Night Watch I: Eliza, Ward of Andrew

*Andrew’s POV*

Shit, three barghests, the size of fucking cattle! Barghests weren’t supposed to be that enormous! I hoped to all nine hells and every fucking heaven that Dani knew what the fuck he was doing, or we would all die.

I would give everything I had to try and make an opening for Eliza to escape, and I prayed to every god I could name that she would take it when the time came to flee. I hoped she found happiness, made a new life for herself. I hoped I would get to tell her I loved her, before, well... but it seemed unlikely, and keeping her alive was more important than my selfishness. It was a real struggle to hold my hands still; a bloodbath seemed so inevitable. The possibility of a peaceful departure seemed dwarfed into nothingness by the gruesome animals in front of us.

The bitch was the size of a draft horse, her sons, flanking her, were the size of young bulls. But the mother was so much deeper in the chest, her musculature so massive and impressive it seemed to defy reality. How could that be female? I supposed she did have small, black teats, and lacked a sheath. I'd have to compliment my Watchmen on their good eye if I somehow miraculously survived. All three were blacker than the surrounding night, as though they sucked in the light of the moon and stars. Even their eyes were like the damned void. Only the insides of their oddly small ears were a deep scarlet. Symbolic of death, I had read. As though they needed anything further, I thought. Their midnight-black fur was short. The bitch was covered with scars, far more so than I was, some very deep. One profoundly disfigured on side of her muzzle, displaying teeth of dreamlike proportions. I noted their claws were like a cat’s: curved, long, and vicious. I wondered if they were able to retract them, too.

I noticed that both of her sons were very softly growling until the bitch twitched her ears, then they abruptly ceased. As we stood there, none of the three showed any overt hostility, nor did they show any signs of goodwill. There was a slight breeze, and I caught a whiff of rotting flesh and the ferric smell of blood. It made my stomach tense even further.

Some minutes passed, who could say how long? The bitch was looking at Dani, but the sons eyed all three of us, looking a little bit bored. I couldn’t decide if that was good or bad, but decided it didn't matter what my opinion was- I just stayed focused and ready for anything. I held very still without locking my knees.

Dani stood his ground, looking bizarrely pleased with the arrival of three enormous barghests, and that Big Momma (as I decided to think of her) was staring him down. Big Momma seemed to be waiting for Dani to speak first, although maybe they were speaking telepathically? I wasn’t really sure how this was-

Dani bowed his head briefly. “May I address you?” Ok, forget that theory, maybe that was all ceremonial melodrama?

Big Momma looked irritated, narrowing her eyes, and then slowly scanned over Eliza and I. I could have sworn she gurgled a horrible chuckle at me. Must’ve been my damned pants- it was basically like I was wearing nothing but paint. After a moment, she inclined her head just a smidge.

“My name is-“ Big Momma bared her teeth, losing her patience almost immediately.

“Why are you here? Why have you stalked us like prey?” Her breath was incredibly rank and spittle flew as she shouted, her teeth were like daggers, fuck! “My tolerance for your insipidities wears thin!” Her sons started growling, but again, she flicked her ears, and they went silent at once. I was weirdly impressed by her vocabulary. Whoa, was she glaring at me? I hadn't moved a muscle.

Dani put both his hands formally over the butt of his staff. “I give you my word as a Healer, on my love of my trade, and on my love for my wife and my child, we mean you and your sons no harm.” This seemed to placate Big Momma quite a bit. She took a slightly more relaxed stance and nodded for him to continue. “I am a Conjuration Healer, I am searching for a willing companion. After years of study, it is my belief that a hell hound and are suited to one another as bosom companions in life and battle. I had heard there were hell hounds near our tribe, the Wild Ones, so I only wished to come investigate. I have brought offerings of food, intended as a gesture of friendship. If you like, I will gladly give them to you and your sons, but I would have to reach inside the rucksack at my side to retrieve them for you. Please believe I would never seek to hold any creature against their will as a companion. That way is wrong. I know there are sick people that enslave animals, they are no Healers, I am not one of them, I swear to that as well. Any companion of mine would be exactly that: a friend that could come or go. Please forgive us the intrusion.” Big Momma grinned a horrific, toothy grin. You could smell death from where I stood, and I felt mildly nauseated on top of the fear.

“A Conjurer wishes to keep one of us as his pet? How quaint!” She stopped grinning and her brow furrowed. “You are a fool for coming after my kind, little man. I imagine you did not know what you would find at the end of your search?”

Dani surprised me with a genuine laugh. Gods! He was laughing? Was that really a great idea? “It’s true! But I took the chance. I knew I might find barghests, but I thought that any barghest with maternal instinct would be exceptional among her kind.“

At that, Big Momma seemed surprised. Dani was smiling gently at the enormous, nightmarish, black hell hound as though she were, perhaps, a person he’d like to get to know over tea. Instead of, you know, a giant, demonic being that was going to disembowel us, play with us as we died, and then eat us with her sons. If we somehow survived, I would have to have a talk with Dani.

Big Momma padded up softly until she was very close to Dani, remaining almost expressionless. Perhaps a bit curious? “You are correct, Healer. You are also very brave and exceptionally stupid. I am intrigued.”

If she attacked Dani now, there would be nothing I could do. Remembering his words and wishes, I kept my hands in place at my cursed sides and stood still as stone, feeling pained watching how defenseless he was. With Big Momma that much closer, the stench of decay filtered towards me even more strongly. How Dani could hold still, inches from her, I wasn’t sure. Big Momma sniffed at Dani, then sneezed violently. “You stink!”

Dani laughed, and again it sounded easy and natural. “I honestly don’t think you smell very good either.” My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe he had just told a fucking barghest she smelled bad! Was this bonding? I thought bonding with women went differently? I knew it wasn’t romantic, but seriously!?! Shouldn't he concentrate on complimenting how mighty she was or some shit? Maybe I should pay close attention, maybe this is why I never seemed to understand women? Was I going to fuck up everything with Eliza?

Big Momma cocked her head, glancing briefly between Eliza and I, then made a motion with her paw, and her sons laid down. She went back over and sat down between them, the most relaxed we had seen them yet.“ Healer, I am very old, older than any of you. My mother had no maternal instinct, she left me to die, even before most of my kind leave their pups. I was found by a Hunter, and raised by one of the lactating cŵn annwn bitches in his pack.”

Dani nodded, but my eyebrows shot clear into the stars. Exceptional indeed! “As I aged, I found I could not tolerate living as the cŵn annwn did, or at least as my pack did. Hunting when commanded, no private space, so little free will. Because I was different, I was treated as a monstrous trophy pet by the Hunter, and I found I could be no one's pet. When I left, I tried to learn the ways of my own kind, but it was hard; I had always been fed from a dish. But I survived. Yet I found I would still long for occasional company. You see: mating is brief. So I raise my offspring differently, as you can tell. I am concerned for them, I don’t want them to suffer as I did, I want them to succeed. I do not coddle, I teach them how to survive, as I have.”

She crossed her front legs and looked at her sons, both of whom were paying apt attention. “Boys, most of our kind will always attack, they will never think, never ask questions. In this situation, we may well have died.

“Look at that Fae man, with antlers. Donavan, tell me what you see.” Big Momma looked over her right shoulder.

The barghest to Big Momma’s right stared right at me for a moment. It was terrifying to be scrutinized by such a monstrous thing. “He is a warrior. I see he struggles with the instinct to draw his weapon. He must have courage, for he has not fled. He must have some wisdom, for he has he taken not up arms in fear, despite his instincts and the aura.”

Big Momma nodded approvingly. “Good, but you missed something. He is a young man, but do you see his many scars? It means he has seen many battles, as I have, and yet I am old. If you see a warrior that is brave, confident, stands their ground, and is covered with scars, it is more likely they will be able to kill you, Donavan.”

Big Momma turned to her left. “Dymas, tell me what you see when you look at the woman.”

The other son shook his head, seeming a little more confused. “She holds herself like the young warrior, her horns show wear like a very old man, who has seen many wars, and she is curious, more like the Healer. But her body is like a fat sow’s-“ I frowned, but didn't move. Fucking asshole dog! I heard Eliza start snickering softly.

Big Momma snorted in disgust, “-Use more than your eyes, Dymas!Put all the pieces together when things don't make sense! Smell her! The under-grit, like a texture, different from the two men?” The two boys nodded, Dymas averting his eyes briefly. “Like a mix between steel and earth?” They nodded again. “The woman is a hybrid, you idiots!” Big Momma paused. “Remember that smell for the rest of your lives. Dark Mountain Elves are formidable. It is why you must stay away from all mountains. Don’t forget. If that smell is strong, do not fight-run.” Both sons nodded obediently.

"There is one other thing, my sons, that both of you failed to notice." Big Momma crooned a little indulgently at them. "It's alright, I wasn't expecting you to pick this up, not yet. But now that I tell you, I want to you to look closely. Those two fighters, they glance at each other more than one would expect. Why? The warrior and the woman are in love. It means they will fight until the very end, to try and save the other. It makes them more dangerous. It also means, Dymas, you were a fool for insulting the warrior's woman- though she is used to such callous treatment, the warrior has marked you and wants you dead first, of all of us. Did you not see his face when you spoke that way about her? Think before you speak, boys." Ummm... Was I really that obvious?

“This Healer is no fool, my sons. He brought two very capable warriors, Watchmen, I believe, to defend him if we were aggressive. Never overestimate your own strength, you are but cubs. You would both have died. I might have possibly escaped, but possibly not.” I thought Big Momma was being more than a little charitable, but if she wanted to sock it to her sons and teach them a life-lesson, then let us go peacefully, not a fucking chance I was going to interfere!

Big Momma chuckled, licking her lips, worrying me. She looked back at Dani again, grinning that incredibly, massively toothy grin. “I like you, Healer. But I care for my sons, for their future, more. They are my blood, and I have to make sure they are safe.”

Dani cocked his head. “What threatens them?”

Big Momma laughed. It was, admittedly, a horrible, braying kind of sound, but I guess it was reassuring. “Aside from being stupid, teenaged boys? And your pesky wars? They need a territory aside from my own, but there are cù sìth that antagonize us, that are menaces to them.”

There was a long pause where Dani and Big Momma just looked at one another. “If I brought you their heads?” What the fuck? Shit, shit! I made myself hold still. Hands at sides. Hands at my fucking sides.

“You are a boastful, little man! If you bring me their heads, I shall be impressed.” Big Momma looked… amused? Donavan and Dymas looked about as shocked as I was.

Dani looked pleased. “How many are they, and where might they be found?”

The sons exchanged dubious glances. Clearly they hadn’t expected this turn of events either. I felt a moment of strange kinship. I too, had expected we’d be trying to slaughter one another, or perhaps just be dead by now.

Big Momma gave one last, rotten smirk before telling Dani, in essence, that we needed to hunt down and exterminate two deadly animals to gain her favor, maybe, possibly, or maybe not. She also mentioned where she’d last seen them. I glanced at Eliza, and noticed for the first time that the pall the barghests spread had been strong enough to turn her eyes black. So the discomfort hadn’t just been in my head?

I exhaled slowly when I saw Big Momma dip her head fleetingly, then rise and gesture to her sons. All three slinked smoothly back into the trees.

I decided that next time I thought there was any chance I was going somewhere there was even the faintest possibility of a barghest, I’d empty my bladder beforehand, as the damned thing was aching. My stomach also hurt from being so tense. But that was nothing compared to the tongue-lashing I would give Dani as soon as we were safely far enough away from the pack of living nightmares that had just left!

Notes

Big Momma is very unusual, indeed. most barghest don't have red ears, that is more commonly seen with cŵn annwn. She's also larger than most barghest, so she must be very old!

because she's so unusual, i couldn't find any pictures just like her. this is the closest one, but it has the wrong eyes and ears: