strange are the ways of the WOLFHEARTED, TAGS | DICK !

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

We are scanning the scene in the city tonight We are looking for you to start up a fight There is an evil feeling in our brains But it is nothing new There is only one thing on our minds Don't try running away `cause you're the one we will find Running, On our way Hiding, You will pay Dying, One thousand deaths Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy

"Bet you're glad to have Grayson back in Gotham."

It had been such an innocuous statement. But, it had taken much of Barbara's self control not to react to that comment as her father continued eating away at his burger and fries. For her part, she could feel the blood draining from her cheeks as she knotted her hands in the simple paper napkin resting on her lap beneath the Formica tabletop. Barbara reached for her milkshake, stilling the nervous fluttering of her heart. "Richard was a friend, but we were never that close." She responded noncommittally. She caught the flick of her father's eyes as he glanced up at her for just a fraction of a second, calling her out on her little white lie. No, she was certain that her father knew her well enough to recognize the crush she'd harbored for the former acrobat. Jim Gordon had a brilliant mind, second only to Bruce Wayne's in her opinion. It would not have surprised the redhead if he had not only deduced Batgirl's identity but Batman's and his subsequent Robins' as well. To his credit, he never let on that he knew, and it was best for Barbara's sanity that she pretend that her father was oblivious to her night time activities...whether such beliefs were true or not.

As her day progressed, Barbara's initial shock had turned into disappointment and pain. She'd thought that she and Richard were at least friends. They'd certainly seemed to have had a good relationship when he was still Robin...but, then, maybe he believed that he'd cut ties with all of the Batfamily and not simply his adoptive parent. Perhaps it wasn't an intentional slight but concern about his reception. Or, as she feared, he simply had not thought to let her know that he'd returned home. It was painful to consider that she didn't even warrant a phone call.

By the time she left the Public Library that afternoon, Barbara was determined to confront her former comrade in arms. Yes, that was exactly what she would do. She would invite herself over to his home and let him know that she was aware of his presence and was not going to let this radio silence continue unrecognized. Of course, it had taken an hour to get Marge in the GCPD's payroll department to cough up his new address. In the end, she'd had to play the 'Commissioner's Daughter' card. She hated to do it. It felt dirty and underhanded, but she recognized that sh needed to do this quickly, while the adrenaline was still surging and her stubborn streak was fully in control. If she let her mind consider the ramifications, she would end up second guessing her decision and let her old friend continue to pretend that she didn't exist. That just was not an option.

Armed with a small, wrapped 'housewarming' present, she tried to keep her mind off of what she was about to do. She let the sounds of the apartment building's noisy tenants through thin walls and the brilliant colors of the quickly fading sunset caught in glimpses through windows at the end of the corridors distract her right up to the moment where she found herself in front of his door. She stared up at the little metal numbers, chewing anxiously on her bottom lip. "Now or never, Gordon." She urged softly to herself, reaching up to rap her knuckles on the apartment door with much less confidence than she would have liked. Once. Twice. Three times. A worried glance towards the end of the hallway was just beginning to show the approach of twilight through the small window. It was going to be a busy one for the Batfamily. Full moons always were.

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The last 48 hours were a blur. He hadn’t slept a wink, and before that his nights hadn’t exactly been very restful. And now he was running late. Very late. A quick glance out the window told him as much, as the sun was beginning to set. He shouldn’t have bothered to come home after work… he shouldn’t even have gone to work. It hadn’t been part of his great Plan. In words, it was a simple one. Find the source of his problem, eradicate it. Find the cure. It sounded easy enough. Execution, on the other hand? He was starting to think it would be impossible. He still didn’t want to believe what he had learned. Werewolves. It was a load of crock. But that was what he kept coming back to, on every turn. All the evidence corroborated.

It was tracking down the other ‘werewolves’ that got to be difficult. He’d run into several during the past month without realizing who and what they really were, but looking back on it with the gift of hindsight he knew what they had been hiding. Really, that scared him more than anything. Knowing just how many people infected with lycanthropy were out there in the city tonight. Some not even knowing what they were or what the night had in store for them. The man that Dick had been tracking for the past week was a tip from Selina. A mobster who had gotten in a scuffle with a ‘dog.’ The morning after the next full moon, the man’s apartment had been torn apart and his girlfriend brutally slaughtered. It had been a story that had struck him fairly hard. Dick was lucky that he had been alone last month when it had happened. He was lucky that no one in had been in the hall as he had made his way out of the apartment complex. But was he behind one of the managed bodies that was reported the next day? Dick still didn’t know. It haunted him.

Just before noon that day, Dick had relented in his search. He’d realized that he wasn’t going to come across any of these other ‘wolves’ in time to stop them before the moon rose that day. He had to think about himself now, too. He had to make sure that he didn’t join the ranks of the monsters running the streets tonight. He swallowed his pride and called Bruce. He hadn’t been expecting the man to answer, and he was somewhat relieved that Alfred hadn’t either. ”Hey. It’s Dick.” A long pause. ”We need to talk. I’ll be over later today. I’ll meet you downstairs.” There was no question in his voice, no asking Bruce if he could come over. It was his only option. He could only trust the secluded manor and the Batcave to keep others safe from him now. That had been around 11:30 that morning. He had intended to go home, grab his personal research, and be at the cave by no later than 3:00 that afternoon. But his master plan had been disrupted when he was called by the station. The mobster that Dick had been tracking had been sighted down on the docks; and what else could he do? He’d gone.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Dick cursed, as he ripped open the drawers to his desk in his small apartment. The sun was going down, he didn’t have time for this. His mind was beginning to race. If he left right now, how far out of the city could he get before the moon would be up? Did it happen immediately? Or was it at midnight like in some of the tales? Tales. Myths. That’s all he could base anything on anymore, and it was positively insane. A growl of anger escaped his lips as the drawer became stuck, and he yanked it out with such force that it came completely out of the desk, spilling its contents all over the floor. He grabbed them up, shoving them into his open bag.

There was a knock on the door.

“Bruce,” Dick mumbled, looking towards the door. It was his first instinct; but no. Bruce wouldn’t have knocked so… politely. Whoever it was had to get lost, fast. If it was getting to be too late, as a glance towards the window made him suspect, he couldn’t have anyone around. Jumping to his feet, he headed to the door. It was probably the land lady, insisting that he pay his month’s rent early.

“Look, Mrs. Ti-…” Dick began as he ripped open the door. His words trailed off as he stared at the redhead standing there in place of the crotchety old woman. “Barbara,” he whispered, his face becoming slack as he stared at her in shock. His eyes were bloodshot, his face pale. The clothes he had on he had been wearing for the past two days. This wasn’t exactly how he wanted to be re-introduced to her now that he was back. And of everyone… she couldn’t be here. Selina’s story played over in his mind again; the mobster’s girlfriend, ripped to shreds. “No,” he said, shaking his head now, his hand up on the door frame to bar her from entering. “No, Barbara, you can’t be here right now.”

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

We are scanning the scene in the city tonight We are looking for you to start up a fight There is an evil feeling in our brains But it is nothing new There is only one thing on our minds Don't try running away `cause you're the one we will find Running, On our way Hiding, You will pay Dying, One thousand deaths Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy

It was not the welcome that she'd anticipated. For the fraction of a second, when she'd seen that look in his bottomless blue eyes, she'd thought that he might actually be happy to see her, then his feelings had been clarified by those simple words. Her eyebrows knit in frustration and confusion as she searched her old friend's face.

"Really?" She asked in disbelief, her smile quickly becoming a deep frown. "That was your first thought...that I can't be here." Did he have a girl coming over, was he getting ready for a big date...no. He looked like Hell. He was haggard, ragged, and looked so weary. There in the dim lighting of the hallway, she could just make out the blood red cast to his eyes, the rumpled appearance of his clothing, the pallor of his skin. She paused, her sapphire eyes darkening as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

Barbara's breathing had quickened, inhaling and exhaling in sharp little spurts as she tried so hard to control the raw emotions bubbling up at the sight of him, at his words, at his appearance. "We used to be friends, Richard," She spoke softly, evenly, with a great amount of restraint evident in her tone. "I used to think that you just left Bruce...not the rest of us, not me. Was I wrong?"

What had happened to him? She'd always considered Dick rather vain. He'd almost played the playboy card as well as his mentor, something that had caused her nothing but grief and stress over the course of their friendship. She stared at him through a sheen of unshed tears, her vision becoming liquid and glassy.

Barbara swallowed hard, shaking her head slowly as she shifted her stance, her posture becoming more rigid and determined. "Since when did I listen to what you or anyone else told me I couldn't do? I'm not leaving. You look..."

"Richard, there was a time when I would have been one of the people you came to with a serious problem. Now, you just want me to leave? Have you even been to see Bruce, yet? Your friendship has always been important to me. I'm not leaving. You meant something to me once, so I can't just...let things end like this. I can't leave you alone looking... Well, I'm just not leaving until you talk to me. You should know me well enough to know that I mean it."

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Dick watched Barbara as she spoke, saw the change in her emotions. Confusion to dejected. The sight of her eyes glassing over was almost too much to take. He�d rather have her angry than upset with him. His fingertips dug into the door frame, and even as she spoke he tilted his wrist and glanced at his watch. It was getting late.

He looked back at her as her stance changed, into one that Dick had, over the years, become more accustomed to seeing. Determination� the root of Barbara�s existence. �Bruce,� Dick said. �I am seeing Bruce. Right now,� he said, tight-lipped. He wanted to slam the door in her face, keep her outside. Make her stay away. ��.we are friends, Babs, or at least, I like to think that we still are,� he pressed, his brows creasing as he looked at her. She wouldn�t go so easily, he knew it. �I meant to see you when I came back. But things- things came up, Barbara.� That much was true. He hadn�t intended to segregate himself from everyone when he came back to Gotham. He hadn�t wanted to infringe on their territory; but rather, help them along once he arrived, drawn back home by all the stories that had reached even Bludhaven. But he had gotten himself far too tangled in them to be reasonable.

He glanced over his shoulder towards where his bag of evidence was. It seemed almost petty now. Bruce didn�t need it right away� what he needed was to be safe. He closed the door slightly, putting one foot behind it to keep her from pushing her way so easily inside. �This is probably the worst possible time for you to have come here ,� he said, looking down at her. Classy, Dick. He knew it was almost a moot point to even say that to her. She wasn�t just some college girl who would run off in a huff; she was a brilliantly minded detective who could kick his ass if she wanted to.

�I don�t want to see you right now.� It hurt to say, but he didn�t want her to become little more than a bloodstain on his carpet. She was strong, but the wolf would be stronger. He�d fought one himself and clearly had a hard time with it. Barbara would be caught off her guard. �I have to go soon. Please leave,� he said, and broke his eye contact with her to glance over his shoulder and out the window. He would never make it to the cave in time.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

We are scanning the scene in the city tonight We are looking for you to start up a fight There is an evil feeling in our brains But it is nothing new There is only one thing on our minds Don't try running away `cause you're the one we will find Running, On our way Hiding, You will pay Dying, One thousand deaths Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy

Barbara brushed a hand down her black yoga pants subconsciously straightening the fabric as she tried to temper her fury at her old friend. It took every ounce of self control in her body not to fly off the handle and tell Dick exactly what she thought of his attitude. But she didn't. She knew that anger was going to get her no where, that much she'd learned from Bruce in her years of training under the Bat. Anger was probably what Dick wanted. Fury was probably what he was banking on, that she would tell him to go to Hell and march out of his life without a backward glance. Maybe she would have done that back before he left when she was still thought she was ten-feet-tall and bulletproof, but she'd done a lot of growing up since then. She was not the same girl.

She nodded slowly, shifting her purse to her other arm and letting the hand holding her hastily gift-wrapped housewarming gift fall to her side. "Well, you know me. I have a habit of showing up when I'm not wanted." She'd been a burden to her father when she'd first arrived in Gotham all those years ago, and neither Batman nor Robin had been particularly thrilled about her debut at the Million Dollar Masquerade. Things never seemed to be easy for Barbara Gordon, and although it often made her question her self worth and place in the world, it had also caused her to cultivate a dogged will that was not easily deterred.

"It so happens, that we're headed in the same direction." Her sapphire eyes flashed with triumph as she brushed a length of red hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "I was going by Bruce's to do a little research in his library. I'm looking into some ancient and unorthodox weaponry for a special project...and I've already exhausted the resources at work." One sculpted eyebrow quirked upward as she met his blue-eyed gaze straight on. "Since we're still friends," she stressed. "I'll give you a ride over." Her lips curled into a challenging smile. Their little meeting had become a game of chess, and ever the competitive one Barbara was declaring 'check' and preparing for a 'check mate'.

"Or, if you don't want to fold yourself into my bug or you want to try to sneak away down the fire escape while I wait out here, I can just follow you over. Then, when we're both done we can stop for some coffee before sweeps and you can try to dig yourself out of this hole you've so artfully prepared for yourself, Grayson. I'll even provide the shovel."

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Dick reached up, squeezing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, closing his eyes. Dick didn't buy that Barbara had been planning to head over to the manor. If he'd said he was headed down to the museum she probably would have claimed she had a hankering for some Picasso. He lowered his hand from his face, pointing his finger at her. He opened his mouth to speak, before pausing a moment. A door up the hallway had cracked open, and Dick scowled. Mr. Sowell was more nosy than a high school librarian. He lowered his voice, looking at her. "You can't go to the manor tonight," he said, a growl underneath his voice. It wasn't going to be safe. This apartment wasn't going to be safe. The growl escaped his throat and he turned around abruptly, stalking back into his apartment. He left the door open. It wasn't like closing it would stop her. The apartment was as disarrayed as his appearance was, littered with paper clippings and files. As far as furnishings went, it was fairly sparse for someone having lived there for almost two months now.

He could feel his heart pounding now, but it was more out of panic than anything. Cool it, Grayson. He needed a clear head now more than ever, but it just wasn't willing to come. Barbara just had to come now, didn't she? She couldn't have come three days from now or yesterday, or a week ago.. it had to be tonight. It was his fault, really, for waiting so long anyway. He grabbed his backpack, throwing it over one shoulder and turning back to her.

"If you really want to help me dig myself out of this hole," Dick began (because there was a hole, only it was much deeper than Barbara anticipated). "You can drive me out of this city as fast as your car can take us." There was something in Dick's face that didn't belong, and it was the sense of fear that he felt. Fear of what was going to happen, and most likely soon. It was hidden well behind a steely expression, but there none the less.

He curled one hand into a fist, not wanting to look out the window this time. Barbara might be able to get them as far as the city limits before he would have to bail. It would be better than here, where a baby could punch through the wall with its pinky fingers. If all happened as he thought it would, he'd slaughter the entire complex. Whereas in the car� well. Babs. But she wasn't just Babs, she was Batgirl. If something happened, she would be better prepared than all the people on the block put together.

"Take it or leave it. Your choice. Right now," he said. If she refused, then.. he might just take her car anyway. Being locked in a metal box would at least slow him down.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

We are scanning the scene in the city tonight We are looking for you to start up a fight There is an evil feeling in our brains But it is nothing new There is only one thing on our minds Don't try running away `cause you're the one we will find Running, On our way Hiding, You will pay Dying, One thousand deaths Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy

Barbara's satisfaction with herself was interrupted by that sound. She wet her lips, swallowing hard as the growl echoed in her ears. Never in all the time she'd known him had Dick ever made a sound quite like that. Uncertainly, she followed him into his apartment, at once assaulted by the clutter that confronted her. She sucked in a deep breath, slowly, looking around at the small living space and trying to understand what she was seeing. She knew that bachelors tended to live a less organized lifestyle than single women, but still...she'd never thought him to be such a pig.

The bottom of her high-heeled loafer came down on a piece of paper that crumpled a protest. She eased back a step, trying to find a bare piece of carpet to stand on...but that was no easy task.

Barbara's blue eyes widened in surprise at Dick's request. She glanced from him to his backpack to the disaster area that was his apartment. Her lips parted, mouth opened, but no sound came. Not at first. "Richard..." She finally found her voice, but only for that single word as she recognized the fear so masterfully hidden, but still present in the depths of her friend's eyes. She'd spent a long time studying that face, those eyes, she could paint a perfect picture of him in her memory whenever she closed her eyes. Perhaps that was why that subtle, alien expression, one she couldn't remember ever reading on his features before, gave her pause.

"All right. Let's go." She wasn't sure what was happening, but his behavior was making the tiny hairs at the back of her neck prickle and stand at attention. She'd encountered so many oddities, so much horror in just the last week. Somehow, she'd hoped that when she sat down with Dick, it would be like it used to be, that something in her life would be normal. She led him downstairs to her VW bug. She waited for him to enter the passenger side before she entered the driver's side. "You want out of town fast...I can do that. I may have to break some traffic laws, but what good is having the Police Commissioner as a father if he can't erase a few traffic violations, right?" She gave him a smile that she did not feel and pulled her compact car out onto the street. "But you're going to give me some answers, Pixie Boots...one way or another, you're going to give me some answers."

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Dick had to duck his head to climb into her cramped little car, his knees almost touching the dash. Being a bit short came in handy occasionally. "You know you always struck me as more of a� Jeep than a VW. But as long as this thing is fast I don't care," he said, adjusting the seat to try and get more room. Even as he did so he kept his eyes aligned towards the quickly fading sky. The sight of the sky fading from red to dark purple made his skin crawl.

He looked over at Babs and caught her smile. It looked rather painful. He glanced away as she spoke his old nickname; how far was he from that old pixie booted kid these days? "One way or another," he agreed in a mumble. If they didn't make it. The smart thing to do would be to tell her, now. Warn her, let her know what she was doing. Tell her she was sitting next to a monster. But there was still that tiny thread of hope that it wouldn't happen. "Just drive," he said, looking out the side window. He rested his hand along the side of the door, gripping the handle. He made sure that it was unlocked, so that if the time came he could bail out.

Dick remained quiet as Babs drove, keeping one eye on the horizon and one eye on the streets they passed. They were getting closer to the edge of the city. There was less smog and light pollution to distort the sky here, and when Dick put his head against the side window to look up he could see several small stars poking out of the navy blue above them.

"We're not going to make it," he whispered, though mostly to himself. His skin was starting to crawl; he felt agitated. He remembered having those feelings just before the excruciating pain and subsequent black out last time. Last time he'd just thought it was his confusion about everything that was going on. "Go faster," he barked, gripping the door handle. If they could just make it out of the housing blocks, into the warehouse district instead�

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

We are scanning the scene in the city tonight We are looking for you to start up a fight There is an evil feeling in our brains But it is nothing new There is only one thing on our minds Don't try running away `cause you're the one we will find Running, On our way Hiding, You will pay Dying, One thousand deaths Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy

"You're freaking me out, Richard," Barbara warned, glancing at her passenger. She'd never known Dick to behave this way. His restlessness in the seat, it was as if he was waiting for something bad to happen. Something that, apparently, did not warrant an explanation. But she could hear the desperation in his voice.

Her father was going to hear about this, hew as likely to think his daughter had gone off the deep end, but what choice did she have. Her hands clenching the steering wheel in white knuckled fists, she stomped the accelerator down to the floor of the little compact car and and felt it jack rabbit forward.

One hundred and twenty miles per hour. Barbara had to hunch over the steering wheel, eyes fixed to the road, reflexes at the ready...because at this speed, she had only a fraction of a second to correct her car's path if a car or pedestrian happened to get in her way.

Why was she doing this? Dick had meant something to her once, yes. She'd even venture to call him her first love, the first attainable man for whom she'd secretly harbored all sorts of messy feelings. And that seemingly unrequited love was now driving her to do incredibly crazy things, like drive his getaway car through Gotham City towards an unknown destination. Was he running from something? If so, then what?

"This is really freaking me out." She repeated, a shiver traveling down her spine. Suddenly, as the massive buildings of the warehouse district loomed ahead, the compact car felt much smaller, the air was thicker, and there was a crawling sensation traveling over her skin. She'd only ever felt something similar when she'd encountered demonkind in the past. Blue eyes darted from the road to the man beside her. But Dick was no demon, so maybe her early warning system was off.

Had to be. Right?

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Dick jolted as she put her foot down on the gas; he hadn't expected the vehicle to actually go that fast. "I'm sorry," he said in response to her comments. It fell flat. He did owe her an explanation. He wanted to give her one; but what could he say that wouldn't make her think he was lying? 'Babs. I'm a werewolf,' He could say. She'd slam on the breaks for trying to play her. He opened his mouth to say more, but nothing left his lips. His heart pounded against his chest as if he'd been running for miles.

There was no pink left in the sky now, only darkness. Funny how fast the light went when it was finally gone. There were more stars prodding the velvety sky; and somewhere, the full moon was already up. Dick's skin was crawling as if there were a thousand fire ants just below the surface. He ground his teeth together, and looked towards Barbara as he clutched the strap of his bag. "Everything... you'll need to know is in here," he said. Or everything that he knew. The bag contained not only information about lycanthropy, but his whole investigation thus far: namely, other people who he was almost certain also had the condition and where they could possibly be found. He had a few samples thrown in as well from his various excursions, things he hadn't given to Tim.

"You'll need to-" he began, but his words choked off as a wave of pain burst through his body. He doubled forward, the pain made verbal with a cry. He clutched at his head; it felt like all his bones were being splintered and twisted. His vision was going red though the pain and -Get away from Barbara. "Stop!" He croaked, grappling for the handle to the door. Get away from Barbara. They had made it to the warehouse district. It would have to do.

He pulled the door open before they were even at a complete halt and tumbled out onto his hands and knees. He pressed his forehead against the ground, his fingertips curling into the pavement, before forcing himself to crawl away from the car. Get away from Barbara.

"Stay away," he yelled, despite them being in such a quiet area. He couldn't hear over the sound of his blood boiling around his ear drums. "You-" His words were starting to get choked off, the ability to speak and reason quickly leaving him. He forced his eyes open to look at his hands; though they were still human. "Batman-" It was Batman he needed now, not Bruce. He'd waited too long.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

We are scanning the scene in the city tonight We are looking for you to start up a fight There is an evil feeling in our brains But it is nothing new There is only one thing on our minds Don't try running away `cause you're the one we will find Running, On our way Hiding, You will pay Dying, One thousand deaths Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy

Barbara cast a wary glance at Dick's backpack. Why was he telling her that? To suggest that what she needed to know was in his bag would suggest that he was going to leave it with her, but why would he need to do that? She flipped her headlights on as darkness began to descend on Gotham.

Dick startled her with his cry of pain, janging nerves that were already on edge from the atmosphere in the compact car. She had already begun to slow the car from it's dangerous speeds before he demanded that she stop. "What's wrong with..." She began, her voice thick with emotion, but she never completed the sentence. He plunged from her car onto the pavement before she'd even managed to bring it to a complete stop. She slammed the transmission into park but did not even take the time to turn off the volkswagen before she was off and skirting the small car to get to Dick's side.

She drew to a stop, watching him through sapphire eyes glassy with tears. Barbara did not understand what was happening, but she knew that it was something she was woefully unprepared for. "Richard..." She edged forward uneasily, physically pained by the way he was crawling away from the car. He appeared to be in excruitating agony, and she would have given anything in that moment to ease it for him.

Stay away? She couldn't stay away from a friend in need. How could he expect her to? Barbara moved forward cautiously, "I'll call him, okay..." She soothed gently, stopping an arm's reach away from him. She squatted down on the dirty macadam beside him, reaching out touch the back of his hand and offer some kind of support. "I'll get him here as soon as I can, I promise. Just...try to hang in there, okay?" Her fingers grazed the back of his hand and she gasped at the static burst that seemed to pulse up her arm and make her fight and flight response demand a hasty exit. She steeled her nerves and rested her palm against his hand at once assaulted by something that just felt...wrong . "I'm not leaving you, Richard. You're not alone."

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Barbara’s words sounded like distant murmurs, but he could feel her touch. “No,” he growled, yanking himself away from her. He pulled himself across the pavement away from her in a last ditch effort to keep her safe from what was about to happen. But the pain was too driving now, pushing every sane thought from his mind and replacing it with fire. He collapsed down, pressing his forehead against the ground and curling his arms around his head. He screamed.

His bones really were splintering now, and pulling and twisting and growing longer. His body was contorting, shifting below the skin. Growing. His fingers curled and his back arched, shoes popping off as his feet stretched right out of them. The shirt he wore stretched over his growing body before falling off in tatters, leaving matte black fur in its place. His yell transformed into an inhuman howl.

Dick Grayson was no more. A monster had replaced both his body and mind. It sat still hunched over on the pavement, lifting its head first and then rising fully to its feet. The animal was wolf-like upon first glimpse, but upon closer inspection there were differences. It was larger than any dog or wolf, the legs powerful but taller. If it were to stand on its hind legs it would be well over ten feet high. This creature was in no way related to the one that had eventually been domesticated to become man’s best friend. This was something else entirely.

The creature pushed itself up onto its feet, shaking its massive head as if to loosen stiff muscles. Its nose twitched and its ears flicked, and it turned his head towards Barbara. Hackles raised. Acid yellow eyes had replaced the blue; they were deeply intelligent but feral first. They stared Barbara down as not a friend, but as prey. A deep growl rolled out of its throat, and lips curled back to reveal fangs large enough to puncture bone. Sharp claws scratched against the pavement as the creature took a step in Barbara’s direction.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

We are scanning the scene in the city tonight We are looking for you to start up a fight There is an evil feeling in our brains But it is nothing new There is only one thing on our minds Don't try running away `cause you're the one we will find Running, On our way Hiding, You will pay Dying, One thousand deaths Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy

Barbara could only watch in mute horror as the young man who�d haunted her teenage fantasies was bent and broken and remolded into a creature from her greatest fears. The tears that had threatened only moments ago now blazed a glistening trail down her pallid cheeks as she slowly backed away from the monster that had been Dick Grayson only moments before. Too late, she understood his behavior, his fear, and his attempts to push her away.

Too late.

Too late.

The taint that had sullied Gotham City had spread beyond the nameless, faceless victims she�d thus encountered to devour and deform one of the people dearest to her heart. The agony of that revelation was almost too much to bear. Her trembling hands rose to cover her mouth as she struggled to stifle a scream that had begun to bubble up from the depths of her soul. Instead, it came out as a gut-wrenching sob. There was nothing of him left in the eyes of the creature before her, nothing for her to cling to, appeal to, nothing but a feral creature with malice dripping from its every pore.

Sapphire eyes darted to her still idle car only a few feet away. Hidden in the undercarriage was a spare suit, complete with weapons and a communicator, nestled by the transmission was her purse which now contained her much needed cell phone. Both seemed utterly attainable. She had no weapons on her person, nothing beyond the chunky heel of her high-heeled loafers that could hardly even be considered a weapon�and she feared even that would not hold up long against the creature eyeing her like a delicious morsel.

Her first instinct was to turn and run, but the research librarian with the photographic memory knew that was the one thing you never did around a dangerous canine. Displaying the back, running, showing fear�it only excited a dangerous dog. Not that what was in front of her really resembled a dog at all... Screaming for help seemed fruitless, in the warehouse district the only people liable to hear her calls for assistance would not be the type to swoop to her rescue. She had no coat, nothing to wrap around her arm and focus the animal�s attack, though it obviously wasn�t trained to guard or attack anything or anyone. It would be a futile gesture anyway. Her options were severely limited. She had to face the inevitable�she was not going to make it to her car if the monstrosity chose not to let her.

She was going to be attacked by a werewolf. She was going to enter into a balls out fist fight with one of the horror genre�s most disturbing creatures. Perhaps more disturbing of all, who it had been only moments ago. She couldn�t kill it. Even to save herself. Even if she had the ability. She could not, would not take the life of one of her dearest friends. A silver bullet was out of the question.

Silver�

Carefully, ever so carefully, Barbara slid the silver cuff from her right wrist and formed a fist around it. It was something, at least. Perhaps not the best of weapons, but it was better than meeting the werewolf with nothing but her bare hands.

The redhead swallowed hard, focusing her gaze on the werewolf�s wicked teeth. Anywhere but the eyes, staring into the eyes of a dog challenged its dominance, she remembered that from her reading as well. That, inevitably, was her only weapon. Knowledge. And in a fight knowledge often didn't get you very far.�Shhh�� She murmured in her most soothing whisper, dropping her hands to her sides and attempting a more submissive posture as her reading suggested. �It�s okay. Everything�s okay.�

But it wasn�t. Nothing was ever going to be okay again. Not for Gotham. Not for Barbara Gordon, and sure as Hell not for Dick Grayson.

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The creature laid its ears back as Barbara spoke, not registering what it was she said. It took in the movement of her hands, and a low growl again began to rumble in the back of the animal's throat. It didn't know she clutched silver; it didn't know, even, that the material would harm him. Reason was locked away in some far corner of the creature's mind, inaccessible. Barabara wasn't an old friend, an old flame, or even a woman to be reckoned with. She was prey to be mauled or consumed. Its lips peeled back over its teeth, saliva dripping down from the tips. The creature lowered its head towards the ground, and began to pace in a semi-circular fashion, keeping the same distance between them.


Everything was clear to the animal. It could see into the dark shadows beyond the car, it could smell small creatures that were hidden among the landscape, and hear their tiny footsteps as they scrambled to retreat away from the area that the massive predator had so suddenly appeared in. It could hear Barbara's rapid heart betraying her fear. But it was the peculiar scent on her that made his hackles rise. It smelled dangerous, and no submissive pose could save her from that. The sense of danger that Barbara was emitting could be coming from the fact that she was not as demure as she was letting on, or her recent contact with demons; but whatever it was didn't matter, and the wolf wasn’t about to stop and ponder the source.


The acid eyes became pinpoints as it scrutinized Barabara for one last moment; before the creature shifted its weight slightly onto his haunches, and let out a final growl as it launched itself towards Barbara. Its speed was extraordinary, closing the distance between them in not much longer than a second. Claws outstretched, it aimed to knock and then pin her to the ground. Its teeth gnashed the empty air, intent upon dispatching this small threat.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

We are scanning the scene in the city tonight We are looking for you to start up a fight There is an evil feeling in our brains But it is nothing new There is only one thing on our minds Don't try running away `cause you're the one we will find Running, On our way Hiding, You will pay Dying, One thousand deaths Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy

And so it began.

More than any time in her short existence, the Dark Knight Damsel knew she was fighting for her life. This monster was not going to rob her of seeing her loved ones again. It was not going to pass on whatever godforsaken curse had done this to one of those loved ones. Most important? It was not going to make Dick bear the burden of her slaughter for the rest of his existence.

Barbara let go of everything in that split second before the lycanthrope left the pavement and sailed towards her, clearing her mind of thought and fear to let her instinct take control. Somewhere deep within, beyond her conscience mind, beyond her overwhelming fear and horror at what was happening lay something foreign, something dark. She felt it stir in the depths of her soul, quelling the fear, feeding the rage, making the icy chill of her blood give way to a boiling heat. Sapphire eyes deepened to a midnight blue as that blackness rose to consume her. She was not simply going to lie down and let that werewolf make a chew toy out of her.

Dick had been right to assume that his old friend could take care of herself, because into each generation...

The woman left the ground at an angle, red hair lifted by the movement into a fiery halo around her head. She drew her right knee up as she twisted in the air. At the apex of her leap, her right leg extended and her left bent beneath it as she curled the toe of her right shoe back, instead aiming the chunky heel at the monster�s head in a jumping hook kick that would have made Bruce Lee proud.

Enter the Slayer.

And so it began.

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The animal was knocked to the side as Barbara's heel connected with the side of its head. Its jaws clicked shut, cutting off its growl and replacing it with short yelp. It landed several feet to the side, managing to keep its footing. It shook its head to rid it of the temporary stunning effects of her kick, and seemed to be surprised that its claws were not currently digging into flesh.

The brief pause in recovery betrayed the creature’s relatively young age. It had instinct and instinct alone. Only once before had it seen the moon’s light. In all respects, it was still a young creature that had yet to learn how to fight using its body as a weapon. In a way, however, Dick’s agility shone through in the way it moved; the way it caught its feet almost more cat-like than canine. Graceful. The abilities and actions that had become ingrained in his subconscious living on in this primal beast that festered there now, too. The subconscious had become the conscious, and vice versa. Dick was locked away in some deep pit of his mind, blissfully unaware of the fight going on externally.

It shook its head again, before swinging its head back around to look at Barbara. There was no pause this time, no sizing up of her: it was no longer just prey, but now an enemy that had taken his territory. But the beast did not run. It lunged at her a second time, vicious teeth clamped together and displaced behind snarling lips. It’s sharp claws raked for her legs and body, though its eyes were locked on her small and fragile neck: the kill zone. All it desired was to take Barbara out, to consume her as a wolf would a deer. Its stomach was empty and groaning. The werewolf wasn’t going to rest until it was satisfied.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

We are scanning the scene in the city tonight We are looking for you to start up a fight There is an evil feeling in our brains But it is nothing new There is only one thing on our minds Don't try running away `cause you're the one we will find Running, On our way Hiding, You will pay Dying, One thousand deaths Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy

Barbara landed in a crouch on the asphalt, blue eyes rising to watch the werewolf as it regained its ground. She rose, chin tucked, shoulders shrugged upwards, arms crossed against her chest a barrier between herself and the killing bite at her jugular.

The monster�s claws slashed at her left leg. They hooked into the simple cotton yoga pants, shredding them and the tender skin beneath like paper. Pain surged through her as warm blood streamed down her leg to paint the pavement beneath her feet a strong scarlet. The second set of claws grazed her side, biting into the flesh and assaulting her body with another agonizing wound.

For a moment, she saw only red. For a split second, the pain almost drove her to her knees, but again that darkness in her soul rose holding her leg steady despite the pain pounding her injured extremity. Where before the Dominoed Dare Doll would have bowed under the throbbing wounds the Slayer found the strength to continue the fight.

She adjusted her stance instantly, loading her right leg with the weight of her body. The force of the creature struck her, driving her down towards the unforgiving ground as she twisted her torso, striking before the beast was able to affix its jaws to the throat she was so carefully defending. Her right fist, balled around that simple sterling silver cuff bracelet, was aimed again at the creature�s head with all the power of a haymaker behind it.

�Fuck you, Fido.� She growled in that midnight voice she usually reserved only for her cape and cowl.

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SOME WILL WIN, SOME WILL LOSESOME WERE BORN TO SING THE BLUES, OH THE MOVIE NEVER ENDSBruce wasn�t entirely sure where his relationship with Dick stood. The young man had come back to Gotham for fairly mysterious reasons. Bruce at first had assumed that he had been back to touch bases with the Bat-Family about what was going in Gotham but he doubted that. For one thing (from what he could tell) Dick had a fairly successful career in Bludhaven. He was actually helping people and his two different identities were causing quite a lot of success for the city. Bruce had also failed to mention the current crisis that Gotham was going through. Yes, he had been planning to contact Dick but he had been hoping to give his former prot�g� some time to wrap up whatever was going on in Bludhaven. Bruce had expected Dick to come back to Gotham at his call but he had come back before Bruce had even bothered to contact him. Bruce had gone out of his way to contact Dick and they had a good time catching up. The former acrobat had been more than happy to help Bruce with his new crusade against the evil in Gotham. When Bruce had spoken to Dick he couldn�t have helped but shake the feeling that he was hiding something from his father. Bruce hadn�t chalked up his concerns to his alleged paranoia either. He knew Dick well, perhaps better than any of his other colleagues. It didn�t take much to realize that he was going through some type of trouble. First of he hadn�t been as chatty as usual. Bruce pretended that Dick�s attitude in and out of costume annoyed him but it didn�t. It was refreshing. Bruce had been expecting a few jokes about Bruce creating his own holy water or how ugly vampires were. Instead he had run into the brooding attitude that Dick had before he had abandoned the outfit of Robin and Bruce. Which didn�t make sense since Dick had come to Gotham of his own accord before Bruce had encountered him. For once in his life Bruce had decided to trust Dick. Instead of peppering him with questions or trying to acquire a piece of his hair he had let the young man go on his way. He trusted Dick to do the right thing. He trusted Dick to tell him whatever was going on in his life that was causing him to act so suspicious. Well�.not quite. Bruce had arranged for Dick�s apartment to be watched from time to time. He didn�t make it overtly obvious or anything of that nature. He felt that it was necessary to keep an eye on all of his prot�g�s. He wasn�t sure if they were safe and he knew that demons were just as privy to emotional warfare as any other species. Bruce was genuinely scared that these creatures he was fighting against would target the people he loved to get at him. So it really was out of Dick�s wellbeing that Bruce had hacked the security cameras around his apartment to keep an eye on what was going on. Bruce hadn�t seen anything suspicious and the reason why he was rushing to Barbara�s aid had little to do with the cameras. He could see what was happening on one of the many monitors in his bat-mobile as he sped towards Dick�s home but he had figured out what was going on hours before he had hard evidence. Bruce had done some research on the latest crimes in Bludhaven. There had been reports of a mysterious creature linked to several murders. These gruesome murders had happened generally where Dick had lived in Bludhaven. There was no conclusive answer to who had committed these murders. The only piece of evidence the police had was a cluster of hair that looked as if it had belonged to an animal. Bruce had followed a hunch and had pulled quite a few strings to get his hands on that evidence. He had run a few tests and while the hair really couldn�t be linked to Dick there had been several genetic similarities between Dick�s own hair and that of the creatures. While they were definitely two separate entities (as far as color, shape and structure were concerned) they both had fundamental differences that couldn�t be denied. Bruce wouldn�t have shrugged that evidence off in normal circumstances, he probably would have stored the evidence away and confronted Dick as soon as possible. However, in these circumstances Bruce made an assumption and had acted on it impulsively and right away. If what he had discovered was true than Dick and whomever he encountered tonight was in great danger. Bruce couldn�t sit by and let that happen. He had suited up, arranged for Red Robin and Robin to patrol his normal zones and had rushed to Dick�s apartment. The Bat-Mobile didn�t even make a sound as it came to rest in the alleyway across from Dick�s apartment. Normally he would park the Bat-Mobile at a random location in a place that wasn�t quite as obvious as the place he had chosen now. However, his Bat-Mobile was now a contingency plan in case Bruce couldn�t take Dick�s were-wolf form down on his own. Even as he jumped out of the Bat-Mobile he watched Barbara engage the creature he couldn�t help but feel a spark of pride. His feeling of worry for the woman greatly overshadowed his pride, though. It was foolish to attempt to fight such a creature in plain clothing. Then again he doubted that Barbara had any other options. He couldn�t fault her for this. It didn�t take long for him to rush across the street and towards the creature. When Bruce was within striking distance of the creature he jumped up onto its back applying a sleeper hold on its neck. This was a foolish, foolish move but Bruce�s main concern was Barbara. He could have used any other diversion or attack and the creature still could tear the woman to shreds. Bruce needed to distract the creature long enough for Barbara to run, and then he could actually focus on defeating the creature. Bruce didn�t say anything to Dick as he continued to increase his hold; he only had a few moments before Dick managed to throw him off of his back. �Run! NOW!� Bruce ordered in a raspy voice as he struggled to maintain his hold on the creature�TAG: DICK & BABS/ WORDS: 1075/ NOTES: I hope this is alright, let me know if I need to change anything.

The metallic scent of Barbara's blood hit the monster's nose as soon as its claws rent through her flesh. Its pupils dilated, the smell sending frenzy through its veins; almost intoxicated by the scent of is prey. Its jaws snapped shut once as she was driven down, the teeth locking together mere inches from her throat. It twisted its head, going in for another bite- and was struck, again, in its head.

While the punch was strong, it would not have been powerful enough to drive the creature's head back without the silver cuff wrapped around her fist. It became the equivalent of a man punching his opponent with brass knuckles instead of a bare hand. It was funny, really, that such a delicate, weak metal could still be so powerful against the brute. But logic aside, it did its job. The beast shook its head, turning its vengeful gaze upon Barbara once more. It lurched forward into another attack; and something landed on its back.

The creature snarled, throwing its head to the side and trying to snap at whatever it was that was fighting him now. The weight was heavy on its back, but the creature maintained its footing though it was unable to advance further towards Barbara. The hold was tight around its throat, limiting its air supply significantly but not fully. Bracing its feet against the ground, it lowered its head as far down as it could and shook. The motion was amplified as it traveled further down its spine, sending Batman flying from its back.

So freed, the creature turned on its new attacker. He too had an air of danger about him, though it was different than Barbara's. He was facing another predator of the night now, and nothing about this new contender said 'prey.' It was an intruder, an enemy, and it would have to be delta with before it could return to its intended meal. A deep growl resounded in its chest, reverberating into an angry snarl as it lunged forward, fangs bared. The force behind the lunge would be powerful enough to knock even the toughest of enemies down, but the real threat was in the jaws. Their crushing power could crack bone; though in this case, it was really the saliva that was the most feared threat. A bone would mend. The disease it would spread, on the other hand, and for that there was no cure.

The acid-colored eyes zoned in on Bruce's neck, its desire simple: to break through the armor, and then the skin, and tear his throat out.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

We are scanning the scene in the city tonight We are looking for you to start up a fight There is an evil feeling in our brains But it is nothing new There is only one thing on our minds Don't try running away `cause you're the one we will find Running, On our way Hiding, You will pay Dying, One thousand deaths Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy

For a moment, she remained motionless on the ground, staring up at her mentor and the beast that had once been her first love, and then she was moving again. She rolled away from the werewolf, and did indeed run, but not for the reasons she was certain her mentor had anticipated.

She hit the ground hard beside her little Volkswagen, sliding along the gravel and beneath the undercarriage, stopping herself with a hand to the still perilously hot metal beneath. She hardly noticed the bite of the asphalt on her back from the road burn as she tugged the secret compartment open and pulled out her spare cape and cowl.

On the other side of the bug, concealed only by the shadow of a nearby building and the dim outdoor lighting, on an empty street in Gotham�s warehouse district, she did the unthinkable. Hastily, without regard to how much it hurt, the seemingly demure librarian peeled her clothes away from her body and struggled to work her way into the Kevlar-weave armor that might provide some form of protection from the beast about to ravage her mentor. At least the tightness of the suit seemed to be staunching the flow of blood from her wounds; although she could still feel it sliding down her leg to fill her yellow boot.

Snapping that cowl into place and tugging her fiery red hair through the back, she took a running leap over the compact car�s hood and returned to the fray.

Normally, she would have done as the Batman intended. She would have run for cover and let him do this himself, but she was still running on an adrenaline high, still being ridden by that unperceived instinct that had risen from some deep, hidden part of her soul. Fighting what had once been Dick, while horrific and terrifying had felt�good. There was a rightness to it that she had never felt the likes of when she was engaging criminals in combat in the dark Gotham alleyways. Her skin was crawling with anxiety, with the need to re-enter the fracas, to finish the fight�to kill the monster threatening her friend and teacher.

No, not kill.

Not Dick.

Even instinct could not drown out the wealth of emotions she felt at the idea of losing another friend and comrade�and at her own hand? Unthinkable.

�Don�t suppose you brought any bat-dart tranquilizers or knock-out pellets?� Batgirl called as she pulled a batarang off of her belt and sent it careening off in the direction of the wolf�s perilous jaws. �All I�ve got is a couple of Diazapam in my purse, and they aren�t going to do it.� Tranquilizing weapons were not something that Barbara had much need for in her daily sweeps as Batgirl. Sadly, that had been one of the things she�d been investigating with great fervor. There was no guarantee that it was going to knock out the werewolf anyway, but she was certain that capturing Dick and getting him safely to lock-up in the Batcave was a priority.

TAGS BRUCEY WUCY! // CLOTHES // CREDIT

SOME WILL WIN, SOME WILL LOSESOME WERE BORN TO SING THE BLUES, OH THE MOVIE NEVER ENDSAs Bruce tightened his hold on the werewolf�s neck his mind raced through various ways to take down this monster. He didn�t want to kill it. He knew that Dick was somewhere inside of this creature he was currently grappling with. Bruce would do what would have to be done but he wasn�t sure if he could bring himself to kill this creature. He wasn�t sure if he was capable of killing it. He was pretty sure that he had some weapons in his arsenal that could knock the creature out. He wasn�t too sure if he would actually be physically capable of slaughtering it. It would be tough enough to try and knock it out. Bruce could already tell that he was vastly outmatched physically. From what he could tell this version of Dick was the perfect predator. It was fast, strong and powerful. There was no trace of humanity in this creature and it would literally kill everything it could get its hands on. Of course Bruce didn�t know this for sure. This was what he was had gotten from common mythological tales and his own deductions. Bruce hoped it wasn�t true but there was a strong chance that it was. �Listen to me Dick, snap out of it!� Bruce yelled, vaguely hoping this would work. Even as he said it he realized that it was a foolish thing to say. It couldn�t possibly work. The wolf lowered its head and began to shake its body. Bruce grunted as he felt his body vibrate. He couldn�t hold on for much longer. His grip loosened on the creature and Bruce let go, deciding to fall on his own terms instead of getting himself injured in the process. Bruce managed to push himself off of the monster and used his hands to vault off of the monster�s shoulders. Bruce�s awkward flip resulted in him crashing to the ground. He couldn�t help but reflect that Dick could have managed to flip neatly off of the monster�s shoulders and land. Bruce�s landing on the ground was far more clumsy. Nevertheless he managed to land without winding up getting himself injured. Bruce grunted as he stood to his feet and stared up at the creature, his body enshrouded in his cape. The werewolf jumped at Bruce and managed to pin him to the ground. Bruce grunted as he raised his right arm as the werewolf clamped down on his wrist. His gauntlet kept the teeth of the werewolf from actually puncturing his skin. It didn�t stop Bruce from feeling pain radiate across his arm. Hopefully his arm wouldn�t be too mangled in the morning. Using his arm to keep his neck from being torn open was the only option he could think of. The werewolf had managed to pin Bruce to the ground before he had a chance to evade it. �I have....a few tranquilizer charges in my utility belt...� A part of Bruce wanted to be frustrated that Barbara had left. However, he couldn�t help but feel overwhelming pride that she had stayed. As much as Bruce wanted her to be gone he realized that it wasn�t happening. He would have to adjust. �How long have you known about this?� Bruce reached into his utility belt and extracted a bat-a-rang. He then jabbed it at the creature�s rib cage, hoping to get it off of him. TAG: DICK & BABS/ WORDS: 588/ NOTES:So sorry for the wiat!

Saliva dripped down the creature's teeth as it gnawed on Batman's gauntlet, pushing with all of its strength down against his arm. Yellow eyes stared down into the cowled face inches below him. There was no recognition in them, no hint that Dick was in there somewhere. It disregarded everything that Bruce said, concentrating solely on mauling him as much as he could. It seemed confident that it would soon break through the arm keeping it from the ultimate goal.

Clamping down harder, the beast thrashed its head from side to side in side in a manner similar to what a dog would do to break a rabbit's neck. The motion was gaining in ferocity when Barbara's batarang crashed into the side of its nose. Snarling, the beast looked up and towards the now-dressed vigilante. It seemed to have completely forgotten about her. Its tail twitched in annoyance. The low growl in its chest was transformed into a sharp yelp, however, as it was jabbed sharply in the ribs by Batman. It backpedaled quickly, snarling in anger, and looked between the two targets.

The creature backed away until it was an even distance from both Barbara and Batman, its tail twitching in annoyance and an unsatisfied growl lurching in its throat. It seemed to consider the situation. The smell of Barbara's blood still hung heavy in the air, even though she had bound the wounds up in her costume. It drove the creature mad, as was evident with the constantly jittering nose. But they were both dangerous, and the creature wasn't sure it wanted to waste more time on them when it could smell so many other things in the area that wouldn't bite back. The man had wounded the creature's side; it could smell its own blood. It wasn't bad enough to hinder its movements.

The creature seemed to know that it was at a disadvantage now that it faced these two. If this was primal instinct or Dick subconsciously telling his beast-self that it was a bid of insanity would go unknown.

With an angry flick of its tail, the creature turned and began to dash away down the street.

THERE IS NO ESCAPE

We are scanning the scene in the city tonight We are looking for you to start up a fight There is an evil feeling in our brains But it is nothing new There is only one thing on our minds Don't try running away `cause you're the one we will find Running, On our way Hiding, You will pay Dying, One thousand deaths Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy Searching, Seek and Destroy

�He�s not snapping out of it.� Barbara murmured softly, nearly inaudibly. She hated horror movies, but she knew enough about werewolves to know that he was spending the night hairy and drooling. Her gaze snapped back to Batman as he addressed her.

Batgirl shrugged at her mentor, watching the monster warily, preparing herself for any eventuality. "Not long. Maybe half an hour? I went to see him, he tried to make me leave, I didn�t, he made me try to drive him out of town...we didn't make it, and this happened." She gestured at the wolf, swallowing the bile that had once again risen in her throat at the details of her complete, though concise, retelling of events.

"He said he was on his way to the cave at first..." Her words died off as she noticed the wolf sizing them up. Odds were not in its favor, and even a werewolf couldn�t be foolish enough to go up against two foes. �Get those tranquilizers ready, Boss.� She urged, testing her wounded leg. The endorphins were beginning to wear off and the pain from both of her scratches was beginning to eat away at her resolve. This was going to have to be over soon. She couldn�t hold out much longer, and she would damned if she was going to leave Batman to deal with Night-wolf on his own. Batman or no Batman, this was out of even his league.

The wolf took off and Batgirl shot a glance at the Bat before she took off after it, detaching a bat-bolo from her belt. Her leg screamed at her as she ran. She could feel the sticky, warm feel of congealed blood pooling in the toe of her yellow boot, to say nothing for the stabbing pain radiating up from her side. She brought her arm back, taking careful aim, silently praying that Batman was just behind her with a tranquilizer ready. They could not afford to let Dick get away. She�d never forgive herself if he hurt someone because they�d failed him.

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SOME WILL WIN, SOME WILL LOSESOME WERE BORN TO SING THE BLUES, OH THE MOVIE NEVER ENDSBruce found himself in a fierce staring competiton with his former apprentice. Saliva dripped from the creature�s fangs and fell across Bruce�s cowl as he struggled to keep the creature from ripping his arm off. Bruce raised his left hand and gripped his right arm, supporting his arm to keep it from buckling under the intense weight of the creature. He could already tell that his forearm would have really nasty bruises in the morning. All he could do at this point was keep his arm from snapping in two. If it weren�t for his armor Bruce would be a dead man. His gauntlet was barely keeping his arm from cracking under the pressure. The vigilante inhaled and exhaled, regulating his breathing and thereforce regulating the pain that his arm held. He continued to stare into the yellow eyes of the creature, refusing to back down. As far as he was concerned he was the Alpha Male. Not the werewolf. It needed to understand here and now that it wasn�t going to win. Bruce was going to do everything in his power to defeat this creature and pull Dick back from the depths of insanity he had fallen into. Bruce was half-way convinced that he would somehow leave this battle with nothing more than a few scratches when the werewolf came to its senses and did something Bruce had been preparing for this whole time. The creature increased its pressure on Bruce�s forearm, finally cracking through the gauntlet. At the same time it whipped its head from left to right repeatedly. Bruce was unable to adjust his arm in time and let out a roar in pain as the bone in his arm cracked and his elbow was dislocated. Bruce lost track of what was going on as pain radiated across his whole body. For a moment he allowed the pain to consume him before he inhaled sharply and pushed it away. He wasn�t sure if a mangled arm was enough to put him into shock but it certainly felt like it. Luckily Batgirl intervened in time. A bat-a-rang bounced off the creature�s snout. Along with Bruce�s well-placed jab in its ribs the creature backed off. Bruce pushed himself to his feet, his right arm hanging limply at his side. If he moved it he felt intense pain. If he didn�t move it he felt a dull throb spreading across his arm. Bruce knew that if he wanted to take this werewolf down he would be forced to continue to fight and hurt his arm further. For now he wouldn�t use his arm. No need to move it unless he had to. Bruce moved his left arm into his cape and pulled out a syringe that had been held in the depths of his utility belt. A shot from the syringe he was holding would be enough to knock out an elephant. It had to be more than enough for a werewolf. Atleast enough to slow it down. Bruce couldn�t know for sure. He hadn�t exactly engaged a werewolf before. As Dick bounded off Bruce and Barbara shared a look before they both pursued him. The lower half of Bruce�s body was fine and he was able to sprint at full speed. He coudn�t say the same for his arm. Every step resulted in pain bursting across his arm and Bruce biting down to avoid grunting in pain. Ignoring pain was extremely difficult when you weren�t hyped up on adrenaline. �Take him down now!� Bruce ordered as he raised his left arm. His abilty to aim was compromised and his shot at hitting Dick was depending on Barbara�s ability to pin him down. While he had trained equally with his left hand he knew that didn�t make him a better shot. He was no Oliver Queen. The Dark Knight pushed down the top of the syringe and clear liquid dripped out of the edge. Bruce raised his left arm and took careful aim before hurling the syringe at the werewolf�s liver. If it struck then the sedative would automatically spread through the creature�s body and hopefully put it to sleep. If not Bruce had three more syringes he could try but honestly, he was hoping not to waste the chemical compound he had scrapped together earlier that night. TAG: DICK & BABS/ WORDS: 737/ NOTES: sorry for the wait!

The moon was on the wolf�s side tonight, but they had luck on theirs. Well� luck, and years of training as vigilantes. The wolf was still new to it, and had no chance against the two now that it had turned tail. It had wounded them, yes; but not enough and the werewolf knew it. It ran as hard as it could without looking back, but it wasn�t prepared for what was to come. Barbara�s bola wrapped around its back feet, and the monster crashed hard into the ground. Its jaw cracked hard against the pavement, its teeth snapping together and muting the yelp of pain.

The creature shook its head, and began attempting to push itself up; but its rear legs were too tangled and it quickly tripped down again. A growl of anger rumbled in its throat, and it twisted around to try and nip at the bindings. Its teeth snapped unsuccessfully against the rope of the bat-bola, and it didn�t even register the prick of the needle in its side until the first wave of sedation hit. When it felt that something was wrong, it froze, and its ears laid back. The wolf thrashed as the sedation began to roll over its body, and collapsed in a heap against the ground. Its foot twitched as it tried to fight the effects of Batman�s serum, to no avail. It let out a mournful howl as it laid on the ground, tapering off into a whine.

The creature was not fully out yet. Unable to move even its paws anymore, wild eyes rolled in its head until it spotted them down the street. The corner of its lips peeled back slightly and it gave a rather weak growl as it eyed them. It tried to lift its head up to defend itself, but was unable. Even keeping its eyes open was a struggle; it breathed in heavy through its nose, trying to maintain consciousness. Gradually it seemed to calm down, its eyes becoming clouded though they remained open. The body of the wolf was strong, but it wasn�t a match for the serum. The wolf�s mind was retreating back into the sub consciousness where Dick hid as well, but the body remained as it was. The eyes remained open, half-lidded to watch their approach; but the werewolf was done, and spinning swiftly off to unconsciousness. How long the effects would last on the beast's savage system, however, was untold.


(Bah, also sorry for the delay too! Feel free to do as you like with his prone body now. xD back to the cave I imagine, and for my next post I guess I could skip to when he wakes up if you guys want. )