Tenebrae

Prologue

A bone chilling scream ripped through the walls of the family apartment. A young girl, no older than four years old, threw herself upwards in on her bed and cried out as she heard the scream. Her trembling hand shot up to cover her mouth.

The creaking of a wooden floorboard increased the panic she was feeling. Without thinking, the young werewolf threw herself onto the floor and underneath her bed frame. She crawled towards the furthest corner of bed which faced the wall. She pulled her legs in tight to her chest as she lay down on the carpeted floor.

Mattie's breath hitched as she heard the handle to her bedroom door begin to jingle around.
The door creaked open, Mattie covered her mouth to stop her whimpers from being audible to the human ear. The tiny bedroom filled with the body odour of the intruder. Cigarette ash, burnt wood and must. They were the only smells that Mattie was able to pick up on.

The intruder's heavy breathing and the rapid thumping of her heart where the sounds she could hear. The tip of the blood soaked blade dragged along the ground. Mattie whimpered as it passed by her hiding spot. The four year old forced her eyes shut. A constant stream of silent tears travelled down her face.

Mattie wasn't aware how long she'd been hiding underneath her bed when she reluctantly crawled out. But the sun had rose and was bouncing off the no longer pristine white walls.

Mattie struggled to place her feet somewhere that they wouldn't get covered in blood. She followed the trail of bloody boot prints down the corridor and into the main living area.

She looked around the main living area, the coffee table in front of the TV had been flipped upside down. The items which used to be on the table were scattered around. The photo frame which hung behind the couch now lay shattered on the ground. A long crack and a small blood mark had replaced where the family photo once hung.

As she tip-toed past the open kitchen door, against her better judgement her she allowed her gaze to follow the droplets of blood. Luckily the kitchen island blocked her view of the fallen body.

The soft clicking of the lock in the front door turned over. Mattie rushed backwards and jumped over the couch and hide between it and the wall.

The door swung open. It slammed against the wall. From Mattie's hiding spot in the main living area she was able to pick up on the distinct voices of two people - a woman and a man.

She sniffed the air and allowed the scent of the fill her lungs. The young one wasn't able to pin point where she recognised their scent but it evoked something in the back of her mind. She knew it. But she didn't know how.

The people were softy debating in French about the situation which had unfolded.

"He killed them, Jac" he whispered.

"I know." Jac hissed "He didn't get to Tilly though, I know it"

Mattie hearing one of her nicknames, she revealed herself from her hiding place.

"Did you know my mother?" Mattie asked as the others became visible to her.

"Yes I used to" Jac dropped to her knees in front of the young werewolf.

"We can't bring her with us. Marcella's pack will look after her" the man protested as Jac's fingers wrapped around Mattie's.

Mattie led Jac towards her room to help with packing a few bags.

The pair spent the next half an hour packing enough bags for Mattie in order for her to be placed into the direct care of Queen's wolf pack.

Mattie reluctantly took the hand of the man as they made their way out of her home with bags in hand for the last time.

Jac allowed the door to the Louvel family home slam behind her. A single tear ran her face.

"I was too late. I'm sorry." she whispered.

Mattie Louvel, now nineteen years old, stalked after her prey. He was only a few feet in front of her. She pushed her long blonde locks off her face and pulled the hood over her hair, in some attempt to keep her face more hidden from the cameras.

She followed the man into the side alley, hoping that he hadn't realised that he was being tailed. "Shit" she muttered to herself as she saw that he was nowhere to be seen. She glanced around the alley, making sure that he wasn't there.

She wasn't aware when a pipe smashed into the back of her head. The sound of the pipe bouncing on the ground echoed through her ears. As she struggled to get to her feet. His hands wrapped around her neck. She tried to pull them away but she only managed to loosen them slightly. The dark spots in her vision increased as she found it hard to take a breath.

Mattie's eyes snapped open. She rapidly blinked as she struggled to gain her bearings.

She tentatively walked through the empty corridor. Her eyes were fixed on the door that was moving closer towards her. Her hand wrapped around the handle and with a smooth motion she shoved her way through the door.

As Mattie fell into the room, it took her a few seconds to comprehend where she actually was. It all looked the same. The photo frames, the furniture. The smell of the homes was still the same – coffee and burnt toast.

Mattie's eyes landed on the figure sitting at the head of the dining table. Her mother. Marcella Louvel hadn't aged a day.

"Mom?" Mattie whimpered, not really sure if it was really her.

Confused at how she could be seeing her mother. She was standing in front of her. But that couldn't be real. She was dead. Both her parents had been murdered as a result of the Uprising.

"Tilly" Marcella answered. A pitiful smile was across her face.

"Am I dead?" Mattie whispered out.

"You're dying sweetheart. You have to fight it" Marcella chocked out.

"But what if I don't want too?" Mattie shamefully admitted. "I'm just so damn tired of fighting. I don't know if I can anymore"

"You can sweetheart. You so much stronger than you give yourself credit"

"I'm just so tired."

"I know sweetheart. But you have to fight"

Mattie began to openly cry as the realisation of the situation she was in actually hit her. Marcella pulled her daughter into her arms and held her listened to her sobs. Marcella bit down on her bottom lip as she struggled to fight back her own sobs.

"Tilly, if anyone can do this. It's you" Marcella whispered into the crown of her daughter's head.

The mother and daughter separated from each other. Marcella placed her hands on Mattie's shoulders, with her thumb she wiped away the tears that were still falling down her daughter's face.

"I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to watch you grow up"

Marcella's heart broke as she admitted this. Maybe if things were different or if she made different choices, she would have watched her daughter grow up and maybe, just maybe, Mattie wouldn't be this wolf with a knack for violence.

"It's okay. It wasn't your fault" Mattie whispered.

"You go make him pay, sweetheart. Because I believe in you"

"How can I? No one knows where he is"

"Oh sweetheart, you'll see soon enough." Marcella gave a soft smile before she spoke again, "Now fight and don't let me see you here again till you're old and grey"

Everything in Mattie's surrounding area went initially pitch black. And through flashes of bright light, it became clearer to her that her feet were no longer planted on the ground of her family home but she was falling through nothing.

Mattie's eyes snapped open. She didn't have the time to figure out what was happening as she felt two hands tighten around her neck once again.

"You gotta fight sweetheart" Marcella's voice rattled in Mattie's head.

"I will" Mattie forced out.

Mattie grabbed the index finger of her attacker and forced it as far back as it could go. He howled out in pain and loosed his grip on her neck. Mattie used this as her chance to pull his hands over her neck completely. She pushed him away from her. She struggled to catch her breath, her hands were cupped around the tops of her legs in an attempt to help with the oxygen flow.

He stalked back towards her, he slammed his fist into her face. She wiggled her nearly broken nose around. The attacker grabbed her at the back of the neck. Mattie lent into his grip.

In a flash, she threw her head back and slammed her forehead into his face. He stumbled backwards. Mattie brushed the wet blood which was flowing out of her nose with the back her hand as he moved back towards her.

Mattie's foot connected with his chest. And as he collected himself from the ground, Mattie pulled out her brass knuckle buster and a pocket knife. The knuckle buster was slipped onto her left hand whereas the pocket knife was held in her dominate hand.

Her brass cad fist smashed against his nose. She felt it shift sideways under her knuckles. The sound of breaking bone made her smirk.

She rammed her knife into his shoulder. She twisted it around in his shoulder. With her knee she forced him backwards so he slammed into the alley wall.

He reached out and grabbed at her dominate arm and pulled it down. Mattie howled in pain as her shoulder dislocated itself. As Mattie stumbled backwards, the attacker picked up the metal pipe he used earlier. With almost inhuman strength his makeshift weapon smashed against her legs and instantaneously she collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Mattie forced herself to get back onto her feet, her right knee buckled underneath the weight of her body. A pain filled whimper tried to escape from her lips.

In a mix of anger and pain filled adrenaline, Mattie yanked out the knife with as much strength as she could muster. She smashed her knuckle buster underneath his jaw. As he was recovering from the daze, he forced himself onto his feet. When he returned to his feet, Mattie slammed him into the wall.

"War is nigh, little wolf" he crocked out, blood from nose was running down his face.

"Good." Mattie spat out before she slammed her knife into his neck with as much force as she could get behind it. Blood splurged from the knife and covered her face.

Mattie could hear the sound of fast approaching footsteps. She could make out the notching of an arrow. Acting on instinct Mattie pulled her knife from his neck and let it fall to the ground and where they stood.

She casually wiped the blood soaked knife in her now ruined jeans. The knuckle buster struggled to slip off her bloodied and cracked hand. Both weapons were returned to her back pocket.

The footsteps stopped at the mouth to the alley way and out of the corner of her eye she could see a trio of Shadowhunters. Standing in awe about what they were currently witnessing. A werewolf which was still in almost complete control over their actions and the limp and bloodied body of the one they were hunting.

"Took your fucking time" Mattie wheezed out as she stumbled over the fallen body of her attacker. She stood in front of the shadowhunters with blood dripping from her broken nose and burst lip. "You mind stabbing him with a seraph blade?"

Mattie didn't wait for them to give their reply before she started hobbling towards the home. She kept close to the shadows in attempt to keep herself protected from mundane eyes. With every step she took her pain levels increased.

A/N: this is just an intro to Tenebrae and Mattie just as a testing the waters sort of thing. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm not 100% sure how often this will be updated because life man. if you want to see edits for this go to my tumblr which is abcbarricadeboys and copy this after the url tagged/fic%3-tenebrae