Bad Moon On The Rise

by Ananka

Fandom: The Mummy Returns

Pairing: Ardeth/f

Note: Heres my first story for this list. I hope you enjoy it. The Jordan and Ardeth are a pairing I Use frequently in writing for another site. Ananka

by Ananka

Pausing in the shadows, unsure as to why he should feel nervousness, Ardeth swore softly. He hated the colder climates but he bowed to his Ladies request and she had wanted to go on a visit to England. They had briefly stopped to visit the O'Connell's and he had seen Jon again. He still had feelings for him, but he loved his Wife, and now, with her carrying the longed for Heir, he
indulged her.

In spite of his best efforts, he had spent the last night with Jon and it had been a poignant reunion, but when the morning came he was with Jordan. She smiled in greeting knowing full well where he had been but willing to understand she had merely ran her hand down his face and pulled him in for a gentle kiss "I know what it is to love and loose the love of your life. It is possible, when I become too ill to make love to you, then you can...call for him, and the tribe will accept that."

Still not believing her deep generous nature, Ardeth found himself thinking perhaps they could all be together, and all three raise the child. With a smile, he called "Jordan wait up..." She did and turned her eyes bright and shining oddly "Here, here it is." She pointed "A small clearing. Looking at the darkening sky and the pale moon that was rising she laughed "A picnic under the stars..." He dropped the basket and spread the blanket muttering about whims and heard something, sounded like a dog he concluded.

Jordan returned and sat down on the blanket "Here." They ate their dinner, and she smiled a bit "So, Was you're reunion...good?" Ardeth declared "It was memorable." She nodded and sipped her wine while he sipped his et, and he set it down abruptly. He heard the howl growing closer.

Jordan looked around, and shivered "A wolf in England? They were hunted to extinction years ago..." Ardeth stood up "Nevertheless it is getting closer and in your condition we will not risk staying here any longer, in fact, leave the food behind, it may delay it."

Jordan began to take the half covered path back to the car. She gave a startled sound as a shadow crossed in front of her and crashed through the woods. She saw the car ahead and was glad Rick had loaned them one of his prized hard top cars. She jumped in, and realized he wasn't with her. She heard a terrible fight going on in the woods and heard a strangled cut off cry, a mans voice.

She threw the car door open intending to go look for him, and she froze. Ardeth staggered out of the woods a bloody mess but he was on his feet. She ran to him, pulling his arm over her shoulders and helped him get to the car, then she started it. She sprayed the approaching figure behind them with gravel as she hit the gas, and left as quickly as she could.

She heard Ardeth breathing heavily, through his nose to control the pain. She whispered "Damn, this isn't fair, I just got him, don't take him from me." She swung out on the road unaware of baleful eyes that watched the car until it disappeared over a gentle rise in the road.

Just a few hours later, she was in the parlor of a country DR she had found by accident. She paced as the DR cleaned and even stitched the wounds close and as he came out wiping his hands he declared 'He is a strong man and he will survive. The dog that mauled him must have been the big stray people have reported. They say he's big as a bloody wolf."

Jordan absently nodded and stood up. Ardeth walked very carefully, one arm in a sling, and a large bandage over part of his face. She touched it looking at the DR who answered her unspoken question "It was a scratch from some branch, nothing more." She nodded and helped her husband into the car. Heading back to London she parked in the O'Connell's driveway and helped him to the door knocking. She was soon explaining what had happened, and he was put to bed, and allowed to sleep.

He woke up the next morning feeling a little odd, and looked at his bandages, just dimly recalling what had hampered. He slid out of bed and looked at Jordan. She lay on her side, her long auburn hair spread all over the pillow. He sat down by her and ran a hand down her side to rest it on her hip "Jordan?" She woke up and smiled sleepily then started. He had removed the bandage on his head, and not even a pink line remained where the branch had cut him. She shrugged it off in favor of the lengthy kiss, and she sighed "How do you feel?" He half smiled "I feel better than I Have in ages."

He went to the suitcase to remove fresh clothing. Admiring his fine tightly muscles legs and rounded, sculpted ass she smiled counting herself lucky again. When he turned, feeling her eyes on him, she saw that every wound had gone away, as if they had never existed. The wonderful tattoos she admired were intact. She sat up dropping the covers, and shook her head "That is
impossible, one wound required over 30 stitches."

She followed him downstairs, silent, and confused, as they went for breakfast with their friends. She noticed, that Jon had a pallor, a drawn look about his face. She put it down to worry over his lover, and shrugged it off. For a solid month they stayed with their friends. At the end of that month things began to change.

Ardeth seemed perfectly normal to Jordan, nothing appeared to be wrong except his lingering weariness. The sexual encounters had been more satisfying than ever before. Somehow, she was not sure how, he had gained new stamina and at first it was wonderful, then it began to grow painful as he grew rougher in nature.

Jordan drew the line one night when she tore herself loose from his arms and stood looking into a mirror. She was scratched and she was bleeding from was that a bite mark? On her neck. She turned to look at him but he seemed to be looking right through...or past her.

Jordan crept back to bed, and huddled on her side, stiff, and sore. She no longer knew this man at her back.

The next night, a brand new ripe full moon, Jordan woke to an empty bed. She had retired early and Ardeth soon joined her. He didn't try to touch her, and she fell asleep listening to his breathing. She decided to dress and look for him. Probably, he was with Jon but she had to be sure. Moving very quietly, she opened Jon's door and saw the bed was empty, not even slept in.

Taking her heavy coat she went outside, into the back yard of the manor, and heard something. The sounds of something in distress. Following the sound, she heard a cross between a growl, and a crying tone. She saw a body laying on the ground, twitching uncontrollably, and with horror realized it was Ardeth, he rolled over facing her and tried to tell her to get away, go, but she was
rooted to the spot with fascination she watched her husband transformed into a huge black wolf. Feeling bile rising in her throat, Jordan turned to run but came face to face with another wolf, a huge gray wolf with black markings. She moved back but her retreat was stopped by the fence that enclosed the old estate. She whispered "Oh...Oh no. This is not happening this is a nightmare..." Two wolves stared at her with cold unblinking eyes. The backyard was filled with the glow of the full moon, and she judged her distance to the back door. She would never make it.

She made a move to the left and the gray wolf stopped her, and to the right, the black wolf stopped her. When a noise distracted them she broke and ran for the house.

The gray wolf leaped after her and pinned her to the ground with its front paws. A scream was ripped out of Jordan when she hit the ground. Bowling the gray wolf over with its rushing attack, the black wolf stood over the terrified Jordan, its head lowered its ears flat back against its large skull as it bared its teeth in a silent growl at the gray wolf.

Jordan had fainted, and never saw the fight, during which the black wolf tore the gray wolfs throat out after a lengthy battle. They had slashed and feinted repeatedly, and circled, with the black wolf always between the fallen Jordan and the gray wolf. Seeing its change it had leaped low grabbing a leg in his mouth it big down shattering the other wolfs front leg. It howled in agony and leaped back. The black leaped on it, and buried its muzzle in the other wolves throat and tore it to shreds.

While the wolf was still jerking in its death dance, the black wolf looked up. The lights of the house were going on and he could not be seen. He cleared the wall and trotted off. Coming into the back yard, weapon ready having heard the fight, Rick gave a harsh exclamation "Evy call the cops, we got problems." He stood over the body of his brother in law, looking at his condition, he grimaced and stooped to check Jordan. Jordan moaned when he gently lifted her and carried her to the house "Ardeth, Richard find him. He...wolf..." Rick took her to a couch for Evy to care for then whirled, calling as he ran for the back door, "Ardeths after whatever killed Jon now, I am going to help him."

At dawn he finally caught up with his friend who leaned on a tree, his clothing in shreds, and his face pale and tense "Did you get it Ardeth?" His friend shook his head "I tried. Allah help me..." Rick wound up carrying his friend back to the house where the Scotland yard inspector waited.

With his hands shaking, holding the hot coffee, Ardeth looked up "I Was in bed, when I heard Jordan get up, I followed her, and I saw the wolf coming for her. But he got there first, Jon did, and tried to stop it from hurting my wife. It tore him to pieces but he crippled it, but even crippled...I couldn't catch it."

Ardeth looked at the inspector "That is all I can tell you." He looked at Jordan who nodded her eyes exhausted, haunted looking, "If there is nothing to detain me here...I need to go home. Tribal affairs must be tended too."

The Inspector dismissed him, and Jordan. After Jon's burial in the high gate cemetery, a week later, Rick and Evy saw them off on a steamer bound for Alexandria. Standing on the deck, Ardeth looked at Jordan who seemed. Shrunken somehow, not as spirited "You will of course tell no one." She nodded numbly "No one." He added "No one would believe us anyway." She nodded and looked up at him "What do I do the next time you change?" He sighed "When we come to that bridge we will cross it. Until then, we go on as usual," he said slowly "Someday, somehow, we will find someone who can cure this curse..." He shook his head "When we do, we will return, and I will find the one who caused Jon's transformation, and I will kill it myself."

She nodded "But until then, for one week out of the month, we will have to contain you somehow. That, my lord and lover, is something I am not sure how to accomplish." She watched the shored recede until they were out of sight, and turned to follow him below decks to their cramped little cabin.

END