Professor James Moriarty

[themagpieandthespider]

tigerstripedwolf:

Sebastian

The woodland seemed ominously quiet. He paused, now that even the sound of his own footfalls were silent, all that cold be heard was the serration of the leaves in the slight wind. The woods were always quiet and stepping into them robbed him of one sense and weighted the others. it was disorienting to be almost blinded but given the ears of a wolf. Even the soft murmuring of the branches felt heavy in his ears. The sense of smell was sensitized, the loam in the earth and eh decomposing leaves made the atmosphere close and thick. The darkness of the canopy nurtured a sense of claustrophobia inside him even though the woodland stretched unbroken for miles.

There was no map to follow, but even if he had had the land surveyed he would never use it. The narrows paths, which were made uneven by the knotted roots that crossed it were never visited by his neighbors. The howling of wolves kept them from daring to walk through it and neither would they speak of it except in hushed whispers. The tranquil atmosphere in the forest had instantly vanished as he heard his approaching, crunching footsteps on the leaves. In spite of the panic he felt, he was almost hypnotized by the language of the alpha’s body. The longer he stared the more intense the eyes staring back down at him became.

He drew closer, the air becoming heavy with the scents of pheromones. Osmology, or the science of smell research, had determined that alpha and omega were attracted to each other via selective chemical messengers. These were arousal-stimulating chemicals that signal sexual desire, sexual readiness, hormone levels, fertility and the deepest emotions. It was a sort of magic that attracted them to each other and pheromones were linked to some of the most crucial stages in their lives especially mate selection. He felt him brush against him and the very act sent shivers through his body.

Run.

Distance was all that mattered. His paws crashed against the earth,  his breath coming in small spurts, hot and nervous. Behind him, he could hear the pounding of the alpha’s own paws. Perhaps running had been a mistake. Adrenaline demanded that he run faster, He wished that his feet would fall in silence, but all he did was crack twigs and kick stones. His paws slipped and he almost tumbled over, more time that he could not afford. His pursuer is huge and fast and hot on heels. James knows that every lumber forward is a step closer to the mansion, to freedom and to safety. He changes mid-air, bare feet running through the manicured grasses of his garden and up through the kitchen door.

He slammed the door behind him, falling to the floor, his back to the door as he heard scratching on the oak. It was as if the beast had been possessed by the devil himself and he felt at once that there would be no getting rid of him now.

[themagpieandthespider]

tigerstripedwolf:

Sebastian

One minute he was alone and the next he was not. He felt the wolf beside him long before he saw him, brown as he was, he blended into the scenery perfectly where Moriarty stood out. He was white, as pure as innocence. The first time he had changed he was unsure how nature had cheated him so. He should have been as black as sin, with eyes that burned like wildfire, but instead he stood out. He was beautiful and he attracted wolves to him like a moth to a flame. He hated it and this interaction would be no exception.

He stopped, the wolf behind him stopped. He turned, his dark eyes looking over his shoulder at him. The alpha was incredibly built, his large body looming just beyond the edge of the clearing. If he wanted to, he could have chased him down and killed him easily, but he seemed to stand there, just curious of him. Perhaps he had never seen anything so pure, perhaps he was sizing him up or maybe just maybe he was taking in the scent that lingered in the air around Moriarty’s flesh and fur. It was alluring, it called to him, it must have.

[crownjeweledspider]

“ – Professor James Moriarty. “

[notdavidfincher]

[themagpieandthespider]

tigerstripedwolf:

Sebastian

In his household he kept several humans for his benefit. The housekeeper was the undisputed head of the female staff. Such a role demanded a huge array of responsibility and the character of his own was dependable, prudent, sensible and honest. He also kept a blowzy woman in the kitchen who shouted orders at the younger maids and errand lads as a cook. Not as prestigious as a male cook or chef, he still sought her out for her sophisticated practical knowledge. She did after all hold an immense power over the reputation of his house when it came to the entertaining and feeding of his guests. He kept a few housemaids as well who did the cleaning, sewing, mending and laundry.

He had no steward, no one to perform the key administrative role when he was to attend business elsewhere. As he did not James himself had to see to every aspect of managing the family and it’s affairs. He communicated directly with lawyers, architects, suppliers, tenants and other family members. He did not have a valet, but instead employed a butler who had an extensive knowledge of alcoholic beverages. He had one footman, a coachman, gardener, gamekeeper and even a young boy who attended the stables when he wasn’t busily employed elsewhere. That very same boy was the one who had woken up early to attend the horses, but startled back to the house by the creature.

Mellow blues and pinks blurred together in a silver mist to create another gorgeous scene over the English countryside. Under the canopy the sky vanished almost completely, only a few fragments of the lightening sky remained, like scattered pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The air was rich with the fragrance of leaves and loam. Even so many hours after the night rains had passed, the soil remained wet, slowly releasing a heady fog. The only movement is the occasional bird, startling in tree or a squirrel dashing up a nearby trunk as the wolf passes. The sound of running water in the brook has the same hypnotic quality as music, the kind that made you want to stop and drink it in. The huckleberries were mostly red, tart but with just the right amount of sweetness.

A white wolf as bright in the darkness as an evening star in the night sky took the air into his lungs and expelled it slowly. He was free. Alone in the mist of an English countryside he allowed himself to be as he was, as he had become. His mind focused on every scurry of mouse, every flap of wing. He has never felt more alive as a wolf, and more confined as a human. He rolls his neck, much like he does in his other form, his true form, the form he was born in. Sometimes being trapped in that skin was horribly uncomfortable, but at the same time, and in this form he was ill at ease. Not entirely himself, but it did not entirely feel wrong. He stole this small moment for himself, thinking that the alpha must be fast asleep in the hay.

[themagpieandthespider]

tigerstripedwolf:

Sebastian

James was grateful for the separation the house brought him. The two wolves at his side seemed to be perfectly content licking their wounds in the kitchen as he walked further into his home. He entered the dining room, looking at the four plates sitting there. He sighed as he sat at the head of the table, taking the napkin from where he had left it on the table, putting it back in his lap and tucking in. He ate quietly, his thoughts returning to the wolf in his stable. James had made a horrible mistake, a mistake that he was certain he would pay for dearly. He had taken what he thought was another beta into his home, someone strong and who struck fear into the hearts of those around him.

He needed someone like that, but what he didn’t need was an alpha. He had been floored when he had smelled the androstenone and androterone. The result was an aggressive formula that was a balance between power and attraction. James Moriarty had studied scents long after his attack. He needed to know what caused increased aggression, what amped up his attractiveness and what muted his scent entirely. His attack was a closely guarded secret. One that he had not shared with anyone. He kept his chemistry experiments to his quarters upstairs, where no one, not even the maids were allowed to go. He finished his meal, thinking that he would need to bathe directly following his interaction with the alpha or least he find himself under him.

The full moon was only five days away. In that time he would need to either let the wolf go, or sell him to someone else. He did not believe the latter was a fair conclusion for anyone, not the seller, the buyer or the wolf outside. He shook his head as he noticed Cassius and Clyde allowing the nurse attend to their wounds. He had hired her for this purpose only and she stayed on because she too adored the boys as much as he did. He shook his head at the thought. He didn’t adore them, they served their purpose and that was it. It was hard for James to fight his nature. He called to them that he would retire for the night and to make sure they stayed clear of the barn if the wolf did not come in.

[themagpieandthespider]

tigerstripedwolf:

Sebastian

Cassius and Clyde had never known another life. They had been raised from whelps on the property. They had never known war or famine. They had never know what it was like to be a part of a pack, to fight with other betas for precious commodities: food, shelter and mates. They were as good as humans in a world that did not accept them as such. However, no one except another wolf would know the difference. James never introduced them as such, preferring simply to call them by name, but he never abused them or made them do things they didn’t want to do. They protected him, because they loved him.

The terror and the threat that was the alpha did not seem to startle them as much as it had done the delivery driver. In his fear, he had insisted to return to London despite the gentleman’s offer of room and board for the evening. He hadn’t even unharnessed the horses or allowed them a rest. James Moriarty hadn’t understood, he had thought the threat of a wild wolf attack would have been more terrifying than a night in a country estate, but perhaps his reputation had preceded him. James Moriarty had skinned people alive for lesser infractions than spilled dairy. He would not be surprised if any decent person didn’t want to stay, let alone someone no one cared went missing.

The hair on the back of their necks stood on end as they watched the great wolf come charging at them. They had never changed at will, preferring the moon just to take their sensibilities once monthly and pretend she did not exist all the rest. Their clothes ripped from their bodies in a fashion they were not accustomed to as bones broke and fur exploded where alabaster skin had once been. They had never fought another wolf without probable cause, but they would defend Moriarty to the last tooth and nail. They both latched onto him, the scuffle lasting two minutes before the man himself was at their aid.

James Moriarty fired a shot to break them apart. The twins running one way and the alpha standing his ground, dripping blood on the freshly scrubbed floors. The sight of him like that stirred something in Moriarty, a pheromone that he tried to suppress as he leveled weapon at the wolf. However that natural scent did more than the loaded gun ever could. It drifted through the air like wafts of smoke. Apasine, the pheromones responsible for calming and bonding with other wolves grew stronger and stronger. He rolled his neck in frustration watching first the betas sit and then finally the unruly alpha.

“Bathe and then come into the house. I’ll see to it that your wounds are cleaned and disinfected. Then we’ll have dinner.” He turned on his heal and left, but the scent of him still lingered.

[themagpieandthespider]

tigerstripedwolf:

Sebastian

James had never seen a more terrifying beta. Betas were preferred for war dogs over Alphas or Omegas. Alphas were too headstrong, too commanding and overbearing to follow the orders of a commanding officer. They also didn’t take lightly to being used for human benefit. Omegas were exactly the opposite. They were too soft and gentle to be anywhere in battle. Betas were the every day loyal, compassionate and eager to follow orders wolf. When neither alpha or omega were available, which they were not in war zones they took charge as the responsibility fell to them. It was exactly what he needed in his line of work. James Moriarty put his life at risk everyday ruling the underworld. On more than one occasion his life had been threatened and while Cassius and Clyde did their jobs very well, they were not very bright.

Soon the caravan broke away from the hostel and bustle of city life, heading west. James watched as they rode past fields of cows and sheep. As they drew further and further away from London’s center the countryside became wilder, more suitable to a wolf’s nature. The neat patch work fields were gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers and dark green hills. The carriages gradually ascended for half a mile and then found themselves at the top of a considerable eminence, where the wood ceased and the eye was instantly caught by Seville Manor. It was situated on the opposite side of the valley, into which the road with some abruptness wound.

The driveway was grandiose, sweeping into a wide circle in front of the dwelling with an ornate fountain in the center. James had taken the property from his first client as payment for his services. He traded in goods he could not discuss at balls, galas or social gatherings and this manor was his way of buying respectability. His own carriage stopped just outside the front door and he descended into drive watching as his latest purchase was driven around to the back of the house. The driver of the delivery wagon having suffered most of the ride with the beasts alone was grateful for the end of journey. Cassius and Clyde who had sat on either side of him jumped down with the excitement of youth.

In the distance maids could be seen bringing out pot after pot of steaming water to the stables. The two young pups who could have been no more than one and seven pulled him from the cage by using two catch poles not only to keep themselves at a distant, but to keep him at a distance from them. They guided him with some difficulty into the stable. At the sight of him the horses stamped and blew snot in all directions. Depending entirely upon flight in the wild, their ability to do so in the stable was limited. They could sense the things wild and predatory nature before anyone else on the property had. In spite of their misgivings, the horses finally settled and the pups were able to release him.

The stable smelled of must and damp straw, but also hot water and lye. In the center of the floor there was a large washtub waiting for the monster Moriarty intended to keep. Between the pups they both held the scent of Beta, it was a sickening scent of resignation and loyalty to someone not their kind. Cassius, the elder of the two and more likely to take responsibility in place of a leader stepped slightly forward, explaining that the wolf was asked to please bathe, then report to the house for dinner.

[themagpieandthespider]

Title: Professor Moriarty’s Secret

Location: London Docks

Date: 1 June, 1830

Status: closed

The wolves remained at the race-course, they were brought in early that buyers who desired to inspect them might enjoy that privilege, although none of them were sold at private sale. For these preliminary days the docks were constantly visited by spectators. The wolves were examined with as little consideration as if they had been brutes indeed; the buyers pulling their mouths open to see their teeth, pinching their limbs to find how muscular they were, walking them up and down to detect any signs of lanes, making them stoop and bend in different ways that they might be certain there was no concealed rupture or wound; and in addition to all this treatment asking them scores of questions relative to their qualifications and accomplishments.

It was nothing so lewd as the scrambles that were often hosted in the British West Indies. Wolves newly transported would be herded into a pen, surrounded by eager buyers, often pushing and shoving in order to position themselves to grab hold of the finest specimens. A starting gun would be fired, and the buyers would surge into the pen to try and collect the best individuals. Often, fights broke out among the buyers and some were even bitten. The system while flawed had many advantages for the sellers of wolves. A captain arriving in port typically wished to sell his cargo as quickly as possible, in order to realize his profit and to minimize personal risk.

All these humiliations were submitted to without a murmur and in some instances with good-natured cheerfulness where the wolf liked the appearance of the proposed buyer, and fancied that he might prove a kind master. The buyers, who were present to the number of about one hundred, clustered around the platform while the wolves who were not likely to be immediately wanted, gathered into sad groups in the background to watch the progress of the selling in which they were so sorrowfully interested. The wind howled outside, and through the open side of the building the driving rain came pouring in. The bar ceased for a short time its brisk trade as the buyers lit fresh cigars and readied their catalogues.

The first lot of wolves were led upon the stand, not by a man, but by a wolf himself and who seemed to regard the selling of his brethren, in which he so assisted, as a capital joke. The expression on the faces of all who stepped on the block was always the same, and told of more anguish than it was in the power of words to express. Blighted homes, crushed hopes and broken hearts was the sad story to be read in all the anxious faces. Some of them regarded the sale with perfect indifference, not caring to cast even a look at the buyer who now held all their happiness in his hands. James regarded the auction with an auspicious eye, knowing too well that all would be sold.

James Moriarty was the organizer of half that was evil and nearly all that was undetected in this great city. He was a genius, a philosopher, an abstract thinker. His brain was of the first order and anyone who stood in his way, stood in the way of a mighty organization, the full extent of which they would never be able to fully understand. Therefore any sensible human would stand clear or be trodden underfoot. He moved through the crowd, blending in, in his dark tail coat and three piece suit. He moved past the main auction block, finding a captain and six men wrangling one much larger specimen. From what he deduced he was a war mutt, a force to be reckoned with even when he had seen better days.

A shot rang out through the crowd, stopping the wolf in his tracks and the men along with him. James Moriarty lowered his weapon, pleased to see he could gain his attention. “I’ll take him.” The captain moved forward, his yellowed teeth and hunched back displaying his long years at sea. “He’ll bite your hand off he will. You don’t want that one.” James picked the man up by the throat, hoisting him as far as his small frame would allow. “I’ll take him and you’ll thank me for doing so.” He dropped the man, watching as he coughed and sputtered. The Napoleon of Crime threw money at his feet, not bothering to watch the man attempt to peel it from the mud as he snapped his fingers.Two young pups, dressed in bowlers and suits came out of the crowd, helping the crewmen shove him into a box and load him onto the awaiting truck outside.