Attempt to Control (Open)

"Dammit!"

Melissa yelled and punched a tree. Well aren't you just smart? Her wolf side snickered as she clutched her hand to her chest. Punching a tree, god she was losing her mind. Melissa wiped the blood from her knuckles to her nice dark jeans. She didn't care if they were new or not, she could always get more. And right now her clothes were the last thing on her mind.

"Control Melissa, just stay in control..."

Melissa took a deep breath as she leaned her back up against a dieing tree. She just couldn't get it down. She had been trying for what seemed like hours to control her other self, to change at will. But dang it was a lot harder than she expected. Normally the only times she could change were times of great anger or remorse, when some emotion would put her into overdrive and just trigger the damn thing. But doing so at will? So just tell her selves that "Hey its time to change!" was freaking impossible.

She sighed and slid down the trunk till her butt hit the ground. She pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her arms ontop of them. It wasn't fair. As far as she knew, she was the only bitten werewolf in this god forsaken city. Everyone else she had met were purebreds. None of them had issues with turning, they could do it within a blink of an eye. Mel had even seen Tei change just so much that instead of nails she had claws on her hands. Melissa couldn't even do that.

"Will i ever learn control?"

Mel mumbled to herself, thinking about just giving up. Here's a thought... Melissa frowned as her other side spoke up again. Why don't you go searching for whoever changed you? Perhaps they could help. And if not, it would be a pleasure to rip their head off. Melissa shook her head. She didn't quite understand how it worked, but she could hear her own wolf in her thoughts. At first she thought she was going crazy, but Tei had told her that it was the same for everyone.

Still, the wolf had a point. Why not find out who did this to her? It would be iterseting to see what would happen, but how the heck would she know who they were? Would there be some force pulling them together or would her wolf pipe up and spot him/her.

Getting up, Melissa shook her head as she wiped the dirt from her hands. Going after someone like that would be suicide. They obviously didn't do this to her out of the kindness of their hearts. And if Mel did try to rip their heads off, there was no way she could beat a pureblood. Fine Fine. Let's just drag our little butts back home then. Melissa glared at the ground, imaging her wolf before her. "Shut your face." Was the best Melissa could come up with. She wasn't going home yet, not until she learned to change at will. Without the Anger.

As If that is possible.

{Feel free to jump in. I don't care who.}

The release of powerful muscles beneath his grey fur was a relief to Gabriel. For days he'd been busy out and about in his human skin and he felt as though he were about to lose his mind. As soon as his feet touched the territory of the Crimson forest his form had wavered and changed, Changing him into his massive wolf side which stood at eleven feet five inches and was covered in dark, grey fur. Scars littered across his body, but the worst and largest one was the one upon his chest, the only reason why he never really took his shirt off anymore unless he was alone.

A voice whispered into his hears before he smelt her. Curiosity overwhelmed the Alpha, curios as to why his pack mate was out here along. His strides were long and carried him easily through the trees, brushing his fur against them now and then to leave his scent so that others knew he was out here. Two gleaming pirate gold eyes rested upon his handsome face, which he used now to make out the shape of his pack mate. Puasing in the trees he tilted his head to listen, completely hidden from view.

She's trying to Change. Gabriel mussed to himself. He stood there a while and watched her and listened in on her conversation with herself. Once she mentioned finding the one that'd bit her though he gave a low guttural growl and the hackles along his back raised slightly as protectiveness rushed through him. Moving out of his place he slowly made his way towards her, aware that this new wolf would possibly still be nervous around wolves. He didn't like that. Pack mates were supposed to trust their Alphas. He'd make sure she did, but first he'd have to become her friend.

Phasing from his wolf form in a blink his mind became his own again and he pushed his wolf to the back of it so he could have his human senses again. His eyes traveled over her, taking in her beautiful brown hair and figure. Gabriel shook off these thoughts, knowing that flirting wouldn't help his case of getting her trust.

His voice came out with his slight Greek accent, something that took a while to disappear anytime he phased back,"I wouldn't advise going looking for that rogue alone. If you want help training you should've just came to me." He tilted his head at her, a very animal like way of showing his curiosity. Slowly he walked over to where she was standing and leaned against the tree she was near. "I'd be more then honored to help you if you want the help." His voice was softer, more soothing this time when he spoke, remembering the feelings of fear when he'd first phased, but there'd also been pride that'd helped him along.

Melissa closed her eyes as she stood completely still. She wasn't at all sure what she was supposed to do, but she felt like she may be on to something. With a deep breath in, Melissa saw not with her eyes but with her ears. She tried to push her hearing so that she may hear stuff further away. Possibly a squirrel high above, or maybe a leaf that just came loose and began its slow decent to the ground. Her closed eyes narrowed as nothing came. She opened her eyes and looked towards the ground, sighing in defeat.

She knew from all the stupid books people wrote that some of them about werewolves were true,like that al their senses and feelings were magnified. Including one specific feeling, Doubt. Melissa usually had more confindence when there were people around, but when she was alone her doubt seemed to swallow her whole. It covered all parts of her mind, continuously telling her that she wasn't good enough for this or that. Drained her dry until she became depressed and would spin off in a rage that eventually triggered the change. Was doubt where she got her power from? Unable to ponder the thought anymore due to a greek accent, Melissa's head jerked up, startled.

"Alpha Gabriel..."

Mel's voice drifted off. Why had she said his name? The wolf inside her was practically forcing Mel to kneel or nod or submit of some kind, but Melissa thought that would be ridiculous. So she had just said his name? Well there were worse ways to be greeted... Melissa looked down at her self. She had on a light grey baseball style T with sleeves that just came past her elbows, her dark bootcut jeans, and no shoes.

Melissa watched him with slightly narrowed eyes as he told her not to go after the thing that did this to her. A slight scowl came upon her lips. Who was he to boss her around? Well He is our Alpha... Melissa was suprised at the growl that sounded from her, addressed to her wolf self. God she must seem like a loony. Pathetic and a waste of space in the eyes of a purebred. Theres that doubt again.

Annoyed, Melissa avoided any and all contact with Gabriel. She was determined to keep on doing whatever it was she was doing, as if he had never came. After all, he did seem to resemble the guy in her dreams. Nightmares, that is. The guy who always had her blood smeared across his face, beckoning her to come with him after she'd had a couple to many. Mel resisted the shiver that crawled up her spine, knowing that he was watching her. Gabriel spoke again, and this time it was like a cool wind that comes just before a downpour. It was soothing and refreshing, calming her.

"How can you help me? You're a purebred. I was bitten. No offense or anything, but I don't think what I'm going through is quite the same. At least you had some idea of what to do."

Despite his soothing tone, her words weren't as sweet. They were blunt and bare, straight to buisness. That seemed to happen alot when she got annoyed. Her last sentence however had a bit more bite to it. Melissa looked down at her feet. They were smeared with dirt and pine needles stuck to the bottom of her feet. Her shoes were next to the tree that Gabriel was now leaning against. She didn't like wearing shoes. She never had really. Mel tended to only wear them if they were essential like if she was going for a run or doing errands around town.

For some reason unknown to Gabriel his heart contracted when she said his name. He frowned at the use of his title though. "Just Gabe." He shrugged and continued to watch her, his golden gaze watching her face closely as she spoke. The corner of his lips twitched slightly as she spoke. He gave a slight shake of his head.

"How can I help you, you ask." He ran a hand through his hair, something he did anytime he was thinking. The chocolate brown hair stuck up as he did so before he gave a slight nod. "I've lived for centuries. Most of it I spent in my father's pack in Greece..." His voice trailed off and his eyes became flat and unreadable. He didn't want her to see the way he choked anytime he spoke of his homeland. Home sickness flooded through him before he was able to push it back. He gave an angry shake of his head before continuing, not looking at her now in case she would see something within his face.

"My father had many, many bittens within our pack. Purebloods are very, very rare within lands outside of America. I tend to be more... sensitive to others and I've more human emotion then most of my packmates had. He used me to train them, and had me as a therapist of sorts. A wolf kind of course." He managed something like a goofy grin before continuing as he lightly touched her shoulder, but dropped his hand, unsure if she'd have the want of touch like all werelings had. She had, after all, been left behind by her sire.

"Please let me help you. If you don't want help, that's fine, but it'd make me feel better." He leaned forward, tilting her chin up gently with a finger so he could see her eyes and let her see the sincerity within his gaze.

Melissa showed little change when he said he'd rather be called Gabe. She'd stick with calling him Alpha Gabriel. She didn't know why, but she felt like being particularly stubborn around him. Mel watched as he ran a hand through his hair, a smile daring to tug at her lips as it stuck up in places. But that faded as Gabriel's own voice trailed off. She arched an eyebrow slightly, turning her head just a little to get a better look as anger rushed through his eyes accompanied by a shake of his head.

Her own face seemed to soften as Gabriel spoke of his past. She only did so because he wasn't looking at her. It was only fair. He was obviously trying to hide his own emotion, so she would do the same to him in return. Especially when he reached out to touch her shoulder. She couldn't help that she turned her head away from his hand. It was an automatic movement that she couldn't have stopped if she had wanted to.

Mel swallowed thickly as Gabriel's finger connected with the smooth patch of skin along under her chin. She looked back at him, her eyes flickerig from one eye to the next occasionally. So it was guilt. He was trying to guilt her into letting him help her. Oh come now, her wolf spoke to her from the back of her mind. You really shouldn't be so hard on him. It could be worse, you may have gotten stuck with someone less appealing to the eye. Melissa could practically see her wolf's smirk as its tail lashed behind her, knowing she was right. Melissa breathed again, taking a step back and looking in the opposite direction.

"So what do we do first?"

Melissa walked a few steps away, just to put some space between them. He may be sincere, but that didn't mean she was automatically comfortable around him. She probably never would be until she knew he wasn't him.

Gabriel dropped his hands to his sides when she turned away and walked away. He remained perfectly still, his golden eyes flickering with an emotion now and then, the flames within them dancing and unknown to him, beckoning those that look into them to get lost in them. He remained silent a moment more before slowly folding his legs beneath him as he sat cross legged on the ground, resting his chin on his knuckles. He closed his eyes and dove back into his memories, remembering the Bittens he'd helped.

"Push your human thoughts and emotions to the back of your mind." His voice was low, hypnotic, his own face looking as though he himself were concentrating. "I suspect you can feel your wolf in you, so in vision yourself diving into that part of yourself and relax. Think wolf thoughts. Feel the earth beneath your paws, the wind ruffling through your fur, the thrill of the power of muscles rippling along you." His golden eyes snapped open as his body began to shake and vibrate. His brow creased and he breathed in deeply to keep his own wolf down. Now was not the time to phase.

Gabriel couldn't help but feel bad for his little wolf. The full moon would be harder for her to resist, but he'd be there, as well as the others. The Alpha in him was gnawing at the bit, wanting to do something to help, but knowing that comfort and this little lesson would be the only way they could. This frustrated his wolf, and made it all the more frustrated by the human emotions swimming through him. It made Gabriel confused. He didn't like it.

Melissa rolled back her shoulders as she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She listened, his low tone capturing her and letting her further relax. She went ahead and shut her eyes, picturing her wolf standing infront of her. Melissa imagined the wind blowing through the soft fur, the two staring back and forth.

In her mind, Melissa pictured herself coming in contact with the wolf. She lay her hand in between the wolfs auds, resting it on her forhead. A spark within the touch, the wind picking up around Melissa. She took a sharp breath, momentarily afraid. But she held on to the spark, encouraging it to grow and flow throughout her limbs.

It may have only taken seconds, but to Melissa the proccess took several minutes. Her hair grew as her body shrunk, her nails replaced with claws attached to powerful paws. Extra weight on her rump, a soft flickering tail. Melissa took a deep breath, and opened her eyes.

The world around her was bright and vivid with color. Her new nose detected many scent trails, some of scrawny squirrels, and one that was particularly strong. Melissa turned her strong head to face her Alpha. She had done it! She wasn't entirely comortable, for she had to fight to keep herself in this form, but she was her wolf. Well done. The voice was loud in her head, brought to the very front. I'll take it from here... Without a say in the matter, Melissa herself was pushed to the back as Mali took over.

Mali shook her head, making the fur along it fluff up. Her sky blue orbs traced over Gabriel, watching him watch her. Mali snorted once, padding closer to him and began walking in circles around him. She frowned slightly. She couldn't speak to him, not until he joined her in his form. She tilted her head, standing behind him as she looked down at him. She was taller than him, at the moment anyways. She only stood 8.7 feet, but that was taller than his current height.

A muffled noise caused Mali to look up, her gaze flickering everywhere trying to catch the source.

Gabriel's eyes remained on Mels, his smile slowly growing as she began the Change. The slight wind brushed past her and ruffled his hair, bringing her scent full blast into his nostrils. It was a scent he'd remember forever, like he'd remember the scents of his father's pack. It was useful, but it also brought a pain to his heart when he was so far away from them. Gabriel knew he'd have to let them go if he wanted to be attached to his new pack as much as possible. He needed to be strong for them. He was, after all, the leader.

Gabriel tilted his head and took a moment to watch Melissa as she circled him. Carefully he made sure that she was moving correctly, and was pleased when she was. He'd had Bittens before where he'd had to teach them how to walk within their new skin. Thank goodness he didn't have to now, for that was probably the most difficult part.

Gabriel leaned forward and in a blink he had changed into the ten foot five inch monster that was his dark grey wolf. Gabriel's flaming gold eyes remained upon his broad, muzzled face. Yawning he revealed sharp teeth as he leaned back slightly as he stretched, looking very much like the predatory animal he was. He kept some of his human emotions and thoughts though, wanting to be fully aware for Mels. "You did great. You're more of a natural then most I've worked with." His words flowed through his mind and into hers, the sound low and rumbling like distant thunder. The soft, approving growl of his wolf soon followed.

Mali looked back to Gabriel, who had now also changed. His fur was a dark grey, standing out beside her light grey and mostly white pelt. She blinked her eyes many times, finally sitting back on her haunches as his voice drifted through their mind.

"I feel like I'm gonna loose it any minute."

Mel pushed her way to the front of the mind, trying to gain control again over her wolf self. Slowly she extended her front legs, sliding down into a laying position. Her ears perked when she heard the approving growl and was suprised when Mali wagged her tail, a slight rumble coming from within her own chest. If Mel had been human at the moment, she was nearly sure she would have been blushing at the compliment, especially with his eyes trained on hers. Mel stared into the flaming wisps of gold, her own eyes reflecting a color of underwater crystals. Opposites, burning flames met by raging waters. Mel found that a small smile had formed upon her lips, but she didn't wipe it away. Instead she stood.

"What can I try next?"

Mali and Melissa were both interested in seeing what they could do together. This was only the second time they had been in sync, the first being on their run to the shopping district. They hadn't had much time to experiment, and now each wanted to do just what they were capable of.

Raising his head Gabriel lifted his nose to the air and breathed in deeply, taking in the scents upon the air. His tail was up and energy was bubbling through his veins. He was checking the air, making sure that none were trying to sneak up upon them. He didn't want his pack mate's first time in control to go awry. Satisfied that they were safe, the large grey wolf turned towards Mels with a almost joyful toss of the head. Pacing a few steps forward he paused and tilted his head at her question. What could he show her they could do? What was the best way?

His wolf new before he did however, slowly lowering the front of his body to the ground and raising his tail up high as he moved into the traditional play bow. A low, playful growl rumbled within his chest and he gave a slight chuffing sound that could've been a human laugh. "See what you and your wolf are made of. Might as well try it out on me. You won't hurt me." His mental speak held humor. For a moment he had to wonder why he was letting down some of his walls for this young wolf, but for now he cared not.

The muscles along his form tightened, prepared for her to lunge, but he was also prepared just to move back into his standing position should she reject his invitation of a spar.

Melissa's wolf eyes widened slightly when she first saw him lowering himself to the ground. Was he really going to make her fight him already? What if she died! Melissa swallowed a bit, certainly nervous. She hadn't even fought much in her own body. Mostly she used her tails or a swift kick to the groin to solve her problems, if she had any. Not so simple in wolf form...

But she didn't have to worry about actually fighting him, for she heard his voice in her head again. This time her eyes narrowed, a sly smile on her lips. "Challenge accepted." Slowly she lowered her self to the ground, feeling the muscles in her legs tighten, getting ready to explode with action. Her tail gave one swift lash before she pushed off the ground, launching herself straight at his chest.

Melissa frowned mentally as Gabriel moved swiftly out of the way. She'd missed! But before her paws had even touched the ground, her wolf already had another movement planned. Her paws had barely scraped the ground when they pushed off again, launching herself at Gabriel, this time in his blind spot.

The swish of her tail gave her away and he tried his best to stay still so she could get a feel of the slight pain that came from physical contact, but his wolf's muscle's bunched, unable to bear the thought. With grace and ease he moved out of the way, the she-wolf seemingly slower then himself, but actually his brain was slowing everything down and taking in everything. His ears caught the sound of her lunging for his blind spot and he twisted on his heels to meet her, raising up slightly on his hind legs as they both collided.

Using his stronger muscles he was able to move her forward, pinning her to the ground with a simple ease. Years of experience was on his side, but even with is superior fighting he was impressed by her. "You've more raw speed and power then any other bitten I've ever trained. Try again, I want to see something." Letting her go he sprang away a couple paces before turning to face her, his gaze encouraging as his wolf gave a playful whine.

A growl of frustration left Mel's throat as Gabriel turned at the last minute. She struck him hard though and they were sent rolling. Eventually Gabriel ended up top, pinning her to the forest floor. A small bubble of laughter escaped Melissa, this was so much fun! She'd never done this before, but it reminded her of the wrestling team back at her college dorm. She always thought it was a stupid sport, but now she understood why they liked it so much.

Mel pushed herself up to her feet again as Gabriel released her, complamenting her at the same time. A smile lit up her lips, proud that she was doing well. But when he asked her to try again, she became wary. What was he going to do? Only one way to find out...

He already knew she was coming, so it wasn't like she had the upperhand. Still... Mel lowered herself to the ground, her eyes narrowing just slightly. She pushed herself off from the ground swiftly, digging her paws into the ground as she pushed off. She only bounded a couple times before leaping into the air, straight for Gabe.

{Didn't exactly know what you wanted me to do? Sorry so vague}

(It's fine. :))

Gabriel's thick, strong muscles bunched as he watched the female lunge for him. He forced himself to remain still until the right moment, years of training himself to be patient coming to works. Once she was in the right distance he lunged too, the collisions sounding like cars crashing into each other when they collided. This time Gabriel allowed himself to be rolled beneath her and remained that way. He didn't reveal what he was looking for, and he didn't really know himself, but he knew he'd know when he saw it.

It was only a few seconds later he'd realized he was indeed testing himself, seeing if, the time ever came he could hand the reins over to another. His muscles tightened and he wanted to lunge up and toss her aside, but that was his wolf speaking and he forced himself to remain still before it became too much.

Slowly he rolled onto his belly and carefully moved her aside as he stood. He stood with an impatient expression on his wolf face and he sighed. "I used to be fine with being an Elite for my father's pack. I was seeing if I could be submissive, but that's obviously out." He nodded to her and did his best to smile in his canine form. "Thanks for testing that out with me. It was foolish, but I had no know... In case anything were to prevent me from being your alpha, which will never happen." His last few words were said determinedly, and feeling joyful at this he gave her ear a playful tug before trotting off a few steps before turning to face her. "Wanna see what those legs of yours can do?" There was a playful challenge within his golden eyes as his tail wagged playfully behind him.

Melissa's wolf growled in appreciation as she came out on top. Her wolf sneered down at him, only teasing. But instead of returning the playful gesture Gabriel's wolf was incredibly serious, his eyes narrowed in a glaring gaze. She felt his muscles tighten beneath her paws which were holding him down. She looked at him curiously, but stepped out of the way as he rolled to his belly and stood a few paces away.

Melissa sat down, wrapping her tail around her paws. She listened quietly as he told her a little bit of info on his past self. His whole figure went dark for a second before he turned again to smile at her, and Melissa did her best to smile back as if she'd not seen it.

A joyful bark left her as he tugged at her ear, and she made a snapping motion as if to bite his tail as he trotted out of her reach. She rose to her feet, following him as he mentioned a challenge. "Bet I can beat you back to the Falls." Melissa spoke with a cocky tone, but playful all the same. "Ready Set Go!"

Mel spoke in a rushed tone, letting her paws push off and pull herself forward just before she said go. She was hoping to catch Gabriel by surprise and gain a nice little head start. Looking back, Melissa seemed to have done just that. Grinning, Melissa pushed her legs to run faster, letting out another joyful bark.

[You can make the next post at the Falls?]