Greaves:Origin (Homestead)

== Greaves ==
Homestead Bound
=== Attack of Tzeentch ===
On the Death World X00386 was a relatively small colony by the name of Neo Lumis. In the past two decades the people had a harsh, but rewarding life. The colony itself was founded upon a patch of ground surrounded by the planet's bounty, filled with everything the colony would need in order to survive, and flourish. However, since it was so new, the colony had rather little defense against a large scale invasion, which made it the perfect target for the dark followers of change.
The colony was conquered in less than a day.
Among the prisoners of the worshipers of Tzeentch, was a young boy named Greaves Fenrir, age 8. The rest of his family had all been led to the main hall of the capital building of Lumis, leaving him behind to wait for his turn. All the prisoners that had been led into the building had not come out. Frightened, and alone for the first time in his life, Greaves had little indication of what to expect from the invaders. Why were they being led into the building, and why were they being led in only 3 at a time?
The doors opened again, with an invader coming out shouting for the next group to come in. Greaves was dragged screaming inside along with two others.
Greaves had only been in the main hall once before, but the place he was dragged into was not the place he remembered. Banners of Tzeentch hung on the walls, the statue of the God Emperor was destroyed completely, but the most noticeable change was the center of the floor in the room. Glyphs of unknown origin were drawn around, and inside of, the rings magic circle, the very center charred in an unnatural black.
=== The Transformation ===
All three of the prisoners were led to the center of the room, standing on the charred floor. As Greaves stood there the Chaos Worshippers began chanting an unearthly tune. With each passing second the runes in the circle began to glow a waxy bluish purple, color. The room became darker and darker, which only agitated the three. Next thing Greaves knew, dark energies began to rise from the floor, quickly enveloping him and swallowing him whole.
Once the unholy powers overwhelmed him, Greaves entered a dream like state of mind. He was in the forest, only there was no sun in the sky nor stars, or moon. The only thing illuminated were himself and the eerie purple and blue plants around him. He heard growling around him, and out from the abyss came figures that hungrily dug into his flesh. The creatures bit into him wherever they could find purchase with their fangs. Everywhere where their teeth had burrowed into his skin, fur developed and grew. Greaves could feel his body shifting as the beasts held onto him. His ears moved to the top of his head and changed into the same shape of the creature's ears. He felt a tail growing from his back.
Greaves, in a final desperate struggle to free himself from the creatures yelled "GET AWAY FROM ME!!" and yanked his limbs and body away from the grasp of the fanged beasts. As he felt his captives release their grip on him all at once, the dream vanished, and the dark energy dissipated from him, but only him alone. He sagged to the ground no longer the human boy he once was, in his place was a mutant wolf child; whose transformation was only half done.
It is unknown why Greaves was the only one who was able to stop the spell placed on him midway into development. He had no psychic abilities, nor any connection with anything supernatural. The worshipers were puzzled by this, but they decided to keep him nonetheless. They got what they wanted from the boy. A pawn to be used in future conflicts. They led him out to the back like the rest of the specimens, and brought the next batch in.
=== Prisoner years ===
When Greaves woke up, he found himself inside a cage. One that would act as his room for the next two years of his life. The followers of Tzeentch were relentless in conditioning all the mutants for their new lives. Some tried to escape, tried, but were killed instantly by the psykers, and set up as an example to the others still intelligent enough to understand the meaning behind it. For a whole year Greaves did exactly what he was told to do, never questioning his new masters' orders. To do otherwise would bring their wrath upon him, one that Greaves knew he would not survive.
Once one year had passed. The worshippers had decided to thin the number of remaining mutants to a much more sustainable level. They made a game out of it, by giving each mutant a weapon, and pitting them against each other. When it was Greaves turn, they gave him a rusted sword, and had him fight a multi-armed mutant, with an axe. The battle became one sided as Greaves refused to attack the arachnid like creature, begging him to stop, and backing off whenever the creature advanced. At the last moment, when the creature was about to bring its axe down for a killing stroke, Greaves lashed out with his blade, and stuck its heart. As cheers raised from the crowd, one of the psykers went up to Greaves, and punched him saying, "When you are given the order to kill, don't you dare hesitate you piece of shit." It was then that Greaves realized that he needed to escape from this hell.
For a year Greaves contemplated every means of escape, and whether or not he should. One day, when his masters brought his group close to the edge of the city for training, Greaves caused a riot among the mutants, making them fight one another in a gruesome melee. While the guards focused their attention on stopping the fight, Greaves slipped away and made a break for the forest. Fearing that the psykers were close behind him, and about to stop him, he ran as fast as he could, and didn't stop running until the night stars surrounded him.
=== The Wolf in the Forest ===
For three years Greaves etched out a living in his 'sanctuary'. His first year was a brutal one: He barely survived predators, starvation, winter, wounds, etc. The second year was far better for him, as he learned from his previous mistakes. By the third year, he was the master of the forest, even taking out one of its top predators, and using it's hide for clothing.
In the first week into his fourth spring, Greaves was heading back to the cave he called home, when he noticed an unusual clamor in the distance. He immediately hid behind some foliage, and observed a being coming into view. Only to find out that it was a Chaos Worshiper! His instincts told him to flee, but he stayed his ground knowing better. As he stared at the man, clumsily make his way towards his location, Greaves noticed that his robes were stained red with blood, and that he was completely short of breath.
Some sort of creature must have gotten to the psyker, that much Greaves was certain of. Still for him to survive was a testament to the psyker's abilities. Irregardless, Greaves couldn't help but think how vulnerable the psyker was. How easy it would be for any creature to attack and kill him.... a strong predator.... like himself.....! "What am I thinking?" He asked himself, "Me take out a Chaos Worshipper!?" He thought back to his time as their pet mutant, remembering each beating, every time they brought him down, and told him how pathetic he was........... Remembering the family he once had... And as his memories came back to him, his fear turned into a red hot rage that boiled inside of him. His wrath building up inside of him to the point where killing the worshipper of Tzeentch wasn't just an option, it was a necessity.
His strike had to be quick, if he was to kill him. He couldn't give the psyker a chance to use his abilities, otherwise he was dead. Just have to wait for him to get close....closer.....closer...........NOW!!!!
Greaves launched himself at the Chaos Worshiper, erupting from the foliage in a flash of fur, and hide. The only image the psyker saw with his inner eye, was that of a fanged wolf leaping at him teeth clamping around his face; in reality Greaves stabbed the Worshipper with his makeshift spear at his forehead, killing him instantly. As they tumbled to the ground, Greaves stabbed his prey repeatedly in a blind frenzy not giving it any quarter to defend itself, not realizing the man was already dead. After his spear broke, he froze. Panting, he looked down at the corpse and saw his handiwork.
Once Greaves realized the psyker was dead, he felt that a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders. He let himself be taken in by the slight madness of his victory. He laughed maniacally, shouting "YOU'RE DEAD, along with your cruelty, and your power!". As the tears rolled down his face and his laughter echoed through the forest, Greaves failed to take notice of the soldiers behind him witnessing the sight of a crazed wolf man celebrating his kill. The group looked at each other and without saying a word, their leader shot Greaves with a specialized dart, that knocked the wolf to sleep.
=== Recruitment ===
Greaves learned within a short time, that the Chaos Worshipers had come under attack by a crew under the employ of Tarron Damos. Their orders were to kill any Chaos Worshiper within the area, and if they could, capture any mutant that seemed capable of taking orders from a new master. The group that captured Greaves was following one of the Worshipers that had been left behind for dead when the main group fled from the planet.
Since Greaves was still a young, and capable of rational thought, the high commanders of Tarron's fleet decided to train him as an Arch Militant, instead of having him on a leash like the other captured mutants. The regiment was a difficult one for Greaves to endure, but it was far better than what the Chaos Worshippers put him through. Here at least, he had proper food, and clothing, as well as a goal. If he was to live his life as a soldier, he was going to devote every fiber of his being into tracking and killing the ones who changed him into what he was. For that reason, Greaves devoted far more time and effort into becoming a Militant, than most trainees.
At the age of 25, he was assigned to keep tabs on a veteran soldier in Damos's army.