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Part 14 of Darklina Halloween 2024 , Part 41 of On The Outside Looking In - Outside POV Stories
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2024-10-25
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The Werewolf

Summary:

When a series of attacks on livestock coincide with the arrival of the new Earl of Kirigan, Mal comes to believe that old tales of werewolves may have some truth to them.

Notes:

Disclaimer: I don’t own the Grisha Trilogy or Shadow & Bone.

For the prompt at https://x.com/adriiivna/status/1833992188881240319

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

werewolf

 

“Once, wolves used to rule this land.”

“Wolves can’t rule,” Mal frowns, “they’re just animals.”

Old Mrs Oretsev sighs at her young great-grandson.

“These were men who were also wolves, Malyen. They were men most of the time, but when the light of a full moon shone down on them, they turned into wolves.”

Mal shakes his head, “werewolves aren’t real.”

“And how do you know that, Malyen?”

“I’m eight now, gran. I’m not a baby who believes in fairytales.”

 

His great-grandmother sighs, “not every fairytale is real, but that doesn’t mean all of them are wrong.”

“Is this because I snuck out to the barn with Mikhael and Dubrov last night? There were no wolves there, not even any foxes.”

“Too many people have forgotten the old ways, Malyen, but the supernatural world does not cease to exist just because we don’t think about it, and you –”

“Not more of those stories,” Mal’s father comes in, shaking his head, “they’re just old wives tales.”

“You forget, boy, that I’ve been alive nearly eight decades. I remember when the wolves ruled.”

“The Earls of Kirigan have been here for over three centuries.”

“Yes,” his great-grandmother nods ominously, “and so have the wolves.”

 

 

“That’s the seventh farm in three months,” Mr Popov sighs and shakes his head as they look over the ravaged hen-house, “it’s a wolf, make no mistake.”

“This is what comes of his lordship refusing to let us cull them,” Mal grumbles.

The new Earl of Kirigan is as much of a hunter as the old one – his second cousin once removed – had been, but he has a strange reverence for wolves. There are regular hunts on the estate, but the wolves – if seen – are to be left quite alone.

 

“Careful,” Mr Andreyev warns, “we’ve still got no actual proof it’s a wolf. No confirmed sightings.”

“What else could it be?” Mr Popov demands, “to do this sort of damage? We had none of this when the old Earl lived – if a man saw a wolf near his farm in those days, then he simply got out his shotgun and then gave his wife a new fur coat.

“The old Earl also brought the whole estate to the brink of ruin with overspending and bad investments,” Mr Andreyev reminds them, “it’s the new Earl’s money that’s saved it.”

 

Mal frowns. All anyone seems to talk of these days is the new Earl’s vast fortune, made in the years when he was plain Mr Aleksander Morozov, and how it has rescued the estate and saved all their livelihoods.

That’s all well and good, but it shouldn’t mean they can’t criticise Lord Kirigan.

 

Personally, Mal doesn’t like the new Earl.

He’s ruthless, far too much like the wolves he loves so much. Mistakes are not tolerated and he sets what Mal feels are impossibly high standards.

On his arrival, he’d made every member of staff at Starkov Abbey – even those who have served there for decades – go through a rigorous interview process and then fired half of them, claiming they were incompetent.

Mal had lost his cushy job as a footman and is now stuck working as a farmhand.

The Abbey’s staff is larger now than it ever was under the old Earl, employing more of the local community, but Mal remains bitter that he was not allowed to remain simply because he liked to take the occasional smoking break and flirt with the maids.

 

Mal also hates the way the Earl looks at his new ward, possessive and proprietary, like she belongs to him.

Lady Alina is the only member of the Starkov family who remains. She had thankfully stayed at home when her parents and brother went on the car journey that ended in tragedy.

Mal knows that he was a favourite of hers. She always smiled at him when they crossed paths and she’d even asked him on three separate occasions how his day was going. He’s sure that if Lady Alina had been given any input into the staffing of the Abbey, then he would have kept his job.

And now she is subject to the whims and orders of the new Earl, a man who, despite his new title, is certainly her social inferior. She puts on a brave face in public, smiling and laughing with her guardian, but Mal knows she must absolutely hate him.

 

And speaking of Lady Alina …

The chauffeur helps her out of the car that has just come to a stop and she walks towards them with a basket.

“Lady Alina,” they all bow their heads in greeting.

“I heard that a fox has attacked your hen-house, Mr Popov,” she says, “so I brought you a batch of fresh eggs. Lord Kirigan says that you’ll have a dozen new hens tomorrow.”

“But it wasn’t a fox, milady,” Mal says, ignoring the warning looks from Mr Popov and Mr Andreyev, “it’s clearly the work of a wolf.”

Her smile fades, “oh, surely not. Lord Kirigan was quite certain that this is the work of foxes, and he’s awfully well-informed about these things.”

“Of course, milady,” Mr Popov elbows Mal in the stomach before he can protest again, “and thank you very much for the eggs, and the hens.”

Lady Alina’s sunny expression returns, “you’re very welcome, Mr Popov. I’m only sorry that your farm has suffered. Rest assured, Lord Kirigan is working very hard to control the situation. Now, I must go – unfortunately, three sheep were killed at the Lebedev Farm and I need to visit them before I return home.”

 

“Enough talk of wolves,” Mr Andreyev says to Mal as Lady Alina climbs into her car, “you have to get over this strange dislike you have for Lord Kirigan and we all need to get back to work.”

 

 

“Have you noticed,” Mal asks Mikhael, “that the farms are only attacked on the night of a full moon?”

Mikhael rolls his eyes, “I’m a bit too busy to pay attention to the phases of the moon.”

“Three farms on the full moon the first month, two on the full moon the second month, the same the third month, and one this month.”

“Saints, Mal, those stories your great–gran told us were just fairytales, meant to keep us from sneaking out at night.”

“But what if they’re not just stories?”

“Don’t be stupid, Mal. A wolf, I’d believe, but a werewolf? And who could it even be? Most people here have lived on the estate all their lives.”

“Yeah, but who arrived a few months ago?”

“You can’t go around accusing the Earl of Kirigan of being a fucking werewolf, Mal!”

“But he –”

“I’m serious, Mal. You have this weird obsession with Lord Kirigan and a hopeless crush on Lady Alina, and both of those things are going to end in tears or jail time or both.”

 

“There’s something evil going on here, Mikhael. How do you not see that?”

“Plenty of farms get menaced by foxes.”

“It’s not a bloody fox. It’s a wolf.”

“There was only one attack this month, and just one sheep killed. Whatever Lord Kirigan is doing is clearly working – there probably won’t be anything next month.”

“You were complaining about him too when he arrived.”

“Times change,” Mikhael shrugs, “he might expect a lot, but he’s a damn sight better than the old Earl, who let the whole estate go to rack and ruin.”

“There’s something off about him. You look into his eyes and it’s like staring into the abyss.”

“You just hate him because he’s engaged to Lady Alina and you’ve spent the last two years daydreaming that she’d want to leave all this behind to run away with you.”

Mal freezes.

“What did you say?”

“You didn’t know?” Mikhael asks, grimacing apologetically, “they announced it yesterday. I thought someone would have told you.”

“She … he … that can’t be legal!”

“Don’t be stupid, Mal. They’re like second or third cousins, not really related.”

“He must be two decades older than her.”

“That’s not exactly unusual for their lot, is it? Besides, it’s sort of neat and fair, really, the new Earl marrying the old Earl’s only daughter, so she can be a Countess and stay in the place she knows.”

“It can’t be true,” Mal mutters.

Surely, Lady Alina must have been forced into it. She’s such a sweet, kind girl, and Kirigan is a cold monster.

“Don’t go causing a scene, Mal,” Mikhael warns him, “you’ll just get yourself into trouble.”

“Sure, fine,” Mal says.

 

There’s time to stop this, he thinks to himself

The banns have to be read and the wedding planned. There will certainly be another full moon before the ceremony.

All Mal has to do is expose Kirigan for the monster he is and he’ll be a hero.

 

 

The next full moon, Mal is ready.

He has a way into Starkov Abbey, thanks to Ruby’s place there as a maid and her continuing affection for him.

He has a silver dagger and a gun loaded with silver bullets for good measure.

He has Dubrov and Mikhael, who have reluctantly agreed to accompany him, as witnesses.

 

“This is the stupidest idea you’ve ever come up with,” Dubrov hisses as Ruby lets them in the servant’s entrance.

“The most dangerous one too,” Mikhael adds, “what are you even planning on doing?”

“Going up to Kirigan’s rooms to prove that he’s not there.”

“Are you an idiot, Mal? There are a hundred reasons the Earl might not be in his bedroom.”

“I’m out of here,” Dubrov says, “I’m not gonna go up there and get myself shot by the Earl or one of his men.”

“You’re on your own, Mal,” Mikhael tells him, “this is just … well, it’s mad.”

 

Before he can protest, his two best friends have gone and abandoned him.

Mal, grumbling, climbs the stairs, determined to prove his theory, with or without Mikhael and Dubrov.

It’s eerily quiet, and he thankfully doesn’t run into anyone as he makes his way to the Earl’s rooms – Ruby is easy to coax information from for the price of a few kisses and caresses.

 

He feels vindicated when he finds the rooms empty, the bed neatly made, clearly not having been slept in.

Mal takes a few minutes to look around the rooms, disgusted by the wolf paraphernalia scattered around – statues and paintings and sketches, even a coat of arms bearing the likeness of a wolf.

The evidence is so clear. Kirigan is bold indeed, to not even bother hiding the truth of what he is.

 

He is just trying to decide how to proceed and whether he ought to wake the other servants to see this, when he glances out of the window and spots the creature itself.

An enormous black wolf prowling the grounds.

Mal has his dagger and his gun. He could dispatch the monster this very night. The creature will be dead, the farms safe and Lady Alina rescued from a miserable marriage.

 

It takes only a few minutes for him to hurry down the stairs and out of the door.

The wolf has barely moved, and Mal thanks his lucky stars for this fortuitous opportunity.

He creeps closer to the creature and raises his gun. Before he can fire, though, a figure steps up next to him.

“Put the gun down, Oretsev.”

Mal turns slowly to see Kirigan himself, looking entirely human under the light of the full moon, with a pistol pointed right at Mal’s head.

He drops the gun to the ground, staring wide-eyed at the man in front of him, “how … but you … I don’t … what …”

“It is a fool who tries to enter my home without permission, Oretsev. Your foul stench alerted me to your presence immediately.”

“My smell?” Mal trails off as he takes a closer look at Kirigan, whose dark eyes seem even more inhuman than usual, and whose features look eerie in the moonlight, “what are you?”

 

A snarl from behind them startles Mal, but it only makes Kirigan laugh.

“Oh, we’re neglecting you, milaya, I apologise.”

He strides over to the wolf, confident and fearless, and Mal looks on in horror as he tenderly pets the creature’s fur.

“What are you?” Mal demands once more, “some sort of demon consorting with monsters.”

Another snarl and Kirigan strokes the wolf’s fur again, “don’t take it personally, milaya, he’s a small-minded man.”

“I’ll tell Lady Alina,” Mal shouts, “and the whole estate. You won’t be able to force her to marry you if everyone knows the truth.”

Kirigan appears entirely unbothered by the threat, “Alina is already quite aware of the truth. She and I share a reverence for wolves.”

 

“No,” Mal shakes his head, unable to believe it.

“Alina found the heirlooms belonging to our family hidden away when they should have been proudly displayed. She was clever enough not to look to her weak father for answers. She traced the family tree and reached out to me about a year ago.”

He grins, showing sharp, bright white teeth, “I can’t tell you how exhilarating it was, to finally find a kindred spirit, someone who embraces our family’s heritage the way I do.”

“You keep wolves?”

Kirigan’s grin widens, “no, Oretsev. We are wolves.”

 

Mal stares at Kirigan, then at the wolf.

“No,” he whispers as the truth begins to dawn on him, “nononono.”

“My darling Alina is a little new to her wolf form, something of a slave to the moon right now. She’ll grow out of it, once she’s been turning for a few years.”

“The farm attacks …”

“She’s a little overexcited at the moment, getting used to her form. And she got something of a taste for blood, what with the incident with her family.”

It had been a full moon, the night of the car accident that killed Lady Alina’s parents and brother. Everyone had assumed that the animal attack had occurred after the car accident, not that an animal had caused the accident.

He doesn’t believe it. Lady Alina would never kill anyone.

“She can’t have been in her right mind,” Mal protests, “she wouldn’t do that.”

“The wolf has less complex emotions than the human. And she was full of rage that day – she’d discovered her father and brother had gambled her dowry away and planned to marry her to a lecherous old viscount fifty years her senior, who’d promised to pay off some of their debts.”

 

“Worked out well for you, though, didn’t it,” Mal sneers.

He’s sure that regardless of Lady Alina’s condition, she has been manipulated and probably cursed by Kirigan.

“The title is nice enough, but it was never my true desire. It is my Alina that I wished for – my mate, my partner, my heart.”

Mal hates the possessiveness in Kirigan’s words. It just hardens his belief that the man in front of him is the real monster who must be destroyed.

“Unfortunately for you,” Kirigan continues, “I cannot have you spreading stories around the estate. They’d likely just think you a madman, but I won’t take chances with Alina’s safety.”

 

And then, right in front of Mal’s eyes, Kirigan’s body shifts and changes until there is another wolf staring at him, even larger than the creature that is supposedly Alina.

Both wolves stalk towards him and Mal suddenly realises what’s happening.

They’re preparing to hunt him.

 

He takes off in a run, sprinting as fast as he can, but he doesn’t even reach the tree line.

They’re on him before he’s able to scream.

He endures a brief moment of absolute agony before the world goes blissfully dark.

 

 

Mrs Oretsev is in her eighty-fifth year when her great-grandson Malyen goes missing.

His parents cling to hope, but Mrs Oretsev knows the boy is dead.

 

A few weeks later, she watches Lady Alina drive by in her finery, waving to the villagers on the way to her wedding.

There’s a glint in her eyes, one that Mrs Oretsev has also seen in the eyes of the new Earl of Kirigan.

It is a sign that the wolves are back.

 

That evening, Mrs Oretsev gathers the children around her and tells them all the same tale she used to tell Mal.

Hopefully, these young ones will be wise enough to heed her words.

Notes:

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it.

You can find me on Twitter under the username Keira_63. At the moment I pretty much just post mini prompt fics.