Waking up, after the Shift (semi-open)

Gawain was seated beside Ryanna's bed, watching her sleep. She seemed restless, and when she cried out softly, he placed his hand on her forehead. Very quietly, he spoke. "I have a lot to explain, and even more to make up to you, my daughter."

She awoke with a start, as well as a scream, which caused Gawain to snatch his hand back as if burned. After a few moments, he spoke. "De'Ryanna....I feel I owe you an apology. The only way to draw out your latent ability was to do so forcefully, and I should have warned you. Please forgive me." He rose, and dropped to a knee. "I am sorry, my daughter."

He sighed, rose, an sat on the side of her bed, taking one of her hands in both of his. "You changed, darling. You were..Light, you were magnificent! You exhibited more power on your first change than I thought was possible without at least a few week's training. Now....I have to admit, I had to nudge you out of it, because you went feral for a bit." He chuckled, rubbing the wrapped portion of his leg. "Good thing we heal quickly, you were doing your best to take my leg off."

His grip tightened on her hand, not enough to harm, but enough to convey his earnestness. "I didn't mean to give you such an abrupt crash-course.......and your dream, Ryanna...no, I shouldn't have seen it, we were still linked, and I saw your nightmare, and....and I'm rambling. Sorry."

After clearing his throat, he resumed. "You had your first successful shift, Ryanna, and I could not be prouder. I have always, since the first moment I laid eyes on you when you were born, found you to be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I still do, and your Lycan form......unparalleled. I have never seen it's like before. You will be one of the first true Alpha Females, my dear. After you feel better, I'll teach you more. But for now, I must ask you a question: the wolf in your dream. Who was he? I was there, we were still linked, and....I could smell him. Familiar. Could it have been....? No, rest is what you need, not conjecture. Here, lie back an let me Heal you. At the very least, it'll take the soreness from you."

He smiled, winked, and kissed her forehead as he began. "You did so well, darlin'."

"Not for much longer. No one threatens my family, nor do they stalk my daughter. You are safe, daughter. I am here. Besides, open your mind and see what you are capable of on your own....." Quite against his character, he opened the mental gates of his mind, and allowed her access to his memories of their....altercation.

After she had seen herself in action, he would simply smile and say one more thing. "You see? Alone, you're a match for him, but sweety, you will never have to stand alone again. This I swear by the Light and my hope of salvation and rebirth." He knew she would know how serious a vow that was.

He sighed deeply, and shook his head. "The World of Dreams can be dangerous....of course, you already know that. How does he find you, dear? Perhaps we should go together? Maybe then he would get the hint that I will not tolerate him messing with my daughter."

He sat stock-still for a moment, and smiled. "I know I've said it before, but I am very proud of you. The anger you displayed, I fear, was the sum total of the anger you have repressed for the tenure of your training in the Tower. Don't worry about it, dear, it gets easier. When you're feeling better, we'll give it another go. It's like Channelling.....once you do it, you remember. Even of your mind doesn't, your body will." He smoothed her hair, and planted a kiss on her brow. "Have I told you just how much I love you, kiddo?"

It amazed Gawain how natural it felt, even though it had been years, to hold his daughter. "Shh....you don't have to kill anyone, and the anger....well, it passes with time. You're at a critical juncture now. You must allow yourself to feel, otherwise, things get pent-up. Haven't you ever heard of a caged beast?" He smiled, nudging her a bit. "You already learned to control the Source, so you have the fight half-won. And anyway, what's wrong with being a little wild once in awhile?"

Gawain smiled and patted her hand. "You know that whatever you choose, however you choose to do it, I'm here for you. I can help you, because I've been there. When Nanny found me all those years ago, I was little more than a beast with a human skin on. She...well, Nanny pretty much kicked my bum and taught me to be me. Sure, there are a few folks that don't like who I am, but ya know, I don't want to be anything else. The job have now is the one I always wanted without realizing it. Father, husband, and occasional arse-stomper." He grinned at that last part. "Yes, I've agreed to tone that down, but surely you won't deny me all fun?"

She spoke of her wards....concern flickered across his features. "Then tell me the wards, and I'll replace them for you. We have to get you over this bump in the road before you can fully harness your birthright. Just...tell me what you ward yourself against, and by my life, you won't have to worry about it."

He smiled, kissed her cheek, and leaned back. "I know, honey. You are a quick study, or else nothing would have come from the exercise earlier. And I understand your anger, as well as I know I deserve it. We'll work on that, and on getting to know each other better. As for Armandeus...yes, I would like to get to know this young man. From what I've seen so far, he is a nice guy, and I'm sure that, since you have feelings for him, he's good people. But for now, you should rest. Unless, of course, you're feeling up to a little more training?" He raised an eyebrow, and smiled. "Not to worry, there's no physical activity. It's more mental training than anything else. You mentioned that you had the Gift for Dreamwalking...you wouldn't be up for a jaunt into the Dreamworld, would you? Something tells me that there are answers there to be uncovered."

Gawain grinned, scooting back to allow for her to sit up. "Yes, De'Ryanna, I have every intention of doing so. Would you like to do so now? I'm ready anytime, I was just hoping you would suggest it. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with your mother and brother as well....it's lonely without them in here." He tapped his temple and sighed at that, looking a bit forlorn for a moment.

He brightened a bit when she mentioned that trip, and even made an attempt at a smile. "Well, when I had my ter'angreal, it was always easier, for some reason, to start in Caemlyn. Don't ask me why, I have no idea why unless it's because the Dragon had me in and out of there so much in the last few months before the kids were born. At any rate, I learned two things there: Daes Daemar is not my cup of tea, and I don't make a very convincing woman. Long story, and one I won't tell twice." He smirked, winked, and chuckled. "That's why you'll have to listen closely so that you can tell your mother when she gets here. At any rate, you may have to help me, because I lost my ter'angreal, and I don't have much control there without it." He was ready and willing to do anything for her, and he was hoping she had that understanding by now.

Gawain sighed, breathing in the air of Caemlyn, and gazing up at the marvel of the White Tower. Like it or not, it always took his breath away. He looked over to Ryanna and held out a hand. "Well, where would you like to go first, dear?" He hadn't been in the World of Dreams in years, so his clothing kept shifting from one set to the other, finally settling on the black Asha'man garb, complete with Sword and Dragon pins. He had earned them, after all, why not wear them? "Uh, I'm having trouble here. This is the only thing I can keep focused on, I'm afraid. Too much?" He dropped a bow, and smiled widely. "So.....what now?"

He chuckled at her comment, then shook his head. "Last time I was in Caemlyn, I was spying on a certain Lady who was about to give birth to twins. As I recall, a rather rough woman came out and, after firing several arrows at me, kicked me. Yes, there. When I returned to my point of origin, Cadsuane slapped me so hard that my jaw almost unhinged. That woman's got a NASTY right hook."

She spoke of the Wolf dream...maybe someone had already told her? "Most of our kind share an affinity to the Dreamworld, due to the fact that wolves go there, in spirit, when their physical bodies die. It's just been a long time, dear, I think I'm getting the hang of it." He spoke the words, even tried to mean them, but his thoughts drifted to Airtia. For some reason, she was on his mind more and more every day, and this trip had brought it to a head. His garb changed once more from the black Asha'man attire to the suit he had worn to his wedding. He was unaware of this, however, and he turned his attention back to Ryanna. "Yes, the marketplace sounds like a good idea. On the way, maybe you can tell me what usually draws this...bad person...out in your Dreams."

He steeled himself for whatever lay ahead, not telling her anything about what he had planned, nor the reason why he pushed for this trip at the time he did.

Gawain frowned, now aware of his clothing. "I'm better than this, Ryanna." In a wink, he was back in his Asha'man attire, the sword at his hip bearing the mark of the Heron. He glanced down, and shrugged with a lop-sided grin. "Hey, I earned it. When the Towers started working together, we were 'asked' to train with the Warders. Two guesses who picked me to be their sparring partner/victim."

Aware of her words, finally, he shrugged his shoulders, cracked his neck, and grew dark. After a moment, he simply grew. With a growl that began as human and ended as something more bestial than he had ever uttered, he spun on his booted heel and snarled. "Come out, if you dare. I would say that I don't bite, but well, I despise liars. You want my daughter, you sack of cow fodder, come and claim her. If you're able. There are two ways, easy and hard. PLEASE choose hard. Don't make me beg."

The change had happened in an instant, and he was truly the stuff of nightmares. His fur was shaggy and grey, with a white streak down his muzzle which continued down his back, ending at his now-prehensile tail. In anyone remotely human, a sense of primordial dread would creep into their subconscious and cause them to recoil. Darkness seemed to roil about him, as if it were dripping from him like the black blood of a daemon.

"Come and face me, if you dare." His nose twitched as he tested the air, searching for a scent from sheer habit. He was ready, very willing, and most definitely able. Whom, or whatever was stalking had picked the wrong quarry. The old saying of "Don't hunt what you cannot kill" just didn't do justice to the situation. This was the side of Gawain that he sought to keep hidden. If the wrong person saw this form...well, let us content ourselves with 'The Salem witch trials would look like a naming-day party' and leave it at that.

Gawain growled softly, then, with a shrug, abandoned his form. He was back in his normal garb, full Asha'man gear. A glance at the Cour'souvra brought bile into his throat, then a seething anger. A Soul Cage....he had thought that they were all destroyed, and the ability to make them along with them. "You. Will. Release. Her." With a speed that would have made the space/time continuum blush and shuffle its feet, he was at the spot from which he heard the voice. True, voices carry, but Gawain, well.....Gawain had a knack.

As he stood face-to-face with the owner of the aforementioned voice, he growled once more, a low, menacing growl. "Release her at once, fool. You have precious little time, and I would prefer to make it out of this Light-forsaken place with you breathing. You know, so that I will have the pleasure of beating you within an inch of your misbegotten life, Healing you, then doing it again. Your move, whelp." Gawain seized the Source, his feet already set, his body ready for the possibility of things getting physical. As he prepared his body, his mind was also furiously at work preparing Wards, Shields, and one more weave, one for which he had had his ears boxed twice, and had been threatened with Gentling for simply knowing. If the one before him didn't know what he was facing, he soon would.

In a low, almost hushed voice, he spoke. "I am the stuff of nightmares. I am the darkness which frightens humans and causes them to relight their candles. I am the beast which should never have been loosed upon the world of mortals. Light help me, I am become Death himself. Pray to whatever pagan gods you claim, that I should pass from this world before I rain my wrath down upon you. Fear. If you have none, I have some for you right here."

[Your move. Volley and serve, and all that.]