by Titania86 of Fishmuffins of Doom
created for Mr Knightley's Picnic 2010
The picnic thus far had been a success. Everyone had eaten their fill of delicious food (especially pigeon pies) and engaged in genial conversation with each other. Even the insufferable Mrs. Elton had been surprisingly pleasant to all. Since it was so close to evening, the partygoers would soon have to go home.
After the animal attacks of the previous weeks, being indoors by sundown was strongly encouraged to ensure safety. No one had actually seen the beast yet, but the mutilated carcasses of their livestock were enough of a warning. Mr. Martin had expected that the creature was huge, judging by the enormity of the claw marks found on the flank of his poor milk cow.
Everyone helped pack up so they could get home as soon as possible. The picnic had gone on a little longer than expected and the sun was already going down. The sunshine and enjoyment of the afternoon made the beast seem worlds away and lifted the gloom that had surrounded them all week.
Emma was packing up her basket when Mr. Knightley came up to her and asked, “Would you walk with me for a short time while everyone else packs up? There’s something I want to tell you.”
Emma studied Mr. Knightley’s countenance and noticed there were dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t been sleeping. He also moved a little stiffly and looked a bit disheveled. Emma, curious about his condition, smiled and replied, “Of course. Just for a short time.”
They walked down a path in the woods and when they could no longer see their friends, they stopped. Mr. Knightley turned to Emma. “I know I don’t seem like myself today and I wanted to confide in you. I just don’t know what to do and I need your advice.”
Emma mentally prepared herself and put an encouraging smile on her face. “Of course. We have all been worried about you. I will do anything I can to help.”
Mr. Knightley was about to say something, but he suddenly stopped when a splash of warm liquid fell on Emma’s forehead and then on her shoulder. She wiped it away with her gloved hand and it came away red, dripping with blood. She looked up and screamed in horror.
* This scene was found on page 34 in Emma and the Werewolves by Jane Austen and Adam Rann and is elaborated upon by the author.
~*~
A body hung above Emma’s head. The dead man’s body was mangled horribly. All of the limbs had been ripped away and claw marks covered the entirety of the torso. The only unmarked spot on the man was his blood splattered face. His face was frozen in a death mask with his blue eyes wide with terror and his mouth open in a grotesque, silent scream. As Emma processed this horrific sight, her stomach lurched as she made the final realization: that the man was hung with no rope, but with the dead man’s own intestine.*
Emma fell to her knees on the mossy ground and vacated the pigeon pie, cucumber sandwiches, and strawberry lemonade she had eaten earlier from her stomach.
Mr. Knightley was horrified as well, but kept his composure. He recognized the man as “Mr. Johnson, a kind man of good measure [who] had set out the night before on the simple errand of fetching an apothecary for his ailing wife” and had never returned.**
Mr. Knightley produced a silver blade from the cuff of his sleeve and looked around to see if the beast was still in the area. Emma realized that this was no ordinary beast, but could not think of what it could be. Mr. Knightley gallantly helped her up, still keeping attention to his surroundings. He heard a twig snap as someone tread on it out of sight, followed by the growl of a large animal. He threw the blade towards the source. The beast bellowed loudly in pain and charged at Mr. Knightley and Emma.
* This scene was found on page 34 in Emma and the Werewolves by Jane Austen and Adam Rann and is elaborated upon by the author.
** This passage is found on page 34 in Emma and the Werewolves by Jane Austen and Adam Rann.
~*~
The beast charging towards them was a wolf, but unlike any other wolf Emma had ever seen. It was easily larger than a man with black fur. Its eyes glowed yellow and were filled with anger, hate, and human intelligence. It locked eyes with Mr. Knightley and seemed to recognize him.
The blade he had thrown had hit the beast on its side and was still embedded in its flesh. Just before the wolf hit the couple, he threw Emma out of the way to safety. She rolled across the floor until she hit her head on a tree stump and came to rest. She felt a little dazed, but was unhurt.
Mr. Knightley, meanwhile was on the floor with the gigantic wolf above him. He was struggling to keep the thing’s jaws away from his face by shoving his forearms against its throat. She frantically looked around for a weapon. She found a fallen tree branch, ran over to the struggling pair, and hit the beast in the side as hard as she possibly could.
The beast wasn’t hurt very much, but it took its attention from Mr. Knightley to Emma. Taking advantage of Emma’s diversion, he produced another silver dagger from his other cuff and stabbed the creature and twisted the blade into its abdomen. As the wolf howled in pain, he scurried out from beneath the beast and ran to Emma just as she was batted away by a new wolf.
This wolf was just as large and had russet fur, with the same eerie yellow eyes. Mr. Knightley produced a pistol from his belt and shot at the new wolf. Without looking to see if the shot had landed, he grabbed Emma from where she had fallen and ran deeper into the woods.
After a few minutes, they sought refuge behind a large tree. He produced a ball of silver from his pocket and took out some matches. He waited until he could hear the wolves carefully tracking them. He lit the fuse on the ball and threw it in the direction of the wolves.
He hugged Emma, covered her ears, and pressed close to the tree so the blast wouldn’t hurt them. “There was an explosion and wails of pain as silver shrapnel erupted and sprayed” the two wolves.*
Mr. Knightley ran to the wounded animals and cut their throats with his last silver dagger to ensure their deaths.
Emma breathed a sigh of relief as she gazed upon the dead beasts. She and Mr. Knightley embraced and started the walk back to the picnic site.
* Taken from page 94 of Emma and the Werewolves by Jane Austen and Adam Rann.
- image source werewolf
