt the same way about Xazor as he had done about Teka; though they were truly enemies he wouldn't have want the boy dead, it was too entertaining and strenghtening to fight him.

"Wasn't too hard, hmm?"

He looked down to Xazor as he spoke, still smiling.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor calmed down a bit and breathed deeply to regulate her heart rate. She pushed the Garou Warrior braids from her face and looked up at him, her eyes shining with a silent thank you. She smiled and shook her head.

"I suppose not.....wow....that was terrible!"

She said, glad that she could speak normally once again. The Knight touched the blood on her arm and sighed slightly, knowing it would heal quickly.

"I thank you so much Vega....I am in your debt. Now, would you like a drink, perhaps?"

She hoped that he would stick around for one. She wanted to know more about why she changed...she wanted to learn everything she could about the Garou from him....seeing as though he seemed to know. Verse had not told her much about it...and she had tried to ask her brother but he was rather quiet on the subject. He was her last hope in finding out who she truly was.....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"I suppose one wouldn't do any harm,"

He slipped down from the the table top into the chair opposite Xazor, glancing sideways at Marcus. He was expecting some sort of quip from the Jedi Master at any moment; he really doubted that anyone would accept he was just curious about the other Garou, wanting to talk.

"Hm... what to have, one of those Blaster things, I always wanted to try one of those."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor lofted a brow and eyed Vega. A Bantha Blaster.... it brought back some good memories but a pain in her heart. Holding back the emotions that wished to pour forth, she smiled and nodded. A server droid came to her table and she ordered two Bantha Blasters.

"They're really good....they pop and fizz in your throat...."

She added softly, recalling the first one that she had ever had....was given to her by Thanatos....

"So tell me all you know about the Garou! I mean..."

She did not wish to sound demanding...or overly curious...but in truth, she was extremely curious and wished to learn all she could.

"Please...I know not much...hardly anything of my heritage..."

She said softly, looking down at the table to cover the shame in her aggressive excitement...

[Vega Van-Derveld]

An amused smile came over him as he watched Xazor get over excited. Reclining back in the chair, Vega canted his head and set his hands on the table infront of him.

"I'm afraid my knowledge extends no where beyond tribes, clans and disciplines,"

The Lupine drummed his fingertips against the woodwork.

"Heritage is not a strong spot of mine,"

He smirked.

"And you know, you don't have to hide any agression from me - I'm not going to lash out at you for showing it. I'm not your father."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor looked up and smiled gently.

"I wasn't angry or anything....just curious. I don't know why he hasn't told me much about it. It seems almost like a secret. I mean...he told me about my braids when we were doing them....but that is the extent of it. I know that a lot of Garou are from Eden...tell me what you know, please..."

She said gently. As she spoke, the droid returned with their drinks. She took one and handed it to Vega and she kept the other one for herself.

"A toast perhaps?"

She didn't know to what, but it was a good gesture to make. She had nearly forgotten about Marcus...for he had said nothing in a great while. She hoped that he wasn't mad at her for anything. Siging, she turned back to Vega....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

He mimicked her and rose the glass, downing some of the odd liquid.

"It is true that many Garou come from Eden, I know this much. It is said that Garou were present long before any other race, and were created to protect the planets and raise humanity ... "

Vega smirked, "Humanity, heh ... so much for that, the ancient Garou turned on their kind and destroyed most of the other shapeshifters before being cast away by humans, thought of as murders."

"Of course now peoples opinions aren't the same, and very few remember what happened..."

He paused, noticing Xazor staring at him.

"... I read about it in the Chronicles of Gaia."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor listened intently, wishing to know more after the little taste he had given her of her heritage.

"Gaia....who is Gaia? My father speaks of that name as if it is a god of some sort....."

She drank some of the Bantha Blaster and set it back on the table, hoping he would know something about who this Gaia was...if it was a person at all...

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"Gaia is the name given to the 'Earth Mother'. Most of the Garou would die to protect Gaia and what she stands for,"

Vega took another sip of the drink, cradling it in one hand.

"Legends says that she created everything, and is everything ... though I would imagine most considered Gaia to simply be another name for the Force, now."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor thought about this for a moment and smiled.

"So she is a god...ess....godess. I thought so with the way my Father speaks of her. Hmmm...another name for the Force. All of this is so interesting! What else do you know?"

She was so hungry for this knowledge. Taking another sip of the Bantha Blaster, she set it on the table and fixed her eyes on Vega...hoping he could tell her more...

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"I suppose you could call her a Goddess yes, though I don't think many Garou follow her anymore."

He sat his glass down on the table.

"Though most still consider the idea of clans and auspices plausable. The clans, or tribes - whatever you want to call them, still exist out in the wild ... my home planet has a few on it. As to teh auspices... I guess you could call it the line between the dark and lightside for Garou."

He paused.

"An example would be the Philodox, they are meant to bring justice into the world ... or the Ahroun, who are born to kill."

Vega smirked, and thought over what he'd said; coming to the conclusion that he sounded like some sort of holocron or information bank.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor nodded and grinned.

"Wow....that is a lot that I have never known! Where did you find all of this out?"

She questioned....not wishing to make him feel like some holocron...but she knew he probably did. The Knight sure would have.....but she desired this information so much.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"I just read it all ... the elders of my family had a lot of books on it, they were very cultured on this sort of thing,"

He smiled somewhat. The thought of his grandparents laying dead in the old mansion that he grew in filled his thoughts. The shattered antiques and bloodied walls of the old manor seemed so real in his mind ... He blinked, and opened his eyes.

[Xazor Elessar]

How the young Knight wished she had some books like the ones he described. But she had checked the Jedi Library...and they had nothing. She wondered why, but had ceased to pursue it any further there, and instead resorted to asking those like Vega. She then noticed him close his eyes and appear deep in thought....

"Is something bothering you?"

She questioned gently, wishing to be of some help to him as he had been to her.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

His eyes flickered open.

"No, no. Just thinking."

Picking up his drink again, he took a long sip and finished off what was left of it.

" ... So what else do you want to know?"

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor smiled gently and took another sip of her drink, finishing it off completely.

"Do you wish for another as well?"

She questioned, motioning to his nearly gone drink. Thinking for a moment, she did not wait for him to reply.

"Everything! I wish to know everything else! Why did I change and what is so hard about going back? Why was I so big? Can I get bigger?"

Questions flooded her mind as she thought about all of the possibilities....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"You changed because of the surge in emotion, as far as I know ... and the reason for it being hard to change is because you are reshaping your whole body whilst doing it, that's not an easy thing to do."

Vega smirked.

"As to your size, I think your feral form is influenced by your human one ... so if you grow bigger, taller or whatever, then your wolf form will too."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor laughed slightly. She was only five foot seven....so she would not get much bigger.

"I don't think I'll grow anymore..."

She said with a laugh. The droid had brought back refills of their Bantha Blasters....though she had not really ordered them again. She smiled and handed one to Vega and took hers in her hand.

"Is there any way to change without emotion? Or do I always have to feel something deep?"

She questioned curiously. Curiosity killed the cat....could it kill the wolf? She thought to herself and laughed inside...

[Vega Van-Derveld]

Vega nodded in thanks, but did not take another drink.

"You can change without emotion, but it requires practice. A great deal of practice."

He nodded sagely.

"I and my son Darius have conducted whole day long sessions before to try and perfect his changing, yet he is still no closer to it ... I can barely just shift."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor took the other drink and set it beside her. Of course she would drink both of them. She took a large gulp of her own and nearly finished half of it. He then spoke the name of Darius.....the one who had killed Thanatos. She growled inside herself, yet tried to contain it on the outside. She simply nodded and smiled.

"Perhaps if I work on it I might get it someday...hopefully your son might as well."

She said gently, taking another sip of the Bantha Blaster. Than had really gotten her hooked on those things.....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"I'm sure he will, he is a very quick learner ... "

Vega smirked somewhat, remembering the message he had sent to the Council some weeks ago - Xazor would have seen it. What a shame.

"If you were not so against him and I, I'm sure we could have taught you a few things."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor looked up and sighed slightly.

"It's not what I'm against...it's what I stand for...all things happen for a reason and it was not anyones fault really....if you could teach me some things, I would love to learn....as long as it did not go against the Jedi Code...."

She smiled softly, wishing someone would teach her something new. How she yeared to learn new things, especially if it involved her Garou heritage.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"I can assure you that what we practice is neither of the Sith or the Jedi, simply exploring what we are."

He smiled reassuringly, but the look quickly faded.

"... Though I doubt it would be favoured or encouraged amongst your peers."

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor looked down at the table and then back up at him.

"There is nothing wrong with discovering who I am. I am not going to be using darkness....it has nothing to do with the Force. If anyone has a problem with it, that means they have a problem with me....I need to know....."

She said quietly and took another sip of the drink before setting it back on the table.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

He grin lopsidedly.

"I can just imagine the Council's faces when they hear you've been socializing with a Sith Lord," he said through a slight chuckle, taking a sip of his drink.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor knew what he meant and sighed to herself.

"It is not like I am leaving the Jedi...or joining the Sith. It is not like you are teaching me the Darkarts! I am learning about myself....I would think that they would approve of something like that."

She really hoped that he would help her, despite the fact that she was a bit nervous about what the Council might say....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"I'm not going to object to helping you a little," he said.

Oh, how pleased his Master would be to hear that he had been helping the Jed. Perhaps he would get a little more attention from Dara this way, even if it was the bad kind.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor smiled gratefully and nodded.

"Thank you Vega.....though we disagree most of the time...I have found out that you are actually one of the more....decent...Sith."

She smiled toothily and finished off the Bantha Blaster, then moved to the second, taking a large gulp of the liquid.

"So...what will you teach me?"

She questioned curiously. She could either learn a lot from him...or he could learn a lot about her. It was practically suicide to let the Sith know your style of fighting and your weaknesses....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"Simple things, I do not know much myself. How to conjure claws and fangs ... just small things like that," he said, returning the fanged smile.

Even though he was being genuinely nice, it was hard to believe it - the way he looked even now, smiling, was eerie, and there was always a subtle hint that his motives were not so pleasant as they appeared to be.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor smiled gently. She had tried to experiment with claws and such things....but it always happened at the wrong times.

"I truly appreciate this...."

She took another gulp of the Bantha Blaster, draining it to half full once again. There was something about his smile that threw her off...he was being nice to someone he genuinly hated. It was odd and gave her a strange feeling.....

[Vega Van-Derveld]

"Not a problem,"

Vega stretched his arms out behind him and yawned somewhat before leaning back forward, a big grin on his face. A grin that looked far too similar for comfort; the features which Thanatos had inherited from his face showed through strongly when he was in such a state.

"Should be ... interesting."

[Xazor Elessar]

A hard lump formed in Xazor's throat as she noticed how similar Vega's facial expressions were to those of Thanatos. Sadness swelled in her heart once again, but she surpressed it so he could not tell.

"Yes...it should be. For now, though, I must return to my room and rest. We shall begin tomorrow?"

She questioned hopefully.

[Vega Van-Derveld]

He nodded lightly and rose up to his feet, straightening out his coat. He took a few paces away, before glancing back towards Xazor.

"You will be able to find me at the Den on Helios ... I will send the co-ordinates to you on a private channel. Until then..."

He grinned toothily then looked away, smiling inwardly at himself as he walked out of the bar.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor was a bit nervous as he left, but she smiled in return.

"Thank you...I'll be there..."

She called after him. Placing a few credits on the table, she parted without even saying goodbye to Marcus. She made her way to her room.....to think about all that they had talked about and the new form of training that awaited her: self-discovery.