Legal Stuff: Buffy the Vampire Slayer concept & characters (Buffy, Angel, Oz, Willow, Cordelia, Xander, Giles, Drusilla & Kendra) are tm & (c) Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, and basically belong to them, Joss Whedon, The WB Television Network and Mutant Enemy (Rrrr...Argh...). They were created by Joss Whedon, and I have absolutely nothing to do with it (wish I did). Atherlae is an otherwise original work that is (c) Fox Lee 1999, (yours truly). Any similarity between events in this story and in real life (yeah, that happened to ME and MY vampire boyfriend just the other day!) is purely coincidental and unintended (so deal with it). If you like this story and want it posted on your page, lack of frequent e-mail access prompts me to say 'feel free - in fact, please do', so long as you don't edit any bits and you make sure my name's on it along with this message. If you do re-post it, please e-mail me to let me know.
Last edited: 10-3-99
Timespan: This would either have to take place before Angel turned evil again, or after his return (he ain't back yet in Australia...*SOB*...). I began writing it just after the episode "Ted". Please note that I can't be held responsible for any inaccuracies that I wasn't aware of at this point, and that I've only actually seen about five or six episodes (not including the comics or what I've read on the Internet). What I'm trying to say is if I've screwed up, don't be too disgusted (but e-mail me and tell me so I don't embarrass myself too much!).
E-mail: Compliment me, criticize me, yell at me, insult me...heck, I don't care. The place to send it all is cyberslayerfox@yahoo.com. If that doesn't work properly (it ain't my fault) try fox_lee@hotmail.com.
Gimmicky promo stuff (!!!!!): Keep an eye out for my second Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic, There Can Be Only One, in which a summer adventure camp and a mysterious girl tied to Angel's past cause some serious trouble for the Slayer and her friends. Also, a decidedly out-of-the-ordinary school dance in A Night To Remember. Coming soon from Cyberslayer (hey, that's me!).
Oh, by the way: If you've got this story on your page and would like a decent-looking html version with groovy graphics, decent fonts, formatting etc. (I REALLY hate .txt files), please contact me.
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Part Nine
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"Got it," Xander exulted, holding up the book. "Atherla, plural atherlae. I gotta be on some kind of roll here!"
"Xander, I could kiss you," Buffy grinned, leaping over the table for the book.
"Really?"
"It's a figure of speech," Willow informed him flatly. "Don't get too hopeful."
"Thought to be extinct since the late 1940's," Buffy read. "Which fits in perfectly with what Drusilla told me."
"It's too weird, having her as our only lead," Xander muttered. "I still say we shouldn't trust her."
"She's all we've got, Xander," Buffy reminded him. "And she's Angel's only hope."
Xander seemed unmoved.
"There doesn't seem to be much information here on its appearance," Giles noted, reading over her shoulder. "Build, height, weight."
"Who cares?" Buffy cut in. "I saw enough of it to recognize it. Besides, all we really need to know is where it's hanging out, and what we need to save Angel, right?"
"Essentially, yes, but - "
"But nothin'. Keep reading; I'm gonna find me some more weapons."
"Did you see the look on her face just then?" Xander commented as the Slayer disappeared into an adjoining room. "I think she really enjoys this part o' the job!"
"She's probably just imagining how good she's going to feel when she totally flattens this creepy wolf thing," Willow replied. "Wouldn't you?"
"Here's something on visuals," Giles interjected. "It's been described as 'low to the ground, extremely powerful around the leg and lower back area'...and here, 'squat, strongly built'...'similar to a common wolf, with a heavier build and shorter legs'..."
"So," Xander concluded, "Buffy's up against the big bad wolf...on steroids."
"How about less of what it looks like and more of what we can do for Angel?" Buffy re-entered, having armed herself with her customary stake, the ever-popular crossbow, and a long knife in a sheath that buckled to her thigh. "By the way, Giles, I don't know where you got this knife, but I like it!"
"It's very classy," Willow agreed. "Goes with your shoes."
"Buffy, I believe I know what happened to Angel," Giles reported. "It seems that females secreted a kind of venom, which contained a sort of strong hallucinogen, released with their bite. This was found to affect certain individuals more than others, particularly those of the male gender, and usually caused brief fits of violence, altered perception and sudden mood swings."
"Sounds like Willow's PMS," Xander grinned, and received a headslap from the very embarrassed-looking girl. "Ow!"
"Ironically," Giles continued, "the only known antidote to the female's venom was that of the male. The two sort of balanced each other out."
"What?" Xander asked, noticing that Buffy had suddenly gone quiet.
"There aren't any more males," Buffy answered weakly. "Drusilla said they were killed."
"Then Angel..." Willow murmured.
"Angel's got no chance." Buffy paled visibly. "He'll just keep getting worse."
There was another lengthy silence.
"Buffy," Giles began, "if it comes to it, we don't expect you to...to be the one who has to..."
"It won't," Buffy said bluntly. "It won't come to that. I won't let it. We'll find another male. Or another antidote. Anything. Angel is not going to die."
"Buffy, you - "
"I have a job to do, if you'll excuse me. I'm gonna rip that bitch to pieces."
"Buffy, wait," Giles stopped her. "There's some things you should know first."
"Make it quick," Buffy recommended, her tone quite threatening.
"Quick...all right, I can do quick...firstly, you'd be most likely to find her in some sort of cave or burrow. She dislikes civilization, and is accustomed to the dark. She's close to being nocturnal."
"Got it."
"You're looking for a creature that would roughly reach up to your elbow - quite large, I'm afraid - that is similar to a wolf, but shorter and more solid. And for what it's worth, she has brownish-gold fur, and would blend in better with cover of the same color."
"Check."
"And Buffy, this creature is very intelligent. We were right about her intent. She has some kind of high-level perception that means she enjoys hunting, and knows the difference between killing and using her venom - she knows what will happen. Be careful, Buffy. Please be careful."
"Right. Now that the pep talk's over, I'll be going. And by the way," she turned to Willow and Xander, "if either of you, and this includes you too, Giles, even think about following me, don't. This is between her and me. Don't step in."
Buffy's two friends looked to Giles. If anybody was going to contradict Buffy, it would be her Watcher. But the librarian seemed just as reluctant as they were to voice his true feelings.
"Just don't get yourself killed, Buffy," Giles muttered hastily. "I've grown quite attached to you."
"Shhh," Came Buffy's reply. "Be very, very quiet. As of now, it's atherla season!"
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